Wednesday, December 26, 2007

When It's Over (Sugar Ray)

The holidays are, for the most part, over. Okay, I suppose we still have New Year's Eve to look forward to, but for all intents & purposes, it's over.

Christmas Eve, I worked til 3p & then came home, cooked a little stuffing (no, it wasn't Stovetop, though it was cooked on the stove top) & then headed over to Steve & Airi's for a Christmas Eve potluck. It was just a small crowd as David & Katherine couldn't make it out due to other family obligations & I guess Popeye made Trina sicky-poo. Boo! Here's a few pics from Xmas Eve.

Christmas Day was supposed to be very low key this year. In fact, I posted about the rules that Jeff & his father came up with & shared with me. Unfortunately, someone failed to include the other McCarthy Women in the rules. These were the rules as set forth by the McCarthy Men:

  • Limit spending to $50 on each of the other two couples (his folks, his sister & boyfriend) so that only $100 total gets spent on each other
  • Go out to dinner on Christmas Day somewhere (I'm a bit skeptical if this really happens)
  • Each couple volunteers in some way (either by donating money, time or gifts) & lets everyone know what they did at Christmas dinner.

The key tab there is the first one. We wanted to tone down Christmas this year to 1 - save some money & 2 - to not go overboard buying things that nobody needs/wants. The first gift we open was from Erin & Aaron & it's a $100 gift card for Travelocity. I am in NO way nonthankful for this gift, but what about the rules? So, I ask Jeff, "Uh, Jeff.... why didn't they follow the rules?" He looks at the card & the questions go flying. They (mom & Erin) say they never heard about the "rules". Faster than you can say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Jeff was on the laptop buying a gift certificate for Hawaiian Airlines for E & A.

Merry Christmas everyone... and next year, how about a bit more communication, eh?

Today, I am thankful for:

  1. No more Christmas music on the radio
  2. Leftovers (thanks to everyone who donated to our fridge)
  3. Returning 2 gifts (so far) with ease
  4. Grey's Anatomy, season 2
  5. Pat being back at work

What irks me today:

Today, I was annoyed with the girl behind the "fine jewelry" counter at Macy's. I had a pair of earrings to return & had approached one of the counters & after interrupting the employee from her conversation with the other girl to ask if I could "return these here", snottily, she replied, "No, you have to go over there" and pointed to another counter. Man, she was so 'tudey.

P.S. We had a wonderful ham dinner at home (with spinach salad, cheesy potatoes) and TONS of cookies, bars, jalepeno pepperoni sticks, chex mix, cheese & wheat thins, artichoke dip & another kind of cracker, hummus & yet another kind of cracker, Maureen's famous garlic dip & chips). What a spread of food to munch on all day long!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Against All Odds (Phil Collins)

As Christmas quickly approaches, we've received several cards from our friends & family members. I had to laugh when we received virtually the same card from two different people. What are the odds of that happening? Well, I guess technically, one in 4 as this is one of four card designs that these two people made at my stamp-a-stack last month.

Today, I finished up my Christmas shopping. I wasn't going to go out & buy something for everyone I know, but still ended up buying a gift (card) for people I wasn't going to buy for in the first place. In fact, I told folks not to buy us anything as we weren't going to do a gift exchange. Well, it's not about the getting, but the giving, right? I'm okay with the not getting part.

Monday is going to mark the first year we changed our Christmas Eve tradition. I enjoyed the tradition that Joel started with us many years ago (gathering together with your friends, late at night on Xmas Eve at whatever restaurant that was open - usually a Denny's or Shari's, for some not-always tasty & sometimes crappy service & leaving a very large tip for our server). Steve suggested still getting together with friends, but doing a potluck instead, much earlier in the evening.

Yesterday, our TV, Comcast Cable, Receiver or some component thereof decided to crap out on us. Jeff called Comcast & they said it could be the box & so we exchanged it today, hooked up the new box & the picture is still not cool. Basically, the hi-def channels work just fine, but every other channel is highly distorted (the picture is super-enlarged & shifted to the right 2/3 of the screen). What really sucks is that we had some shows saved on our DVR & 1. if they were recorded on the regular channels (most were), they played distorted and 2. all shows saved were lost when we brought the old box back to the Comcast store. Boo!

On Thursday morning, the Sounder train had some technical difficulties. I've been taking the last train into work because I've found some decent parking that works for me (I used to take the earlier train just so I could have a parking spot in the garage; that no longer works for me). Anyhow, we pull into Kent Station & we sit there. A few minutes go by & the conductor announces that the engine is having issues & that they're working on fixing it. After sitting there in Kent for 50 minutes, I ended up getting on a bus to Seattle. This is the 2nd time I've been kicked off in Kent & told to find my own way to my destination. I'm thankful there's buses in Kent to take me to where I need to go.

I'm finding myself really enjoying the new show that's been on ABC this week, Duel. I like trivia, especially when it comes to stuff I *should* know. And, this show also has a gambling component to it. Here's one question from the show:

As of October 2007, which state had the least # of Starbucks (Scroll down for the answer)?

  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Vermont
  • Alaska

'

Today, I am thankful for:

  1. Our newest remote control - to the fireplace!
  2. Employment
  3. Nearby friends to help out in a pinch

'

What irks me today:

Today, I am obviously not happy with the tv situation, but I'm not going to dwell on it. Yeah, it's annoying & frustrating, but perhaps it's a sign of me watching too much television. Maybe I'll play a game or something more 'interactive' tonight instead. ....wishing I had a wii....

'

Duel answer: Vermont with 5 Starbucks. WA had 640, UT had 60, AK had 30

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

O Tannenbaum (Various)

I was wrong. We DID get a Christmas tree this year afterall. Mind you, it's only about 8" tall, but by golly, we got one! It sits upon our mantle & is the perfect size for our village. I tried tying some ribbon on it to make it a little more decorative, but the ribbon just kept falling off & so I just tied a bow around the base there. It's cute. And, once the holidays are over, we'll plant the tree outside & hopefully it will thrive.

Kat & I did our 4th annual volunteer work this past weekend, stuffing stockings for over 2,400 homeless children. It just amazes me how quickly it goes: all the stockings stuffed in just over an hour. Wow! As chaotic as it is, it truly is organized. I don't think I could do it any better if I had to organize it.

After volunteering on Friday, Kat & I went to Happy Hour for a little bit at the Pyramid Brewery so that we wouldn't be smack dab in the middle of Friday night rush hour traffic. We got 2 appetizers (nachos & fries with a curry dipping sauce) & a BBQ Pork sammy that we split. The BBQ Pork was mighty tasty! The nachos weren't bad either. The fries/curry sauce could have been better, though I don't know how. I wouldn't order it again to give it a second chance. Neither of us drank beer, but I did buy a 12 pack of Hefe for my husband.

Saturday, we finished our volunteer work & Kat was so thoughtful & nice to offer to buy me some birthday lunch. I chose to go to Qdoba for two reasons: I got a BOGO coupon for my birthday & they're mighty tasty! I love me some nekkid burritos & 3 cheese queso.

Later that night, Jeff suggested we go out to get some dessert of sorts for my birthday. We ended up going to Trotters, a local family restaurant, here in Auburn because they have a giant menu of sundaes. However, we didn't have any dessert because we were full after having dinner. Trotters used to be my favorite local restaurant, but once they changed owners, the menu changed & they weren't all that great anymore. This time, they were a bit better than just okay. We'll probably go back, but they're still not my favorite.

On Sunday, Jeff's parents, sister & boyfriend came over to celebrate all the Sagittarius birthdays by watching the Seahawk game, dinner & a movie in the theater room. I also baked cookies for a cookie exchange at work. I wish I had a KitchenAid mixer. I'm also convinced I need to get a FoodSaver as well. I do see this in my not too distant future. Yee!

