Fat Boy & Little Man

Me And My Peeps

2008-12-07T20:12:00.002-08:00

A couple pics from my company Christmas Party last night:

Back: Jaimie, Leslie, Lindsay

Front: Rachel, Sarah, Me, Erin

I'm (by far) the oldest, but we ARE by far the most fun group!

Accountants can have fun, I assure you.

(No, this isn't the dress I advertised last month. I found another one I liked better. You can't really see it, but it has a drop waist and a floofy skirt part. I liked it! Although I think I need to find me some good bronzer lotion. Rachel is normally as white as me, but look how tan she looks! Any suggestions?)

The End

2008-11-30T20:16:00.001-08:00

The end of November. Wow.
End of NaBloPoMo. Good.
End of the weekend. (cue the crying)

See you next year!

Almost There

2008-11-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

The tree is up, the lights are on...I'll finish everything else tomorrow.

We're still the only house on the street that decorates. Why is everyone so Grinchy on my street? Last year we swore that we'd do it even bigger this year and get the thing the programs your lights to music. Yeahhh, not.

Also, only one more day for NaBloPoMo. I'm kinda glad because I really don't have something interesting to say 30 days in a row.

I'm Tired

2008-11-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

This is really all I can think to say at this moment:

I'm tired of eating.

We got together for leftovers tonight. I think I'm done with the Thanksgiving meal now. Tomorrow I shall start decorating for Christmas!

Results

2008-11-27T20:49:00.001-08:00

Pumpkin Pie: I'll give it a "fair". Mom said it was the best she ever had (she's my mom), but Scott said it was kinda blah. Okay, good to know! I'll work on it.

Cranberry Apple Pie: So good I shall now declare it My Favorite Pie! And that was the one that I kinda screwed up the crust.

Other than that we had the most fun and best dinner. My favorite aunt & uncle are here visiting and we played a game at dinner - one sentence story or something like that. Someone starts by saying a sentence and the next person adds, etc. Between Ed (bro-in-law), my dad, my uncle and SCOTT (who, as some of you may know, is prone to humor) I laughed so hard I don't think I have any make up on anymore. Oh man. Somehow Scott made every story about Edward Cullen and his gorgeous glistening white abs. I'm still giggling.

And tired. We're hitting the hay. Good night! Happy THANKSgiving (as it is pronounced by my southern in-laws)!

An Abundance of Pie

2008-11-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

I chickened out. I went to Costco today and picked up a pumpkin and an apple pie. For backup. I'm still going to make the pies I set out to make, but if they don't turn out...I have a safety net. Scott assures me that he will eat whatever is leftover.

No one would care if I brought a store pie - everyone knows I work and don't have an overwhelming amount of time, but my sister and my mom are SUCH good cooks, it just doesn't do their meal justice if I bring a purchased pie. But then there's every chance that Costco pie is better....we'll see. I'm mostly nervous about the pumpkin pie because I've never made one and I don't like it...so how will I know if I'm doing it right? Also baking at altitude is something different altogether.

Anywho...maybe you noticed it's only 3:45? I got off early today (yea!). I'm off to work on pie and I'll let you know how it turns out!

First Time For Everything

2008-11-25T21:56:00.001-08:00

Today was the first time since 9th grade that I've gone to the eye doctor and not had an increase to my prescription. Small victories. I'm very near-sighted and really can't see anything without my contacts.

Then the doctor informed me that in 3 or 4 years I can expect to start losing the close up vision as well.

So exactly WHAT will I be able to see at that point?

I did get myself some cute semi-Tina Fey glasses, though.

Hmmm

2008-11-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

I have pie duty for Thanksgiving. I really want to make an apple cranberry pie with a sweet crumb topping (like a dutch apple pie - you know tart but sweet?) and I can't find a recipe that sounds right.

Any suggestions?

Little Man

2008-11-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

So it's Sunday again. Nothing to blog about because I once again didn't do anything interesting. So since last Sunday was dedicated to Dave The Dog, this Sunday will be about my other kid:

Henry Franklin

Henry came to us via the neighbor. Her college-age son got himself a puppy. And then realized how much work they are. And then brought it home thinking his mom would raise it for him. Wrong. She knew the couple next door had another golden retriever and figured they'd be suckers for another one. After all, who could resist all that fuzzy cotton ball cuteness?

Well she picked the right house. Against our better judgment and against the warning from my mom (who also has 2 male golden retrievers), we took him in. Look at him, could you have said no? So he's almost 18 months old now, still behaves much like a puppy, though somewhat better (right Carol?), still wrestles with Dave, still rips giant branches off the bushes out back when you're not paying attention, still eats bath mats, still has not made friends with Zoe The Cat...but we love him.

Henry's names (he's still young so he hasn't collected as many as Dave):

Henry

Hen

Hen-er-y

Heneria

Little Man

Kiddo

Hank Frank

Doofus

I Know This Is Ridiculous

2008-11-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

And I'm Not Sure Why I'm Admitting It But...

I've already seen Twilight twice.

Once with my sister, nieces, and friend Jaimie, and then again later (same day) with Scott.

I'm actually glad I saw it again because I spent the whole first time comparing the movie to the book and only thought it was okay. The second time I just enjoyed it for what it was and really liked it! Same thing happened with the Harry Potter movies. By the way, I also got to see the new trailer for Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince twice!

*sigh*

So my final review is: I liked it a lot...bordering on loved it. :-)

The Dress Makes the Woman

2008-11-21T21:35:00.001-08:00

Got my party dress today. Here's a picture in case you're interested. I actually got it in charcoal grey because they didn't have the blue one in my size, but you get the idea.

Funny, this happened last year too: I never would've picked this dress off the hanger. I grabbed a bunch to try on and then saw this in the dressing room waiting to go back on the floor and decided "why not, may as well try this one too".

I've learned that dresses I like on the hanger almost never look good on me. You just have to grab them all and start trying them on and voila, the one you never would've picked otherwise actually looks good on you. It's ALL about cut and color, baybee. It may be beautiful but if it doesn't accentuate the positive and hide the negative...don't wear it. On the other hand, it may not be the most glamourous dress, but if it fits well, looks good on your shape, and it's comfortable - you'll look marvelous and have a fabulous time.

That, and get yourself a great pair of sturdy, tummy tucking underwear!

Is It Inappropriate...

2008-11-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

...for a 40-year-old woman to be this into a teenager book (and movie)?

Takes me back to that time in high school when you liked a guy and then you found out he liked you too! Wasn't that a glorious time to be alive?

Sigh...

Me, my sister, my nieces (age 10 & 12), and my good friend/coworker are going to the movie on Saturday. With all the other teenage girls in town, no doubt.

I can't wait!

That Time Again

2008-11-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

Time to find a "Winterfest" dress again. Why do the stores only stock up on teenager dresses?

Almost time to hang Christmas lights. I don't know...it's not feeling very holidayish to me right now.

Time to clean my windows. Yuck they're dirty. And people are coming to visit.

Apparently it's time for Scott to change cars again (the truck, not the Prius). Don't ask.

Time to go to the eye doctor...okay, no biggie. And the dentist...eh, not my favorite passtime. Oh, and I probably should get that mammogram since I'm 40 now, greeaaaaat.

And lastly, it's time for bed.

Maintain No Gain

2008-11-18T18:21:00.001-08:00

And Other Wellness Programs Designed to Hamper Your Self Esteem

The company holiday wellness program starts next week. My co-worker and fellow Bootcamper, Jaimie, and I went and weighed in today. Basically if you don't gain any weight over the holdiays you're entered into a drawing to win $300. If you lose weight you get extra entries for each pound you lose. And our instructor is making the Bootcamp class participate (I'm only mostly kidding).

I never weigh myself because who cares what the number is as long as your jeans fit? But, alas, the scale did not say what I wanted it to say. Is it possible to lose 7 pounds over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years? Don't give me any grief about "only 7" - I'd love to lose 10- 15, but I'm trying to be realistic. I haven't weighed that little since....before I was married.

I wonder...will my lovely friends mind if I DON'T fill the M&M jar for their visit?

One of Life's Great Injustices

2008-11-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

In an effort to be healthier and do my part to ward off osteoporosis, I joined an exercise class at the beginning of the year. Cardio Bootcamp. I love it and I go VERY regularly - every Monday, Wednesday & Friday unless something comes up that prevents me from going...like work. It happens every now and then.

Anyway, my point is that I've worked very hard this year and I can see the results (I actually DO have arm muscles, who knew!). So why, after months of hard work, when I have to miss a week due to getting a nasty cold and then becoming suddenly very busy at work, WHY is it almost like starting over the next time I go (today)? It's been less than 3 hours and I'm already sore. Why don't muscles stick around longer?

It ain't fair.

Sundays Are Hard

2008-11-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to blog on Sunday. Because I don't DO anything!

So when in doubt, post a cute picture. This one isn't all that cute - you can tell that Dave isn't really in the mood. Dave is practically a person. He understands English, and he picks up words without us realizing it. Lizard, for one. We have a lizard that lives between the barbecue and the rose bush around the side of the house. If you ask Dave, "Where's the lizard?" He'll run over to that spot and start looking for it. How does he know that word? I never worked on it with him. He just picked it up.

He's moody. If he doesn't feel like coming inside...he doesn't. Usually you can persuade him with a cookie because Cookie trumps just about everything else. If you ignore him too much, he gets up, walks across the room, lays down in a dramatic flop with his back to you, and lets out a heavy sigh. In fact he just did it because I'm typing instead of petting him.

Dave is a person. Henry is a dog, but Dave is a person.

Dave's names:

Dave

Dave of Daves

Davey-Doo-Da

Doo-Doo

The Boo

Boo Bear

Fat Boy (as referenced in the blog title)

Yellow Man

Fluffy Muffin

My Sweet Dave

Quantum of Bond

2008-11-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

I've seen every single James Bond movie. All 22 of them. I'm not a fan of Roger Moore, but I really do like all the rest of them, even Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby. But I think I'm ready to declare Daniel Craig my favorite. And I was dead set against liking him before Casino Royale.

So of course we went to see the latest Bond flick tonight. My review? I need to see it again. The story is a little confusing, but that's okay because I LIKE to watch the movies several times and this way you pick up new things every time.

So, go see it. That's my recommendation.

Fried Brain

2008-11-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

I felt like I was in an episode of Numb3rs today....well, minus the FBI investigation. And actually, it's not over - I haven't figured out the answer yet.

I've been working on figuring out the fair value of some executive stock awards. And this is the formula:

Yeah, I'm not going to pretend I understand it, cuz they'll just give ya a formula to use in Excel. But still...I have to figure out how to use the formula...

Anyway, I'm going to go see if Charlie Eppes can help me.

Two Things

2008-11-13T21:44:00.000-08:00

1. Layoffs are complete (for my department at least) and I am still gainfully employed.

2. I recently converted to Bare Minerals makeup and I LOVE it. It's so light that you hardly have to put any on and you still get coverage. And this is a 40 yr. old with so-so skin speaking. Next time you run out of whatever you're using, you might want to give it a try.

That's all.

PSA #3

2008-11-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Don't take Claritin before bedtime if you are planning on actually sleeping.

It doesn't work that way. In fact, I'm really not sure that I slept at all last night.

Which brings me to my next theory. I've actually thought about this several times over the years, I just haven't found a way to prove it.

I am almost positive that time moves faster at night.

Think about it: you're in bed, can't sleep...those 8 hours tick by so fast! Much faster than 8 hours go by at work!

Or, you're out on a date (remember those days?). You sit there talking for what seems like 1 hour, but then you look at the clock and all of a sudden it's 5:00 am!

I'm telling you, time moves faster at night.

Maybe This is Gross...

2008-11-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

But when you have a cold (as I do)...where does all that snot COME from?

I feel like detaching my nose and removing my eyeballs for a while.

That might make a good horror flick...

I know it's a lame post, but my brain isn't functioning properly right now so I'm just going to take my Kleenex and go sit.

Show Me The Money

2008-11-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

Just a little concern today.

They're announcing layoff at work this week...Thursday or Friday. I feel pretty good about my chances, but nothing is ever for sure.

The State budget is worse than bad, so Scott feels the same way about his job - fairly secure, but you never know.

Then I read about GM, AIG, DHL, all the banks...it's bad out there.

Hope none of you are in jeopardy.

Sleepy Day

2008-11-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Nothing to say since I have barely left the couch at all today.

Clipped Henry's toenails (that dog can grow cat-claw-like toenails in no time!).
Finished reading Twilight for the 2nd time.
Played ball with the boys for a bit.
Made dinner.
Did laundry.
Chargers won.

Don't you wish your life was as riveting as mine?

So as not to bore you completely, here's a cute picture of Dave on his bed. And a rare Zoe sighting.

Carol & Michelle Were Right

2008-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

Carol:
1. The rolls at Texas Roadhouse are...what's a good description...melt-in-your-mouth-dangerously-good? With the cinnamon butter. Wow.

Michelle:
2. The ginger floaties on top of the 2008 Gingerbread Latte are yucky. No they weren't there last year. I was confused with the gingerbread loaf.

That's all.

Factoid

2008-11-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

I learned this at work yesterday.

Did you know that during the Depression slot machines actually dispensed candy, and that's why you see the reels with the lemons and cherries? If you got 3 lemons, you won lemon drops!

Given our current economy I wonder if we'll start doing that again.

In Regards to Monday's Post...

2008-11-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm guessing that your kid doesn't do this, though:

Like I said: obedience increases in direct correlation to the amount of exercise taken.

Apparently I'm taking Henry for a walk tonight.

Sugarland

2008-11-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

I love this group. I saw them in concert last year and Jennifer Nettles is the strongest, most incredible singer I've ever had the pleasure of listening to....twang and all. So I thought I'd share.

Sorry this would be slicker if they'd let me embed their video, but...gotta respect artist copyrights.

http://www.cmt.com/videos/sugarland/272213/already-gone.jhtml

I forgot to mention that my hubby stopped at Borders today to get his mom a birthday gift and brought me their new CD and the set of Twilight books. sigh. A much needed act of kindness for me. :-) I feel loved.

Rant

2008-11-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

I think I'm a media hater.

Why do they call election races with only 2% precincts reporting? In what alternative universe is 2% a majority?

Why don't they just WAIT and actually Count. The. Votes. ??? How must the people in Hawaii feel when the election is all but over before their polls close?

Grrrrrr.

Dogs & Children

2008-11-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

I don't have kids. I have dogs. But everyone I know has kids which means I hear ALL their kid stories. So, my observation is this: up to a certain age...maybe when children begin talking...I'm not sure there's much difference. Observe:

Until their bladders are big enough to hold it, you have to get up with them in the middle of the night.

You can't trust them to wander the house or yard unsupervised. My house is full of gates.

They ruin your carpet.

You have to take them to the Doctor regularly for shots. And it ain't cheap.

You have to be careful what you leave within easy reach - trash, shoes, food on the counter, etc.

They get spazzier when they're tired and will just run around until they drop.

The more exercise they get, the better behaved they are.

You need a variety of toys to keep them occupied, but not all at once. Put an old toy away for a while. When you bring it out it's as if it was brand new!

You have to teach them to share. Their natural tendency is "mine, mine, mine!".

They are sneaky! When you're not looking they do stuff they know they shouldn't! (I'm yelling at Henry as we speak).

The obvious: they're cute, they're cuddly, they demand attention, they climb on the furniture even when they're not supposed to.
There's never as many pictures of the second kid as there are of the first. (I'm #2)

Sound like your kid?

Henry & Dave
Oct'2007

The Case for Fall

2008-11-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

Why Fall is better than any other season:

Beautiful trees!
Beautiful clouds!
Sweater weather!
Jacket weather!
TV shows come back on!
Football!
Halloween!
Thanksgiving!
Christmas!

(I know technically Christmas is in winter, but all of the fun...the anticipation, the shopping, the baking, the wrapping, the Gingerbread Lattes...that happens in Fall)!

House decorations! Wreaths! Lights!
Year end bonuses!

But most convincing of all....

An Extra Hour of Sleep!!

Fall wins.

Here We Go

2008-11-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

N othing comes to mind except
A bstract thoughts that no one cares about
B ut me.
L ongwinded babbling
O bscures the point.
P ressure builds...
O h what shall I write?
M y mind is blank.
O r is it?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Love,
Mr. T & Don King

Ode to Fall by Dave Edwards

2008-10-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

I love my ball.

My ball loves me.

I love this grass.

It scratches my ass.

I love my mom.

O look my ball!

Let's stay out and enjoy the Fall.

(As interpreted by Scott Edwards)

I Heart NY

2008-08-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

A lot of folks spend their vacation relaxing by the pool, sunning themselves on the beach, taking it easy...

We are not those people.

We like adventures, exploring new cities, eating good food (nothing too funky, though, no bugs!). So we're back from a 6-day trip to NYC. This was our first Real Vacation since our trip to Paris & the UK in 2000 and was made in honor of my 40th birthday earlier this year. (Trips to visit family do not count as Real Vacations in our book.) It was a great trip. We saw a lot in just a few days. In fact, I can't think of anything that we wanted to do that didn't get done. As I look now at my pictures I am extremely disappointed in the pictures I DIDN'T take, but here are a few of the ones I did take and some supplemental ones I found on the internet (I know, how boring, someone's vacation pictures...but they come with stories):

Day 1: Saturday/Sunday - Grand Central Station, Central Park. We took the red-eye from Portland to NYC (note: you can go almost nowhere directly from Reno). We were sad to discover that our seats did not recline and the tvs that Jet Blue is famous for were out of order...on our side of the plane only, of course. It was an extremely painful experience, but after a short nap at our hotel, we took off on foot to see the sights of Central Park, stopping first to check out Grand Central Station, which was attached to our hotel.

Observation: NYC is full of skinny, fit, fashionable people. It kind of sets them apart from the tourists. If you've watched Sex & The City, it's really not that far off of reality. We saw several of them jogging through a the park on this beautiful, warm-not-hot, Sunday.

Dinner: Becco (authentic Italian restaurant just west of Times Square) OMG. You know you're in a good place if it's crowded with locals. And it was so so so so good. They have a big list of wines that are all $25 per bottle so you can order whatever you want and not have to worry about the price. Also had the best gin and tonic I ever had (aside from those made by my dad/sister) while waiting for our table. Oh, the pasta was amazing, too.

Day 2: Monday - Wall Street, Top of the Rock, Top of Empire State Building

Breakfast: Scott was on the search for the perfect NY bagel. First try came from a coffee shop downstairs in Grand Central Station. Rating: Just Ok. Good lattes, though.

Part of the adventure when traveling to big cities it using public transportation, so we took the subway (which was conveniently attached to the basement of our hotel) down to Wall Street. I stood there for a good 10-15 minutes waiting for IGT to go by on the ticker, but apparently no one was trading in that stock that day. Then we walked down Broadway and found the Bull. Scott seized the opportunity to take it by the horns.

Lunch: John's Pizza, Bleeker Street, Greenwich Village. Authentic NY Sausage & Pepperoni pizza. Thin crust, foldable, yet crispy, not soggy. Great crust. Deeeelicious. Scott followed the lead of so many tourists before us by carving our initial (a big E to be efficient) into the wooden booth.

Then on to Rockefeller Center. Did you know you could go to the top of the building? It has great views of Central Park and Downtown/Empire State Building.

At the bottom is the NBC news studio - where the Today Show films...other news shows, too. Also in the picture you'll notice a Toyota Sienna NYC Cab. We were hot on the lookout for these because that's what they drive on Cash Cab! Ever see that show on the Discovery Channel? We so wanted to get picked up by Ben Bailey! Didn't happen, though.

Then later that evening, we took in the nighttime views from the Empire State Building:

Dinner: Joe's Shanghai, Lower East Side By now it's about 9:30 pm but heck, we're still on west coast time and it's the City That Never Sleeps, right? Sounds like Dinnertime! We cabbed it down to the Lower East Side to another local favorite. It was 10:00 by the time we got there and it was crowded.

Observation: see the trash in the picture? Every evening businesses put out their bags of trash and every morning it's gone. In a city of over 8 million people, where the heck does it all go?

Day 3: Tuesday - Cooperstown, Baseball Hall of Fame

Breakfast: we were in a hurry to get out of town, so after renting a car we grabbed breakfast on the road. Scott's next bagel try was a (gasp) toasted sesame bagel from Dunkin' Donuts. After hearing how popular their coffee was we also tried Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Review: bagel was good - better than the Grand Central Bagel. Coffee...eh. It was coffee. We'll stick with Starbucks.

Okay, seriously. I guess I was tired or something, because from the whole day this is the one picture I took:

Didn't take a picture of the cute candy apple red Mini Cooper we rented.

Didn't take a picture of the picturesque Americana that is Cooperstown.

Didn't take a picture of Scott driving through NYC traffic (and kicking ass at it).

*sigh* Wish you could see the pictures in my head.

Dinner: Gray's Papaya hotdogs Another local favorite. They were goood.

Observation: certain food rules apply in NYC: no toasting the bagels, and no ketchup on the hot dogs allowed! Also, Scott could be a NYC cabbie. He's that good, folks. I have the white knuckles to prove it.

Day 4: Wednesday - Statue of Liberty, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Meltdown, Nap, Padres v. Mets game Shea Stadium

Breakfast: discovered there was a wonderful market in Grand Central Station with fresh fruit, fresh deli items, and FRESH BAGELS. Best bagel so far.

Got up early to beat the crowds and headed back downtown to the ultimate tourist spot. You've seen a million photos so I'll post one maybe you haven't seen: her booty.

The ferry ride back from Liberty Island was slow, warm, and there was a gentle rocking. So it wasn't surprising when I heard a few snorts and looked over to see Scott sleeping on the bench next to me. But there is no rest for the weary, so on to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Okay, so this is when we were going to subway-it back down to the Lower East Side to try the famous Katz's Deli, but the time difference, lack of sleep, and that day's high humidity finally got to us at that point. There was a mild meltdown. Instead we headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap before the game.

And what a game it was! Padres won! Trevor got a save! And we didn't get beat up for wearing Padres gear! A really nice, funny, truly NY guy sitting behind us snapped this one and only picture of us together (I think he was wearing a FDNY medallion):

Observation: People in Queens are more normal-looking than folks in Manhattan. Read: these people dress normally and aren't as religious about the gym.

Day 5: Thursday - Last Day - NBC Studio Tour, Greenwich Village

No breakfast. We were in a hurry to make our 8:30 tour.

Also no pictures allowed in the studios, so...not my fault that I don't have any. We were ushered around by a very perky page, though. Think Kenneth from 30 Rock (at right). We saw Conan O'Brian's studio and saw Rudy Guiliani being interviewed on the Morning Joe show.

Lunch: the famous Katz's Deli, Houston Street. Famous since 1888, but you may recognize it from When Harry Met Sally. There are pictures of famous people all over the walls, including all U.S. Presidents since who knows when. We saved the best for last. Seriously. Scott had a hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut. I had the most amazing pastrami sandwich ever. Melt in your mouth pastrami. The owner wanders around and talks to everyone. Everything is made there fresh - their own sausage, own pastrami, own sauerkraut, own mustard...you name it. If we had to pick a favorite place from the trip - this would be it.

Since we had time to kill, we intended to see a few more things and get a 2nd pass at John's Pizza before getting back on the plane, but we were too tired to walk much, and too full from Katz's to eat a whole Pizza (John's does NOT serve slices). So we sat on a bench in the heart of Greenwich Village and had some frozen yogurt. Very delightful. But of course, no pictures. (I'm a dope).

Observation: A good way to spot a tourist from a local is how they pronounce Houston St. You're thinking Huuston, like Houston, TX, right? Wrong! It's pronounced Howston.

Day 6: Friday - Home, James! So back to Reno, through Portland, where we've been recovering by sitting on our collective arses watching the Olympics ever since!

The History of Sooz 1968-1986

2008-05-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 40. Kind of strange. I have lots of thoughts about it but...I thought I'd share some photos instead. I couldn't find a good one from the Big Hair Period, but oh well...

May 1, 1968 ...........................................shortly thereafter

1st Grade .......................................................3rd Grade

5th Grade ........................................6th Grade

7th Grade.....................................9th Grade

Sophomore ........................... Junior

Senior

I know, I know. But it was the 80's and perms were in. What can I say? Also rest assured that I have since learned how to pluck my eyebrows.

Fun!

2007-12-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture from my company Christmas party on Saturday. We had a great time! My co-workers nominated Scott for the unofficial "Most Fun Husband" award. We danced so much my legs were sore the next day (which really suggests how out of shape they are)...

The End

2007-11-30T19:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I did it. We all did it! Thany, Amy, Crayl, and me. We blogged every day of November. 30 blogs. I thought it would be hard. It wasn't as hard as I thought. You just learn to pay attention and remember things throughout the day so you have something to write about. So in essence it's much more than a writing exercise...it's an exercise in living presently. It was fun. It was quiet time spent with my writing partner, Littleman (a.k.a Henry) (pronounced "little-mun" - see below). Time when there was peace in the house because he was locked in the office with me and couldn't pester his brother.

I think I'll do it again next year.

Ponderings

2007-11-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

So, being Christmas season and all, I've got the XM radio tuned to the Christmas stations. Same old stuff. I still like it and all, but it seems that no one is able to write any new
Christmas songs that are anywhere NEAR as good as the old traditional stuff. Why is that?

Another thought I have while driving to and from work: music has been around since...well, forever. Many of the Psalms are actually songs, right? I took music lessons, there's only 7 notes (A-G) plus sharps and flats, plus octaves, right? So, mathematically speaking, isn't there a fininte number of ways notes could be combined? Will we run out of new music someday?

Is that why no one writes good Christmas music anymore?

Porn for Women (don't worry - squeaky clean!)

2007-11-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

Got this funny at work today. I think if men understood how much of a turn on these things truly are, there'd be a lot more happy marriages...

I Know You Are Probably Sick of This Topic...

2007-11-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

..but there's only 4 more days of NaBloPoMo and I'm running out of topics.

So here's a picture of my house with it's pretty pretty (and lonely) lights. Still no neighbor light action yet. Of course it looks better in person. And I look at it now and think: what else can I add?

Cruel Shoes

2007-11-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

Ever read that collection of short stories written by Steve Martin? My sister had it when we were kids and I'm reminded of it every few days. It's the shoes I've been wearing to work. Every time I walk to the bathroom, the cafeteria, to my car, I think, "Cruel Shoes". My feet even have phantom pain when I'm not wearing them. They're new, and clearly I made a bad choice, but since I can't return them, I feel compelled to stick with them until they wear out so as not to waste the money.

Here's a link if you want to read the story. Think of me. If you scroll down, you'll see it in its entirety. http://www.compleatsteve.com/miscellany/cruelshoes_1.htm

If you keep scrolling, you'll see another interesting story entitled, "The Diarrhea Gardens of El Camino Real" (yes, that's San Diego, friends), right after one of my faves, "Serious Dogs".

Back to Work

2007-11-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Why can't all weekends be 4-day weekends? Doesn't that strike a better work-life balance? More life, less work?

For those who are somewhat following this story (I know, few details have been provided...it's really not a topic for a public forum), Scott is actually reporting to a different department tomorrow. The new director he will be reporting to is a good person (or so I've heard). I think Scott views this as a temporary fix, so I'm still not sure what the future holds. I just hope it's better - he's been under a great deal of stress. Oh, and to top it off, he hurt his ankle today helping me with some lights. I had to go down to Wal-Mart and get him a cane!

Well, only 4 weeks until my next 4-day weekend. Wouldn't it be nice if the whole month of December was a holiday? I could get so much accomplished!

Got My Camera Back

2007-11-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

Pics from our Thanksgiving:

The hostess with the mostest (she did the flowers herself!)

Clara, Dad & Emma

Clara, Julie & Friends

Mac (a.k.a. Mac Daddy, Big Mac, etc)

Just Call Me Mrs. Jones

2007-11-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

And if you're my neighbor, please try and keep up.

The rest of the outside lights are up, the tree is up, and the window snowflakes are hung. Still need to decorate the tree and spread whatever other Christmas knickknacks I have around the house. My neighbor walked by this afternoon as I was putting the ladder away and said, "Wow, you're kind of ambitious." That's right baybee! Get it together! Hang some lights, dude! Where's your Christmas Spirit?!

Am I being too harsh?

Hmmmm...the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear....

Is it too early to Carol my neighbors?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T20:41:00.000-08:00

How do you say it?

You probably say "Happy ThanksGIVing, right? Scott's family hails from Texas and Alabama. They say "Happy THANKSgiving" with a twang.

Either way, I hope yours was happy. Mine was. Lots to eat, lots of laughs, a brisk walk in the cold weather. I had a lovely picture to post of my sister and her beautiful table but, alas, I left my camera at her house. Boo.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday

2007-11-21T20:41:00.000-08:00

O for Friday how I wait
Eagerly for that awesome date
The day I shall open the Christmas crates
And all around will decorate.

Tree up, lights on,
Swirly ornaments on my lawn,
No doubt I'll be up at the crack of dawn,
With a cup of joe and a happy yawn.

But first there's Thanks we must be Giving
For all the blessings He's been giving.
For family, for food, and this life we are living,
Even for gravy that may need sieving.

But Friday is the day that comes after,
And I shall try to spend it with laughter
And hang oranaments and lights from every rafter
Then write, since of this blog I am the drafter.

Thanksgiving Eve Eve

2007-11-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

Can you smell it yet? Can you taste it yet? Is your turkey thawing? I can't wait. This year we're going down to my sister's new house with her state-of-the art kitchen. She is an amazing cook, so it's fun to watch her work with all the right equipment. Only thing is: she uses every dish, pot and pan in the house and we lesser cooks get dish duty. Her husband was clever, though, he had two dish washers installed. Yeah, he knows her pretty well.

What are y'all doing?

What's the one dish that it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without (besides the obvious turkey)?

I vote for stuffing. Yummmmy!

P.S. To those who read yesterday's blog: according to Wikipedia, "although the pumpkin is botanically classified as a fruit (the ripened ovary of a flowering plant), it is widely regarded as a vegetable."

So it's a fruit and a vegetable?

Pumpkin Pie For Dinner...Why Not?

2007-11-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

Made a Costco run this evening. Being 3 days from Thanksgiving, they had pallets of pies stacked all over the store. Pallets! Two different sampling stations were handing out bites of cheesecake. Ooooh. Cheeeeesecaaakkee. The Costco "storemade" brand was better than the frozen Cheesecake Factory kind, by the way.

Needless to say, Scott had pumpkin pie for dinner. Heck, if that's what you're after anyway, why not skip the dinner calories and go straight to dessert? Pumpkin is a vegetable, right? Or is it a fruit? It has seeds...which is it?

Just so you know, Scott would never eat pumpkin pie with such a measly amount of Cool-Whip.

Hotel Del Edwards

2007-11-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, the 16th to be precise, was our 1-year anniversary for moving into this house. Last year we were so busy unpacking boxes that we didn't hang any Christmas lights and just barely managed to put up a tree. We were sorely disappointed when NO ONE on our street hung any lights either. Not one single house. What is up with THAT? It was then and there that we vowed to go all out next year. Perhaps they'd be inspired to do SOMEthing. After all, the street below us was basically a mini Candy Cane Lane.

It's taken two trips to Target (so far), about 18 strands of lights, countless extension cords, and a solid design plan. The main house lights were hung today. (Note, they will not be turned on until Friday, but in the interest of daylight and good weather, they were hung today.) On Friday we'll finish up. It's going to be awwwesome!

Makes me want to turn on the fire, watch Christmas specials and bake sugar cookies!

Graduation Day

2007-11-17T18:40:00.000-08:00

Cutie Pie Henry graduated from puppy kindergarten today. He did great. He will move on to the Brilliant Buddy class for the next round. You'd be so proud of him. He's got all the building blocks: sit, down, stay, wait, walk on a loose leash. He's got a lot more to learn and a lot more practice, but down deep, he's a good boy.

Tomorrow: Christmas Lights. This year we BRING it. Lookout neighbors!

It's Late. I'm Tired.

2007-11-16T23:46:00.000-08:00

I started out my day feeling like I was in an episode of Numb3rs. Ever watch that show? They solve crimes through the miracle of math. It wasn't so much that I was in a crime drama, it was the fact that I was listening to a mathematician lecture on Regression, slope, F Significance, R2...the guy was very young, but looked nothing like David Krumholtz. Oh my. It has been (seriously) 20 years since my last statistics class. I remember nothing. Zippo. Nada.

But on the bright side, I got to end my day with this lovely man singing to me:

He is still in fine form, may I say. I think he did 5 encores. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!

Greetings From Sea Level Part II

2007-11-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

I know you were wondering (all 1 of you who read my blog), I'm at an Accounting for Derivatives conference. Riveting. Yield curves, Perfectly Effective Synthetic Hedges, Foreign Currency Risk, Fair Value, Forward Contracts, Options, Commodities...these are the buzz words.

Madras. That is also a buzzword.

What's a Madras? Vodka, orange juice, and cranberry juice. Discovered it tonight. Quite yummy. Madras. Must remember that name as I never know what to order at a bar.

Also fun: they're filming "Chuck" here tonight. I've seen it once and liked it a lot. I'm hoping for reruns during the writer's strike so I can catch up. The lead guy is cute. Tall. And really nice, according to the girl playing a waitress in the background who I've been chatting with.

Greetings From Sea Level

2007-11-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

I'm writing to you from L.A, Marina Del Rey to be precise. It's been a while since I've been to sea level. It's HUMID here. I live 5000 ft. up in the driest air ever. And I've just about gotten used to it so this feels damp to me. My hair is flat.

Hotels bring out my inner germ-o-phobe. I hate 'em. I know friends like MissThany and Missy Shell love hotels, right? Not me. I always end up sleeping in a tight ball because I don't like putting my feet down in the bed. Creeps me out. And no walking barefoot on the carpet.

Just a little something about me maybe you didn't know.

What I'm Doing Right Now

2007-11-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

I need to post this morning since I'm flying to LA tonight and may not have time to do this later. Boy I hope the hotel's business center is up and working or my NaBloPoMo is shot. Oh well. Don't feel like carrying the laptop. Going to training for 3 days. (sigh) It's going to be painfully boring.

So what I'm doing right now: watching music videos on GAC & CMT. Keith Urban is on right now. Every time I see him I think, "Man, I hope he and Nicole Kidman are happy." I meant to grab the People magazine that had his interview, but missed it. They strike me as nice people, but what do I know. Anyway, I just hope they're happy.

That's all for now. Gotta go. Gonna be late for work.

Congratulations to Missy Shell for enjoying her first Gingerbread Latte!

People. It's November 12.

2007-11-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

Two houses. TWO houses on my short drive home have Christmas lights ON tonight. And then there's a third with a Christmas tree up and lit in their rear window.

What's up Reno?

We still have 10 days until Thanksgiving!

The rule is: No Christmas lights until the day AFTER Thanksgiving! I will allow for lights to go up prior to Thanksgiving to allow for busy schedules, taking advantage of good weather, etc., but not ON! And I'm lenient. RRRussselll Russellovich doesn't allow lights until December 1!

Tooth Fairy (this might be a little gross...)

2007-11-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

These are the three teeth that big boy Henry has lost since Friday. (Miss Thany, did you pass out? Somebody please check if she's still breathing.)

My little boy is growing up! He has empty gums on the left side of his mouth.

Sorry for the gross factor.

Toxic Leaves

2007-11-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

Sounds like the name of a grunge band...

Stupid us and stupider lawn service guy, who is a professional and should know better, sprayed weed pre-emergent all over the dirt parts of our yard. We told him we had dogs. He said "water it in, it will be okay once it dries." Except our yard is full of unraked leaves. And he sprayed them. And both dogs like to eat leaves. We had a massive raking party today, okay no biggie, I'm not afraid of a little yard work. But they're all covered with this agent orange stuff so it wasn't just raking most of them up, it was going around and picking up every stinkin' shred of leaf that we could see had orange Cheeto-like powder on it. And I'm thinking, "this idiot is charging me to spray leaves and I'm picking them up and now the chemicals aren't getting down in to prevent weeds." Why didn't he call us and say, "I'll come back when you guys have raked"?

Stupid lawn service guy. Stupider us for not thinking of it.

Job Well Done & Huh?

2007-11-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

When there's nothing super clever to blog about, go with the news.

Today was Cash Sharing Day at work. It happens twice a year. We get together and share cash. ha ha ha. Actually, it's profit sharing, they just call it Cash Sharing here. Whatever. I really don't care what you call it as long as I can participate. So that was nice. And well-timed if you read yesterday's blog.

That was the Job Well Done part.

This is the Huh?:

House down the hill. It's been for sale for a long time (like all houses around here). On my way home (in the dark now) I noticed they have a CHRISTMAS TREE ALL LIT UP in their house - you can see it through their big window. Oh my. I know it's for sale and all, but geez.

Tough Times

2007-11-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say today. The biggest thing going on right now is Scott's job. It's horrible. Poor guy. He's actively interviewing for other things, but a small town means less choices. I cannot belive how vindictive some people in authority can be. I've just never worked at a place where people lie, manipulate, deceive, and poison the well against others. It's really surprising. And these are our public officials.

If you remember, could you pray that something great opens up for Scott?

I wish I made more money so he could just quit.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

2007-11-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow.

I was told by my local barista that Tomorrow is The Day.

I shall celebrate the occasion with this:

Learning to Wait

2007-11-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Henry and I are in a puppy kindergarten class. This week's lesson: Wait.

Basically I teach him not to cross a certain line that I "draw" by swinging my arm like a pendulum in front of him and saying firmly, "Wait." The purpose is really twofold: (1) teaching Henry better manners by not trying to be the first one out (or in) the door and (2) safety in case we were ever in a situation where I needed him to stay put temporarily. He learned it really quickly. Mostly during my lunch hour today. Of course he will need many, many, many more reinforcements before he really gets it and will do it even if I don't have a cookie in my hand or in the presence of distractions.

So, I was just thinking how much that still applies to us humans. How hard it is for us to wait for things! As my good friend Crayl could testify, it's da#n hard. She probably wouldn't say da#n, though. Are we willing to wait even if we can't see the cookie? How many reinforcements do we need before we get it right? Do we forget after only a short period?

Just my ponderings for today.

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait,

And in His word do I hope.

Psalm 130:5

P.S. Thanks for praying Crayl. I found my bracelet. :-)

Bummer.

2007-11-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

It's a good news/bad news day.

Good news: I found a dress!! Actually I found two dresses which is, like, amazing! Cute and simple but fun and most of all: comfortable! How hard is to find all that in one fancy party dress?! For me, very hard.
:-)

Bad news: I can't find my grandma's pretty (fake) diamond bracelet that I really wanted to wear. It's perfect and so so so pretty. I don't know where it could be since it's not where I normally keep it. Did I put it somewhere "safe" when we moved and now I can't remember? I usually keep it with my grandma's wedding ring, but I know where that is and no bracelet. I don't know where else to look...did I loan it to someone? But who in the world would I have loaned it to? It's not something I would loan except maybe to my sister...but nope, I'm pretty sure I never had the occasion to. Did I lose it last time I wore it?

Where is it???
:-(

sigh

2007-11-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

It's time.

Time to find a dress to the fancy company "Winterfest" party. I suppose no one dares call it a "Christmas Party" anymore.

*sigh*

This is when all those days I told myself I should get on that treadmill, but didn't, come back to haunt me. How fast can one lose 5-10 pounds and tone up all that unused muscle? I have 35 days. Probably not enough to turn the clock back about 5 years. Bridget Jones refers to it as her "wobbly bits". That's appropriate.

By the way, why in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks was