Merry Between Days!

It's those dreaded days between holidays where I made the choice to work! Blech! Tomorrow I have an exciting day of office organization. Tis my annual punishment for being a filing slacker the rest of the year.

I had a good Christmas. On Christmas Eve my family gathers at my sister's house. It's usually about 4-5 hours of food, drink, gifts and merriment. A nice time had by all. My 3 rampaging nephews even loved their gifts from us this year. That was a nice feeling.

Christmas Eve we then headed to BIL's for Christmas with MIL. MIL is truly nuts. She tries to pretend she can be laid back and do "whatever" (this is a favorite word of hers), but it's really "whatever as long as it conforms to what I want." Pictures of her annual weirdo gifts are forthcoming. Also pics of my new tats. (by "my" I mean my stand mixer's) :-)

We had a few days at home and various outings with friends we don't see often. That's always a nice part of the holidays.

Chris got me fun gifts. Well, one was a nice new coffee pot (which was really a "household" thing, but I was making due with a crappy old $20 model after our Starbuck's brand one died). It has frontal access for water, so no need to move it out from under the cabinet to fill.

Next I got my favorite thing, an espresso/cappucino maker:

And a JCP gift card. I was whining about needing new shoes, but bought them out of necessity last week, so now I can find something else to buy!

EDITED TO ADD: Well, really I edited to fix the spacing, but I want to add that I think I'm going to chop my hair off. It needs a fresh start. This decision helped by Boo's snappy new do.

All done!

My MUST DO list at work is done. Yay! Now I can take off a little early and run errands in the snow. *grumble*

Now, for those of you that haven't been to OT lately, I give you "BlogSecret." It's like postsecret.com, but for my bloggy friends. :-) So, got any good secrets to tell us?

Silent Night, despite my agnostic ways, still makes me misty eyed.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and all to my bloggy friends. You were there for me through a rough start to 2008, and I'm glad you are part of my life. *smooch*

Igloo living

*shovels path into blog*

I really hate winter. Really, really hate it. I think we are at around 40" total this year. That's over a foot above last year at this time...and last year was a record setting year. Windchills are miserable. We've had to reinforce one of our garage doors. Never again will we build in WI with the garage doors facing the west. We are buying a big snow thrower for the lawn mower. We just can't keep trying to move this much snow with our blade.

Our flights were all cancelled on Friday, so we spent the day with airline personnel, then hopping around flights, with almost no chance of getting to Madison. Even though the waiting list from MSP to MSN on the last flight of the day was 34 people long, we still managed to get on. There were THAT many missed connections. I wandered into the house around 2 a.m. Yuck!

I'm done with my first set of master's classes. 4.00 semester-yay! I cleaned house in celebration. :-)

Oh, and on a fun note-I love all the Christmas cards I've been getting from peeps! Thank you!

WTF?

WTF...am I supposed to do tonight? I'm done working, I'm done with my schoolwork for the semester (head.hurts), and I'm in BFE, Texas. Well, it's got a mall and a movie theatre. Perhaps I should shop or see a movie tonight?

WTF...are a bunch of police officers doing sitting in Starbucks this morning, asking eachother things like, "What is offal?" I knew, but didn't tell them. I was more curious about what they are reading that would cause them to ask this.

WTF...How do you loose a bag in Atlanta when you don't change planes. I mean, I get how it could happen, but what are the chances?! It wasn't mine, but my bosses.

WTF...there's a Waffle House a block away yet there is free breakfast here at the hotel. When I'm at a hotel that DOESN'T have free breakfast, there's never a Waffle House. *pout* I can't justify waking up earlier to go to the Waffle House & paying, so I'll suffer. *dramatic pose*

WTF...Suzuki still makes cars?

THE week

This is my last horrendous week until mid-January-YAY!

My new list:

1) Write paper. I have ideas jotted down and notes organized from one book. Now for the other two I have to compare/contrast.

2) Texas should be warmer than here this week, at any rate. Our garage door was frozen shut this morning. MINUS 20 below with the windchill. Yuck! I hate wind!

3) Ali gets her staples out tomorrow. yay!

Look-it's shrinking!
Oh, and I have chili for lunch, so come to this blog in the afternoon at your own risk.

Owww-quit it!

I have a tiny zit on the inside of my ear. It's on that little middle part that goes from your face to your ear. Make it go away!

Makin a list

Everything is going well and I'm not super stressed, but I'm starting to get nervous about some major deadlines approaching. In order of deadlines:

December 12th: Last day to get sh!t done before boss returns. One thing will take most of a day. Guess I should get cracking.

December 13th: Need to finish book for school

December 14th: Need to draft paper in addition to bake Christmas cookies with Sis that day.

December 17th: Need to turn in final paper that's due on the 18th, but I'll be traveling.

December 24th: Need to have Christmas presents wrapped.

December 31st: Need to have that one last Christmas present bought.

Next week I also have to get Ali's staples out (and I'm only here three days). I had also invited friends for drinks/apps while they were around during the holidays, but nobody's getting back to me with details of dates they're available (even though they "loved" the idea when I brought it up). I'm not offering anymore at this point.

Oh, I forgot a date! Jan. 2nd-Date I start bugging Boo about the 2009 3 Day.

Watch me pull this out of my pants...

First an foremost, an Ali update. Her entire right hindquarter and leg are shaved. She has a 3" long incision, which is then pulled together and stapled with about 10 thick staples. She's leaving it alone thus far. She also has a spot shaved on her back and the pain patch there. And of course her front legs have some shaving for IV fluids and pain drip insertions. Her mouth looks normal from the outside at least from the teeth being pulled. And wow, her teeth look so much better.

I'm so proud of my strong little 11 year old kitty. She's bouncing back well, although she's a bit pissed about being kept isolated in the front bedroom. We brought her into the living room last night where we all hung out and watched TAR (yay Nick & Starr! *sticks tongue out at Boo*). 28 more days and she should be completely normal again and won't require our constant vigilance.

I'm taking off tomorrow to hang with Ali and brace for the snowstorm. I will probabably have to hop on the John Deere and plow the driveway. Yuck. Wednesday I have off to help Chris's work partner paint her living room (yuck-I don't have time for this).

Oh, right, the magician. He was really a magician, though a magician who was hoping to get laid. He was very good at what he does (magic, not getting laid). He did have tricks where he pulled "your card!, etc." out of his pants. However, he ended up drinking so much tequilla that nobody thought it was a good idea for him to drive. He continued to hit on half the women (only one probably would've had sex with him, but he didn't want her), but ended up being put to bed downstairs away from the ladies.

The slumber party itself was ok. Good food, good wine, too much disco dancing. I was the youngest there by 10 years (my sister and one other lady both being the next youngest). These ladies looked damn good though. Some said it was the Botox. Most of them were workout freaks and only worked part-time because their husbands had big fancy jobs.

Cats in Boots

If you listen to Sirius, you may know this the name of a band. They have nothing to do with my post, although when the name scrolls across my Sirius screen, I laugh.

1) Ali went to the vet this morning for her orthopedic surgery. They will shave her leg, so she'll look like she forgot to put a sock on. They have pain patches for pets now. How cool is that? We've (mostly "I've") been giving her 4 oral liquid meds each day, so she'll be glad to cut back on those. It makes me sad that she runs whenever she sees me now for fear of meds. She's 11, but there's very little risk to the surgery. Just will take awhile to recover.

ETA: She had two teeth pulled, too. I asked if they could do it now, as I've known for about two years one needed to be done and put it off. It was cheaper to do it now and less traumatic than two surgeries. Poor thing will be extra miserable, though, for about two days.

2) I was able to talk myself out of having to (from a legal standpoint) support plural marriage. Whew! It took a few cocktails and rambling to my husband for about an hour, but I was able to provide myself rationale for NOT supporting legalization of it. It's not that I think it's gross or a sin, I just think it's ripe for abuse and misogyny, not to mention all the complicated tax/benefit implications.

