KnitAndPearl

Psssst. . .

2010-10-19T08:01:00.001-07:00

Just want to see how long it takes B to notice I've posted on her blog. Heh heh heh.

Yeah, Yeah, I Know

2010-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

It's been over two months since I've posted. Wow. I finally have stuff to write about, and don't take the time to do it. I'm just not good at this whole blogging thing.

So - a lot of my time lately has been spent on wedding stuff and the LAPD Classic (dance festival). The festival was the 9th-11th, and was a lot of fun. Of course, there was a lot of work, too, but I had a good time. We were there mainly as assistants in the hospitality suite, although I helped out at the store for a bit, too. We had quite a bit of free time in between meal times, and only really had to work hard on Sunday, for the tear down.

Last weekend, I went with Duh, Happy and K to the Ren Faire, to make the last minute preparations for the wedding. We spent the entire day there, scouting out the Wedding Garden, talking with the lady in charge, and buying accessories for our outfits. I was going to buy a leather pouch and a tankard holder; Duh was holding my debit card for me, so Happy said he'd go ahead and pay for them and I could pay him back (since Duh had disappeared while I was deciding on what I wanted to buy). Well, when Duh joined back up with us, I was informed that the pouch and holder were my gift from them, for being in the wedding. I argued, but she won.

We also spent some time in the Mariners' camp with Happy's friends. It was a fun day, but quite exhausting. And after all that walking around, I was happier to get out of my shoes than I was to get rid of the bodice! On Sunday, we went to a small party at B&R's - it was a send-off for the couple we worked for in the hospitality suite at LAPD. We only stayed a few hours, but it was nice. Good food, good conversation, good people.

Friday was spent getting ready for the wedding - getting Duh packed, and stuff brought to the Faire. It was nice to have the day off so I could help her out ... and then we had the 'Groom's Dinner' at The Sire restaurant. Again, it was just a small group of 'family', but it was a lot of fun.

And then - the wedding. It was so awesome! The weather was perfect, everyone had a good time, and the ceremony itself was so much fun! Instead of seating people 'bride's side' and 'groom's side', they did Bar People and Faire People. At the start of the ceremony, the best man walked Barbs to her seat, followed by Danelle and I being escorted by her son. The flower girl came next, with the ring bearer (I think, not sure about when she came in) and then Karen escorting Harry. The officiant looked towards the bar side of the crowd and asked "Are ya'll ready for a hitchin'?" And they all cheered. Then he looked at the Faire side and said the part from Princess Bride ... "marriage is what brings us here today' - he did the accent and all. He joked through the whole ceremony - and when he asked for the rings, the ring bearer had them in her very impressive cleavage - she leaned forward and Harry had to dig them out ... it was just the most awesomely fun wedding I've ever been to. I'm hoping the video turned out well - can't wait to see it!

During the reception, they were honored by the presence of the Lord Mayor ... and then, after he left - the Queen and her Court stopped by. She came in and spoke with the newlyweds for several minutes - it was awesome.

I'm still exhausted - my feet are sore - and I'm definitely ready for the cruise next weekend!

Remember Me?

2010-02-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

Ya know, I really should just delete this blog, considering I rarely update it any more. But, I'll keep it, and will hopefully get better about posting. And it isn't even that I'm not doing anything ... I just don't think to post about it! So ... we'll start with the Olympics. I'm very disappointed in the fact that we are getting all the coverage on time delay. We're in the same time zone as the Games, so why do we have to wait to see the events? Especially since the news reports tell us who won medals before we can watch ... and all my on-line friends chat during the events; I feel left out, because I have NO IDEA what they are talking about! ::sigh::

However, on Friday, I got to meet one of my online friends, and make a new one!! Kiya (from Australia) is out visiting Catty, and I met them at The Grove for lunch!! They are so much fun ... we sat at Cheesecake Factory for three hours, just talking and laughing (and eating, of course). It was such a blast - I wish we could have stayed longer, but they had plans for the evening. (That's Catty on the left, Kiya on the right.)

Saturday, I went to Duh's to help with wedding plans. What's that, you say? What wedding? Didn't I mention -- Duh and Happy are engaged! They're hoping to get married in April, at the Ren Faire. I am so happy for them both!! We didn't do a lot of planning, because they need to make sure of the date/time before they can really do a lot - but they have some basics in mind. We're going to go try on outfits this Saturday ... I'll probably wear the bodice/skirt that Duh gave me for Christmas (the one I wore last year), but ... we'll see.

Sunday was the Daytona race party. It was a long day, but I had a great time. The driver I had didn't win, but BK's driver came in second, so she was excited. And since Duh had the day off yesterday, I ended up staying later than I'd planned -- got home about 6:30 last night. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. However ---

Had my carpets cleaned on Saturday. This was not a problem. The guy asked me to lock Little Thing in the bathroom, so she didn't get out the front door while he was working. Even though I told him I wouldn't be home and asked him to make sure to let her out when he finished ... HE DIDN'T LET HER OUT! The poor cat spent 2-1/2 days locked in a little bathroom, with no food or water. Needless to say, she was totally pissed off - and I wasn't so happy, either. I'm going to mention it to the apartment manager - I know it won't change what happened, but maybe she can talk to him and make sure it doesn't happen to someone else's pet. And yes, the cat is fine ... but THAT isn't the point.

Oh - and last week, I received a loaf of home-made bread from one of the knitting ladies, and she included some artwork from her sons ... the art is, of course, on my fridge. The bread? Long gone. It was DELICIOUS.

2800 Envelopes

2010-02-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

So, Duh and Happy spent Friday & Saturday stuffing envelopes for the L.A.P.D. Classic. When I went to play Wii with them yesterday, it had been discovered that there was an error on the flyers - a rather drastic one. So, instead of playing Wii, we spent last evening and this evening opening the envelopes, crossing out the error on the flyers, restuffing and resealing the envelopes. As you can tell from the post title, there were a total of 2800 of them. We didn't do all the corrections ourselves, of course. KW, BD and BK all helped, too ... but man. My thumb is sore from carefully unsealing the envelopes, and my arm/neck are sore. Sure glad it's done! KW will be mailing them out tomorrow.

That's my exciting week so far.

Gift Exchange

2010-01-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well -- the Ravelry gift exchange has come to an end, and I'm so thrilled with my presents! It just so happened that my "gifter" was the same person as my "giftee"! And I know it was a coincidence, because not everyone had that situation - the website we used randomly selected partners. MB seems to be very happy with the stuff I sent her ... and I love my presents! There are 3 skeins of yarn (two Dream in Color Classy, in the Midnight Derby colorway, and a skein of Malabrigo in the Stone Blue colorway). I've never seen/felt the Malabrigo before, although I've heard marvelous things about it. And it definitely lives up to the reputation! It is so soft and lovely, I just keep petting it ... the Dream in Color is also quite squooshy and wonderful. I'm planning on making a shawl with it, if I can ever find the darned link to the pattern again! I also received 2 washcloths and a hand towel based on Supernatural, a "James" bookmark (from Twilight), a tin of blueberry tea and a story that was written just for me. Cool, huh?

I need to come up with projects for the Ravelympics, since it's getting closer to the start date. For those of you who don't know what this is (yeah, right, I'm sure my only reader knows about it) -- the Ravelry forums hold "competitions" during the Olympics -- there are several categories, so first I need to pick a category and then a project. Or maybe I should pick a project and then fit it into a category. Anyway, we're supposed to start during the opening ceremonies, and complete any/all projects by the end of closing ceremonies.

R.I.P

2009-12-27T10:43:00.001-08:00

Good-bye, sweet Hoover. You will be missed.

Boxing Day

2009-12-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

Not really sure what "Boxing Day" is all about, which is really bad for the daughter of two Canadians ...

I had a really great Christmas. Spent the day at The Kids' place, surrounded by family. Conversation was fun, food was plentiful (and extremely yummy!) and my little great-nephew was adorable. It was so good to have a little one around on Christmas! Sis gave him a hand-knit (of course) "Shrek" hat, which he was kind enough to leave on so that we could get a picture of him. I got home relatively early (around 7:30, I think) and watched a few episodes of Criminal Minds.

The Kids gave me a ball winder, a book of knitting patterns for "warm" climates, the newest Piers Anthony Incarnations of Immortality book, some gorgeous stitch markers and tapestry needle holder ... F gave me a Borders gift card (and one from Honeybaked Hams, that he got at work). And earlier in the week, I got a present from MB -- she sent me an awesome calendar full of pics of BBurke, and a gorgeous skein of blue/black yarn (cop uniform colors, of course!). If you click on the picture, you can see the awesome blue & black colors in the yarn - and the chocolate unicorn sucker shows up better, too!

It was odd to have not seen Duh yesterday, there have been very few Christmases that we haven't spent at least a few minutes together. I did get to see her on Thursday, for a little while. She gave me the green skirt and gorgeous bodice that I had borrowed for Ren Faire, and a small "pocket" flask. She seemed to like the necklace I gave her; unfortunately, she already had the charm I gave her, so she'll be exchanging it. Which is perfectly fine, of course. Just a little bit of a hassle for her. Maybe we can do that on Thursday, either before or after we go to City Hall to get her passport paperwork started ... as a Christmas gift to Duh and Happy, KC paid for the Mexico cruise that Social Club is planning! Awesome, right?

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:37:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas! Hope your day is wonderful, and that Santa was good to you.

Persistence Pays Off

2009-12-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

The Survivor show was fantastic. We had a great time (even The Kids, I think, who didn't watch the show). Got to CBS early enough that F was able to take us on a tour. I've seen it, of course, but LM, MM and A seemed interested. They especially liked the Price Is Right stuff. We then went over to the Farmer's Market for an early dinner -- we went to the same restaurant that we had gone to last year, but the service wasn't nearly as good as what we'd had before. Yeah, last year on of the meals arrived really late, but the waiter was really nice and tried his best to resolve the problem. Yesterday, my cheeseburger didn't arrive until everyone else was just about done eating ... and we only saw the waiter 2 times during that wait ... I wasn't pleased.

Then -- the show. It's always so much fun watching the 2-hour finale episode in a room full of fans! Afterward, we were standing out in the parking lot, talking to F (and kinda keeping an eye on the car that The Boy said was Jeff Probst's). F said, "There's Jeff," and suggested that I walk over and ask for a picture or something. Well, you know me -- I couldn't do that -- so F called over to him, and asked if we could get a picture. Jeff said yes .... (insert fangirl squee here) ... and I'll be posting the picture in the next couple of days, because I don't like how I look in the one taken with my camera, so I'm going to wait until LM can email me the one from hers ...

But --- I got my picture taken with Jeff, after years of going to the Finale show!

Survivor Finale

2009-12-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the Survivor finale and reunion show! I'm really excited about going, even though Sis and Rafe won't be joining us this time. She gave up on the season a few weeks ago, so she didn't think she'd enjoy the finale. So - it'll be The Kids and I, and then LM and her daughter, MM, and granddaughter, A. To be honest, this wasn't my favorite season, but I'm jazzed to see A's reaction to being there for the live show.

So, a couple weeks ago, I asked F if he could possibly get some little souvenir from the Y&R set that I could send to MB. Well ... he did one better. One better? How about a million times better. He was able to get a personalized, autographed picture of her favorite actor from the show. Yeah, totally awesome, right? So I got a frame for it and mailed it off on Thursday -- it arrived yesterday and She. Was. Thrilled. She emailed me to say thanks, tweeted about it, and then posted it in the Today Made Me Happy Because thread on Rav. F can be a pretty awesome guy!

Hello, Captain Obvious

2009-12-16T13:02:00.001-08:00

Well, it's extremely obvious that I have not been very good at updating this thing. I don't know why. I used to complain that I never had anything to post about, now that I'm getting out once in a while and doing things, I don't post anyway. I'm not even sure what all I've done since the last update ...

Yesterday evening, The Boy showed up at my place with a Christmas Tree. Isn't that sweet of him? He got it all set up for me, and even put the lights on it. He wasn't happy with the skimpy amount of lights I own, but I like it. I've never been a fan of over-decorating the tree ... I've added some ornaments (I have more, but can't find my ornament hangers) and the Angel is in place. I went ahead and put up a few other decorations around the place -- it looks nice. Even if the Angel is still a bit crooked (I've tried straightening her, but she insists on leaning just a bit).

Sunday was the Social Club Christmas Party, which was fun. We got there early, since Duh is on the board and had to help set up. I helped out with signing people in -- I enjoyed that, because - even though I've forgotten most of them -- I was able to put faces to a few of the names I've heard mentioned throughout the past few years. It was also nice to spend some time with the members that I do know ... I even won a nice Lazy Susan in the door prize drawing!