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Department lunch
2. A warm bed
3. 2 weeks until Christmas
4. Being done with my Christmas shopping
5. Goose down vest


What irks me today:

Once again, my procrastination is getting me down. Tomorrow, we're doing a gift exchange at work & I've got my gift(s) for my person, but now I have to wrap them. I usually enjoy wrapping presents, but right now, I'm feeling absolutely no motivation to do it. And, I kinda want to go to bed early tonight, but I must get this wrapping done first.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

O Christmas Tree (Various)

See those two little trees over there? That's about the extent of our Christmas tree set up this year (And the past 2 years as well). While we have a decently sized home, we don't exactly have room for a full-on Christmas tree at this point & so we get to decorate in other ways, such as with my little winter village. Jeff did say the other day that once the holidays are over, we should go all out & buy a ton more decoratives. I agree. Watch out after Christmas sales, here I come!

I don't think I wrote too much about it in earlier posts, but Jeff & I decided not to "do" Christmas this year. Instead, the intent was to save as much money as possible so as to pay off the debts we accumlated from the past year (including Christmas, where we went overboard). My mother-in-law was quite adamant about doing some sort of "Christmas" & here's what was decided by Jeff & his dad:
  • Limit spending to $50 on each of the other two couples (his folks, his sister & boyfriend) so that only $100 total gets spent on each other
  • Go out to dinner on Christmas Day somewhere (I'm a bit skeptical if this really happens)
  • Each couple volunteers in some way (either by donating money, time or gifts) & lets everyone know what they did at Christmas dinner.

*Last weekend, Jeff & I each spent about $25 at Walmart (my favorite store!) on toys to be donated to the Salvation Army for the kiddos. I thought I would dread the day when I had kids of my own because I thought buying birthday/christmas presents would be way expensive. We actually bought quite a bit of stuff for the $50 we spent. And, I can't speak for Jeff, but I really enjoyed the shopping.

*Last week, I anonymously donated 16 hours of my Personal Leave to a co-worker who had none left & needed to take some time off so that her black eye (caused by her abusive husband) would heal without too many people knowing about it. My department & her department are also "adopting" her two boys so they can have some fun gifts from Santa.

*Tomorrow marks day one of two of my annual volunteer work in conjunction with the Coast Guard, stuffing stockings for homeless children. Tomorrow, Kat and I will arrive near 1pm to help sort all the donated goodies. On Saturday, we'll spend a couple hours helping to stuff over 2,000 stockings. It's chaos & I usually dislike it when I'm there, but I always feel good afterwards. And, well, now it's like a tradition that Kat & I do together. I don't want to quit this.

Today, I am thankful for:

  1. Cooking my first pot roast
  2. Having my last stamp camp of the year
  3. No more rain for the next couple days
  4. Dreaming about my next vacation
  5. Going nearly a week without being "sick"

What irks me today:

The fact that the squeaky wheel gets the oil... We have a member where I work & she is really not a nice person. Just mention the name & people cringe. Seriously. I honestly do not understand why this person is still allowed to be a member. Anyways, in an effort to make something look better & it not working, things are more "messed up" than before I touched it. At least I didn't have to talk to her to explain what happened.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)

So, as the title suggests, I've got a little bit of conflict going on right now. I'm torn. I don't know what to do. We've known all along that Kim was going to be getting married in a few short months & I've said all along that we would go no matter where it was as our airline miles would cover the air part of the trip. Who knew there were other things to pay for when going on a vacation abroad (accomodations, food, activities, traveling about once at said destination)? Apparently, I didn't think about this too much when saying we would go "no matter what". And now, after talking about the other expenses, we don't think it's best for us to go to London at this time. But, we said numerous times in the past that we would.

So, do we ditch our budget to witness a one of a kind event for our good friend? Or, do we ditch our promises & commitments to save a buck or two? I don't know the answer. Those who know me know I'm BIG on commitment & I feel like an ass even suggesting not going. But, then again, I didn't think it was going to cost $2k either.

I'm torn. What would YOU do if you were in my shoes?

In other news... last Saturday I went to Brazilian food at Ipanema's in Seattle with Jeff, Kat, Steve, Airi, David, Katt. The food was decent, in my opinion. I kinda compared it to the Melting Pot. Something that might be a fun experience every now & again, but not something you wanna do all the time.

As seen in the picture to the right, our server, Apolo Ohno is carving some meat off the large skewer. Jeff eagerly awaits!


Today, I am thankful for:

1. Christmas plans have been decided by someone other than me
2. WW points posted on Lean Cuisine's & Lean Pockets
3. Black Eye Pea special for $3.99
4. Understanding, patience & forgiveness
5. Receiving my passport in less than 3 weeks - WOW!

What irks me today:

I'm not super savvy when it comes to computer stuff. Sometimes I have Jeff "fix" whatever is bothering me. Sometimes I "make do" with whatever is bothering me. I am really frustrated at the fact that sometimes when I post something & especially when I add pictures, it deletes my paragraphs (or makes my post one giant paragraph). If you ever see the little apostrophe's in my post, the reason is because I can't 'fix' this problem on my own.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

If You Don't Know Me By Now (Simply Red)

If you don't know me by now (If you don't know me)
You will never never never know me (No you won't)
If you don't know me by now
You will never never never know me
'
My birthday is coming up in about 3 weeks. I'm not saying this because I want everyone to go out and buy me something. Gifts are nice and all, but what I really dislike about giving is the fact that so many people don't know what to buy others. And so they ask, "what do you want for your ___?" You can fill in the blank with Birthday, Christmas, Shower, etc. Any gift giving reason, really. I know I talked about this once before (last Christmas, perhaps), but I despise "the list". Jeff's family is always big on Christmas lists. I hate them. I feel like if you wanna get me a gift, then you should at least know me enough to know what I like & dislike. I don't want to have to write a list so you know what to buy me. Sweater, check. Perfume, check. DVD, check. There's no joy for me to know what to expect as I'm unwrapping the gifts.
'
My company dinner was last night. Originally, it was to be a murder mystery on the dinner train, but about 3 weeks ago, the dinner train closed their doors for good. So, acting quickly, our social committee booked the Argosy cruise as the venue for the murder mystery. It was just okay. Not a huge amount of people went, but I think more went on the cruise than had signed up for the dinner train (due to the more centralized location). And, the murder mystery bit was kinda lame, but it beat the improv comedy troupe they had booked 4 years earlier on the Argosy cruise. And, the hilight of the evening was winning a gift, even though I didn't take it: a year's membership at LA Fitness gym. They called my ticket number & I told them to draw another number because I know I wouldn't have used the gym membership, especially considering the closest one is in Fed. Way.
'
Today, Kat came over & we went to lunch in Federal Way at Azteca thanks to some free dinners I received for replacing my windshield several months ago. After lunch, we went to a few stores: the Orowheat discount store, WalMart, Top Foods. After our running around, we came back here & made cookies. They, too, were just alright. I dunno why... they just didn't taste all that great to me. I see some cookies in my co-workers near future. Heh.
'
Today, I am thankful for:
'
1. Winning raffle tickets
2. Purchasing our London airline tickets already
3. My new MP3 player (that I didn't ask for- thanks Jeff!)
4. Jeff going to Randy's to watch football & Family Guy
5. Brown
'
What irks me today:
'
Today, I am irked by the fact that I didn't really have anything "nice" to say in my post. Each of the things I wrote about (excluding what I'm thankful for) was all kinda negative. Boo! I'll try harder next time to be nice.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Don't Dream It's Over (Crowded House)

Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
'
My 5 day vacation from work is just about over. It was a nice 5 days off. That is, as nice as 5 days off with nothing planned can be. Usually, I like to have things planned to do. Otherwise, I'd rather just save my time off for something better (going somewhere or cashing out my hours - cash is always good, if you ask me). But, I got 5 days off with only using 16 of my hours & Friday was, in fact, a busy day. So, really, I only took one day off with nothing planned. Justified? Well, it's my hours so yes.
'
Last night, one of my SU customers asked me to do an Ornament Camp & so today, I ran a few errands, finding stuff to make such ornaments. I think it will be a lot of fun for a few reasons:
'
1. I'll get to meet new people
2. I'll get to make something new (some of these I haven't made before)
3. I just love Christmas themed stuffs (snowmens & snowflakes & reindeers & santas & apple ciders & trees & ornaments & JOY & NOEL & PEACE & LOVE & you get the idea. I love it all).
'
Yesterday, I went to the grocery store & bought a few things I've never bought before. We had porkchops for dinner last night (that was a first for me) along with wild rice, veggies & caesar salad. In the near future, I see a beef stew (something Jeff has been asking for) & beef stroganoff on the menu. Tomorrow, however, I'm going to have Jeff throw a few items into the crock pot when he wakes up for a BBQ pulled pork recipe I have. Tasty!!
'
Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is just next week? And Christmas is like 42 days away? I've seen a pretty cute christmas countdown sidebar on a few blogs I frequent, but don't know how to add it to my own. Instead, I'll just tell you. 42 days.
'
Have you even thought about your Christmas shopping yet? I haven't. In fact, I'm doing VERY LITTLE holiday shopping this year. Instead, I'm donating to some sort of charity. Perhaps, adopt a family in need. Perhaps, give to a local food bank. Perhaps, give to the Salvation Army bell ringers. Perhaps, all of the above. Perhaps, more.
'
Today, I am thankful for:
1. The option of taking time off work
2. The option of cashing out my hours
3. The option of donating my hours
4. New recipes
5. New friends
'
What irks me today:
Yesterday, I was flipping through the channels & came across what seemed to be a pretty cool 'reality' tv show on the FOX Reality station called Boot Camp. It's channel 159 or something like that. Anyways, it looks like this show was on back in 2001 & I missed it. That's okay. But I can't tell from the comcast description what episodes are new. And with all the episodes lasting an hour or more, I don't want to record all of them. And, I really don't need to be sucked into another show, but I'm curious... who wins? By the way, I don't want to read the spoilers online. I wanna watch the show in order, no repeats, all the way to the end. Too much to ask? Oooh, a Boot Camp marathon is what NEEDS to happen.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

The Entertainer (Billy Joel)

I am the entertainer, and I know just where I stand,
Another serenader and another long-haired band
Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts
But I know the game, you'll forget my name
And I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts
'
It's no wonder that Billy Joel is one of my Must See's as far as musicians go. He is an amazing entertainer. Even after all these years, he still sounds incredible & he really engages the audience (unlike other concerts I've been to where they get up on stage, do their thing, then leave). If I ever get an opportunity to see Billy Joel in concert again, I'm SO there. He was worth every penny, in my opinion.
'
Today, I am thankful for:
'
1. Qdoba
2. Leftovers
3. SNL
4. My in-laws
5. Naps after a long day
'
Today, I am irked by:
'
Usually I am awake long before Jeff ever gets up. Today, however, I was waken by his alarm clock going off at 9a. Now, this normally wouldn't have bothered me, but it was really, really loud & I don't know that I was really ready to wake up just yet. But, I did & Jeff is still in bed (an hour later).

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Piano Man (Billy Joel)

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
'
Hearing Billy Joel sing always makes me feel alright and I'll be feelin' alright tomorrow night when Jeff & I go see Billy Joel in concert at Key Arena.
'
I enjoy going to concerts. There's a few I've gone to with others (Rod Stewart, Michael W. Smith, Neil Diamond).There's a few I've been to by myself (Bon Jovi, Matchbox 20). There's a few on my "must see" list (Elton John, Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins), that is I'd pay almost anything to go see them perform once last time before they stop performing altogether.
'
I had the opportunity to see Elton John earlier this year in Las Vegas with Kat. Interesting show. He's still a great singer, in my opinion. I was excited when I found out Billy Joel was coming & even more thrilled when Jeff bought us tickets for our one year anniversary, last month. I was sad, however, when I heard Kenny Loggins was coming, to the Emerald Queen no less (sorry to hear your career is over, Kenny) on a day when I absolutely couldn't go. Darn it!
'
I'm looking forward to this weekend for a few reasons:
'
- Friday- I took the day off work so that Jeff & I could go get passports (watch out London, we'll be there in no time). I'm also going to the dentist, which, for the most part doesn't bother me. I like my dentist; I've been seeing her religiously every 6 months for at least the past 8 years. I may also be the new owner of a Kitchen Aid mixer that I found on Craigslist (if she doesn't sell it before then - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's mine, all mine).
'
-Saturday- I'm selling some things in a craft fair at a local church. I'll be taking some lunch tins (for cards, recipes, anything small enough to fit), name frames, cards & some of my latest CD creations. Check out my other flickr account for pictures.
'
-Sunday- No plans, but to hang out with my husband (maybe go on this drive his dad keeps talking about)
-Monday- No plans
-Tuesday- No plans
'
That's right, I've got a 5 day weekend! Yeeee!!
'
Today, I am thankful for:
'
1. Baby Showers - past & present
2. Being able to see my "Must See" music groups
3. Five Day Weekends
4. Chili Mac with added veggies
5. Having a bad day
'
What irks me today:
'
Did she really just write that she was thankful for having a bad day? Yes, actually, I did. Yesterday, I had a pretty bad day at work. I was so frustrated with my boss that I literally was ready to throw in the towel. So, why am I thankful for it? Having a bad day every now and again gives me perspective on just how challenging my job can be at times & it makes me thankful that I don't have my boss' job. So, what irks me about having that bad day? Pretty much just the way my boss was harping me for answers I didn't have. But, it's giving me learning opportunities for the future.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Something So Strong (Crowded House)




A little of this:







'

'





Plus a little of this:








Equals this:









Which inevitably leads to this, at 8:21pm:








So, Jeff called out "sick" again today. I wonder if my sick time was given as it's own separate bank of hours (as opposed to being lumped with our vacation hours), if I would call out as much as Jeff does. I really do like that ours is lumped together as Personal Leave. If I'm sick, I call out. If I wanna take some vacation, I take the day off. If I need some cash, I can cash out my hours. I like having that flexibility to do with it as I want. Our only requirement is that we must take 5 consecutive days off work each year. I *think* I can handle that (& still have plenty of hours to cash out or take random days off here & there).
'

Today, I am thankful for:


1. Saving up my PL for use as I see fit
2. Halloween potlucks
3. http://www.allrecipes.com/
4. I'm almost caught up to "real time" Grey's Anatomy (1 episode to go)
5. Not waking Jeff up when I took that picture of him.
'



What irks me today:
Each year, my company provides the opportunity for our staff to contribute to the United Way through either payroll deduction, monthly billing, or one time donation. I think giving is great in general, but giving particularly to the United Way is wonderful. I like to give for several reasons - you can confidentially give as much or as little as you can afford; you never know when you might be in a situation to where you might need some help; karma's a bitch. I started giving to the United Way when I first started at my company nearly 7 years ago & I only gave a dollar per paycheck & have increased it each year by a buck. It's kinda like your 401k. You learn to live without that contribution & by increasing the amount you contribute by just a small amount or percentage, you hardly notice it's gone from your bi-weekly paycheck. Anyways, I'm frustrated at people who can't even find $1 to donate every two weeks to a worthy cause. It screams selfishness to me, especially when I see these people buying their Starbucks or Seattle's Best or Tully's every other day.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Keep on Moving (UB40)

So, there's this guy that I met a long, long time ago. Okay, maybe not *that* long ago in the scheme of things, but I met him a good 4 years ago. His name is Maurice & he rides the train from Auburn to Seattle. He's an older man. Reminds me an awful lot of Bill Cosby for some reason. It could be because he is an older black man & it could be that he seems to be wise in his older age.