3) I'm going to a pajama party tonight. Since Ali is staying overnight at the vet, I didn't have to cancel. My sister's friend is hosting and I think it will be a blast. She's hired an "adult" magician. Interesting....

Can't Let Bob Beat Me.

No, I'm not preggers. I just noticed Bob had like four posts in the last few weeks, which might be more than I had. Our blogosphere is becoming unbalanced.

So, what's new with me?

1) I apparently DO like pecan pie. I just never liked the recipes with corn syrup bases. I tried making a different kind for Thanksgiving and it was great, although it took a lot of patience to melt the sugar.

2) My MIL. Sigh. One more holiday to get through this year.

3) Ali, my oldest cat, is going in for surgery on Friday. She tore a knee ligament. Very common in dogs, not so common in cats. It's basically because she's fat and fearless. Well, except she fears me giving her more meds. I have four times to give her liquid meds each day. At least the pain meds slow her down a little.

4) I like my new glasses, but miss my contacts.

5) I need a haircut soooo badly. It will be my first-semester-over present to myself in a few weeks.

Settling back in

OMH, there's so much to do. I am back from DC & work is piled up. Plus, every conference generates twenty new things to do.

I'm behind on my class. I was to finish my book on the plane, but didn't. I also need to hit discussion three more days this week and write a paper by Sunday.

They are starting a new nursing school attached to a major CA university. We've been invited to join them. *gulp* My boss is the key decision maker, so now I'm in waiting mode. She leaves for Australia this weekend, so I'm guessing no progress will get made on this for awhile.

So I was thinking

California is a lot nicer in the winter than Wisconsin. I should really consider moving, shouldn't I?

It's been good.

I've been very happy to see some rare faces in the blog crowd this week. I miss all of you that disappeared on us! *smooches*

I leave for DC tomorrow for a conference. I give a big presentation on Monday and am nervous, but I have the weekend to practice. I also got upgraded for both legs tomorrow. Yay! A wierd thing...a good friend has the EXACT same leave time (he's going to NY) tomorrow and we share the exact same flight from Detroit to Madison on Monday. Weird! We are carpooling to the airport.

Carb overload

OMH-I swear all I ate were carbs this weekend. Other than the salmon & veggies on Saturday night, the banana on Sunday morning and some cheese, turkey and tomato on a sandwich...yeah, pretty much just carbs until dinner last night. Here are all the carbs I ate:

• Beer bread-about half a loaf
• French toast
• Oatmeal
• Sandwich bread multiple days
• Baked chips
• Soft pretzel
• Beer
• Brownies (ok, this is carby and fatty!)

On another note, I went out to the bar across the road by myself Saturday just to have a drink. I was getting a little stir-crazy in the house and I don't have friends that live close enough to call at the last minute to go out without an hour drive attached. A couple of 22-ish year old boys decided to flirt with me, which made me feel young. The fact they didn't even look to see if I had a wedding ring made me feel very old and made them seem even younger. The fact that their invitation to go bar hopping in my old hometown made me laugh, made me feel even older. Sigh. I'm old.

This weekend

Well, since my trip was cancelled, I have a weekend alone! It's rare this happens anymore. Here are my plans:

-I have to dig up my next book for class at a library so I can sink my teeth in this weekend.

-I have about an hour of work to do on a paper by Saturday night.

-I want to try two "gift in a jar" recipes to see if they are gift worthy. I tried rice, brownies, coffee creamer and soup so far. The gingerbread coffee creamer was a loser.The rice is good. The soup is average. The brownies are average, but easily improved. I have a hot chocolate recipes that will be a winner. I need to find a main dish type jar to try and also the best beer bread recipe. I've tried one and it wasn't even close to as good as Tastefully Simple's beer bread.

-I need to sweep asian beetles in the basement.

-I might sneak a little Christmas shopping in tonight. I'm giving the ladies in my family the Debbie Meyer green bags and bread bags, among a few other things. Seems like a simple, fun thing to pick up tonight.

Oh, and I think my MIL got fired from her post-retirement part-time gig. Or she quit. At any rate, she's not working at the post office anymore (I think it lasted two weeks). I'm not surprised, as she's losing her mind and isn't well suited for many jobs. Too bad, though. In far northern Wisconsin, it was probably the best paying part-time job she could hope for.

Or not. (formerly known as Gingahbread)

UPDATE! Trip to Texas cancelled-you don't get rid of me that easily. :-)

That's how Monsty prounounces it, right? In honor of the gingerbread conversation on OT this week, I am at Panera eating a gingerbread bagel. It's yummy.

Panera is the only place around here I can get good, free refills on coffee. Free wi-fi, refillable coffee, what's not to love?

Off to pick up the car in about an hour.

UPDATE: Here is my silly key for the car

Oh, and for some reason Blogger doesn't allow new posts on IE on my laptop (it's fine at work & home desktop). I have to use Firefox to post on my blog from my laptop. Any ideas?

Who peed on the floor?

OMG our bathroom stinks at work. It's never smelled bad before, however it smells like someone very unhealthy urinated on the floor and it sat for a few days. *gag*

So I went to the bathroom to check my bra name. I think it's one that is being named in a lawsuit because traces of phermaldohyde (sp??) are causing reactions. Needless to say, I skipped doing that once I encountered the smell. And it's not like I'll take the bra off and walk around braless today anyway.

Four days

Four business days seems like a long time to do a damage assessment on a car. We know it will be totalled, but need the assessors stamp of approval before we go out and get another car loan. It's the smart thing to do. There's still a very, very small chance it might not be totalled, so we need to wait. Oh, and we have gap insurance, so if we owe more than they total it out at, we won't be upside down. Yay!

In other news, I am tired. I was off my multi-vitamin for awhile, but just started back up. Hoping it will give me some energy!

I'm very much dreading Christmas shopping. I'm trying to cut back on cost, so it will be a difficult task to watch the pennies and find a good gift.

Accident

So I packed up the Neon this morning to come to work. I had my suitcase, laptop, the whole bit. I was planning on going to work and switching out the fleet car around 2 pm for my business trip up to the UP of Michigan. About .1 miles from work, KABLAM! Here's the scenario:
<________C
<________B
<________A
>_______>left turn lane
>_________
>_________
>_________

I was in lane C, which was moving normally, not bumper to bumper. Lanes A & B were backed up. They left her a small gap to get through. She decided to turn quickly, maybe not realizing lane C wasn't stopped or forgetting lane C existed? I slammed on my brakes, but couldn't avoid her rear passenger side.

We are both ok, though I'm debating going to urgent care just to get checked out anyway. Her car is totalled for sure, ours is probably totalled, but not sure. She was a shaking, crying mess and I felt bad for her (although I was glad she was cited). I was more angry at the inconvenience of it all.

So yeah, I'm still heading out for my business trip. Chris is being my knight-in-shining armor and handling the claim. And? It's kind of good I have the work fleet car for the next few days! Now, my accident karma should be over, right? No hitting a moose tonight!

ETA: Car IS totalled. Sigh. I think we are upside down about $1000-500 on it. Could be worse I guess. We'll probably get a used commuter car for around $10K and sink our Christmas shopping money into paying off the Neon.

I should probably update

It's really only Tuesday? Hm. Feels like it should be later in the week.

My homecoming queen worker seems competent. She was able to at least make copies with minimal instruction. She'll be here M, W, F which is a HUGE help to me.

Chris and I are making homemade french bread pizza tonight and watching election coverage. Polls numbers should start coming in when we get home at 7:00. We'll also be watching Stewart & Colbert. :-)

I'm leaving for another business trip tomorrow. I'm driving a little state Prius up into the UP of Michigan. I hope I don't hit a moose.

I'm still not done reading Ben's autobiography.

The Headband

Fashion friend, or fashion foe?

I recently purchased a 3 pack (black, brown, white) of simple cloth covered headbands. I'm growing my bangs out and this is a good solution. However, I'm torn on liking them. I mean, Paris Hilton wears them. She then looks like a baby doll (puke). But then Lauren Conrad wears them and looks like a young, fresh fashionista. Sigh.

I have yet to attempt the silky ones that look like fake scarves with the trailer down the back.

Randoms

1. They did not have to surgically extract my wisdom tooth that was popping through. It was so far out they just did a normal extraction and we were done in about ten minutes total. LOL! Thus, I didn't get the other upper out.

2. School is better. My one credit class is over. I got 100%. Of course, it's an intro to research class and well, I do that for a job, so I'd have been disappointed in myself not to get an A in an intro class! My other class is ok. I'm reading the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin right now. I enjoy autobiographies, I just don't enjoy literary criticism. I just want to read!

3. I'm getting another student worker. My current one isn't very good. He's a nice young nursing student, and he's a minority in two senses, so myself and the minority student liason are doing some coaching. In the meantime, I need more help. My boss told the pre-nursing student chapter president we'd hire her. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but she has ZERO work experience, other than landscaping. Sigh. Hopefully she's brimming with potential. She has homecoming queen on her resume. Seriously.

4. I made some really yummy chocolate chip cookies yesterday. It was the cookie battle on Food Network Challenge. I was inspired.

5. I'm kind of getting into Chuck. Some OTers recommened it.

Busy, but good

I'm still freakishly busy, but was able to spend a night away from homework, job-work and housework this week. Yay! We met up with friends and went to our local brewer's "office" for a party. It was very fun, but we stayed til 10:30 on a weeknight. That's too late for us!

I get my wisdom teeth pulled on Monday. Well, I'm still debating on getting one or both top ones pulled. I have supplemental dental that will cover it, but I have a $200 deductible. Grr. This means that I'll be out for a few days next week.

My 1 credit class will be over next week. My 4 credit is still ongoing, though. It's been 2 papers and reading a full book every week. It will be nice to go to one book and one paper each week.

Sephora sent me a $20 off a $50 purchase coupon. I did a little early Christmas shopping using it and got one thing for myself.

I went to LUSH the other day and got a few free items with my purchase: One Snowcake soap, one Afterlife moisturizer (being discontinued) and Potion lotion (which I also think is being discontinued). Yay for free things!

Now, I can go buy some new clothes with my JC Penny gift cards (we cashed in credit card points for the gift cards), and shopping will be done until the new year for myself.

We are cutting back on Christmas this year. Are you still doing the same thing, or cutting back this year?

May or May Not...

There may or may not have been midget races this weekend.

I may or may not be able to show my face at the local bar again.

I may or may not have a drink & do some push-ups tonight.

Yesterday

1) Up at 5:30 to make three pots of coffee, get ready for work, and bring coffee, bagels & such to a 7:30 meeting at work.

2) Meeting runs late...til 9:15, thus putting my day behind.

3) Afternoon meeting runs as scheduled. I have lots of meeting leftover stuff to bring home, so I ask Chris to pick me up instead of me taking the bus. He says ok. I go outside to wait. He calls and says he totally forgot he can't leave work yet, so I'll need to take the bus.

4) I go back to my office and wait for the next bus (30 minutes). While walking to the bus, I realize my purse is still in my office (with keys, bus pass, wallet, etc.). I have to get hospital security to open my door. I obviously miss the bus.

5) Chris says he'll pick me up in 15 minutes. 30 minutes later, he finally shows up. We don't get home until 7:30. I have a paper to write and am dead tired.

This is quite typical of how the last two weeks have been. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I am freaking out a bit that I'm not as prepared for company as I'd like to be (lack of plan, lack of cleanliness and organization of house), but I hope they'll be forgiving.

Mandatory update

I'm forcing myself to update because if I ever look back on this, I'll wonder why I've been so lax.

1) School is kicking my aras schedule wise. The end of this month is crunch time, then it will ease off. I've so far aced all my assignments. This next essay I'm not so confident about. We just read Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Great book that was on my "to read" list, anyway.

2) Work travel is eating up my life. I have about three weeks back here, but I'm busy making plans for the next two trips in Nov. to Powers, MI and Longview, TX. You may have heard me complain elsewhere that it snowed last week for our three days in Billings. I had a nasty fall at the airport in which I strained my ankle (pulled a muscle a tiny bit and lots of external bruising, but it's healing), dunked my laptop case in about 8" of water (no computer damage, lots of book and paper damage), and had to change my undies even at the airport (they were wet from the sno/water, not from poop *snort*).

3) I drove my first keyless ignition car *waves at the absent Nookie* It was weird, but I liked it.

4) I don't want to get old.

Losing it.

I not only forgot my purse today (which means I had no keys, no phone and no wallet), but I also showed up 4 hours late for my doctor's appt (I changed the date when I rescheduled, but not the time in my calendar).

I have far too much on the brain and can't wait for this week to be over.

I'll be in Billings (for work) for the next few days, so get ready to see a list of everything I forgot to prepare in Monday's blog post.

Going to school, working and traveling through the weekends for work SUCKS! I don't know how peeps with kids involved in 30 things do it.

Photosynthesis

This is a mixture of pretty things and things you asked me to find. In this post find the pic YOU requested! And Breezy lied. Nobody's house in the UP has a moose in the yard. We looked for 3 days.

Photo Op

I remembered my flash drive. I don't forget twice. :-)

What would you like me to take a picture of during my 4 day weekend in the sticks (Michigan's UP)?

Hmmmm....

My palm itches and it's driving me nuts. Do you think I might be catching The Gay?

Happies

I will post about happy things, since I was grumbly last week.

1. Our three apples from our young tree were very tasty.
2. It was a great weekend for the convertible.
3. Next weekend we are doing a fall color drive in the UP (Michigan).
4. We finally have a DVR. Does the man-desire to record EVERYTHING end soon? And the desire to re-watch every football play?

Now, if someone could massage my shoulders, that would be great. I helped sis pull out all her carpet yesterday.

*grumble*

Five reasons I'm grumbling:
1) I've gained four pounds over the last month. It might have a lot to do with the Thai food bonanza, cinnamon roll and latte yesterday, pie, and onion rings in the last week (and no exercise).

2) I have too much to do this weekend and now my sister wants help with her flooring (they are pulling carpet and installing wood).

3) I forgot my flash drive today. I couldn't take my bag because we were driving the convertible and had stuff crammed in for our overnight at Chris's dad's house (there was a cooler and gun in addition to our bag). The flash drive contained my homework that is due this week. I had to email the prof and ask to upload it tomorrow. He was nice, but I hated having to ask.

4) My computer is freezing up a lot today.

5) It's dark in the morning when we get up. I hate this adjustment.

Popcorn

I only buy microwave popcorn when it's on sale (it was yesterday). Sometimes I buy the big bag of kernels and pop in the popcorn pot (one of those tall pots with the "stirrer"). But, it takes me like a year to go through one of those bags.

Good times, good times.

The Dixie Chicks

Kim: "You know, it would just be nice to know what it was like to be rich."
Carey: "Remember that band The Dixie Chicks?"
Kim: "Yeah"
Carey: "That was me."

*alarm goes off*

This was the start of a dream this morning. *snort* Could've been interesting.

P.S. Thai food was GREAT this weekend. My coworkers all showed up and it was very fun. I love parties! Plus, I got a late afternoon nap, two of my football teams won, and a friend stopped by with leftover awesome ribs last night. *content sigh*

Big Day

I'm a sucker for joining clubs if they offer me something cheap and cool (You know, like joining you bloggers a few years ago).

Today, I finally cancelled my Doubleday book club membership. I've been very neglectful of saying "no" to my featured selections lately, so it was time. Now, I'll wait until the temptation of "We want you back, get 6 books and free shipping with only two more to buy in the next 24 months!"

Food questions

1. Mahi Mahi, Swordfish, Tuna or Salmon tonight?
2. Crabcakes or coconut shrimp for an appetizer?
3. Wine or cosmo?

What I ate:

Jerk Mahi Mahi with pineapple/mango salsa
Crabcakes
Wine (they had carmenere, which I love)

I need a weekend again

Aside from catching up on last season's The Shield episodes and watching a little football, it was a constant working weekend with housework. I'm having coworkers over next Saturday, and our Thai student is staying over on Friday night, so we cleaned and did projects.

1. Build workbench in garage
2. Painted laundry room door
3. Polyurathaned the butcher block (that we use as a liquor shelf, not for cooking)
4. Made homemade bbq sauce
5. Made tomatillo salsa
6. Touched up deck stain
7. Bottled beer
8. Hung pictures (Which meant moving deer head! Yay!)
9. Cut down some plants that were dead and ugly (lilies and such)
10. Fixed garage door trim
11. Scoured & polished coutertops.

Hm, it actually FEELS like we did even more than that.

Hate Crimes

My coworker's house (well, her front door), in a nice suburban area of Madison, was vandalized overnight. They wrote something to the effect of "Move by this weekend or else." She is a transsexual living with her wife (some may remember I've explained them in the past...They were a standard Mr. & Mrs., until B had surgeries and hormones to become a Mrs., too).

I'm shocked, sad, angry.....and feel helpless. Any thoughts on how I can be supportive and help my coworker?

Oodles and Oodles of Miscellaneous Tidbits!

1. Chicago Peep Meet was fun. Going to Wrigleyville and gazing at the buildings were my favorite parts of Chicago. We don't like baseball, but Wrigleyville is much like Madison on Badger game day...uber fun! We had lots of Goose Island beer, a big stein at the Hofbrauhaus, and hit a few little bars and shops. Second City was also awesome, a very funny, politically charged show.

2. Riding public transportation in any city always makes me feel more at home there.

3. I started school today! I did my first reading assignment yesterday. It was a seriously dense paper. It was 14 pages, but I had to read it in three chunks just to digest it all. I felt like I should be riding the short bus. *hopes Bravie saved me a seat*

4. We canned lots of salsa and diced tomatoes yesterday. Tonight we'll do lots of sliced hot peppers and more salsa. It was a bumper crop of tomatoes, as usual. The deer have devoured the mystery volunteer squash in our garden. Guess that solves that issue. We should get 4 good apples off our apple trees we planted a few years ago. Yay!

5. Allergy season sucks. Chris has been feeling like crap, as have many of my coworkers and students.

6. Maroonclown is my favorite this month.

7. My anniversary is next week: 8 years. It falls on a Tuesday, which is Chris's worst day of work. Guess we'll REALLY enjoy those dinner cocktails.

Busy as hell

It's going to be a busy week. I have a manual and an interim report to get out, plus all the other usual stuff. Sigh.

Tomorrow Top Chef is coming to Madison...it's a few of the past season's contestants doing demos at the farmer's market. I know Dale and winner Stephanie are there for sure, so I'm going to try and squeeze that in my day. Yay!

The 3 Day

We've been talking a lot about getting involved with the Chicago 3 Day in 2009. The dates are Aug. 7th-9th. I thought I'd talk a little about the committment involved and how to take the plunge.

The Basics

The 3 Day's primary benneficiaries are the Susan G. Komen Fund and National Philanthropic Trust. Every advancement in breast cancer research, treatment, education and prevention in the last 25 years has been touched by a Komen for the Cure grant. A report card on the over $86 million raised in 2007 can be accessed here:

http://www.the3day.org/site/DocServer/3-Day_Report_Card_3_28_08.pdf?docID=341

The cost to register as a walker or crew member is $90 and can be done at: http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer

It is not considered tax deductible, as it's not a donation. It's used to cover expenses of running the event.

Walkers must raise $2,300 by one month after the walk date. Donations can be made by: 1) the walker facilitating mailing of checks and donation forms (donors will then get emailed or mailed an official receipt from Susan G. Koman/the 3 Day) or 2) via your website you set up after registration. There are tons of fundraising tools and a message board filled with ideas when you register.

Crew members have the same $90 registration fee, but have no fundraising requirement. The must also do an additional day of work on the Thursday before the walk (Crew Training Day).

There are local clinics in walk cities to help you prepare for the event as a crew member or walker.

As I live within 3 hours of Chicago, I'll be driving and can pick people up at the airport. Hotel for the night before and/or after will be about $140 for a room. Four people could probably fit reasonably comfortably in the room.

Day one has an early rise time (shuttle buses will be gone and loaded by 6:30).

You must pack everything you need (sleeping pad, tarp, sleeping bag, gear) in a single bag-can attach sleeping bag, though-weighing approximately 35 lbs.

During the event, you'll sleep with a partner in a 2 person tent. The tent is supplied by the 3 Day. You can specifiy you tent partner, or one will be randomly assigned to you. Camp is in the same spot for the entire 3 Day, so no taking down and setting up things repeatedly. You will have to set up you tent on the first day and take it down on the last morning.

You'll need to invest in good shoes, good socks, shorts that won't make you easily chafe (we saw NASTY, PAINFUL thighs), and a fanny pack with 2 bottles or camelback for hydration.

There is medical staff available throughout every day, every stop and at night. You are in good, safe hands. You do not have to walk all 60 miles. There are "sweep vans" along the route and busses back to camp during the day. You can leave the event at any time by checking out of camp.

Meals and snacks are provided by the 3 Day and are pretty good.

My Experience

As you can tell from Boo and I, the 3 Day is an amazing, personally rewarding experience. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll meet great people. Words really can't explain it.

Training is tough to squeeze in. Those long training walks take time. The 3 Day provides several training plans, depending on when you start the training process. I recommend starting in February at least. But training is important. It's important to know if you have the right shoes for 20 miles/day and that they won't cause blisters. I trained for 16 mile walks (never made it to 20), and at mile 17 my blisters were forming on Day 1 of the 3 Day. It's important to train in the clothes you'll wear. After 20 miles, a shirt can rub you the wrong way.

I will be working on fundraising this fall, and training in the spring. Doing both at the same time takes A LOT of time and effort. And neither is easy. Starting early on fundraising is my number one tip. See first what you get just by asking friends, family and coworkers for donations. Then use other fundraising ideas to supplement or exceed your minimum donation.

There are lots of shoes walkers use. I want to try really good walking sandals and see how they work. My shoes, although a good brand, bought from one of those stores that analyzes your gait, gave me awful matching blisters and made my toenails fall off. I need something different.

This is an extremely physically and emotionally draining event, but so worth it. Don't think it's a walk in the park. It's a committment, but one you can be proud of. You won't regret it once the weekend wraps up, but you have to work hard to get there. There's a reason that even after all the grumbling, Boo still wants to come back. There's a reason that despite four months of ugly feet, and debilitating blisters, I'm still coming back. It's being part of something bigger than yourself and pushing through challenges.

I hope we can have a big team in Chicago. Every walker raising that much money amounts to incredible results.

Walkers crossing the finish line

Some of our fabulous Pit 2 Crew!

Me, Boo and Aaron at our Food tent. We'd take bets on the first food to go (we passed the time by betting on a lot of things). I won with carrots. :-) Boo's cheese was strangly slow on betting day. Poor Aaron went the underdog of raisins and tried his darndest to push em.

Boo and I at a cheering station in the afternoon.

This is Boo feeling cold and miserable in the rain, early in the morning of Day 1.

P.S. There may, or may not be, some surprising, exciting news in the comments of my last post. You might want to go look.

Things that make me happy

-Walking the Chicago 3 Day next year and maybe having some of my best bloggy friends by my side (Bree's Cookies will be a hit!).

-Chlorox dishclothes. Where have you been all my life? No more stinky dishcloths!

-Books. I'm feversihly reading Merle's Door and The Other Side of the Bridge for OT book club right now. School starts in a few weeks, so I'm trying to get all the upcoming book club selections read (well, at least the ones I want to read).

-Kashi's Dark Chocolate Cherry granola bars. Right up there with Fiber One's.

-My VS nightshirt. Sooooo soft and just the right legth and cut.

-Not taking the pill anymore. Got my Mirena inserted yesterday. No more pills!

-Bucking the system at Starbucks *grins at Boo*

Blogging and such

I'm back from Boston, and am soooo sleepy. Boston is not my favorite city, but there were parts I liked. It was almost a little too tidy for me.

I had a peep meet with Lassan, her boyfriend, and AyaK. Yay!

I had an excellent time with Boo, even when she was being a bitch. :-)

I made lots of new friends, and had many laughs and tears while cheering on walkers.

I'm glad to be home and to see Chris and my kitties.

I'm not sure I'll be blogging much this week. Lots to do!

Fun behind, and more fun ahead!

We had a really fun weekend. I'll admit, taking the convertible to Milwaukee was super-fun. :-) My favorite moment from the weekend? The Craig Story.

Nancy (friend of our friends) told me The Reece Story, which began with her husband getting drunk, and ended with him naked, puking and shitting at the same time, and the dog coming in and licking his aras. So, I was already in tears from that when the group of 12 on our tour started talking about The Craig Story. We overheard the strangers and were kind of joking with them, "OOOOh, we've been dying to hear The Craig Story!" We boarded our boat (to take us from brewery to brewery), and the telling began. It started with Craig getting drunk, and ended with him dropping his pants in the middle of the street and shitting. What a coincidence! Craig also had two pairs of pants on...was he planning on shitting one and needing to change???? Ahhhh, good times.

Tomorrow beings my Boston adventure! I think I'm peep meeting with Lasann and AyaK on Wednesday. Monsty will be gone. :-( Then I hook up with Boo on Thursday for our 3-Day adventure. Woooohoooooooo! I've missed Boo, and it will be so good to see her again.

In case you are feeling jealous, we must get out of bed at 4:00ish daily. Ack!

Fun ahead

It's going to be a fun weekend.

Tonight we are going to a Madison Mallards game and sitting in the Duck Blind:
The Great Dane Duck Blind has become one of the most popular summertime night spots in Madison! Still featuring an all inclusive food and drink extravaganza for you and your group of up to 1,000 people! Along with unlimited soda we provide the largest selection of beers (18 to be exact) in The Northwoods League, highlighted by the Great Dane of course. Our concession stand serves brats, burgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts and more! Sides include french fries, potato salad, cole slaw and chips. Our grills are on until the end of the 5th inning and the food is served until it’s gone. A limited menu will be cooked and served until the end of the 7th inning!

The good news? I'm going. The bad news? I'm the designated driver.

Tomorrow, it's off to a riverboat tour of three Milwaukee breweries and hanging out at some of the most fun places Milwaukee has to offer. We are going with two other couples and staying overnight right near the bars. Yay for walking!

See what fun things I plan for Michelle's birthday? :-)

For Bravie

Guitar Hero
Fancy free
When I think of you
It makes me pee

Write your favorite Bravie poem.

Live report from my desk

• I have two red binders for two current projects that I use daily. I should've made them different colors.
• My Palm is pissing me off. I think I'm ditching it. I'll find someone else here to donate my headache to.
• I received an email from my master's program regarding orientation to their course software. This makes me anxious to start classes.
• I'm doing data analysis today and need lots of breaks. I really hate doing analysis.
• Our Thai student brought me really spicy red curry for lunch. I love her. She wants me to make her pumpkin pie. Glad I'm good at pumpkin pie and she didn't choose something like foie gras, which I've never made and never will.

Past & Present

PAST

Here are three pics from my childhood. The first one is me on my "stage" in our basement. Note the orange carpeting, the faux fireplace, and yes, that's a record player down in the corner. I was likely singing to my aunt Madonna's records. She went to Nashville and recorded a twangy country album in her 30s.

The middle one is a posed pic of me around three years old. I look like a good country girl, yes?

The third one is of me in the balerina outfit (about 4 years old) that my mom bought me to cope with the fact my sister was in dance and I wasn't. I used this, and my sister's old dance costumes, to perform for my entire extended family during holidays. I was the youngest grandchild and often couldn't be part of the plays and acts they'd perform for the family. Thus, I put on my own show, always involving dance.

PRESENT

We pick the car up today. It's a 2000 (I keep saying 1990, I don't know why...I'm a decade behind) Toyota MX2 Spyder. At least I look good in it, and it IS cute and zippy. Chris likes it because it's uber fast and "sticky" on corners. He pointed out that his dad, at 64, is the oldest living male EVER on his father's side of the family, so 34 really is mid-life. :-)

Channeling my Inner Boo

I think subbing for Boo yesterday on OT has made me feel a little Boo-ish. I have an 11:30 training across town, and no real reason to be in my office, so I'm working from Panera. Free refills on coffee. And I'm being good and got a whole grain bagel with a smidgen of light cream cheese for a snack a few minutes ago. The "fresh cracked eggs, applewood smoked bacon and vermont sharp cheddar" sandwich sounded better, but I'm seriously stressing about weight, so I avoided it (I was down 2 lbs this morning. Whew!).

We tested mattresses last night. We LOVED the spring-free mattress and the Tempurpedic wins for not transfering motion. However, we might wait until next year to buy it. Why? Chris really, really wants a new toy and now it's in the form of a little convertible. He's going to look at it today, and we might test drive it tonight. Three cars for two people. Sigh. It would replace the plane and motorcycle items on his wish list. I have to admit, it's the safer of the three, waaay more practical and uber cute. I'd tell you the kind, but I don't recall. A Toyota and some combination of letters and numbers. Guy is selling it for less than Blue Book and throwing in winter tires (not that we need those, though).

BIL called from a happy hour last night. A 3/4" thick slice of bacon was one of the happy hour appetizer specials. I like bacon, but that makes me barf. Of course, he was eating it.

Stay tuned tomorrow for some pics from my youth. I scanned some old photos and they make me laugh.

Not feeling bloggy

I haven't been feeling bloggy lately.

This weekend we had people over and went to a play. It was "Ah Wilderness!" by Eugene O'Neill. It was AWESOME! The casting was excellent. I wish I could take all of you right now.

Yesterday we started to finish the final piece of our deck. It's a wraparound step. Someday when it's finished, I'll take a pic. Someday. :-)

Watched Jesus Camp last night. It was ok. There are some crazy peep out there. Remember that screaming jesus lady on Trading Spouses (or was it Wife Swap?)? She'd fit right in around there.

Oh, Extreme Makeover Home Edition is filming in my hometown right now. It's the Anders family. The house is just down the road from where my parents built our first house (before I was born). I guess it's a real circus there. My dad was moaning about how they get to unfairly skip inspections, get fast permits, have so many waivers and loopholes for local contracters to sign, etc. I kept reminding him this was a one time thing for the good of a family and it will all be over in a few more days. He was starting to sound like a grumpy old man.

Poutine is no longer an option

It's a requirement!

We tried a new restaurant last night in Madison and found the one-and-only place here serving POUTINE!!!! It's a small menu cigar & bourbon pub atmosphere. Only five appetizers, one being randomly poutine! The waitress almost fell over when she found out we'd had it before. The chef was excited one of his favorite foods was so eagerly received. He used a gravy recipe from some famous restaurant in British Columbia. I have to say, it was divine. We now have a new Thursday night tradition: Happy Hour Poutine.

In our cocktailed-up state, Chris also informed me he has a new way of dealing with stress. List all your stressors, rank them in order from most distressing to least. Take the top three, draw a line below those, and forget about everything below the line.

*yawn* I'm a little tired this morning from the food, drink and merriment of last night.

Things I Need

...ok, "want."

1. Coupon organizer. I currently use three small envelopes in my purse. It's barely sufficient. I still have to pull over in the store and do a lot of sorting and juggling. I need one with seperate sections for type of coupon and "expiring soon."

2. GPS. Ok, I probably don't need this, but it seems fun.

3. A new knife block. My new big Sankotu knife does't fit, so I bought a new knife block today.

4. A sewing machine and lessons. I need curtains hemmed.

5. A king sized bed. Nolay's snoring bothers me MUCH less in a king sized. Unfortunately, we just purchased a queen sized frame & headboard last year. I think we need to build a platform.

What do you need?