I've also spent quite a bit of time watching my Supernatural DVDs. I'm almost finished with season two, and the show is making a lot more sense now that I have some of the back story! I've been told that season four is really good, so I'm looking forward to seeing those episodes. And tomorrow is the last Survivor episode before the Finale/Reunion on Sunday. I haven't enjoyed this season as much as previous ones, because too much emphasis has been placed on one player - and since Sis stopped watching, it just isn't the same. I'm really excited to go to the Finale/Reunion, though -- yes, F was able to get tickets again this year! LM, her daughter, and granddaughter will be going, too, and it'll be fun to share in her granddaughter's excitement.

Well, that's about it for now -- I'm not going to promise to update again soon, or even to update at all. I had thought about just ending the blog, and pretending it didn't exist. But, I just can't quite bring myself to do that yet. So -- hopefully, I'll get my act together and do a better job in 2010. We'll have to see how it goes ...

(heehee - I noticed that, if you click on the picture it embiggens - and you can see what I was watching while decorating the tree. Yes, that's Dean Winchester from Supernatural.)

Just So I Don't Get Blogjacked

2009-11-12T20:42:00.001-08:00

I'm going to post that I haven't done much the last couple of days. Some job hunting, tacos with the kids (and 5 others) and some knitting.

Now, That's Just Rude

2009-11-10T11:10:00.001-08:00

I was going to post last night and decided to wait until today. I click over to my blog and, lo and behold -- I've been blogjacked! I should take her up on the offer and just let her continue to post for me, but I'm afraid of what she'll say ....

Had a blast this past weekend. Went with Duh & Happy to work a charity "Wild West" event to benefit the Center for Individual Development in San Bernardino. Happy runs the Wheel of Fortune, while Duh and I helped out in the saloon. I had worked one weekend last year, but due to a broken tooth - it wasn't as much fun as it could have been. This past weekend, though, was great. Saturday was kind of slow -- not many people were there, and we didn't have a lot of customers for either the saloon or the Wheel. Yesterday, though, there were a lot more people, the weather was a bit warmer, and they had the Chili Cook-off, so people were thirstier. We sold over $1200 in beer (at $4/per), and then we also had wine, sodas and water.

Everyone seemed to be in really good moods, too ... both the volunteers and the customers. I even had an "admirer" ... even after he found out that I have a full-grown son. It was flattering, if nothing else. And it was fun to flirt with all the cowboys ... But my favorite "scene" of the weekend was on Saturday, right near the end of the day. The stagecoach was approaching the saloon, and the driver was cradling his sleeping baby in his arms. Absolutely adorable. And of course, I didn't have the camera handy. So ... today's pictures are from Saturday ... the stagecoach, and 3 of the bartenders.

Blogjack!

2009-11-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

You know, if SOMEone doesn't start keeping up with her blog, someone else just might have to take over & make posts for her. Just sayin'.

Worst. Blogger. Ever.

2009-11-03T10:09:00.001-08:00

I have gotten so bad at updating this thing, I might as well just close it out and ignore it forever. Once again, I'll be skipping most of the time since my last post, and just start fresh from here. Well, I'll back-track a little bit ...

Saturday, as you know, was Halloween, and - as you may not know - Wednesday was Duh's birthday. She and Happy decided to have a small gathering of friends to celebrate these two events. I went over early to help clean up and prepare, which didn't take long. Duh was kind enough to let me wear the outfit I wore to the Ren Faire a while back, while she and Happy donned their "Captain and Chenille" outfits from Sis' Pirate Party. There were about 15 people there, and several were in costume. I think Sis and Rafe would have won a prize, had there been any ... they came as Gladys & Tyrone from Laugh-In. The pic isn't from Duh's party, because I really failed at taking pictures ...

Spent Sunday going through Duh's costume stuff to sort out what she and I will be wearing for Harvest Fair the next two weekends. We managed to come up with 4 outfits each, and only have to wash one shirt for re-use. I'm borrowing and/or buying the purse that Sis used for Halloween, so the only thing I don't have is shoes ... don't know what I'm going to do about shoes. I'd just go barefoot, but since I'll be working in the Saloon, I don't think that'll be appropriate.

Last night I was back at Duh's (yeah, I might as well just move in - it's been joked about) and BK came over to color my hair again. I couldn't find the color I wanted, but got one that turned out very similar to how the first coloring turned out. I had wanted a touch more red -- but I think this is ok.

Long Time, No Write

2009-10-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's been ages. Wow - I'm really failing at this whole blog thing! At first I don't update, because I have nothing to write about. Now that I'm starting to do things to write about, I don't write because I'm too lazy. So ... here I am, and I don't remember what all I've done since the last time I wrote. I guess I can start with last weekend.

Saturday, we had a small family picnic. K and her son, A, were out visiting friends, so we all got together at a park out by Dad's. Let's see -- there was Dad and J, The Kids, Sis and Rafe, K and A, and myself. We had some really yummy ham, homemade potato salad, Hawaiian rolls, and brownies. Oh, and homemade lemonade, too. I think everyone had fun.

Sunday was club day at the bar, and they were having a "craft fair, rummage sale". Duh had to stay inside the bar for and do club registration stuff, so BK and I sat out at her Tupperware table. There wasn't a big crowd of customers, but we did get her a booking for a T-ware party. I guess, all-in-all, it was a success since she got the booking ...

This past weekend was the Paradise Dance Festival. I had so much fun! Had to make 6 trays of baked pasta last Thursday (2 w/meat sauce, 2 w/o meat, and 2 chicken/broccoli Alfredo). I met Happy at the hotel at about 11:00 on Friday, since I was scheduled to help set up & serve lunch at noon. Well, the other volunteer already had the stuff set up, so I really didn't have much to do. "Serving" the meals basically consists of staying in the hospitality suite and making sure that things are replenished as needed. It's really nice, because people just come in as they get a break, so there's usually someone in the suite at all times, and everyone is very friendly. (We don't provide meals for EVERYone in attendance, just the Pros, Judges, and volunteers). After lunch clean up I was free until time to set up dinner, and again, the other lady had it all done early. Duh, Happy, BK and I ate dinner at the hotel bar ($10 for a cheeseburger and fries - but it was really, really good).

Saturday was a bit busier, and we didn't quite stick to our work schedule. Got up at 6:00 to get breakfast set up, served, cleaned up. As we were cleaning up from breakfast, we were also setting up lunch (the pasta). I was supposed to have free time during lunch, but Duh and BK got called away to help set up the carnival area, so I stayed to take care of the food. After lunch, I went and helped with the rest of the carnival set-up, we hung out at the carnival (off the clock) for a couple hours and then started the tear-down. Since we didn't have adequate lighting, we were allowed to just put the stuff into the trailer and leave the EZ-ups until Sunday.

And then there was yesterday. Breakfast, lunch ... and clean up. Complete clean up -- everything out of the hospitality suite, festival registration, ball room and judges room. We couldn't start on most of it until after 5:00, because the rooms were still in use. But, I was home before 8:00, which was good ...

So - I came home exhausted but feeling really good about the weekend. Everyone was so nice, and so appreciative of the work we were doing ... makes you feel good when people rave over the job you've done.

and there may or may not have been a bit of flirting ...

The Last Week

2009-09-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Let's see ... the last week or so. Spending time on the job search (yuck!) and housework. I really need to start going through some of the storage tubs of stuff and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. I should also sort books ... but I'm not sure I'll be getting to that any time soon.

Went to a small "1st Annual" Renaissance Faire with Duh and Happy on Saturday. Other than it being rather hot out, it was a really nice day. I borrowed an outfit from Duh ... wasn't completely "period" but I think I looked ok. There weren't a lot of vendors, but they stuff they were selling was really nice. There were a couple booths that we spent a lot of time at ... the vendors were so much fun to talk to! I was going to buy a tankard (because it felt silly to walk around carrying the plastic Budweiser cup) but the ones we were looking at were pewter - and expensive. Happy bought Duh a really pretty pewter necklace. And a tankard for me. Yeah, I couldn't believe it, either.

Met a couple of Happy's friends from when he used to work the Faire; spent most of the day hanging out at the Mariners Guild. Had an absolute blast - great conversation, lots of laughs, and even tried a couple of micro-brew beers that were really good. It was a lot of fun watching Happy, too, because he was "in character", which meant he was a little bawdier than he normally would be.

Post 601

2009-09-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Just realized, this is post #601. Yes, I know ... it would have made more sense to "commemorate" post #600. And I would have, had I known at the time that it was, indeed, a "memorable" post. Not that the post itself was all that great, of course ... but you know what I mean.

It's been another long time since I posted anything. Not a whole lot to write about, as usual. Let's see what I can remember ...

Yesterday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Sis and Rafe had a pirate-themed party. She had a pretty good turn-out, I think, although I know she was disappointed that there weren't more people there. Not many of us dressed up, either ... well, maybe about half of us. I borrowed some stuff from Duh. I'd post a picture, but -- nobody took any. Well, The Boy took one of me, while I was sitting on the couch. It doesn't show off the costume, of course. LM from work was able to make it, and Duh and Happy were there. Food was good, conversation was fun ... had a really good time.

Last Thursday was the first night for Survivor: Samoa. I'm not so sure about the person I picked ... he's a rocket scientist (really, he is) but ... when the first part of the first challenge was swimming, he Left His Jeans On. Yeah, swimming in wet, heavy denim. Not the smartest move he could have made; the other guy swam faster, and my guy (John) was exhausted at the end of the lap. Then, in the immunity challenge, when he had to run ... he took the jeans off. Of course, they were probably stiff and uncomfortable from being in the ocean.

One of the guys on the show this season is really evil. I mean, not "I hate Coach" evil, or Jonny Fairplay evil ... he is just ... mean and nasty and needs to leave. So, of course, he's going to be on the show for a long time. Some of his more "endearing" acts? First night in camp, he drank/dumped out all the water in the canteens, and burned some of the socks that were hanging by the fire to dry. Yeah -- his own tribe members' socks and water.

Anyway, Sis' team won the reward challenge (fire) and my team won immunity, so the score is:
Sis $.50
Me $.50

Last Sunday, I went to Social Club with Duh and Happy. The theme for the day was "The Fifties", so I borrowed a poodle skirt from Duh. I know, I know -- I have no "themed" clothes, and she has a bunch, so I borrow hers. Anyway, this skirt was floor-length and made of felt. Let's just say I was miserably hot the entire day. Had a good time; and Happy paid for my membership as a belated birthday present. I objected, because they had already given me stuff for my birthday, but he said that the other gifts were from Duh, this was from him. Nice, huh?

Anyway, I think that's about it for now ... we now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress.

The Week

2009-09-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Let's see ... gonna have to dredge up stuff from the memory banks, so there probably won't be much to read, but let's see if I can go through some of the past week ....

We'll start with Tuesday. The Girl and I met with Sis and one of her co-workers (DW) for lunch at El Torito. I've been hearing about DW for quite some time; Sis thinks we have a lot in common and that we'd get along well, so I'm glad I finally had the chance to meet her. And yes, I think we did get along well! Puttered around the apartment for a while after that and then went to meet The Girl and LM (from where I used to work) for tacos. The Boy didn't join us, because he was out getting footage of the fires. Unfortunately, I was a little late getting to Buffalo Inn ... as I was backing out of my parking place, one of the neighbors tried to drive around my vehicle, and I hit the back quarter panel of her car. Not much visual damage to Henry, which is good; nobody was hurt, which is even better. Her car has more damage but the insurance will cover it. What pisses me off is that the insurance company says I'm 100% at fault, since I was backing out. However, I know for a fact that I looked very carefully (I always do) and backed out really slowly. I don't know how fast she was driving, but she said that she saw my vehicle moving and "tried to swerve". I'm pretty sure she was going too fast for the parking lot, but I also know it won't do any good to protest.

Don't remember what I did on Wednesday, so there must not be anything worth mentioning ...

Thursday started out with laundry, packing, and going to the grocery store. From there, I headed out to Bonelli Park for the BIDSC camping trip. I think I got there around 1:30 or so. Happy was watching a movie in the trailer, so I read and relaxed for a while. We went over to socialize with a few other people that had also arrived early. Had dinner after BK and Duh got there and did some more socializing. What was really nice is that I'd already met all the first arrivers on other occasions (the NASCAR parties), so I felt comfortable with them.

Friday was spent setting up "camp" (Duh likes to put out lots of decorations and homey touches when she's going to be camping for a few days) and socializing. As the day went on, more of our group arrived. We had 10 campsites for the motorhomes, and there were a couple of tents set up alongside them. Friday night was also "party night" as people got set up and started rewinding from their workday.

I was a bit anti-social on Saturday, because even though I'd stayed under the shade ALL DAY on Friday, I got a little bit of sunburn on my arms/upper chest and didn't want to overdo it. I went visiting for a little while, but spent a lot of the day in Duh's motorhome. We had a group bbq for dinner, which was a lot of fun (BYOM and a side dish).

The Social Club picnic was Sunday, and we had a lot of additional people show up for the picnic. I think there was a total of about 50 people for the afternoon, and again - everyone was really nice and friendly and I think "a good time was had by all". There was a food competition, and they gave Duh an "honorable mention" for best appetizer (I don't remember which one it was - she brought stuffed mushrooms, which were delicious; and a Monte-Cristo sandwich kind of thing which was even better than the mushrooms. We ended up staying up pretty late on Sunday night, just talking and joking and having fun. Maybe a little bit of drinking was going on, too ...

What was really nice, though, is that everyone treated me like I'd been part of the group forever. In fact, one of the guys started picking on me right from the beginning (which you know is always fun, when people like you enough to pick on you). And at one point, I told him he really needed to have more respect for his elders. He argued with me on that, saying that I'm not older than he is so it doesn't apply. I asked him his age (I knew he was younger, because Duh said that he and his wife were the "kids" of the group); when he said 48, I asked him how old he thought I am. I felt really good when he said 47 .... and he looked surprised when I told him my real age. (In fact, earlier in the day, one of the ladies was surprised that I'm older than Duh, even though it's only 2-1/2 months).

Anyway, yesterday was spent packing up and coming back home. And apologizing to the cat ....

Unemployment Wk 1 Day 4

2009-08-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not really going to discuss unemployment or job searching or anything like that, but I didn't have any other ideas for a title for this post. My cat has eaten most of the plant that had been on my desk (and doing very well, thank you) at work; she was kind enough to ... purge ... a bit of it onto my beige carpet today.

Had a couple emails from former co-workers, expressing the wish that I was still working there ...

Last night, I joined Duh, Happy, and 17 of their friends for dinner at a tappanyaki restaurant. Had a great time; food was yummy and I had enough to bring home for today's lunch.

Received my yarn from France today ... it is SO gorgeous. The Boy seems to think I'll be knitting him a boat cover out of it ... he should know that you can't make boat covers out of sock yarn. And no, I won't be knitting him any socks, either.

Huh, that's about it, I guess ... except that it is 3 WEEKS UNTIL SURVIVOR!

And So It Ends

2009-08-21T18:32:00.001-07:00

Well, AZ came to the office around 10:00 this morning to bring in her official release letter from the doctor. She'll be back at work on Monday, and I am officially among the unemployed. Everyone was really nice to me, we went to lunch at Island's (Yaki tacos, yum) and DB gave me an Autumn wall decoration, a candy jar with little Tootsie Rolls and a small jigsaw puzzle. I did ok, tear-wise, too. Got a little misty a couple of times but didn't actually cry until the very end. All the ladies in the AP department hugged me good-bye and told me they hoped I'd be back soon.

And I've only had my little plant home for 2 hours and have already had to chase the cat away from it 4 times. Don't know where I'll keep it so she can't get at it.

I haz a sad.

Just Realized

2009-08-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

that I haven't posted pics of my new yarn! I'll try and get that done this weekend ... or sooner.

2009-08-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

This has been a kind of cranky week. Actually considered staying in bed on Tuesday. No particular reason, just didn't want to get up. And I know it's because this is my last week at work, but I didn't feel like that on Monday or yesterday (or today, for that matter). The only reason I got up and went to work on Tuesday is because I would have felt guilty going to Tacos later if I "played possum". Sad, pathetic, but true.

So yesterday, my supervisor DB and I are called in to see her supervisor, KL. Apparently, my coworker who is supposed to be returning tomorrow (hence the reason it's my last day) does NOT have a release from her doctor yet. She has an appointment tomorrow, and is planning on demanding that he let her return to work. So I have been asked if, on the off-chance he doesn't release her, I would be willing to continue working there on a day-by-day basis until she can come back. Of course I said yes ... and now things are undecided until after AZ's doctor's appointment tomorrow. And of course I don't know what time that is ...

They are still taking me out for my good-bye lunch tomorrow, because KL feels that, if it's postponed until we know for sure, and we don't find out until too late to go to lunch, I won't meet them at a later date for the good-bye lunch. She's probably right ...

And would you believe that I found out on Sunday that Sis and Rafe are off on vacation this week? She didn't even tell me she was going away ...

Birthday Week

2009-08-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Had a pretty good birthday week ... I received the yarn from AP (Ravelry) and a hilarious card from RL (also from Ravelry) last week. Went to the bar with Duh, Happy and BK on Sunday (Social Club) and then went back to Duh's for dinner and closet sorting. While we were working on the closet, Happy baked a cake for BK and I (her bday was Weds). They gave me a "personal size" ice chest and a really nice Eeyore coffee cup.

Monday at work, the ladies brought me a cake (which was really yummy). I got a bunch of good wishes from the Ravelry ladies, both on line and via Twitter. Wednesday, one of the other ladies brought me a carton of Rocky Road ice cream (we had been discussing it on Monday). Also on Wednesday, LM took me to dinner at Souplantation (haven't been there in ages, and it was so yummy. Also had a blast just being able to sit and talk with LM). She gave me a fleece lap blanket.

All in all, it was a pretty good week!

Kinda Bummed

2009-08-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well, as they say - all good things must come to an end. I was told yesterday that my employment will end as of the 21st of the month. Kinda sucks. My boss is upset that he can't keep me on as a permanent employee; in fact, J told me that he still has "one more straw to tug on", so not to give up hope yet. I'm not counting on it. What makes it worse is being told (by him, and by my immediate supervisor) that they would rather keep me on than one or two of the regular employees. I know I work more efficiently and accomplish more than my "replacement"; and there have been complaints about the personality of one of the other ladies. J said that the office managers of some of the other divisions have even told him how much they like me. ::sigh:: I know, life isn't fair.

And to top it off, I spent the afternoon today working my butt off while listening to my "replacement" talking on personal phone calls ...

Can't Think Of A Title

2009-08-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

Had a pleasant weekend. Yesterday, I went to Duh's to "shop" in her closet. Brought home quite a few things that I think are wearable for me... will need to wash them, and try them all on, but I think I just doubled my wardrobe. We also spent some time working on mailings for the Paradise Dance Festival coming up in October; and we went to B & R's (supposedly to help stuff envelopes, but I think it was mostly to bring pie).

Today was a scheduled knitting day. Sis came over to teach me the provisional cast-on and short-row toes for socks. She brought a friend, M, whose husband does archery with Rafe. Had a really nice time; M is fun and it felt like I'd known her for a long time. We had plenty of yummy food and lots of talking and laughing. After they left, I went to dinner with The Boy at Baldy Lodge and had a nice time talking with him, too.

All in all, a good weekend. And I actually learned some new knitting techniques!

Huh - Another Week Goes By

2009-07-27T17:43:00.001-07:00

And most of it was uneventful. Worked. Didn't go to tacos. Went to the Post Office. Got a pedicure. That covers up through Friday evening. Attended a funeral on Saturday, which of course I wish didn't have to happen.

Yesterday was the Brickyard 400 (500? whatever) NASCAR race, and I attended a party with Duh and Happy. Same group that attended the Daytona party a couple months ago. Had a really great time, even though "my" driver came in 12th and I didn't win any money. All I know about him is: Joey Logano aged 19, drives car #20 sponsored by Home Depot, rookie. Since I wasn't really interested in the race itself, that's about all I need to know about him, I guess. Food was good, company was fun and I had a great time. Got back to Duh's and ended up playing "Chicken Foot Dominoes" for several hours before heading home.

Discovered this morning that at some point over the weekend I managed to get some splotchy sunburn on my arms, which looks really great - NOT - with the psoriasis.

Busy Weekend, But Fun!

2009-07-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Inland Valley Dance Festival ... had a great time, but I sure have been dragging all day today! And I didn't even dance! Actually, most of the time was pretty relaxing ... let's see. Our "work" schedule for Friday consisted of cleaning up the 2 hospitality rooms after dinner, and then supplying and cleaning up cookies/juice/coffee at 11:00 pm. Late night, but not much actual work was done.

Saturday -- set out and cleaned up breakfast (fruit, cereal, danish ... stuff like that) and lunch (Subway sandwiches, chips, cookies, etc). Had a 30 minute massage. "Set up" for the pool party (blew up a couple of beach balls and made a jug of margaritas). Went to dinner, which was catered. Set up cookies/juice/coffee at 11:00 (and someone else did the clean-up).

Sunday was a lot busier. Breakfast was actual "cooked food" ... breakfast burritos and sausages (and fruit, danishes, etc). Did the clean up from that, and got started on lunch right away (chicken stir fry and fried rice). Technically, I did a lot more of the cleaning stuff than the cooking ... but it was still work that had to be done! Then came the hard part -- tear down. And even that wasn't too bad because we had "grunt labor" to help out with the lifting and stuff. Had a lot of fun teasing him and joking around. Got everything all packed up and the guys loaded it all into the trailer ... got home about 7:30, I think ...

And now, I have the Paradise Dance Festival in October to look forward to!

Nothing Exciting

2009-07-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Not much going on the past few days. About the only thing "blog-worthy" is that I was finally able to get resolution on a couple of problem invoices at work (which is a big deal to me) and I was given "custody" of one of the vendors ... which is a huge deal to me. So far, I haven't really felt like I was doing AP work because all I do is data entry. I've missed digging into issues and figuring out whether we owe the money or if they owe us credit!

Dinners

2009-07-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Let's see ... dinners so far this week. Saturday (technically that was last week, I know, but I don't care) was the Gourmet Detective outing. Sunday, I went with F to meet some of his family at Olive Garden ... T&P and the kids were out for a visit; P's mom was also there, along with N&R and S. P's brother & his brand-new wife were there for a while, but the baby was tired and fussy so they left before we ate. Had an ok time; felt a little uncomfortable at times but enjoyed talking with the ladies.

Last night, The Kids and I met up with Duh and her niece & nephew at Vince's (ummm, spaghetti). MB is out this week for her dad's birthday (which is tomorrow) and we took advantage of the opportunity to visit for a while. Had a lot of fun; can't believe how grown-up B.B is ...

and then tonight is Tuesday, you know what that means!

Gourmet Detective

2009-07-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Went to a Mystery Dinner Theatre last night, to celebrate Happy's birthday. Not to be confused with "happy birthday", although I think he did enjoy himself ...

There was a bit of a mix-up at first. When Duh made the reservation, it was set up that each of us would be calling to give credit card info to pay for our tickets. When we got there last night, they only had one name on the list ... and we were a group of eight. So, after some discussion and a little frustration, they were able to set up another table for us, and - fortunately - had enough food to be able to fix dinners for everyone. The food was good (although the portions were a bit small) - I had the tri-tip with mashed potatoes and veggies, with a salad to start and a sliver (and I do mean a "sliver") of cheesecake for dessert. The show itself was fun and entertaining - murder mystery, of course, and there was quite a bit of audience participation.

If you've never been to a mystery dinner, I recommend it ... although the price seemed a bit steep, we all had a blast. I'd go again ...

Knitted Lab Rat

2009-07-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

The Boy "stumbled" this to me today, and I thought I'd share ... just a random knitted item.

The Week Ended

2009-07-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

on a rather happy note. I had realized last Tuesday that, when I mailed in my time card the week before, I had my hours figured wrong. Automatically wrote in a total of 40 hours, even though Friday was a holiday. Called the agency and had them fix my timecard.

So, when I checked my bank account yesterday, there was an additional deposit ... called the agency and found out that they pay for holidays if the employee has worked at least 1000 hours in the 26 weeks prior! Yay for unexpected money! The lady I spoke with is going to check with the Corporate office, because I think I should have been paid for Memorial Day, too ... and maybe even Christmas/New Year. Keeping my fingers crossed! (well, ok, not literally because then I couldn't type.)

Tonight we're celebrating Happy's birthday (not to be confused with happy birthday, although I hope he enjoyed his day) by going to the Gourmet Detective. Should be fun ...

And It's Wednesday

2009-07-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

Not much happening so far this week. Had dinner with The Kids last night (tacos, of course) and we were joined by Duh's son, AMJ. Haven't seen him in about a year, so it was nice to get to spend some time with him. He's recently become a trucker and was passing through the area.

Kinda excited for the weekend ... tomorrow is Happy's birthday, so a few of us are going to a Mystery Dinner Theatre on Saturday. It's a bit expensive, but hopefully it'll be worth the cost.