One thing that I think is so *neat* about Maurice is that he is, without a doubt, a "ladies man", but not in the creepy-oompa-loompa-I-just-wanna-get-in-your-pants sort of way. No. Instead, he actually knows a LOT of women on the train. Well, maybe he doesn't KNOW us, but he knows our names, at least. In my opinion, I think this is a pretty cool trait to possess - to know all these women & not come across as some perverted, dirty old man.

Maurice is in seemingly great health. He was in the military many years ago. He's mentioned to me that he stays in shape by working out frequently. When he'd take the stairs at the train station, he'd climb them two at a time. For the past several months, however, I noticed he's been squeezing himself into the elevator & riding up the two stories to the skybridge & then once into the garage, he'd take the elevator up the flight or two to his car. I'm kinda baffled by this because I'm still certain that he could take the stairs if he wanted to. I don't talk to him all that often, except for a passing "Hi, how are ya?" otherwise, I'd ask him why he insists on taking the elevator. I'm going to make the assumption that it's because he'll have a few more minutes with the ladies.

As for me, I've decided that as long as I am physically able to, I am going to take the stairs up & down the few flights of stairs at the train stations.

Today, I am thankful for:
  1. Working limbs
  2. Recycling centers
  3. Good hair days
  4. Keeping up on my other blog
  5. Comments from my readers

What irks me today:

Several weeks ago, my department approached our boss to find out if we could alter our schedules so that 2 people can get off work earlier than 5pm. As it is, we have 6 in our dept: one is off at 4pm, my boss leaves at 4:15, and the remaining 4 leave at 5:00. Is it necessary to have four people there til 5p? No. So, we came up with a schedule where in alternating weeks, two people could leave either at 4p or 4:30. After some hesitation & thought, she reluctantly agreed to it, but said she will not babysit it AND we can't start it until the new year begins. Cool!

Jump to this past week. I was bored & thought, 4 - ten hour days would be pretty cool & with 5 working employees & 5 days in a week, well, you do the math. Without ANY hesitation, denied! I tried to tell her it would work. She didn't care if it work, she wanted nothing to do with it. No was her final answer, Regis. I altered it a bit, rotating it from each person having a day off every week to one person having a day off each week & the weeks would rotate . It too would work. Not even a budge. No was her answer once again. This time, she offered the explanation that we don't have enough work to do in our daily routines to constitute working an additional two hours a day, for four days.

I think she had thought long and hard about what reason she would give when it was brought up again, but actually getting a reason made me feel "okay" with the result. As it is, I really don't have enough to do to fill an 8 hour day. I honestly don't know what I would do with a 10 hour day. Still made me mad though.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Cryin' (Aerosmith)

I was cryin' when I met you
Now I'm tryin' to forget you
Love is sweet misery

The plan was to catch up on Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy before watching Season 4. Well, I didn't entirely watch all of Season 3 before seeing the first episode of Season 4 a few weeks ago. I don't entirely know what's going on with everyone, but I haven't been living under a rock for the past year either. I know Burke & Yang were engaged to get married & didn't. I don't know who Ava is. This morning, I watched episodes 9-12 from Season 3 & boy was I balling. See, episode 12 was where George's father died. I think anyone who has lost a parent would completely understand the tears I cried this afternoon.

The past week was fairly uneventful.

Last night, we had an unexpected, unwanted shortlived houseguest. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the sucker was ginormous! The body of the spider was a little bit larger than a quarter.

Last Thursday, the local weathermen predicted some wind storms. According to Jeff, the lights flickered off & on all day & Shiggy hid under the bed. Scaredy cat! We weren't really affected at work. I didn't go outside except to walk to the train station. Fortunately, I had my trusty ol' umbrella to keep me dry. And, even better, it didn't flip inside out in the winds.

Coming home, was another story. The train folk decided they weren't going to drive any further south than Kent (there was powerlines &/or trees on the tracks) & I would have to find my own way home. I didn't have my cellphone with me & so, couldn't call anyone to come pick me up. I ran into Randy on the train who was going to hitch a ride with some girlfriends of his. I ran into Katt among the crowd of passengers who said David was going to come & get her from Kent Station. I found a bus & was lucky to get on AND get a seat. Even better, it was an "express" bus & so it didn't stop at every single stop between Kent & Auburn, which was nice. By the time I walked into my house, it was only about 35 extra minutes than it usually would have taken. Not too shabby.

Yesterday, Jeff & I helped Kat move into her new/temporary residence: with her friend/co-worker Laurie. Laurie lives with her husband & daughter up on the Issaquah Plateau. Or, is it the Highlands? Either way, she has an incredibly beautiful home.

What's on the agenda for the week? Tuesday, I'm going to Famous Dave's in Tukwila with Joanna & Kat. Yummy! Maybe I'll even bring a rib home for Jeff.

Today, I am thankful for:
  1. Sam's Club
  2. Getting paid to stamp
  3. I can get all my laundry done in a day
  4. Tacos
  5. Big-girl panties

What irks me today:

I'm not saying I'm perfect, by any means, but I wish people would update their blogs on a more regular basis. By "regular" I think weekly or bi-weekly is a good timeframe (not monthly or bi-monthly). I know folks with blogs & other online sites where they *could* be updated more frequently & they're not. How do I know this? Because I check. I check. And, I check again. Is it a waste of time? Perhaps. But, there is the off-chance possibility that I could be surprised with an update of what's been going on in their lives. Plus, I'm nosey. I *want* to know. So, if you think nobody reads your blog, you're wrong. I may not post a comment, but I do read 'em. So, post away!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

When I Said I Do (Clint Black & Lisa Hartman Black)

When I said I do, I meant that I will
'til the end of all time
Be faithful and true, devoted to you
That's what I had in mind when I said I do
'
Hard to believe an entire year has passed since I said my vows to Jeff on a fabulous Hawaiian beach in front of our friends & family.

This weekend has been pretty low key for us. Friday, I was in Portland for a Stampin Up conference & didn't get home til late Friday night. Saturday, I tried to organize my stamp room some, but got distracted by all the television shows that were waiting for me on the DVR. I caught up on most of 'em, but there's still one or two waiting for me. Today, Jeff & I went to The Melting Pot for dinner. Very tasty, but man, I am SO full!! I love melted cheese!

I *finally* got all my photos uploaded on Flickr. I even got some of Jeff's galleries on there too (most of our vacation pics are from his camera). It was a little time consuming, but I'm glad it's done. In the future, it won't even be a big deal because I can upload them as I take them (for the most part).

Yesterday, Jeff's folks came up to drop off some ground cover & we all went to lunch at the Performance Grill. While there, we were reminiscing about Maui & talking about how we all are wanting to go back. I see a Hawaiian vacation in my future. We'll be going to the U.K. in the spring for Kim's wedding, but perhaps, Christmastime 2008 I'll be soaking up some tropical sun.

Today, I am thankful for:
  1. My husband
  2. Celebrating anniversaries
  3. Love
  4. Song lyrics online
  5. Happiness

That irks me today:

Today, I am frustrated that I have a stamp camp in less than two weeks & I still need to come up with a 4th card. My 3rd card took some time & I'm not 100% happy with it. I may tweak it some, but only if I have time to do so. For now, it'll have to do. I was hoping to get my 4th card designed today, but I'm thinking I won't get to it til tomorrow. I've got a husband that needs my attention tonight.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

My Favorite Things (Julie Andrews)


There are a few things I love about this time of the year. I love all vibrant colors that fall brings as the leaves change colors. I love watching & listening to the rain fall. I love the smell of soups cooking in the crock pot & I love the warmth the fireplace puts out.