Wednesday letdown

I'm very sad I cannot make BILLIONS on my boxer dickie idea. Guess I'll go back to my hairspray dispenser idea for women's bathrooms. Go ahead, rain on my parade with THAT one, too. *dramatic pose*

Yesterday I pseudo had the day off work. I had a conference call and answered email. Beyond that, I was off. I went to the dentist for a cleaning. All was well on the tooth frontier. I also caught up on some crappy tv. I watched the new "Date my Ex" show with Jo & Slade from The Real Housewives of Orange County. The basic premise is Jo and Slade are ex-fiances, but still very good friends. Slade helps Jo find a new man by letting suitors live with him and go on dates with Jo. He seemed uncomfortable the whole time. I think it SEEMED like a good idea to him, but in reality it's very hard. I'm kind of curious to see how he handles it throughout the season. Besides, I'm really low on trashy summer shows.

I also figured out my workplace will pay for one of my courses each semester, as long as I'm 50% or greater here. Yay!

I'll make millions!

Boxer Dickies.

Chris and I like to joke about shirts with "dickies" that are popular these days. I have some, he has some. Sure, they aren't "dickies," per se, but rather sewn in fake collars. Dickies are technically a seperate item you put on, then the shirt over it, but for modern purposes, the sewn in fake shirt collar? Dickie. My idea? Boxer dickies. Take boxers, sew a pair of jeans onto the cuff of the boxers. All the look, none of the worry.

The homies will love them!

Brain Vomit

It's been awhile since I've just had some brain vomit on here, so here is a miscellaneous post.


1. Work issues are still a bit unresolved. We received a call today about another funding opportunity, which makes it hard to decide where to put our time. Sigh. Just once, I'd like to only be working on three or less projects. I've decided that I could cut back to 50% time here and maintain a lot of my benefits, as well as having the opportunity to bump that time back up if the other job falls through in the long run. Then I could be a 50% employee at the other place, which would be about $6K more a year (with only working 50%) and doing something I really love. I just worry that 50% at my current job will make me insane, trying to juggle too much. If I wasn't in school, it wouldn't be an issue, but I will need my nights and weekends for studying.

2. I've asked Chris to take on two nights of meal planning and cooking while I'm in school. We'll see how that goes. He wasn't at ALL enthusiastic. He already made his meal plan for each week...a rotation of tacos, steak and frozen pizza.

3. I'm in fresh fruit heaven. I love this time of year. We picked two GIANT quarts of raspberries last night and had our CSA delivery. I'd purchased cherries in Michigan and blueberries at the store this week. Over on OT I left a great raspberry dressing and berry bar recipe I tried last night. I rarely use recipes, so this was a monumental event.

4. I'm getting excited about the 3 Day. In case you don't recall, Boo and I are on the CREW this year, not walking. I got a reasonably priced hotel (for my two-day pre-visit) with a free shuttle downtown and to the airport, Boo got us a free ride from the airport to the training location...so all the financial pieces are becoming a LITTLE easier to swallow.

5. I love Priceline. I use it at least five times a year for hotels and rental cars.

Dear Liver, I'm sorry.

Here's a recrap of The Great Brewpub Tour vacation (13 brewpubs in four days). It's the story of going for the brew and finding out about the towns.

Friday

We hit the road for Michigan, which brings us just west of Chicago, into Indiana for a bit, and then finally SW Michigan. Frodis's directions only had us stuck for two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Kidding! It was smooooth sailing-thanks Fro!

We stopped in Michigan City, Indiana for gas and lunch. Saw a sign for a brewpub...of course we had to stop!

Shoreline Brewery....very cool first stop. It's an old pink building with great beers and food. I had an AMAZING cajun shrimp wrap with wild rice and sauteed shrimp, onions and peppers in a creaole seasoning. It was served with fried veggie chips, which were divine.

Yes, I took a picture of the food.

Michigan city, on the shore of Lake Michigan, is home to a lot of power...coal and nuclear. It's the kind of town where you understand why the waitress was "escaping" to Hawaii this fall.


Then it was onto Lawton, MI to visit Old Hat Brewpub. Lawton is home to a Welch's juice factory. We were surprised this little town had a brewpub. Beers were awful, but the building was nice, as was the bartender. Did not take any beer with us.

Next it was on to Marshall, MI, home of Dark Horse Brewing Co. What a cool find this was! It's kind of a shack, in this beautiful, small town. They had a cool outdoor bier garten, cool specially-handmade mugs (each made by a local potter), and great beer. We ended up sitting next to two guys that were on their way from Detroit to Indiana, as officially sanctioned beer judges for the Indiana brewing competition at the state fair. Great guys to chat with! We also snacked on a jalepeno cheese crust appetizer. Left with a growler (jug) of their Black beer.

Look at the cool mugs on the ceiling!

Finally, it was time to hit Battle Creek, MI and Arcadia Brewing Co. We were STUFFED by then, but this place did in-house BBQ. Sigh. We ordered too much food and could barely finish one beer each. We bought some 6-packs there since we couldn't try it all. We parked next to the Kellogg's building! Very cute area.




We then headed to Kalamazoo, MI for our hotel. 9 p.m. and we were dead. We had a super-nice hotel, thanks to my Marriott points. It was an all suite extended stay.

Saturday

We headed out late from our hotel, as our next stop didn't open til 11:00. We had a donut at Sweetwaters, a very popular donut shop local to Kalamazoo. I had a peanut butter cup donut. *burp*

Bell's Brewery was actually the impetus for this whole trip. The are a microbrewery that distributes to quite a wide national area. Super good beers. We dropped a lot of cash in the souvenier shop and headed to drink. It was fun to try all the beers that aren't distributed outside of the brewery. Took home a lot of varieties in bottles. Another place with an awesome bier garten.

Mmmmm....all those yummy beers on tap, AND more varieties in bottles. Mmmmm.

Our last stop in Kalamazoo was Old Penninsula. It was more focused on food than brew, IMHO. Beers were pretty good, but only had a few on tap. We took home a growler of IPA.

Know what Kalamazoo is known for? Home of Gibson guitars. Well, and pharmaceutical supplies.

Next we hit a surprise that wasn't on our list...Walldorff Brewing in Walldorff, MI. Good, unique beers. Took home a growler of IPA. Had a hot dog from a street vendor. :-)


Next it was off to Grand Rapids where we first hit The Hideout. This was a funky place, hidden back on some back street. A sweet young bartender filled us with samples and we took a growler of Stout home. Another cool bier garten!


Then it was off to meet Breezy and BFBreezy at Grand Rapids Brewing Company. We picked a bad table so I could neither hug nor kick Breezy from my seat. What was I thinking? We spent about three hours chatting and having dinner. I wasn't the greatest company because I was full and tired. Next time, fewer drinks BEFORE I meet up with Breezy, more DURING. :-) We got to look at her Mighty Putty job and talk about some of you. We also talked about a strip joint a lot...

Our last stop of the night was a little brewery called Schmoz. They had GREAT beer, but zero atmosphere. But that's ok. A bar doesn't have to have great atmosphere. The brewer hated Belgian beers (we also hate Belgians), so we got along just fine with the ones he did brew.

Then it was off to our hotel to plunk our full bellies into bed.

Sunday

The next morning we had a destination for breakfast and plenty of time to kill. We went to Wolfgang's in Grand Rapids. What a GREAT breakfast place. They even have hazelnut coffee as an option with no upcharge. :-) I had spinach and tomato benedict. Yum! We then walked around some very cool aread of Grand Rapids. We were perplexed by all the beautiful, giant homes and had no idea what the town was known for. Thus, it was off to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. We spent hours there, learning that Grand Rapids is a huge furniture manufacturing town...the largest in America in the 1800 and early/mid 1900s. Who knew? It was a great museum and I'm glad we went. We then went to see the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Meyer May home. It was open, but we were strapped for time, so I just wandered around outside.

Let me tell you how uncomfortable those seats were...

Then it was off for more beer at Founder's Brewery. They had a cool building that looked to be a former railroad stop. It had giant garage doors that opened up the patio. We had yummy guacamole here with our beers. Took home a few six-packs.

Next comes the disappointing part of our trip. We drove to a brewpub in Spring Lake, MI only to be told, despite them being open, you can't get beer there on Sundays. The county has a law prohibiting beer and wine sales on Sundays. WTF? We then notice our next stop of Holland is also in that county. Grrrrr. There was about an hour of driving for NOTHING. We had a hotel in Holland, so knew we could hit that one on Monday. We found a brewery south of Holland by a few miles that was in the adjacent county. Yay! Sagatuck Brewing Co. was in a beautiful lakeside resort area of Douglas/Sagatuck. We enjoyed some beers there, chatted with others, and had dinner at a good place named Phil's. We enjoyed Sagatuck, although we probably made less money than anyone that was visiting that area. Lots of money strolling around there.

They had mini-kettles because they also offer a "brew your own" opportunity.

A park in Sagatuck had this pensive polar bear. Maybe he's wondering how he ended up in Michigan.

Monday

Monday morning we headed into downtown Holland for some shopping. There are some nice shops there. I found a huge kitchen and outdoor furnishing store that I could've spent hours in. We in fact did probably spend AN hour there. Chris bought me prezzies! I got two knives, a paring knife (previous one had disappeared) and a Santoku knife for my Wusthof collection. Additionally he also bought me four new Wusthof steak knives. The set we got for our wedding was in an older style and we had trouble with the handles cracking. This new set won't have that problem. Yay! *does Padima knife dance from Top Chef* <---Swami will like that

After shopping, we hit New Holland Brewing Company. Nice place, decent beers.

Just a beautiful day, looking back at New Holland Brewing Co.

Then it was off to Shoreline in Michigan City again to fill our growler on the way home. This time I had mini-quesedillas (pork & cheddar, goat cheese & pork, veggie and feta). *drool*The drive home was also good, thanks to a good Frodis route.

Missed you all!

Checking in before I go...

Ok, my mind is already on vacation....and I need caffiene (I've had none today).

1. I've temporarily remedied my hair situation by thinning it with thinning shears. It's a little more bouncy now.

2. I have my list of things to do to Breezy, although if she doesn't show up with Chai, I'll just have to steal her cocktail.

3. I have a new job offer. My mind is about ready to explode and I need the long weekend to mull this over with DH and run numbers. There's a few different ways they are willing to do it (50% time, they'd buyout my time from current employeer or 100% time buyout-I'd still be employeed by my org for a year- or 100% employee for them with high potential to go long term).

It could mean a huge raise, but less vacation, less flexibility and I'd have to contribute to a 401K (Employer contributes all now, new job would mean I'd contribute half). Plus, commuting together gets tougher.

However, it's an exciting job in my area of interest, with an organization I love, and has easier long-term potential than my current soft-money job. Going from state employment to private is a really tough call. Both have pros and cons.

4. Don't behave while I'm gone. Whatever you do, do something naughty.

On hiatus

I have a very busy week, so won't be around much. We also leave for a 4-day weekend trip on Friday. IMPORTANT EDIT: Please tell me what you'd like me to do to Breezy when I see her this weekend. You know, like "Here's a smack in the head from Carey."

My current crisis is about my hair. I don't like the cut I got last time and am anxious for it all to grow out so I can get it reshaped.

Had a great long weekend. Lots of yardwork done, strawberry freezer jam made, social time with friends and tennis with Chris.

That's the quick and dirty on me.

Cheesehead, out.

Call me Puffy or Bravie

Ok, not really, it's not a hip and cool concert. :-)

We are supposed to attend one of my favorite Madison traditions tonight, pending weather. Concerts on the Square is this awesome show put on by the Madison Symphony Orchestra on the Capitol steps. Thousands spread blankets and picnic (there are vendors, or you are welcome to bring your own food & drink). You drink wine, nibble, and listen to some beautiful music. This week it's an Independence Day theme and there are fireworks. It's fun to see all the rooftops full of people downtown, too. A beautiful summertime activity.

ETA: Tonight's concert is sponsored by Oscar Mayer. Yet, no weinies are available. Harumph.

Yard chit chat

Boring post ahead.

The slavery to my yard has begun. June never feels like too much work. When July sets in, it feels like I'm constantly watering. Our two tractor sprinklers (that move along the hose) broke, so now we have to move things a lot more.

My vegetables are ok...tomato plants are doing awesome. Peppers? Not so much. The rabbits have been nibbling (despite various things to rid them), and the floods made them a little yellow from overwatering. Of course now it's dry as a bone again. Sigh.

My front flower beds need some TLC. First, I have to plant some earlier flowering things in my perennial bed. Most stuff doesn't bloom til July, so it's been bland for the last few months. Second, I need to plant a few annuals in my window bed. It's rather stark right now with only a few perennials.

My back flower beds are great. I need to thin stuff out this fall, as it's all getting overgrown. I'm happy when that occurs.

Marriage Meme

*NEW AND IMPROVED POST, NOW WITH PICTURES AND 10% MORE VITAMIN C*
Snagged from Swami...

1. WHAT DATE IS YOUR ANNIVERSARY? September 9th

2. WHERE DID YOU GET MARRIED? Methodist church in Richland Ctr, WI. It was my hometown and where Chris's family lived for about 8? years.

3. WHO PROPOSED AND HOW? We were in our early 20s, living together in an apartment (and housing Chris's brother). We had just completed a weekend of car shopping. To get the car he wanted, we'd have to apply for the loan together. I agreed. Later that night, after a lot of liquid courage, Chris came up to me while I was doing dishes and asked me to marry him. He apologized for not having a ring, but it was something he wanted to do then and there. His brother was in the other room and yelled "Say no!" A few weeks later, I had a ring.

4. HOW LONG WERE YOU ENGAGED? 2 years. We knew we needed awhile to plan because I was working full time and was in school with 3 classes/semester.

5. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR WEDDING DAY? (AND IT CAN'T BE YOUR HUSBAND) . Hm. Our recessional music was a favorite...U2 does Endless Love. It's a super fun version. But then looking around at the reception and realizing everyone was there to celebrate YOUR MARRIAGE...it was overwhelming.

6. WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IF YOU COULD? I would've had a different dress. I didn't really dress shop, just got dropped off at David's Bridal one day, tried some stuff on, found one I liked well enough. I then had a dressmaker family-friend recreate it. In retrospect, it wasn't really what I wanted and now I have to live with it in photos.

7. WHAT WAS THE COLOR THEME OF YOUR WEDDING? A shimmery tan (darker than champagne, but not gold), black, deep red and white. Girls dresses were the shimmery tan color. Guys wore black tuxes (black ties), I wore white (quit laughing) and flowers were deep red. I made all the bouquets and boutineers/corsages. It took forever to find flowers that didn't look ugly and plastic-ish. It's fun to still have my bouquet and his boutineer in pristine condition.

8. REMEMBER ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY? Saying my vows to the minister instead of my husband. It's on video for us to remember. :-)

9. WHERE YOU CLEAN OR MESSY WHEN YOU CUT YOUR CAKE? Clean and it was so quick, I barely remember it. We literally posed for the camera, cut one piece and were off.

10. WHERE DID YOU GO ON YOUR HONEYMOON? Three months after our wedding we went on a Caribbean cruise to Aruba, Tortolla, Curacao and St. Thomas. We waited because I was in school. In late November, I developed mono. I truged through work and finals barely alive. The week before our honeymoon, I recovered. Was feeling much better by the day we left. Was worried Chris would get it, but didn't.

This is the photo I keep in my office. It doesn't show much of my hated wedding dress. I think that's why I like it.

Summer vacation

First off, I'm in a better mood today. Must've been Swami's rainbow sherbert.

What a busy summer it's starting to be. This always happens.

This weekend: flying lessons 3 hours away, MIL's retirement home to move some things, Furthermore Shitty Barn Party (local beer brewer annual party at their converted barn offices), going away dinner for Korean visiting professor/welcome party for Thai visiting professor.

July 4-6: Friday and Saturday at BIL's house for annual party

July 11-14: Vacation in Michigan. We are visiting:
Lawton: Old Hat Brewery
Marshall: Dark Horse Brewing
Battle Creek: Arcadia
Kalamazoo: Bells, Old Peninsula Brewpub
Grand Rapids: Hideout, Grand Rapids Brewing, Schmohz Brewing, B.O.B.s House of Brews, Founders Brewing (and a Breezy peep meet!)
Spring Lake: Old Boys Brew House
Holland: New Holland Brewing
Benton Harbor: The Livery

I was able to use hotel reward points, so lodging will be free!

July 18 & 19 free!

July 26 & 27: A group is coming down and staying at our house and we are going to American Player's Theatre

August 1-3: Camping with my sister and BIL

August 8-10: Madison Mallards game (Baseball, Boo!), Brewery cruise in Milwaukee with friends

August 12-18: Boston for fun and for 3-Day (this also means Boo-time and maybe some Monsty-time)

August 22-24: Dinner lake crusie

August 29-Sept. 1: Chicago Peep Meet

Then, it's back to school for me. *pout* This summer is going too fast.

Something that really bothers me, Part II

Because I'm on a rampage today...
It really bugs me when I want to read something online when I see a teaser, but then it will only give me a video clip of the story. I want to skim an article, not wait for a video clip to load and watch the whole thing. Grr.

Starting on a bad note

I was in a decent mood this morning. Then I came into this message on my machine at work:

"Hey Kim, it's S. I was wondering if you could arrange a lunch order for tomorrow (today). BB (my boss), BL, BH (two former grad students in town visiting) and I are meeting over lunch (they are old colleagues getting together to catch up, not work) and we only have a short time. I'm worried about coralling everyone at the cafeteria, so maybe we could order from outside? I'm happy to chip in money. Thanks! Talk to you tomorrow!"

Um, why the eff would I order lunch? I'm not any of their secretary's. I'm a research program manager. Nowhere in my job description is arranging social meetings and meals. My boss has a secretary, and I'm sure even this isn't a real good use of her time. Order lunch your d*mn self.

Update: After I wrote this and vented, I sent an email to S & my boss (BB), telling them they can call Panera, gave them a number and menu link, told them they'd deliver and you can pay by credit card over the phone. Hope they get the hint this isn't my problem.

Weekendy randoms

1. My sister and her hubby are going on our cruise with us! They just have to decide if they are bringing the kids.

2. Our 3-Day crew boss called last night (and surprisingly he didn't sound Bostonian). Boo and I are working a team of 9-12 on a morning pit stop. This is where peeps get water, Gatorade, snacks and go potty. I'm excited to help motivate the walkers and thank them. Apparently we have to choose a theme for the pit stop and it appears it will be pirates. Yaaaaaaaaar!

3. Are there some items you don't recycle, but should? Like I don't recycle peanut butter jars. I'm not cleaning that out.

$300

Chris and I each get a $300 allowance per month. That is meant to cover going out to eat/drinks, clothing purchases, etc. For him, he also uses it to save for things like his flight lessons. For me, I also use it for makeup, hair & lotions type products above and beyond standard $3-4 bottles, LUSH stuff, books, etc.

I usually use mine up by the third week of the month and am broke on the last week. I have about $30 left right now, due to buying make-up, books and a trip to Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale this week.

Could you make it on $600/month as a couple, given the types of things I said we spend it on? Is $300 more or less than you'd need? I thought $300 would be plenty. It's turning out to be tight.

On another note..I requested Boo as my tentmate for the 3 Day and she hasn't responded. Do you think I pooted in the tent, or maybe drooled on her pillow, last year? UPDATE: I must have bullied her into accepting. :-)

Thomas Paine, eat your heart out

*climbs to the top of hill to shout* I can print again! It's been about a year since I bought generic printer cartridges for my home printer/scanner/fax machine. They didn't work so well. I haven't been able to print since them. I kept forgetting to buy new cartridges. I happen to run across an add while on Amazon.com the other day. My cartridges arrived yesterday, and all is well. I'm very excited about this.

In other news, we have been watching The Muppet Show and also watched Michael Clayton the other night. I was disappointed in MC. The Muppets, however, have not disappointed. I'm looking forward to the season with Alice Cooper.

Oh, I also have a fancy new phone in my office. It's a tiny cordless with a headset. I'm not trying to be cool, I just do a lot of phone interviews and needed something more comfortable. But yeah, now I look cool. :-)

Misc.

1. We are drying out. Nothing major ruined. The basement is unfinished (other than some drywall we'd started), so it was just stuff that was stored and mechanicals we were worried about. I'm so tired of talking about water and weather, so I'll leave it at that.



2. Blogger isn't getting the date of my posts right. I can't find where to fix it permanantly. Thoughts?



3. Here is a graduation pic for Swami. I couldn't find the one of me and my dad, which upsets me a bit. So this is one of me and a friend.

F.U.C.K.

We have over an inch of water in the basement. All the basement. That's about 1800 square feet for anyone drawing a mental picture.

I'm home tomorrow and we are dealing with this mess. Wahhhh!

Kim Almighty

Move over Evan, I've got an ark to build.

The rivers haven't crested yet (will tomorrow), and our sump pump is going off every two minutes. Yesterday we were worried the motor burned out. I think we got home just on time. We put some fans on the motor and bailed out a lot of the water from the pit by hand. Somehow I got stuck with the job of haulilng buckets of water up from the basement. *holds aching back* So, I'm home today, watching the pump like a hawk.

BIL called last night. He was sitting at a restaurant bar patio overlooking the former Lake Delton. The entire lake spilled over and emptied into the Wisconsin River. Gone. That's where you saw a lot of footage of homes washing away on t.v.

In other related news (think religion, peeps), my MIL was in town and we had dinner last night. She actually grabbed our hand at the table and said grace outloud at the table. It took every ounce of my will to NOT yank my hand away. With my extra hand I drank my iced tea and looked around the restaurant while she prayed. Next time i'll be more prepared and just say, "I'll leave you alone while you say grace" and go to the bathroom to scream.

Weekend Wackiness

Update: Holy carp, flooding is awful around here. Up by BIL (about an hour north of us), a lake has spilled over (dam failed) and is emptying into the Wisconsin River, taking four houses with it. This is not going to be good for our area (five miles west of us an area was evacuated this morning before the dams started failing). We are about a mile from the WI River banks, and back waters run behind our house. Ugh.

What a weekend!

Friday
We wanted drinks after work and tried a new spot. The rooftop bar atop Sundance 608 theater (Robert Redford owned cool theater showcasing indie films, but also has a few mainstream ones). Many women were meeting before Sex & The City for cosmos. We later talked to the bartender who said he was about ready to kill himself if he has to make another cosmo. I had far too many cocktails, and nothing of substance to eat, and passed out on the bed at 8:00. *snort*

Saturday
Holy storms. Tornado weather was everywhere. Downpours, 100 mph winds, funnel clouds, etc. throughout Wisconsin. We had to go downstairs once, and the kitties were angels. They refused to go in their carriers, so we sat under the basement steps with them on sleeping bags (and a baby gate up) and they napped. Goofs. Luckily, our house was in about a 5 mile area that wasn't impacted on Saturday at all. The storms went south and north of our house. It was cool to watch.

Sunday
It was still raining meow-meows and bow-wows. However, we still schleped out to the county dairy breakfast with our friends. It was a flooded mess at the farm, but the food area was fine! Then it was off to Chris's fly-in event at the airport. The weather cleared RIGHT as the event was starting and stayed nice for about 3 hours. I got to go up in the ultralight Chris wants to buy. It was weird. Like being in a roll cage with nothing around you. The wings are all that are covered by material. Everthing else is wide open.

On our way home we visited the neighboring small airport. Runways were flooded, roads were flooded.

Today
Roads are closed all over the place! Counties are closing major highways. It's bad. Luckily, our sump is doing a good job and we have no problems. I've talked to five coworkers this morning that are cleaning water from their basements.