Hm, Sis never got back to me about whether or not they are definitely having the Pirate Party. I think I'll tell Duh/Happy and LM to "save the date" just in case ...

So, I Was Going To Post Yesterday

2009-07-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

but I didn't want someone to think she had that much power over me. And if I had posted in the morning I wouldn't have had anything to say. Not that I have a lot now, but more than if I had posted yesterday morning.

Got a call from Duh early in the day yesterday to see if I want to join her and Happy at a bbq/pool party at the home of their friends, B&RD. I've met them before, and knew several of the other people that were going to be there, so I agreed to go. On the way to Duh's (to carpool out to the party) I stopped off at Trader Joe's for a bottle of wine for the hostess. Saw Duh's brother there ... found out he was going to the bbq too. Anyway, got to Duh's and hung out for a while before heading out to B&RD's. We stopped at a liquor store (a really nice one, they had all kinds of gorgeous bottles of booze) and bought some stuff for the day, and some stuff for D&H to take back home. I won't say how much was spent, but it was a considerable amount.

Had a great time at the bbq. Of course, I didn't go in the pool (for several reasons, one of which being that I don't swim) but had a good time watching others swim. Felt sorry for one of the guys, who was thrown in against his will. And fully dressed. Fortunately, the wallet and cowboy hat survived the dunking ok, his cell phone was on the bar and not in his pocket, and he had clothes to change into (because wet denim is just the pits to wear all day).

Had a lot of fun watching the Husky swim. The dog really loves the pool, and also enjoys lying on the floaty raft and drifting around. Food was good (norma 4th of July bbq stuff), company was fun, and I had a great time. Got home about 1:15 am, got to bed about 1:30, and was up a bit after 6:00. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired ...

Hope everyone had a great 4th!

And Another Week

2009-06-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

goes by without a post. I'm really falling behind on this updating thing!

Actually went out last night, for another Girl's Night. Well, we were supposed to be a party of six, but some of the group backed out. So, it was just LM (from work), The Girl and I. Drove to Universal City Walk and wandered around for a while, and then went to the new Comedy Club. LM's daughter works there (although she didn't work last night) and got us comped. Had a really good time. The comedians were funny (we even got picked on by the headliner, Jeff Garcia) and the company was fun. The only downside was the service we got, or rather, didn't get, from our waiter. Saw him around a lot, but he was at the table behind ours and pretty much ignored us most of the night. In fact, it took about 45 minutes for The Girl to get her drink!

Hee hee - Jeff kept calling our waiter "Twilight" and making vampire comments at him for half of the show ...

Anyway, had a really good time, but am making up for it this morning. Late night and early wake up makes for a sleepy me!

Forgot To Mention

2009-06-21T10:36:00.001-07:00

Happy loaned me season one of "Angel", so I was watching it the other night. I was also working on my Quant. HUGE mistake. I ended up with a big mess, who the heck knows how, and tried to frog back a little way. Bigger mistake. I've been terrified to try any more attempts at fixing the thing and am hoping Sis can help me out this afternoon at Dad's. I was so upset, the only think that kept me from throwing the whole project into the trash is the fact that it's my Wide Awake yarn ....

Happy "Fathead's" Day

2009-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Don't remember exactly what the card said, but years ago Sis gave Dad a card that mentioned "Fathead's Day" (I'm picturing Vikings on the card, for some reason). Anyway, ever since then, it is what we've called Father's Day. The plan for the day is to meet out at Dad's (Sis and Rafe, The Girl and I) and order pizza for dinner. I had kinda thought about making something to bring, instead, but what I want is enchiladas, and I know that J won't eat them. So - pizza it is. And I'm really ok with that, because the place Dad orders from has really, really good pizza. I am, however, bringing a cake because I've been craving it for too long now. And yes, I had some cake at work on Friday but it didn't satisfy the craving. Add to that the fact that I had already mentioned it to Sis and ... well, I'm bringing a cake. It is all baked and frosted and sitting on the table, waiting to go. Just hope I don't forget it ... maybe I'll put my keys on the container. Yes, that ought to work.

Didn't have any plans for yesterday, which ended up being a good thing. The Girl and I met for breakfast (The Boy has to work all weekend, bummer) and, while we were talking she asked if I wanted to join her and her friend M for "dinner and a movie". I decided what the heck and said yes. I had such a Great Time! We met at Red Robin around 3:00 for an early meal (mmmm, French onion soup) and talked and giggled a lot. Wandered around the mall for a couple of hours and then went to the theatre.

Driving over, The Girl asked M if she had seen the movie "Up", which it turns out she had. M said that we were the only ones she knew who had also seen it, and her friends just didn't get it when she would, randomly during a conversation, say ... and we all yelled "Squirrel"! It was really rather hilarious at the time ... anyway, I wasn't sure about the movie we planned on seeing ... "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. I really like her, though, so figured it would be ok. Well -- let me just say that I laughed like a fool during the entire movie. It was just hilarious. I highly recommend that everyone see this movie.

The only bad part of the day was towards the very end. M's aunt joined us for the movie. While we were waiting, both The Girl and M left for a couple of minutes, which is when I realized that the Aunt and I had no idea what each other looked like ... so I watched for single ladies that were entering the theatre (we had the first 4 seats in the front row, which made it easy to keep an eye out). Didn't see anyone that looked like she'd be the Aunt. So, M comes back, looks around and spots her aunt sitting in the back row. Well, I had seen this lady when she came in, but didn't figure M's aunt would be about 25 or so. Joke was on me ... she's about my age. I'd swear she looks 25. So after the movie, when M told me her aunt's age ... kinda made me feel old because I definitely can't pass for 25. ::sigh::

We did, however, decide that this should be a monthly event and are planning for Harry Potter in July. Although I'll probably see it before we do the Girl's Night because M won't be available until later in the month. OH - and the trailer for New Moon? Totally awesome on the big screen. The fursplosion* is fabulous.

And now I'm listening to the Top 20 Countdown on CMT and eating a bagel .... just an exciting morning.

*the transformation from Man to Wolf

WWKIP Day

2009-06-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was World Wide Knit In Public Day. Actually, the WWKIP event was this weekend, and will continue next weekend. Although I did get some knitting done this evening, I failed to do any knitting in public. I'm pleased with how my Quant is turning out, though, and I think the yarn I'm using was a perfect choice. Or - the pattern was the perfect choice for the yarn ... I'm using the Wide Awake colorway hand-dyed by Squibstitcher from Ravelry. Yes, this is the yarn that I was making a little pillow with; it was frogged because I decided I didn't want that small of a pillow. I'm glad I did.

Spent the day with Duh, Happy and The Boy yesterday. Boy and I went to breakfast, stopped by an Army Surplus store and then went to Duh & Happy's so he would fix their computers. Yes, plural. He worked on 2 desktops and 2 laptops. He was going to set up my printer for me but since we didn't get home until about 10:00 pm, the printer was postponed until today.

After breakfast today, The Kids and I came back to my place and The Boy set up my printer ... and replaced all the color ink cartridges for me. I printed out the latest chapter of the story I'm beta'ing and then we left to go to REI and Bass Pro Shops. Not the most exciting of shopping trips, but I went along to keep The Girl company. After they dropped me back at my place, I printed out the stuff my brother sent to me. Most of it, anyway. It's a 68 page document. My black ink ran out after page 50. I have no spare black ink cartridges. So, I guess I get to go to Staples after work tomorrow for black ink. Oh, and I should take the empty color cartridges with me; they give a refund for the empties.

Anyway, spent some time online tonight (of course), beta'd the chapter and sent it back, and did some knitting. Now my eyes are tired and I think I'll be heading to bed.

Tea Party

2009-06-10T18:56:00.001-07:00

The ladies that I chat with at Ravelry decided that we need to have a group tea party. Since our members are located "globally", it was decided to devote a full day to the tea party experience. We all chose our time and place, and took pictures to post for all to enjoy. We originally chose the date of October 6 (based on the picture of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland - he has 10/6 on his hat) but didn't want to wait that long. We took advantage of our European friends and declared today as our first official Tea Party Day (10 June) and will have another on Oct 6. Here's my picture ...

Lemon Cookies

2009-06-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

So, I'm still not saying whether or not I ordered the yummy new yarn colorway, but ... IF I did order it ... it'll look something like this:

Froggy Sunday

2009-06-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Had a great time today. Went out to visit Sis for some knitting and visiting and a trip to the yarn store. She needed to get some DPNs to continue a project she's working on (a really, really adorable Loch Ness Monster!). She also got yarn for a couple of other projects she has planned. I was a good girl and didn't buy anything. Of course, after getting home and logging on to Ravelry, I discovered that one of the ladies that hand-dyes yarn is coming up with a new colorway. I may or may not have asked her to reserve a hank for me ...

Having problems with the project I'm currently working. Had to frog it yesterday; messed up again and was hoping Sis could help me fix it (well, ok - I was hoping she could fix it!) but ended up frogging most of it again. I have now been able to get past the sections that were giving me so many problems. However, I have to do the two sections over and over until the piece measures 15" (and it is currently at about 2-1/2" so that leaves plenty of opportunity for more knitting FAIL.

Sis was also kind enough to wind two skeins of yarn for me ... the Killer Heels and Charlie Swan colorways. They were gorgeous as skeins, and are even more so as "cakes". Now to come up with projects worthy of the yarn, that I might actually be able to do justice to ...

Sheesh

2009-06-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything all week ... surprised I haven't heard complaints from my "multitude of reader"! Not really much to say tonight, either ... Let's see. I don't remember what I did on Sunday so it must not have been anything to exciting. Probably laundry, or something equally thrilling. Oh, I went to a new restaurant with The Kids for dinner ... an Argentinian place. We shared a pizza and an order of empanadas.

Monday was work, just the usual paying of the bills. Been having a lot of trouble with itchy skin so I ended up going to lunch early to buy some Benadryl. Seems to be helping. I did remember that it was the first Monday of the month, so I took advantage of the "buy one meal, get one free" offer at the Mexican restaurant nearby. Got 2 orders of chicken and sour cream enchiladas, which lasted for four meals. Tuesday was taco night, which is always good. It was just The Girl and I. Didn't get much sleep, which was a bummer. Started out not sleeping well and finally dozed off only to be awakened by some people having a very loud argument out in the parking lot. I was debating whether or not to call the police (figured the neighbors upstairs would call - I knew at least one of 'em was up because I heard him open the window). Just as I was deciding that maybe I should call, the argument ended. That was around 2:00. Then - at about 3:00 - there was a huge, rolling thunder which woke me. After that I didn't really get back to sleep until almost 5:00. I get up at 6:00 .... needless to say, Wednesday wasn't one of my more "awake" days. Didn't sleep well Wednesday, either.

Let's see. What else ... I've done some reading, and some tv watching (or listening to the tv, anyway). Chatted online with friends (didn't go to bed until after 11:30 on Thurs, totally lost track of time!)

Was going to go to the movies this afternoon (it has been highly recommended that I see Star Trek, so I figured heck, why not). Went to the bank, and as I was getting ready to leave it started raining. I really didn't want to drive home in the rain after the movie so I just went to the grocery store, got some chicken and mac salad and ice cream (Ben & Jerry's Mission to Marzipan ... quite yummy) and, when I came out of the store there was no rain. Since I didn't have time to take the food home and then get to the theatre on time, so I just came home and watched Dirty Dancing on tv.

I've also done some knitting this week; had to take most of it out and start over because I mis-read the pattern. It's been going very well today - up until about 10 minutes ago when I somehow totally messed it up. Hoping Sis can help me fix it tomorrow as I don't want to have to frog it again.

And - that about sums up the week.

Fun Saturday

2009-05-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started out as a typical Saturday ... up early, coffee, computer, tv ... waiting for The Kids to be ready to meet for breakfast. Went to Corky's (tried something different, had the beefeater minus the Ortega chili). The Kids were going to drive down to San Diego to look at a truck and invited me to join them. Debated with myself for about half a minute (road trip vs laundry) and decided to go for the drive.

The truck was a bit of a disappointment. Well, more the dealership than the truck itself; the place was kind of scuzzy-looking and The Girl and I were ignored as if we weren't even there. The Boy really liked the truck, it was everything he was looking for. Unfortunately, it apparently wasn't done correctly so there were rub marks on the suspension. When The Boy mentioned this to the salesman (and, eventually, 2 other guys) they were unconcerned and said it didn't matter. Well, I wouldn't have known one way or the other, but The Boy was less than pleased with the response.

We then drove around downtown SD for a while, and went to Horton Plaza (I think that's what it's called) to see the movie "Up". Which, by the way, I highly recommend. It was sad (in quite a few places) but funny overall. We then drove to the Gaslamp district for dinner (because Corvette Diner is closed for relocation). Went to a really, really good Mexican restaurant where the tortillas are very fresh and extremely yummy. After dinner we walked around a bit and then headed for home. I think I got in at about 11:15 or so .... checked in on Rav and then off to sleep.

And - as a side note - I knitted a couple of rounds of my sock while driving down to SD. Backseat of a truck, very darkly tinted windows, traveling on the freeway. Does this count as "knitting in public"? lol

Another Month Ends

2009-05-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing much going on ... which, I realize, is typical. Just working, and went for tacos on Tuesday with The Boy. I've been having fun with Twitter while at work (except that I hate typing on my phone keypad). Some of the Rav ladies are on Twitter and I get little chuckles from reading their posts.

Today's month-end lunch was ordered by the HR department (the different depts alternate months). We had sandwiches from the Honeybaked Ham Store (I took half a ham sandwich, and half a turkey sandwich); mac salad, potato salad and cole slaw. Of course, I didn't take any of the slaw... but the rest of the food was good. I'm sure it was expensive, but it was tasty. I didn't eat the turkey sandwich at lunchtime so I brought it home for dinner. Which reminds me - we also had cheesecake for dessert, and mine's in the fridge. Think I'll eat it after my shower ...

And speaking of showers, guess I'd better head in there.

It's TOWEL DAY!

2009-05-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Towel Day ...

Memorial Weekend Saturday

2009-05-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

Started the day with a pancake breakfast, which was held in San Antonio Heights. Met the kids there; had a nice time. They had things to do after breakfast so I came back home and read a bit, and computered, and knitted and watched movies on LMN. Went and had a pedicure (my feet are so purty now, and it felt so nice and relaxing). The lady spent a lot of time working on them, too. I think she was bored; there weren't any other customers until she was almost finished with my feet - she was just getting ready to polish the nails when the next customer came in. Felt bad that their business was so slow (there were four employees there) but was glad that I benefited from it.

Stopped at the store and got ingredients for a pasta salad, which I'll be taking to Duh and Harry's tomorrow for a "family" bbq. Duh is inviting some of her cousins over, and I think her Aunt and Uncle ... not sure who all will be there. I am now home, have eaten my leftover pizza dinner, made my pasta salad and am watching Law & Order: CI while enjoying a little bit of so-called iced cream.

Killer Heels

2009-05-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of the multi-talented yarn dyers (is that a word?) on Ravelry have been coming up with colorways to go along with some of the more popular fanfiction stories. Decided I really, really needed this one - the colorway is "Killer Heels" and, trust me, the picture does NOT do it justice. The red is actually much deeper red, the black a deeper black, and there are hints of grey and pinky/orange. I even had my "professional" photographer take a few pictures, but the colors still don't look right.

The yarn is self-striping and will look gorgeous as socks. Just hope I can find a great pattern and manage to do justice to the awesomeness of the yarn!

Edited because I missed a couple important points -- the yarn is 360 yards and is 50% Superwash Merino and 50% Tencel.

Productive Afternoon

2009-05-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Work was good; had enough stuff to do to keep me busy for the day (Tuesdays are usually good, what with check run taking up quite a bit of time). Afterwards, I took Henry for a snack (gas prices are up again, ick), went and had my hair trimmed and then took Henry for a wash. After that I drove to Buffalo Inn, where I met The Girl for tacos.

And on the way home, I got a smooshed bug on Henry's nice, formerly clean windshield.

Survivor Finale Tonight

2009-05-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

From the Google TV Watch: Survivor, Tocantins:
He's been attacked by Peruvian dwarfs, learned ancient meditation techniques that cannot be Googled, and slayed imaginary dragons...WITH HIS EYES! He is Coach, quite possibly the most delightfully deluded contestant in Survivor history. The Steven Seagal wannabe stands about as much a chance of winning tonight as, well, Steven Seagal does, but imagine the hilarity that would ensue if he somehow did take home the million dollars. For other finale fun, drink every time Coach says the word warrior. Then dial 911. —Dalton Ross

9:00 pm Darn it. Thought we had a mild earthquake a while ago, so during a commercial I went to Google news to see if there was anything about it. Nope, nothing about an earthquake. I did, however, manage to find out who wins on Survivor. Yep, with an hour to go before they announce it. ::sigh::

Important Lesson Learned

2009-05-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone didn't know; the touch screen on an iPod Touch is exactly that. A touch screen. That means that if you are listening to music on your iPod and you accidentally touch the wrong spot on the screen with your thumb, you end up with a deafening burst of music. Even after quickly pulling the earbud out of my ear, I could still hear the music (until I was able to get the volume adjusted to the proper listening level). And in case you were wondering, the upper volume level on an iPod Touch is quite loud.

I received my autographed copy of The Forgotten Disturbed today.

Other than that, nothing else to report today.

Kinda Exhausted

2009-05-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Had a nice day today. Met Sis and Rafe at the traffic circle antique stores; we had a nice "brunch" and then did some wandering. Rafe didn't stay with us very long; he had some stuff he wanted to look at in the Army/Navy store and then went off to other places. Sis and I went through all the "usual" stores and had our typical antique store conversation. We laughed and got grossed out by the awful pictures in the scary cookbooks (some of them are really scary). We were horrified by what some people considered art. We found the required roosters, Doughboys, Big Boys and Nancy Drew books (ALL true antique stores carry these items). We wondered at the thought that "Harry Potter" books are considered antiques. Stopped for a cold drink and a brownie at Starbucks before continuing on to more stores. All in all, we spent about 5 hours before splitting up to head home.

I stopped off at Staters for light bulbs, shampoo and conditioner. Also grabbed some chicken and mac salad for dinner. Home to Ravelry, reading, tv and - later - a shower. Exciting day? Not really. But - it was nice and I enjoyed it, which is the important thing. Now I'm sitting on the couch, with the cat curled up next to my hip.

"Camping"

2009-05-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

I was invited to spend the day (well, the weekend, actually) camping with Duh, Happy and some of their friends. I drove out there about 11:00 this morning and got home around 8:45. Didn't really do much of anything; it was a nice, relaxing day. We were a group of 10; most of them played cards for most of the afternoon; one of the other ladies had a book so I brought mine out and read for quite a while (and joined in on conversations, of course). Had bbq hot dogs, au gratin potatoes, beans and salad for dinner. Everyone seemed really pleased that I joined them (they always make me feel welcome, actually) and it makes me feel that I should do more with the group.

Supposed to be meeting Sis at the antique stores in Orange tomorrow but we never set up a meeting place or time. We generally meet in front of the coffee place at around 10:00 - I'll have to call her (or she'll call me) in the morning to confirm things.

And now I'm kinda tired (all the fresh air and sunshine did me in) so I think I'll head off to sleep.

And It's Friday Again

2009-05-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

It has been somewhat politely pointed out to me that I haven't posted in almost a week. This is due (in part) to the fact that I've been reading, and brain sucking, and beta'ing and brainstorming and even doing some knitting. Had a nice long chat the other day with The Author in family; we discussed his book, among other subjects. I was very happy to be able to tell him, truthfully, that I enjoyed the book. And no, I wouldn't have lied if I hadn't liked it ... but I would have felt bad telling him that.

Work is still going slow; not getting as many invoices on a daily basis and it's sometimes tough to look busy in the afternoons. Which is what the boss tells us to do .... look busy. Keep papers on the desk, make it look like we're working. And when he signed my time card this afternoon, he said, "See you Monday" which is always a good sign. At least *I* think so! Of course, he could always have the agency call me over the weekend and tell me not to show up, but I don't think he'd do that; he said he'd give me warning if it came to me being let go.

Some not-so-happy news to report: The Girl's grandmother is in the hospital in Phoenix. Her "man friend" was having trouble getting her to wake up on Tuesday, so he called the Paramedics. After having some tests, they determined that she has lymphoma, and they started chemo today. The Kids drove out today to spend the weekend in Phx with the rest of the family.

So - that is my post for the day. And probably for the week. Tomorrow I'm supposed to go visit Duh while she's "camping". They are only a few miles away, and in motor homes, so it isn't like real camping, but they enjoy it. And she's always inviting me to join them when they go, so I feel like I should make the effort. Especially since they're so close by and all...

And Sunday will be spent antique store hopping with Sis. We haven't done that in ages, and I'm hoping for some "finds" this time around. We shall see!

Actually Knitted Today!

2009-05-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yep - I actually knitted about a dozen rounds of a sock that I started about a year or so ago. Yeah, I think it's been about that long. I'd forgotten how finger-cramping it can be using such small needles!

Had brunch with The Kids today, and then came home and actually did the laundry I've been postponing. Feels good to have it done and out of the way! I also spent quite a bit of time reading and have finished The Forgotten Disturbed. I really enjoyed it ... and have loaned my copy to The Kids (they dropped by to get their "anniversary cake" that's been in my freezer for the past year) so they can keep their signed copy "pristine". And - WIN - they brought me 2 cheesy biscuits from Red Lobster!

In-Between Day

2009-05-02T22:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was The Boy's birthday (his 28th, how the heck did THAT happen!) and tomorrow is the The Kid's first anniversary. So, today is in-between. For that matter, so is Monday, since The Girl will be 27 on Tuesday.

Met for breakfast/lunch at Corky's this morning (The Kids, The Ex, Duh and Happy, and I) and had a good time. It was nice seeing Duh and Happy; we don't get together often enough. After we ate, The Boy went to REI and The Girl and I went to Big Lots; we then met up at their place and drove out to meet Sis at my Dad's. Lots of good conversation; the Boy was able to fix Dad's laptop (and whatever went wrong with the desktop while he was working on the laptop). We ordered in pizza for dinner (it was quite yummy) and now I'm back at home, checking in on Ravelry, kinda watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and trying to work up the energy to go to bed.

All in all it was good day; tomorrow I have to do laundry. ::sigh::

OH - and I'm about halfway through reading The Forgotten Disturbed and had to bring it with me to show off to everyone (because nobody else has received their copy yet!). Normally I would have finished it in a day or so, but I'm making myself take my time and really enjoy it.

It's Here!

2009-04-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

My copy of The Forgotten Disturbed arrived today -- Two Days Early! I've just started on chapter two, and must honestly say that I'm enjoying the book. The end of the Prologue caught my attention and I'm anxious to find out ... well, I won't say what I'm anxious to find out because I don't want to "spoiler" the book for everyone else!

Nothing much going on otherwise. Work, tacos last night, watching Criminal Minds (and they need to stop taking actors I like and making them creepy!) Tomorrow is Survivor night and I really, really hope that they vote off Coach.

Commercial is over.

Sunday

2009-04-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

And another weekend is drawing to a close, and it's back to work in the morning. Was up early as usual and met The Kids for a late breakfast. The Boy then went for a class on fly fishing (just for the heck of it) and The Girl and I wandered around the mall. Had a nice time, bought a pair of earrings and she bought a necklace. Spent a lot of time at the bookstore and didn't buy anything in there. Maybe because I still haven't finished the first of the Sword of Truth series (and there are 12 books in the series); nor have I finished P&P&Z. Plus, the book my brother just had published (did I mention that my brother had his book published???) will be arriving on or before (hopefully) Friday. So I have plenty to read.

Since I've been home, I've been reading and computering. Didn't even turn the tv on until about half an hour ago, which is very unusual for me. I generally have it on all the time just for the background noise.

Just finished dinner (leftover Girl Scout tacos from last night) and am ready for the evening shows to start. Of course, that won't be until about 9:00 ...

Saturday Morning

2009-04-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not quite 8:00 am as I start this post, and I've been up for 2 hours. Sure do wish I could sleep later on the weekends, but I've given up on that idea. Don't really have anything to say, which is normal, but figured I should make more of an effort to keep the blog updated. About the only notable thing that happened this week is the Publication of The Book, which has been mentioned. And I received an email from Amazon to let me know that The Book has shipped and should arrive at my place by Friday. Woohoo!

Didn't start the coffee until just a little while ago; and as soon as it finished brewing the cat climbed up onto my lap and got all purry-comfy. So now, in order to get my coffee, I have to dump the cat onto the floor. Guess I can wait a little longer for the caffeine... we'll see how it goes.

IT'S AVAILABLE AT AMAZON!!!

2009-04-23T20:43:00.001-07:00

My brother's book .... The Forgotten Disturbed by T L Trevaskis

Is it a mark of insanity when your life turns into a faerie tale? Or is it a sign of awakening? And how do you tell the difference? Jessica Kendall thinks she is fleeing a nightmare, when she impulsively trades her promising but mundane career at a California university for the isolation of a tiny farming village in south-central Germany. She soon discovers, however, that it is not quite so easy to run away from a dream. There is something odd about her stern but grandmotherly new landlady, Frau Totmüller, and something even odder—and more wonderful—about the old woman’s handsome, successful son. Drawn to the enigmatic Hermann, despite her fears and misgivings, Jessica soon finds herself immersed in a world of magic, ancient artifacts, and unimaginable power that seems to have been waiting for her all her life.

4/23: Edited to add the link

Yummy Dinner

2009-04-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

Not a very exciting day, but then what else is new. Met The Boy and The Ex for breakfast (the Ex was late, of course) and then watched a couple episodes of Moonlight. Gave the upstairs neighbor a cup of sugar (yeah, he came down and introduced himself; then, with an embarrassed expression said "I know it's a cliche but ... ").

This evening, The Boy and I met Sis and Rafe for dinner (her birthday celebration) at a restaurant called The Stinking Rose. I'd never been there before, although I know Sis and Rafe love it. The restaurant specializes in garlic; in fact, on their website they advertise as "seasoning the garlic with a little food". I had 20 clove garlic chicken, which was wonderful and came with garlic mashed potatoes. For dessert I had the most marvelous chocolate fudge mousse. It was so absolutely delicious!

Unfortunately tomorrow won't be as much fun ... I have about a dozen loads of laundry to do (which is odd, because I only own about 5 outfits). Wish I'd done the laundry earlier in the week.

Long Week

2009-04-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

This has been a really long week. I've had computer issues (got a virus, so The Boy has the laptop for repairs). I have his old one as a loaner, but it has issues with the power cord so I have to be very careful about moving the computer or I lose power. Which is just an observation, not a complaint, because I am very grateful that he is: a) working on my computer; and, b) lending me this one. I should (hopefully) be getting my computer back tomorrow.

The Boy had to work late on Tuesday (in fact, he didn't go home but slept at work due to any early Wednesday start time) so we didn't make it to taco night. He and I did, however, go for burritos on Wednesday. They were really good, too, although I think I like the tacos just a little bit more. I had a good time; the bartender (we still don't know his name) spent quite a bit of time talking with us since the restaurant wasn't very crowded. Of course, we were there a lot earlier than usual and left about the time most people would have been showing up for dinner.

Yesterday was Sis' birthday, and she took vacation time for a 4-day weekend. Made the two days seem even longer since I didn't have her to email with during work ...

And now I'm kinda sleepy and my neck is sore.

All I Can Say Is

2009-04-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

I sure hope they do a better job of it the second time around ....

"regarding actor Ralph Fiennes. Variety reports tonight the actor, who is reportedly in advanced negotiations to appear in the remake of "Clash of the Titans...."
(found in an article at http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/)

Saturday Morning

2009-04-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

and I've been up for almost 45 minutes. I wish the cat would learn that Saturdays are for sleeping in. Of course, my own brain doesn't let me sleep in -- but at least it doesn't get right in my face and meow at me until I get it some fresh water. So here I am, computering with a purry cat on my lap at 6:40 on a Saturday morning. *sigh*

Don't really have anything to blog about, as usual. Will be meeting The Kids in a few hours (like, about 4) for breakfast. I think the ex might be joining us; he was going to call The Boy last night but I don't know if he ever did. Need to do some housework, and need to weed my little yard area. I also need to decide on (and start) a new knitting project. I should find the yarn and pattern for the socks I started ages ago .... I have one sock for each of two pair and never started on the "mates". And no, the two I have wouldn't look good if worn together. Although I just might do that anyway.

Well, that's all my brain can come up with right now. Gonna go make some coffee.

Post Office and DMV

2009-04-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

Why do we have to deal with these agencies? Why? And again I ask .... WHY?

I realized that the DMV never sent me the registration renewal notice for Henry. I know that I got him in April, thought it was near the end of the month. Went to work today and decided to check the date on the registration, just in case. Figured I could call DMV and find out what the fees would be and maybe get it paid early. I've been dreading having to pay it, since word is that the registration fees were doubling as of April 1. So, as I mentioned, I decided to check the date on my current registration. Um, make that expired registration. As of yesterday. Darn.

Decided to pay the fees online. Oh, wait - can't do that because you have to have the ID number from the renewal notice. That I don't have. Called DMV and after transferring around in the auto attendant stuff and being on hold for about 10 minutes, finally spoke to a "real person". Told her I need to know the ID number and the charges so I could pay online. She couldn't tell me the ID number without me having the renewal notice (?????), but if I still had the one from last year the number would be the same. Yeah, because I kept that. Anyway, I was happy to discover that the registration fees were only $10 higher than last year. Bad news? There was also a $32 late fee. For one freakin' day. Needless to say, I stopped AAA on the way home and paid the fees.

Started reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies while at AAA and I think I'm going to like it...

So then I got home and checked the mail; I want to get that darned package returned so I can get my money refunded. Huh, no key in the mailbox. Called the Post Office and after spending about 5 minutes explaining the situation to the woman that answered the phone, my call was transferred to a supervisor. Who could tell me absolutely nothing. She doesn't know if the repair guy came out to fix the lock, or when they'd be able to get the mailbox open. This is extremely frustrating, to say the least.

And now, I'm gonna go because Survivor is on.

Post Office Frustration

2009-04-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

So, the copy of Twilight that was supposed to have been canceled was delivered to my mailbox on Saturday. Well, not MY mailbox because it didn't fit, so it was put into one of the "parcel boxes" and the key left for me. The key doesn't turn in the lock; I think the box is too close to the door and is blocking the latch. Called the PO today to ask what to do about it ... well, apparently the parcel boxes are loaded from the front, not the back like the regular mail boxes. I have the "only" key; so I need to leave it in my mailbox in the morning so the postal carrier (who had a very rude attitude on the phone) can try and get my parcel for me. And she better not take it back to the PO and expect me to go pick it up; this is a lot of PITA for an item that's going to be returned.

Picked up my copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (why do I keep typing that as "Jombies"?) today, and will probably start reading it in a couple of days. I'd like to get a little further into Wizard's First Rule first. Supposed to be re-reading Twilight for a read-along, too. That's a lot of reading! I'm sure I can handle it ...

And - today I received my surprise from one of the Rav ladies -- she sent me a skein of hand-dyed yarn! The colorway is called "Charlie Swan" and is absolutely gorgeous. He is 440 yards of fingering weight sock yarn - 70% Merino, 30% Silk. I feel guilty accepting it; but I know she'd be hurt if I returned it. I don't know that I'll ever knit anything with it, but it is beautiful. So - with no further ado - may I present Mr Charlie Swan:

Restful Saturday

2009-04-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the day yesterday reading (when the headache was mild) and napping (when it wasn't). Didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked to last night but that's not surprising since I didn't do anything that would tire me out. Just have the last little lingering bits of ache in the right temple, so I'm hoping that means this stupid headache has just about run its course and will leave me alone.

Don't have plans for today other than maybe meeting The Girl for breakfast, and then going to the grocery store. Will probably throw a movie into the dvd, roam around the Rav forums and read. That's about all I have the energy for.

Feeling A Bit Better - I Think

2009-04-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

Didn't sleep very well last night, probably because of the nap after work. I am feeling better, though. The headache has eased off (at least for now, let's hope it stays that way!) and I'm showered, shampooed and dressed. Got my coffee and a book. I think I'll be ok.

Headachy Week

2009-04-03T21:31:00.001-07:00

Well, not much going on this past week. Tuesday was month-end, of course, so we had the "big push" to get all the invoices processed. Not really too much of an ordeal, since we've been able to keep up-to-date on the data entry. Had a yummy sandwich from the Philly cheese steak place (chicken and melty cheese) for lunch. Wandered the mall for a little while and went to Target for candy to fill the jar at work. Met The Kids for tacos (which were yummy - the tacos, not The Kids) and had a nice time.

Wednesday was check run day (which is normally on Tuesdays but we postponed it a day because of month-end). AZ and I went to the teriyaki bowl place to pick up lunch - we get coupons for buy-one/get-one stuck on our cars just about every week. I generally don't like to patronize places that stick flyers or coupons on my car; mostly out of irritation. However, AZ talked me into "sharing" a coupon with her a week or so ago and the place has really good food. So, we went again this week.

Last night was Survivor (FINALLY) and it was a pretty good episode. I'm worried about my TJ; he was a little obsessive about completing one part of the challenge himself instead of trading off when it wasn't working out well, and I think he might make people upset with that kind of behaviour. Fortunately, he didn't get voted off -- Unfortunately, I owe another buck.

I was supposed to meet Duh tonight to go to the Two-Step competion and help out this weekend. However, I've been getting headaches in the late afternoons at work (don't know if it's because of too much coffee, not enough coffee, too much computer entry or some other unknown reason). Got home from work today to pack up for the weekend. Decided to sit and relax a few minutes and let the headache ease off. Dozed off -- and woke up with the head pounding. So I called Duh and told her I'd have to back out of the weekend. I'm bummed, but I wasn't about to drive to her place with my head aching.

Guess that's about it for the updates. Nothing exciting, but that's life.

OH - I almost forgot the one really exciting thing ... my brother sent me an email to let me know that his book is finally being printed and will probably be available for purchase this month! He also attached a pic of the cover art -- a picture that he, the author, took!

And - the completed "Armando" hat --

Nice Sunday

2009-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

This has been a nice day ... Sis got here around 9:00 and we went for a yummy breakfast (chicken fried steak 'n' eggs, sourdough toast). Had a nice conversation at the restaurant while we ate. Came back to the apartment for some knitting. I actually got quite a bit done on the hat I'm knitting; finished the pattern repeats and worked on the decreases. Dropped a couple of stitches (dang it) and "fixed" them. Didn't like the way they looked after the repair so I have frogged back to the last pattern repeat -- and I am SO GLAD that I put in the lifeline after the pattern repeats!!! -- and will do the decreases again. I may actually get it finished in the next couple of days! I could finish it tonight, I guess, but the hands are a little tired so I think I'll take a break.

Sis got a lot done on the fish hat she's currently working on (as a Christmas gift. Yeah, she's almost finished with all her Christmas knitting projects). She did about 3/4 of the body and only has to do the tail and fins. It's a really pretty aqua/bright yellow striped hat. Of course, I like ALL the fish hats she's done - enough that I'm tempted to try one for myself. Not that I'd ever wear it ... but I could hang it on my wall. Sis also suggested that I use my WA yarn to knit a pillow so that it would be something I could actually use (even if it's just decorative). I'll have to figure out what size to make it ... but I bet it will make a gorgeous pillow!

The Kids are on their flight home from Portland; I think we'll be meeting for dinner when the arrive. At least, The Boy sent a text message asking about meeting for dinner, but since he had to turn his phone off while on the flight he hasn't received my response yet.

And - a kinda funny story. As we left the restaurant this morning, Sis was looking in her bag and couldn't find her glasses so she went back to get them. Just before she entered the restaurant she realized - she was wearing them! Don't know who was more pathetic: Sis, for not knowing she was wearing them, or me for not noticing them on her face!

Well, That Wasn't Too Bad

2009-03-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Didn't really do a lot of work today, although I stood around outside in the sun more than I should have. Oddly enough, I don't think I got sunburned at all, but now I have a headache. Think I'll take a little nap before heading to the grocery store.

Well, I watched a little bit of tv and kinda dozed off for about 10 minutes. Didn't help make the headache go away. Went to the grocery store but didn't have the energy to shop so I grabbed a couple things and came home. I've now taken some Tylenol and will hope for the headache to leave. Should probably drink more water, too ... didn't have much today. :sigh: When will I learn?

eta: Huh, forgot to find out from Sis what time she'll be here tomorrow ... guess I'll know when she gets here! I think it was supposed to be around 9:00-ish.

Busy (?) Saturday

2009-03-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

That'll teach me to ask Duh if she wants to meet for breakfast. You would think I'd learn by now, but no. I asked anyway. AND told her that I didn't have any plans for the day. So now I have plans.

Next weekend is the L.A.P.D. (no, not that LAPD) two-step competition that Happy's sister helps coordinate. In fact, I'm supposed to be going too, to help out kinda like I did a few months ago. Anyway, today Duh and Happy are going out to BD's (the other coordinator) house to help with the last minute prep stuff and loading the trailer so it is ready to go next week. So, since I have nothing else planned for the day, I'm going out to help, too. I'll have to be careful with the loading, because I still get twinges and occasional swelling from my darned ankle (I know, I know. I should have gone to the doctor for it) but I'm sure I can be of some help. And it gets me off the couch.

No Bones and No Survivor

2009-03-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

makes SR5Rfan something something! Man, I hate that they've pre-empted BOTH of my shows tonight ... almost makes having a Thursday totally pointless. Other than the fact that it is the lead in for Friday, today was nothing special. And the "recap" Survivor show last night wasn't all that exciting either. :sigh:

Spent some time after work today trying to buy a copy of "Finding Nemo" (in order to keep a promise I made last night). Couldn't find one. So I guess I'll be placing an order with Amazon. Fortunately I was able to watch the movie online last night, and really enjoyed it. I guess there's really no rush to buy it, now, but I did promise. And I wouldn't mind seeing it again ...

I really should be either knitting or cleaning. I'd like to finish the project I'm currently working on so knitting should be first priority. But Sis is coming over on Sunday so I should be cleaning. Instead, I'm typing. Except that I've run out of things to type about.

Life is tough sometimes.

I AM The Department!

2009-03-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Had an interesting morning today. I knew that SR wouldn't be in (vacation day), didn't expect SD in (husband in hospital) and DB usually gets in around 8:00. So, figured the department would be a little quiet this morning. However, when I arrived, I was informed that MG called in sick, and AZ wouldn't be in until 9:00. That meant that, until DB arrived - I was the entire AP department! Fortunately, nothing happened that I couldn't handle on my own. I was just glad it wasn't Tuesday, which is check-run day! Of course, had it been Tuesday, I'm sure the bosses would have postponed the check run. No way could I have handled that alone!

Other than that, not much happened today. I was treated to lunch by AZ (her daughter delivered some shrimp chow mein and fried rice, and there was too much for AZ to eat, so she "made" me share it with her). This means I get Lean Cuisine for dinner, since it was partially defrosted already. That's ok. The chow mein was worth it!

I Really Don't

2009-03-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

want to be awake right now. I'd like to still be asleep ... but that apparently isn't to be. And hasn't been for quite a while. I'm going back to bed now and hoping to get a bit of a nap.

Electronic Gadget Update

2009-03-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Apparently, not only should you remember to turn off your electronic gizmos, but you also need to remember to charge them. Got to work today with only 20% battery life in the iPod again. Darn it! It is now almost fully charged for use tomorrow. And I *will* remember to turn it off. I will!

As is standard for my life, nothing exciting happened today. Just work, and a stop at the Post Office on the way home to mail off my blanket squares for the Heartfail KAL. Oh, and I stopped at Stater's for a few Lean Cuisines for work lunches. Ah - how can the heart handle the excitement ...

Note To Owners Of Electronic Gadgets

2009-03-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

When you go to the trouble of plugging in your electronic gadgets (cell phone, computer, iPod, etc) in order to charge them for the next day ... Make. Sure. You. Turn. Them. Off. After. Charging. Yep, you guessed it. My iPod had only 20% battery life to get me through the day. Needless to say, it didn't. Get me through the day, that is. Guess my next purchase is going to have to be a car charger for the iPod.

Work today was ok. Nothing exciting, except that Adriana went to Carl's Jr at lunchtime, so instead of having Lean Cuisine Mac-a-chee I had a crispy chicken sandwich and some "natural cut" fries. Yeah, they used to be criss-cut but apparently are now "natural". Fortunately one of the guys finshed off the fries for me since I had only wanted a couple of them.

Are you totally engrossed in my life now? Ready for more excitement? I have a wild evening of sitcom viewing planned for tonight ... :yawn:

Another Weekend Chock-Full of Excitment

2009-03-15T17:16:00.001-07:00

Well, I've received another complaint from my millions of reader (no, that's not a typo, I think I only have one reader) that I haven't posted since Wednesday. There really isn't enough going on in my life to blog about; don't know why I ever started this silly thing. So - let's see...

Thursday: Work. Target. Pedicure. Survivor (won reward, lost immunity, voted off Spencer)
Friday: Work.
Saturday: Lunch with The Boy. Read. Knitted a little. Pizza.
Sunday: Lunch with The Kids. Watched first episode of Legend of the Seeker. Will finish off pizza later.

How can I stand all this excitement, you ask? I can't - that's why I sit. HAHAHAHA.

Another Wednesday

2009-03-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

In order to prevent any smart-alecky messages being sent to me at Ravelry, I am updating my blog. I know this won't prevent the messages, and will probably guarantee that I receive at least one ... but here goes anyway.

Important thing that I should have remembered yesterday: J left for Canada today. Did I remember and call last night? No. Did I remember and call this morning? No. I remembered this afternoon when it was too late to call. Sent Dad an emailed apology while I was thinking about it.

I was almost the recipient of a little white car today. I was stopped at a red light, and I heard a short, sharp squeal. Looked into the rear view mirror in time to see a bunch of blue smoke behind me, and a little white car just barely missing Henry's back bumper as it (the white car) swerved into the other lane. Fortunately, it missed us.

And that was my day. Oh, and I got crispy honey chicken from Pick Up Stix for dinner.

Tuesday and Tacos

2009-03-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Had a bit of a rough start to the morning. Took a couple of Nyquil capsules last night around 8:00 or so. Had trouble falling asleep, but then had trouble waking up this morning. Dark and gloomy drive to work. Frustrating morning pulling back-up paperwork for the check run. Lunch was good, had fun talking with AZ at lunch. This afternoon seemed to go ok, nothing exciting.

Wandered around Borders for a little bit, then went to Barnes & Noble. Sat in the "cafe" area and had an iced-tea. Met The Kids for tacos (they were awesomely yummy but a bit messy). Humph, just go interrupted by a phone call from Sis. First she complains that I don't update my blog, and then she prevents me from updating. Some people. LOL!

Anyway, that's it for now.

Saturday

2009-03-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

As you can tell, it has been another eventful week in the life of Me. The Boy has been sick all week, so we didn't go to Taco Tuesday. Survivor was awesome ... and even though my tribe lost immunity - they did the smart thing and got rid of annoying Sandy. Sis now owes $1.50 and I owe $1.00. I think. I'd better start my spreadsheet to keep track of things....

Borrowed a movie from one of the ladies at work - "Taken". It was really good. A bit more violent than what I would normally enjoy, but it fit the story so I was ok with it. I also have "Gran Torino" and "Pride and Glory" but I'm not sure I'll watch either of them. I'll check 'em out on imdb first.

The Boy has to work today (and tomorrow, too) so The Girl and I are going to meet for breakfast (probably around 11:00 or so) and then spend the day watching movies. Maybe an HP marathon? One of the cable channels is showing the movies this weekend ... saw the end of "Sorcerer's Stone" last night. It was weird - The Kids have a different tv provider than I do, and the movie was just starting for her when it ended for me. But it was on the same network, so it should have been on at the same time. Shouldn't it? No biggie - since I have it on dvd I can watch it whenever I want.

Anyway, that's my update.

Sigh

2009-03-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

So, I have my leftover green yarn and a really cute, easy hat pattern. This yarn screamed to become this hat for me. Now, I don't wear hats, but I want this one. Based on the number of stitches I have knit so far, I've made three hats. Wanna see a picture of it? Here ya go ...

Cute, isn't it? I have started and frogged and restarted and refrogged and used lifelines and gave up. Not permanently, but I've given up for now. I'm not happy.

Almost Forgot

2009-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

Forgot to mention another weird thing that happened yesterday, although it wasn't really all THAT weird. Got a strange text message saying something along the lines of the computer going to be down all day. Didn't have a person's name or anything (like it normally does if someone sends me a text) so I was rather puzzled. Until I realized that it came from Sis' cell phone .... and of course, when her computer system came back online, the IT guys sent an email to let them know..... Gotta love the IT guys!

Tonight is Survivor (in just over an hour!) and I hope it's a more exciting episode than we got last week. And hoping "my guy" does well!

And thinking of almost forgetting -- left my cell phone at home today (again) and it drove me nuts. Not that I get calls or anything, but it bugs me not to have it with me. Got home and looked everywhere I could think of for the darned thing. Finally found it. In the "cell phone pocket" of my purse. D'oh! Had a message to call Duh; she wants me to come over this weekend and tie bows on wooden roses for the Two-Step competition in April. Not sure if it will be on Saturday or Sunday (she'll let me know) but she was wondering if Sis would like to join us .... she lives in Riverside, FYI, Sis.

Today Was .... Different

2009-02-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

Started off thinking that today was Thursday and that I'd get to watch Survivor tonight. Of course, that was completely wrong. Then, my co-worker AZ told me that she wished she had my cell number, so that she could have called and told me not to bring lunch today, because she brought me some home-made shrimp fettucini (which was kinda funny because I brought Lean Cuisine fettucini, which is No Comparison at all!) A little while later, AZ started laughing.... she was trying to call a vendor about an invoice and right after she dialed the number, her private line started ringing. She'd hang up to answer the incoming call, and nobody was there. Yup, you got it. She was calling her own number by mistake! Three times.... we giggled over that one a couple times during the day.

Had a "safety meeting" for the AP department today (first one I've gone to). The Boss started out by handing out a flyer on cell phone 'dangers" and said that he hates cell phones, and never uses his. He's 55, and when he was a kid he'd be outside from 8 in the morning until 10 at night, his mom had no way of getting in touch with him and he was never kidnapped or anything, so he sees no need for being so accessible now. That was the extent of our "safety" meeting.

Anyway, I guess it was a pretty good day, all things considered (seeing as it isn't Survivor night and all).

Been A While

2009-02-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted (as was pointed out to me in a prior comment). Shows how exciting my life is, I guess ... just so busy there's no time to type! LOL Yeah, right. Let's see. Work. Late lunch on Saturday with The Boy, Dad and J. Late breakfast on Sunday with The Kids, followed by a drive to the ski lift area of Mt Baldy, then back home. Finished my square for the Heartfail KAL (well, re-finished it... I decided to redo the basketball square on larger needles and like it much better. Work yesterday. Work today, followed by tacos with The Boy. Back home. How can one person handle all this excitement, you ask? Oh--you didn't ask. Fine then.

Anyway, here's the reknit basketball square, in which the pattern shows up much more nicely than it did the first time around. And I don't remember if I posted the horse square, so here it is, too.

Survivor Update

2009-02-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Although I probably won't be doing weekly updates, I wanted to post tonight because My Tribe Won The Challenge and Sis owes $.50. We are now even. HA.

Not Much To Say

2009-02-19T19:52:00.001-08:00

As usual, there isn't much to report. I stopped on the way home from work yesterday and got new yarn for my Heartfail KAL square. This one is a nice green, and I'm about halfway done with the knitting. I really like this a lot better than the brown; the pattern shows up more clearly. I'll have to think of something else to make with the brown yarn because I do like it. Maybe I'll make a hat for myself. Not that I wear them, but what the heck.

Anyway, here's the square so far ... and now I'm going to get ready for Survivor. And I apologize for the picture quality; I need new batteries for the camera, so this one was taken with my phone.

Oh - and I got confirmation today that my Hattz were received. I wasn't expecting them to get there until tomorrow, so I'm really pleased that they arrived early. Yay!

Frustrated

2009-02-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Planned on sending off my Hattz today; I know the Post Office is closed for the holiday but figured I could send it from the MBE near work. I called to make sure that they provide USPS Express and/or Priority service; the employee asked, "You mean like UPS or FedEx?" I said no, I wanted the 3-day service through the Post Office (I had started out the conversation by stating that I knew the package wouldn't actually be mailed today due to the holiday). She checked and said that yes, they do provide that service. I asked it they had the specific boxes used for the 3-day service and she said yes.

So, I leave work and drive over the the MBE store. The girl at the counter is the same one I had spoken with on the phone (she asked if I was the one that had just called). She went to the back to get a box for shipping - when she came back with a plain brown one, I asked about the white Priority box. She said they didn't have those but that the brown one would work. I said that I had a box in the car I could use (because I didn't want to pay for a box if I didn't have to) if she could tape it shut for me. She said no problem. I went out and got the box, addressed it and she taped it shut. She then told me that they don't do the USPS 3-day delivery; the cheapest way for 3-day delivery would be UPS at $22; or it would be $13 for delivery on Monday. Needless to say, I decided to NOT ship it UPS and said I'd take it to the Post Office tomorrow (and pay $5). I was then charged $.50 for having the box taped shut. Needless to say, they've lost my business.

And now I have to go to the Post Office tomorrow. :sigh:

Daytona

2009-02-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Today was the Daytona party -- wasn't really sure if I was going to go or not, but had just decided to call Duh and tell her that I'd be there when she called to see if I were joining them. She even told me that at Bunko last night, the hostess for today had specifically asked if I were going to be there. Kinda made me feel good ...

Anyway, we got there in plenty of time to join in all the betting pools. The "main pool" was handled very well -- it is a very random draw for your driver. First step is taking a numbered chip from a bag. This determined the order in which we'd pick drivers. Step two was taking another number from another bag; this corresponded to the starting position of the driver. I ended up with Jimmie Johnson (a name I actually recognized) and was told that he was a good driver to have. Cash was given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Needless to say, he didn't win.

There was also "commercial poker" ... they had a large board with everyone's name in a square. Every time there was a commercial break during the race, a card was drawn and added to each persons' hand on the board. Best hand after 5 draws won $32 bucks.

The third pool was set up like the typical football pool except instead of drawing numbers randomly for the across and down columns they chose driver names. The winner of the pool was the person who's name was in the intersecting square. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes were also awarded for this one. Happy won 1st place on that one.

Afterwards we stopped at Circuit City because Happy wanted to buy some dvds. He found quite a few that he wanted; and they also bought all 4 of the Indiana Jones movies for me, because Duh can't believe I've never seen them.

Finished watching "Untraceable" tonight - I had started it this morning and had to leave for the Daytona party. It was a pretty good movie; a couple spots that I kinda didn't watch, but overall a good movie.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

So, another V-Day has come and gone. Well, almost gone, anyway. And I survived it - despite receiving an email Valentine card from the Ex this morning (which was odd and a bit depressing). I met The Kids for brunch and had a patty melt and onion straws (since I don't have to worry about onion breath). They gave me a V-Day card that has a cat's face with big red-foil-wrapped chocolate lips. Kinda scary looking, but funny.

Came home and puttered around a bit; did some knitting, watched some tv. Went to the craft store to get the brown yarn for my second square for the KAL. They didn't have a solid brown in the Wool-Ease (they must not make solid brown, because I haven't found it at any of the stores) but found a nice mocha in Bernat Satin. After getting home, I finished the first square (except for blocking it). I watched Princess Bride (which, for some reason, had parts cut from it and odd music/sound effects added - don't know if that's something Bravo always does or if it was "special" for Princess Bride). Didn't enjoy the movie as much as I would have if they had only left it alone. I've also started knitting square 2 and have completed 12 rows.

Tomorrow I'm invited to a NASCAR party with Duh and Happy. Haven't decided for sure if I'm going; I think it will depend on the weather since I'll have to drive home afterwards and don't want to drive in the rain.

And that's about it for my Valentine's Day. Hope all the millions of readers (haha, this means you, Sis) had a happy day.

Another Friday Night

2009-02-13T21:36:00.001-08:00

Friday the 13th, to be exact. Had a pretty good day, actually ... had enough work to get me through the day (although with no mail on Monday there may be a problem; but I'll worry about it Monday). The AP department had a small potluck - AZ made fantastic taquitos (she got up at four o'clock this morning to make them); MG made rice and I brought cheese/lettuce/sour cream. SR made perfection brownies, DB brought guacamole and chips and SD brought cupcakes. We also each received a small heart-shaped box of chocolates from AZ and a Valentine's Hershey bar from DB.

JR came by the department just before time for most of us to go home and we were able to talk him in to having a brownie (it didn't really take much, because he's had SR's brownies before) and we all joked around for a bit.

Had an odd conversation with one of my co-workers late this afternoon. He asked if I'm "staying on" or not; I told him I was still a temp and hadn't heard anything different at this point. He made a comment about how I'd already been moved from one desk to a "better one" and that I should tell the boss to hire me or else... I laughed and told him I'd be afraid of being told "there's the door". He kinda chuckled and said that wouldn't happen. So, what's so odd about this conversation? Nothing in and of itself...except for the fact that I think it's the first time he's ever spoken to me. Half the time when I see him, I'm not sure he's even aware of my existence!

Got pictures of my Hattz emailed to the scrapbook coordinator (at least I hope they went through ok) and will try to get to the Post Office tomorrow to send off the hats. I'll probably send them Express mail for the traceability and speed. I'm also about 2/3 of the way finished with the first square for the Heartfail KAL. The picture posted here is at the half-way point (taken last night). The design isn't very easy to see, so I'll try to get a better shot after completion and blocking. The pics of the Hattz are on my Flickr site.

Guess that's about it for tonight.

Quick Post

2009-02-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

My silly computer decided to have issues this evening, so I'm just posting a short note to say that I'm not posting anything "serious" today. Not that there is really anything to talk about, other than the fact that I've finished the four Hattz and have started on my first Heartfail KAL square.

Good Knitting Day

2009-02-07T21:47:00.001-08:00

For a day that started kind of cruddy (didn't sleep much more than 2 hours or so last night), it ended up being pretty good after all! Bad part is that none of the non-family guests were able to make it for knittering today. But I had a great time anyway! Sis arrived at about 10:00, and then about 10:30 The Girl sent a text asking if we wanted to meet for brunch. We figured since it was just the two of us here, we'd go and meet them. Just as we were ready to leave, Duh called to say she was on her way over. So the 5 of us met at Corky's, and then came back here. The Boy hung around for a while and then went out truck hunting. "Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm huntin' twucks!" The four of us sat and worked on our projects and talked (I finished Hattz #3 - did about 3/4 of the hat today - and am almost 1/2 done with the ribbing for #4). Sis finished some socks and started on a Chulo hat for Rafe. The Girl is working on her cabled scarf, but is still having neck problems so didn't get a lot done on it today; and Duh is working on the table runner. She left about 3:45, Sis left about 5:15. The Boy came back after his hunting trip and we had enchiladas for dinner. They just left a few minutes ago. So, I'm exhausted but happy. Hope the others had fun, too!

Mr Piggy Is Famous!

2009-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe "famous" is too strong a word, but he will be well-known! Had a private message from one of the members of Ravelry, asking if they could use my picture of Mr Piggy for the page dedicated to the Lola Curly the Pig pattern. Of course, I said yes - so now, if you go to the Curly the Pig page you'll see my Mr. Piggy! I'm very jazzed about this, because I'm sure there are better examples out there, but they chose mine. Yay!

2/5 Edited to delete hyperlink, since it appears that the link takes viewers to the general Ravelry page, not the Curly page.

So, I'm hoping I haven't done any serious damage, but I've messed up my right ankle. Was sitting with my leg curled up underneath me, and put my leg to sleep. Got up to get my laundry together and tried taking one step (I can usually walk ok with one foot asleep). Guess it was a lot deader than I had thought it was, because as soon as I put a little weight on the right foot I heard a snap and felt a jot of pain in my right ankle. I've put ice on it and have been sitting with the foot elevated (and did NOT do laundry, which means I'll have to do it tomorrow and it'll be raining). The ankle is a little sore and a bit swollen but I'm able to walk on it (gently) so I'm hoping it's ok.

Finished my second Hattz tonight and have to decide whether or not to make a third. I have just over a week before I need to send them off, so I can do another. And I don't have the yarn for the afghan KAL squares yet, so I should be able to do one more with no problem. Wonder what yarn I have that I can use ...

Superbowl Sunday

2009-02-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

Joined Duh and Happy for a Superbowl party today. Yes, I know - I'm not a football fan, nor am I a party girl. However, I had a really great time. The game was exciting (especially so for the 3 Steelers fans in attendance). There were quite a few people at the party; some I had met before and others that I hadn't. It was nice to be greeted as part of the group by those I had already met. There were a lot of funny commercials, and the halftime show was good (Bruce Springsteen, who looks very good for his age).

There were hot dogs (which I consider more of a baseball food than a football food, but who am I to complain??) along with a bunch of snacky-type foods. Got home a little bit before 9:00 and have been computering and reading since then. Should really have showered tonight since I smell smoky (I sat outside in the smoking section with Duh and Happy) but since I'm the only one here to smell me, I think I can hold off until the morning.

And with that, I'm going to bed. G'night

Saturday

2009-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

For the most part, today was another typical (for me) Saturday. Computered for a while, tidied a bit, read a while, knitted. Finished the awful-orange hat for The Boy and started on another hat for charity. Watched some tv. Just the regular stuff.

I did have a weird phone call this morning ... I didn't recognize the number so I let it go to voice mail. When I checked the message, it kinda freaked me out a bit. Male voice I didn't recognize saying something along the lines of "I hear you're looking for a good time. Call me. Before tonight", and then the call disconnected. I immediately deleted the message (I know, shouldn't have done that) and then, because I was a bit freaked, I went online to try and trace the number through one of the "free" reverse directory sites. Of course, the free part was telling me that the number originated in Riverside. To get any other info, I would have to pay for it. Well, I know Duh lives in Riverside, but I have her number (and Happy's) in my phone, so it would have shown the name if they had called. Decided to wait and see if I got another call (hoping I wouldn't).

So, this afternoon, I get a call from Duh, wondering why I hadn't called them back. It was Happy that called, from his cell. Didn't show on my phone because I had his HOME number programmed in, not the cell. They didn't worry about "scaring" me because Duh knew I had his phone number and that it would show on my phone. Needless to say, I was very relieved! Anyway, they were just confirming whether or not I'd be joining them for the Super Bowl party tomorrow, and I told them that yes, I would.

Met The Boy for dinner tonight; only had a small salad because I had a large, late lunch. It was kinda nice sitting in the restaurant at lunch - eating my sandwich and fries, reading my book and listening to music on the Touch. It was also a nice dinner with The Boy. Bought some cookies to bring home (chocolate chip/walnut) and just had one with some re-heated coffee. Mmmm.

The Boy had a box of old children's books (old books for children, not books for old children) that were his when he was a kid. Yes, my son is old enough to have "old" books. He didn't want them and I told him that I'd like to go through them before they were donated or given away. Besides, knowing him, they might have ended up in the trash (he just doesn't get it) and I didn't want that. Told him I'd give them away after I looked through them. Well, it just so happens that the apartment manager (whom, you may recall, lives across from me) has two small children; and she was very happy when I offered the books to her. I just hope the kids enjoy them.

Well, gonna end here and do a few more rounds on the hat before bed.

Interview Excerpt

2009-01-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from an interview - my brother's editor - (that sounds cool, I should repeat it ... my brother's editor). The question is: Which among the books you have edited has left the strongest impression on you, and why?CF:Which among the books you have edited has left the strongest impression on yand wy?

LB: The Forgotten Disturbed by T.L. Trevaskis: An absolutely beautiful book that will sweep you away. It is set in rural Germany and the forests left in Germany. You can smell the trees and you feel like you’re right in the country. The author’s prose is stunningly crafted.

EOW and Almost EOM

2009-01-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

Had a pretty satisfying end of the week (eow) today. I've been a bit worried at work ... a lady that used to work in the Chino office and had transferred to Denver is coming back as of next Monday. Her husband has some medical problems and had to leave the altitude of Denver. Well, I figured I'd be on my way back to unemployment since I don't know of any other position they would give her.

We (the AP dept) were called in to a meeting this afternoon so that the boss could let us know what was going on. Yes, the new lady will be starting in the AP dept on Monday, but helping with research and projects until they figure a more permanent niche for her. She will be at my old desk -- and I'll be staying in the AP department (and employed). JR asked me to stay a bit after the others left the meeting; he just wanted to let me know that he had fully intended on me being hired by now, and then this situation came up and he's had to postpone it (again). He's hoping it'll only be a month or two before SD is given a position elsewhere in the company and then he can push for me to be hired. Sure feel better, knowing that I'm not being pushed out the door!

Month-end closing went well, too... and next week will be easier, because someone else will be responsible for the non-inventory invoices! Yay!

Only In California

2009-01-28T16:32:00.001-08:00

can you get a high-speed police chase, lasting more than an hour (and still going) involving a woman driving a U-Haul truck.

Bad Day At Work, Good Dinner

2009-01-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

Maybe "bad" isn't the right word ... frustrating. My computer was running slow so one of the guys from the IT department (well, the "help desk" dept) puttered with it all morning. Yes, all morning. He took control of it about 9:00 or so, and I didn't get it back until after 1:00. Fortunately it was check run day, so I had other things that I could do. After the computer was "fixed", it still ran kind of slow so I had to have it checked out again. Fortunately that time only took about 10 minutes and it worked faster after that.

Had a later "dinner date" tonight ... The Boy didn't think he'd make it to Taco Tuesday by 6:00 so we planned to meet at 7:00. As it was, he did arrive by 6:00 and sent me a text message, so I went ahead and met him there. The Girl got there right at about 7:00 and some friends of hers from work joined us. Had a blast -- they were really fun and the conversation was lively. Lots of laughing, some blushing, and tacos. Great meal!

And now, kitty and I are going to bed. G'night.