Most of all, I love looking forward to & celebrating the anniversary of the day I wed my best friend.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Take a Picture (Filter)

I finally did it. I joined Flickr. I was holding off as long as I could, but I couldn't hold off any longer. The reason: I just didn't want to pay for this kind of service was one reason. The other was that I didn't think I 'needed' this kind of service.

A few days ago, I was reading someone's blog & they had a "freak out" moment where they thought their hard drive had crashed & along with it, all their digital pictures. That got me to thinking, what if MY hard drive crashes. I will have NOTHING. All my digital memories are on my computer & nowhere else.

Not quite a year ago, a co-worker recommended Shutterfly. It's quite similar to Flickr, but free in all aspects. I could keep my digital pics there. I could share certain pics. I had my wedding photos on there & just gave out the password/username to my friends & family who wanted to see all the albums. I was fine with this because it didn't cost me anything & I had nothing but wedding pics on there. Well, then I started uploading all my other pictures (for back up) & then thought I would like to share some of the pictures, but maybe not all of them & I don't want to give out my password in this situation. Come to find out, I can only share 250 pictures. This simply won't do.

Next stop, Flickr. I went back to Flickr to find out exactly what I get for free. Well, 3 sets & 100 MB of photo upload space per month. I started uploading & come to find out, this really isn't much. So, I caved. I paid the $24.95 for the one year subscription & you'll find the link to my Flickr Account to the left. The sets really aren't in any kind of order, but I was able to get most of my 2006 & 2007 galleries posted, a few comments made & the photos within the sets are organized to the best of my ability.

If you would like me to add your Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly or any other photo gallery, just send me the link & I'll be happy to add it to my blog.

Today, I am thankful for:
  1. Digital photography
  2. Blog links
  3. My computer not crashing
  4. Portable cameras
  5. Flikr

What irks me today:

Today, I am frustrated with all the dirty laundry that has been piling up in my bedroom closet for the past week or so. It's kinda "my job" to do the laundry & surprisingly, I do enjoy doing the laundry. Most of the time. I just have very little motivation to START doing the laundry. I think this is because our dryer takes 2 hours to dry each load & I get so discouraged, thinking, "the laundry is going to take too long so why bother?" You don't need to tell me that makes no sense; I know it doesn't.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Bad Day (Daniel Powter)

Friday morning wasn't so good for me. I woke up just a little bit later than I like to. Really, only by like 5 minutes, but 5 minutes can make all the difference when you're rushing in the morning.

When I opened the shower curtain, this little guy (or girl) was laying there in the tub, belly up. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but it's antannae was moving; the little bugger was alive. So, I had to get my camera & take as many pictures as I could. And, I had to get close enough to get a clear picture. But not too close. That's just gross. And, I had to see if I could get a picture of it on it's belly. I did, but not as good as this one on it's back. And then, I had to dispose of it because, well, I wasn't up for the company while I showered. He now resides somewhere in the sewer. Rest in peace, little one.

Then, I was getting dressed & I gained thought I could squeeze into a pair of jeans I had from my pre-fat days. Yeah, I shoulda tried them on the night before & I would have known that I haven't lost enough weight to wear them just yet. At least not without showing a little camel toe. So, I opted for another pair of jeans that were the same size, but much better fitting.

Next, it's breakfast time. I'm running late so I couldn't finish my entire bowl of Cheerios. I wolfed down what I could inside the house, but there's still a lot of milk & a few O's left so I thought I'd bring it with me & eat it in the car. Not a big deal as I've done it a multitude of times before. Well, I set it on the console & as I got into the car, I proceed to dip my elbow into the bowl. Damn it! Now I have milk all over me. Time to change clothes again!

Fortunately, I made it to the train station & find myself a rather decent parking spot. The rest of my day was rather uneventful.

Today, I am thankful for:
  1. Panini sammies
  2. Digital cameras
  3. Fat free sour cream
  4. Low fat mayonnaise
  5. Tastefully Simple

What irks me today:

Today, I am irritated with the price & selection of jackets at Macy's. Jeff & I still have a few gift cards leftover from our wedding (almost one year ago!) & I went to go buy a jacket for myself with no such luck. There were plenty of nice rain jackets, but I already have a one of those & I couldn't justify spending that much money on something I don't need. One of these days, I just might have to make a stop at (gasp!) Burlington Coat Factory. They should, for sure, have a jacket that would suit me.

Monday, September 24, 2007

That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick & Friends)

I cooked my first ever "thanksgiving" feast yesterday. I've always wanted to cook a turkey dinner, but Thanksgiving was always "taken" by one relative or another. So I suggested doing one last hurrah for Kim before she leaves the good ol' U.S. of A. for good. The Groovy Franken Friends offered to bring anything we may need/want for dinner, but the point of me doing it was so that I could cook the entire meal. I don't want to toot my own horn (toot, toot), but I think I did pretty darn good. Unless people were just being polite, I didn't hear any complaints & most of the food was eaten (see post below about what was made).

Last night, Jeff took the leftover turkey carcass & put it into the crock pot for some turkey soup. I finished it off this evening by adding some cut up onions & celery (thanks, Kat!!), pasta & added a few seasonings. Oh man, that was some good stuff right there.

Friday, Jeff & I went to the Puyallup Fair. We kinda had debated about going since we had just gone the year before & the fair really doesn't change all that much. We were there for *maybe* 3 1/2 hours. We mostly just walked around, checked out what the vendors had to sell, watched a few rides & ate just a couple things: Peroshkies & Earthquake burger & fries. Mighty tasty, if you ask me. My hilight of the afternoon: We walked into the horse barn & I said I wanted to see a horse poop. Well, sure enough, the first horse to our left lifted it's tail & well, it didn't poo, but farted instead. Even better in my book.

Friday evening, we trekked back to P-Town (along with Steve & Airi, David & Katt) so Jeff could get his rib on at Famous Daves BBQ. Me? I just had a salad & Dave's famous chili. I was so stuffed afterwards. I would definitely get that combo meal again.

Saturday, while mowing the lawn, Jeff broke window #2. The first time, a small hole went through the first pane. This time, however, the entire pane shattered. It's a little hard to tell from this picture, but believe me, it's broken! Next up on the home improvement list: buy bullet proof glass. Ha!


Today, I am thankful for:
  1. My Groovy Franken Friends
  2. http://www.allrecipes.com/
  3. Theraflu
  4. FroYo
  5. Double pane windows

What irks me today:

Today, I am irritated at procrastination. It seems as of lately, my schedule is quite busy & there are so many things I want to accomplish, yet there's never enough hours in the day. I have a stamp-a-stack in two weeks & I know I need to order supplies for it, but I don't know exactly how many supplies until I make up all my stamp packs, but I can't make up my stamp packs until I organize my stamp room, but I can't organize my stamp room until I put together the table up there & instead of putting together the table, I'm blogging about my procrastination & how much it annoys me.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Another Year Has Gone By (Celine Dion)

I was just peeking at my past blogs & hard to believe, I've been doing this for over a year now. Crazy how time has gone by!

Even though I think I mentioned it a few posts back, it feels like summer is really officially over. Friday night, I wanted to turn the fireplace on for the first time. Jeff wore jeans for the first time in a long time today. I closed the windows in the house today. I'm itchin' for some homemade soups! It's time to dust off the ol' crockpot.

Trina finished moving her stuff out last week. Her new residence is with her new man, Jon Stewart, in Renton. It's nice having our house "back", but it almost seems a little empty. Now, we have two rooms to spread out in once again. It's kinda nice not having stuff in those rooms, though.

Turkey dinner (for 13!!) is quicky approaching (just one week away!!). Here's tentatively what the menu may consist of:

  • Turkey (of course!)
  • Stuffing
  • Mashed potatoes & gravy
  • Corn
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Green bean casserole
  • Dinner rolls of sorts
  • Cranberries
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Apple Pie (maybe)
  • B. Y. O. Beverage

Am I missing anything? The kitchen sink, you say? Got it. Be sure to bring your appetite!

Today, I am thankful for:

  1. Taking the Sounder to the M's game
  2. The Mayan
  3. Entertainment Books
  4. Hooded Sweatshirts
  5. Cheese

What irks me today:

Today, I am really peeved by the fact that we "have to buy" tickets to ride the Sounder Train (either for commuting to work or to a 'special' event), but the Conductor doesn't check for tickets on a regular basis. This morning, I told Kathy to buy only a one way train ticket because last time we rode the train to a M's game, they didn't check tickets. I suspected it would be the same today. I was right. However, the security gal was there to help her get her ticket & she ended up purchasing a round trip ticket. Kathy was following the rules, which is the right thing to do, but I just feel it was a waste of money since nobody even checks the tickets anyways.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Oooh Oooh Child (Five Stairsteps)

The Groovy Franken Friends found out last night that there will be an addition to the group. A GFF, jr perhaps? Or maybe it's a 2nd generation of GFF's? Either way, we're all very happy & excited for Steve & Airi who are expecting their 1st born on March 9th.

What's really funny about this pregnancy was that Kat & I had gone to the liquor store & I said to her, "I don't know if it's true or not because I haven't heard anything, but I think Airi's pregnant." She was going to do some investigations when we got back to find out. Was that wine that Airi was drinking? Nope. It was apple cider. Uh huh... Could it be...? Yes! Steve made the announcement & it's confirmed. Wow! & Yay!!

I also found out last week that two of my cousins are expecting babies & they're due around the same time Airi is. For my cousin Molly & her husband Greg, this is their first baby. This is wonderful for them because they had been trying for quite some time to get pregnant & now it's finally happening. For my other cousin Deborah & her husband Abe, well, this is #5. While having babies, I suppose, is fun and exciting and some people are just "good at it", I can't help but wonder at what point do you let the "social responsibilities" take over what the "lord" has in store for you.

I told Katt I would blog about the sideways poo tonight. So here it is. Poo is just funny because everyone does it & has experienced most (if not all) poo's. I looked up the poopy list to find the definition of the sideways poo & I think this is the closest I found:

The Caesarian Dump - Pain, that's what this dump and childbirth have in common. Its simply a case of too much dump trying to go through too small a hole, and there's no obstetrician to help.

In other "gross" news.... I learned last night that even though my cats were neutered, they still have penises. Yes, I probably should have realized this long, long ago, but I've never seen it & really, I don't watch them pee because they're in a "sheltered" litter box. And, even when our cat growing up had an "open" litter box, they just squat; you can't really tell where their urine is coming from. So, after we got home last night, I got an anatomy lesson. Thanks Jeff for pointing out the general area where the penis lives & thanks to Tubbs for letting us check out your underside.

Tonight, the girls went to the Melting Pot for dinner. This was in lieu of Girls Camping that most bailed on back in August. Good food & even better company. I'm for sure going to miss Kim when she leaves in less than a month to live across the Atlantic. I have to say, though, it was really nice to spend more time with Katt. We really don't spend a whole lot of time with her & she's a super cool person. I'm glad she's become a Groovy Franken Friend.
'
Today, I am thankful for:
'
1. Melted cheese
2. Melted chocolate
3. Girlfriends
4. Pregnancies
5. 3 pronged forks
'
What irks me today:
Today, I am annoyed by people who bail out on plans that were made long ago. I feel that if you've made a commitment for whatever, then you should stick to it. If something "better" comes along, then you should say, "I'm sorry I can't go; I already have plans."

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Signs (Five Man Electrical Band)

Over the past two days, I've made two name frames. One for Jeff to place above his theater (or is that "theatre"?) room. I couldn't get a very clear picture on this because 1. it's hanging up above the door already; 2. there's a hallway light directly in front of it so there was some "lighting issues"; 3. it's behind glass creating other reflective/lighting issues. You all will just have to take notice of it as you enter the McCarthy Monoplex. Speaking of the McCarthy Monoplex... I FINALLY saw Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl. Yes, it's the first Pirates movie. Yes, it's been like 3 years since it's been out on video. Yes, I'm a little slow. Yes, I loved it & can't wait to watch the two sequels.



The second frame I made was for my Tastefully Simple consultant, Shayna. This is her family name & I'm told it will reside in her Hawaiian themed room, hence the "bolder" colors. At first I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with this designer paper. I also *thought* her name may have been too long because the other name frames I made had only 6 & 7 letters. Bridgman is 8. As it turned out, I made the letters a little bit smaller than my other frames, but bigger than I thought I needed & it totally turned out A-OK. I also at last minute, added some ribbon to give it a little more color or "life". I REALLY like the way it turned out. I hope she does too & will recommend my frames to other friends &/or family members.


Summer, in my mind is officially over as of September 1st. Sure, we'll have a few more warm days ahead of us, but for all intents and purposes, it's done. Labor Day weekend has come & gone. The kiddos have gone back to school. Last night there was a rain & lightning storm like there's no tomorrow.


Things to look forward to in the upcoming months: Veterans Day (our next 3 day wknd & the start of many holidays right after one another). Rain & lots of it accompanied by umbrellas broken in the wind. Dark mornings & lots of medium extra hot, non-fat beverages courtesy of Seattle's Best Coffee. A scaled back Christmas.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. My SMCU umbrella I received 4 years ago
2. Having enough time in the morning to eat breakfast AND pack a lunch
3. Birth control pills
4. Greek
5. Water


What irks me today:
Today, I am irked by people who are blindly unkind towards others. I'm especially talking about those who talk about others behind their back regarding things they may not have control over. There is a man who rides my train & he is not the most pleasant looking or smelling man. I'll admit that much. But, I've never actually spoken with him. I've seen him roaming around the Value Village area of Auburn & my guess is that's where he shops for clothing & household items because that's either all he can afford or all he chooses to afford. At any rate, I can't make judgments about him because I don't know his situation. But, it really makes me mad that there are others on the train who have made comments & gestures amongst themselves regarding the smelly man. Perhaps he can't help his situation & he's doing the best he can with what he's been given.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

I Think It's Going to Rain Today (Bette Midler)

Last night was supposed to be Girl's Camping, but for one reason or another, most of the girls couldn't make it. Kat & I weren't going to bail on each other so we made plans to go to dinner somewhere. As it turned out Trina & Jeff were available as well & so the 4 of us went to an Italian restaurant in Auburn called Auguri.


The food was decent, but the service, in my opinion, was terrible. The waitress didn't offer any fresh ground pepper for my caesar salad, she put a lime wedge into Jeff's beer & she didn't ask if we wanted extra bread or cheese. I was really unimpressed. Would I go back? Yeah, I'd probably give them a second chance with the expectation that the service would/could be lacking.


After dinner, we went to see Superbad at the Supermall theater. I have NEVER been carded at the theater & the teeny-bopper tried to card me. "Are you kidding me?" I said to her, "I'm 32 years old!" Okay, I lied. I'm only 31, but in less than 4 short months, I'll be 32 & besides, I don't even LOOK like I'm under 18, nor does anyone I'm with look under 18. Not to mention, when we bought the tickets, we weren't carded yet you're going to try & card me as I enter the theater. Please. Don't give me the "this-movie-is-rated-R-and-so-we-are-checking-everyone's-ID" B.S. spiel because I don't buy it.


After watching the movie, I did understand why it was rated R. Definitely not suitable for the youngsters. Funny as all get-out, but not appropriate for the youths.



This morning, while looking for something in or near the built-in bookshelf in the living room, Jeff noticed the floor was wet. My first thought was it was Shiggy peeing on the carpet, but he said, "No, it's REALLY wet." Then I felt it & saw what he meant. It really was wet. After realizing it was the hot water heater, on the other side of the wall, my next thought was, "Oh crap! This is going to be expensive to fix" followed by, "How am I supposed to shower?" Priorities, you know.


I called my dad & he came over about 45 minutes later with his two wrenches & 'fixed' the leak in the pipes. Seriously? Yeah, seriously. Just a loose fitting in the pipe. I was/am SO thrilled it was that easy to repair. He also took out his handy dandy moisture meter & was able to tell how far out in the carpet & up the wall the water had seeped. Fortunately, the water won't cause much in the way of damage; it'll dry up in several days with the help of the vornado & a dehumidifer my dad has graciously let us borrow.


Today, I am thankful for:
1. Dad's owning all kinds of neat tools.
2. Discount movie tickets.
3. Dehumidifiers
4. Dead Ants
5. Division signs


What irks me today:
Today, I am irked by people who try to take advantage of or use others for their own benefit. Well, really, why would you take advantage of someone else, except for your own benefit? Anyways, this irks me because I feel like if someone offers you something, it's not necessarily because they want you to have it all, but rather, perhaps they are just being polite. In return, you should graciously accept what is being offered to you, but don't ask for & expect more.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Fly Like an Eagle (Steve Miller Band)

As the song lyrics go, time keeps on slippin' into the future... Seriously. Where has the year gone? I was at Rite Aid the other day (no surprise, I'm at the one across the street from my work all the time for one thing or another) & they ALREADY had Halloween candy in the "seasonal" aisle. This was BEFORE July had even ended. If I need a cheap chocolate fix, I know where to go for some "fun sized" treats.

Just an update on the train/I-5 situation: I've been taking train #2 to Seattle. It departs out of Puyallup so there is a seat on the way to work; don't have to worry about the additional passengers that would be getting on in Tacoma on this one. Coming home, I've been lucky to find a seat everyday I've taken the 1st train home. Getting out of the parking garage has been a different story. It seems there's a mass exodus in the evenings in Auburn & so it takes a few minutes. I've learned to just chill out in my car & wait for the bulk of the cars to leave before I even start my car.

Today, I bought a travel guide (things to do & see, where to stay, eat, shop, etc) for London. I've never been to Europe & I'm excited to get my travel on. I'm hoping once Kim moves over there in 7-ish weeks, that she & Henry will be able to gives us some ideas of fun things to do (not just museums & galleries, because the book says we should go). For sure, on my list of stuff to do is the London Eye.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Shiggy telling us in his own way we need to change the litterbox
2. Bryan finally selling a house
3. Speedy deliveries
4. Peas in my salad
5. Barnes & Noble discount cards

What irks me today:

Today, I am irked by adults, especially women, who still wear digital watches. I learned how to tell time (by non-digital means) when I was in 2nd grade or so. You must have learned about the same time I did. Why must you insist on wearing that ugly plastic thing on your wrist? Are you trying to make a statement of sorts? It couldn't be a fashion statement. Maybe that's the one part of your childhood that you can hold onto forever.

Monday, August 13, 2007

My Baby Takes the Morning Train (Sheena Easton)

Boy was it CROWDED tonight on the train, coming home. With all the I-5 construction going on, many commuters decided to give up their usual routes (via bus or car) & opted to try out the Sounder Train instead. I think it's great that people want to find a better way to work (& then home again), but when the train is this crowded, it's not fun for me. Yes, this is my blog & therefore, it's ALL ABOUT ME!

With all kidding aside, thankfully, I was able to change my shift from a 8:30 - 5 to a 7:30 to 4 shift. I wasn't worried about the train itself being so crowded (I can stand for the 30 minute ride from Auburn to Seattle); I was moreso worried about not being able to find a parking spot at the Auburn Station Garage.

On a normal day of commuting, I take the 3rd of 4 trains, though in reality, I could easily get by with taking the 4th train to Seattle; it will get me to work by my regular start time. The problem lies in the parking situation in Auburn. The 6 story garage fills up mighty quickly & so I take the earlier train just so I could have a parking spot inside (on top of) the garage.

This morning, I took the 3rd of 5 trains & the garage was filling up FAST by the time I got there. The streets surrounding the parking garage would normally have been my back up had the garage been full. By the time I got to the garage, the street parking was already gone. A co-worker took the 4th (of 5) train this morning & couldn't find parking in the garage or nearby streets & ended up parking in a nearby Safeway parking lot. I hope he wasn't towed or ticketed today.

My predictions for tomorrow? Everyone who got to the garage "late" (after 6:40am), will arrive earlier tomorrow so as to get a parking spot. For me, I'll be doing the same thing: instead of taking the 3rd train, I'll be taking the 2nd train. Starbucks better have my cup of Joe waiting for me.

For my sister's birthday, she wanted to go shopping so my dad gave me some money to take her shopping. The stipulation of this shopping trip was that she couldn't purchase anything that I didn't approve of. I knew how much money there was & what I wanted to do with it (shopping, hair cut, lunch) & so I tried to get the most bang out of my dad's buck by suggesting Walmart. Okay, so I know it's not the best place to go shopping, but it was worth a shot. We went to JCPenney's instead where my sister got some killer deals. She got $231 worth of clothes for only $88 or so. Next stop: haircut. If I had known there was going to be so much money leftover, I would have skipped lunch & made an appt to get her hair hilighted or something. Last stop: lunch at Azteca (I wanted Qdoba, but alas, it was her birthday afterall). It's okay though. My lunch lasted me 3 meals, actually. Sweet!

Today, I am thankful for:
1. working an earlier shift
2. having a seat on the train
3. not falling asleep & missing my stop
4. finding a parking spot at the train station
5. knowing the chaos of everyone else riding the train will soon be over


What irks me today:
Comcast. That should be enough said, but I'll elaborate. I really don't hate Comcast as much as I hate only being able to record 2 shows at a time & that's it. Tonight, there are a couple shows I want to watch & won't be able to watch/record because we can only record the 2 shows & one of those shows is the M's game for Jeff. The other two shows I'll be missing is Hell's Kitchen & Fat March. Tonight is the season finale of HK & I figure I'll read some forum that announces the winner. FM is a new show that I started watching last week, but will miss because I don't want to miss Greek for the 2nd week in a row.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Movies (Alien Ant Farm)


Jeff & I just got back from seeing Live Free or Die Hard. I've been wanting to see this movie & I'm glad we did. It got great reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. I usually don't care much for action flicks, but I like the Die Hard trilogy, so I figured I'd like #4 too. I have to admit, it had it's fair share of cheesy moments where I thought to myself, "yeah, right" but overall, I liked it.

In other not so new news, Trina & David have called it quits & she is now staying with us for awhile. I really enjoy having her here, though, she isn't really here all that much it seems. Right now, she's in CA to see a concert with her bud. Don't fret. She'll be back soon.

Tomorrow, Jeff & I are going to watch the Tacoma Rainiers play some ball. I've been wanting to go to a Rainier's game & here's my chance. Though, really, I know nothing about them as far as how well they're doing. It'll be fun to get out there in the sun & just hang out & have a good time if nothing else.

My company had their summer event last Sunday: a picnic at the Woodland Park Zoo. Jeff & I went, but didn't stay long. We were at the actual picnic for about an hour - enough time to eat the catered Longhorn BBQ lunch that was provided & then leave to go wander the zoo with Aimee & her daughter, Nicole.

On Wednesday, I'm taking the day off to visit my favorite doctor: the FUN doctor. I'm also going to give my toes a nice pedi. It's been a month since my last one, so they're due for another. And, perhaps I'll meander on over to Jaime's house to visit with her & Kaveen. I'm sure she'll love having the company.

Anything else? Ummm... Happy Birthday, Joel. Okay, that's all folks.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Movie passes
2. Movie popcorn
3. Bathrooms close to the theater
4. McCarthy Mono-Plex REALLY near completion
5. The theater being close to my home

What irks me today:

I hate it when I get an email (or anything in writing) from someone and they use the wrong spelling of a word (i.e. too/two/to, their/they're/there, etc). The other day, our AVP of HR sent an email & asked if our interest was peaked yet. Last I checked, my interest can not come to a point nor can it be sickly. So no, my interest was not peaked. Piqued, perhaps. But, definitely not peaked. I hate this because it shows either stupidity or laziness & that's not cool, especially when it comes from a Sr. Manager.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

When Can I See You Again (Babyface)

Here is a picture of Jaime's youngest son, Kaveen Austin KC. Just two days old, he's such a cutie pie! It seems that often times you can tell at birth (okay, after they've been cleaned up a bit) which parent the baby will look more like. Kaveen has the mixed coloring (his mom is white, his dad is from Nepal), but at this point, I really can't say who he looks more like as he doesn't really look like his mom or his dad.

By the way, Kaveen means poet in the Nepalese language. I guess it was the best name they could come up with that pleased both parents.


Today, I am thankful for:

1. Alarm clocks
2. Umbrellas
3. Quick fix meals
4. Double dipping
5. Water

What irks me today:
I hate it when I say the word, "gyp" or "gypped". I had learned several years ago that it was derived from the gypsies & that is how the negative connotation that is associated with it came about. I really hate it because of the negative connotation & there are SO many other words I (& others) can use in it's place to say what is really meant without offending a whole population of people, such as cheated or betrayed.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Eat It (Weird Al)

I kept thinking I was going to post *something* on here, but then thought to myself, "I'll wait til after X happens." And then, next thing you know, it's been 3 weeks & so much has happened.

In my last post, I mentioned possibly not going to camping due to weather. Well, we did go camping & had a fabulous time. The temps were perfect, there was running (cold!) water & even better, fire was allowed. Good thing, cuz otherwise, what would we have done with that tree that the boys cut down?

Kim had made reservations at a campground nobody had been to before: Hause Creek. It wasn't *too* far past Bumping River, but far enough to where I think next time, I'd want to go for more than one night. Our site was pretty secluded & quite large. We had 6 tents set up there. There were two picnic tables for all of our food stuffs. Also, an actual bathroom not too far away made it very nice for those who aren't used to peeing in the woods.

We got to spend some time with Kim's fiancee, Henry. I hope he had a good time camping. We got to experience some tasty goodness from London, courtesy of Henry. He brought a variety of chips over to share with us. I think my favorite by far was the roasted chicken chips. The beef chili chips were pretty good too. My least favorite was no surprise: Tiger Prawn (I think that's what they were called). Nasty!

Last night, we helped break in David & Katt's new bbq with a bbq with a few Groovy Franken Friends & some other honorary Groovy Franken Friends. We had a magnificent feast of ribs, buffalo burgers, apple-chicken sausage, salmon, shrimp kebobs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, puppy chow, chips & dips, asparagus & lots of beers to go around. Too bad I didn't get any pictures of the feast & friends; I didn't bring my camera.

Yesterday, I went to Jaime's house to help her put together a dresser for their new baby, due in 2 weeks. I was going to come back today to help finish up putting the baby's clothes away, etc. but as it turns out, I got a call from her mom saying Jaime went to the hospital last night. I can't wait to meet Kaveen Austin KC. Surely, he's going to be much smaller than I had dreamed he was several weeks ago. In my dream, he was like 3 feet tall, probably 65 lbs & already walking. I know this isn't the case in real life because Jaime is having a human baby & not an elephant. Not to mention, in her 8 1/2 months of pregnancy, she's only gained about 20 lbs. I hope I only gain as much as she did when I am pregnant.

Some of us Groovy Franken Girlfriends are trying to plan a Girl's Only Camping trip or Girl's Night somewhere in a month. I am really looking forward to this as I love my girls!


I think I know what I want my next tattoo to be: a sun. I think I could get some brilliant shades of yellow & orange & it would just look very cool. I would get it on my lower back.


Today, I am thankful for:
1. New babies
2. Forever friends
3. The Secret
4. Strength
5. Mono Adhesive

What irks me today:
I hate it when you invite someone to something later on down the road and they say something like, "Maybe, I'll come" or "I'm free right now, but I'll have to see what happens closer to the date". I hate this because it always makes me feel like whatever I'm inviting you to is fine for now, but something more fun might come along & you're not worth committing to.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Take Me Out to the Ballgame (Various)

Today, I went to Safeco Field with Jeff, Bob & Penny and Erin & Aaron to see one of the greats, Ken Griffey Jr, return to the Pacific Northwest. It's just amazing to me how Griffey, our opponent, still gets the cheers, the screams & of course, the standing ovation when he's at bat, hitting home runs & catching fly balls from the Mariners. Even with his 2 solo home runs today, the M's still managed to win. Go M's!

This upcoming weekend, I'm going camping with almost all of my Groovy Franken Friends. Kim's soon-to-be-fiancee is flying in to Seattle on Friday & we're going to rough it at Bumping River. I LOVE camping at Bumping & so I offered to go up on Friday (along with Trina & David) to try & secure the best camp site ever up there (everyone else is coming up Saturday). Unfortunately, according to www.weather.com, it's supposed to be a wee bit chilly (mid 50s is all) & wet. I have a sneaking suspicion that we may not go camping afterall.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Processed cheese food
2. Kaveen Austin
3. Internet
4. Birthdays
5. Winning

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Kitty (Presidents of the United States of America)

Tonight, we were supposed to meet up with a few of our Groovy Franken Friends & catch the new movie, Ocean's Thirteen. At the very last minute, Shiggy decides he's not feeling well & so we took him to the vet instead.

He was "normal" this morning & then this afternoon, when he jumped off the couch, he kinda stumbled a little bit. I thought maybe one of his paws was, perhaps, asleep. Maybe he was feeling little pins &/or needles in his paw & so he couldn't walk right. I dunno. That was the first thought. But, then he was just acting kinda weird. He was walking really slow. He wouldn't lay down for very long at all. He appeared very uncomfy when he was walking. Just unusual behavior.

So, I tell Jeff that something's not right with Shiggy. He says he's probably spooked by all the noise in the house (Jeff was pounding something while working on the theater room). After Jeff was done working in the HT room, he saw for himself that Shiggy wasn't right: he got up & then kinda fell over again. He says, "we can't go to the movie; we gotta take Shiggy to the vet."

Where are you going to find a vet at 4pm on a Sunday? Well, right here in Auburn of course. Fortunately, there's an emergency vet in town. I was worried it was going to cost an arm & a leg to take him in, but it was only $60 for the visit (+ whatever meds). The doc couldn't really find anything "wrong" with him, though. He thought maybe he had sprained or twisted his arm when he jumped off the couch. He gave him a shot of pain reliever in the neck & sent us on our way.

I kinda don't think that's what's wrong with Shiggy, but I'm not a veterinarian. A year or so ago, we took him to the vet & he was dehydrated & was given some fluid, subcutaneously. He's kinda acting the same as that time (real lethargic). We're watching him & hoping he'll be up & about, but if not, I suspect we'll be visiting the (regular) vet again.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. Emergency vets
2. Pets
3. Clean desks
4. Quick moves
5. Papa Murphy's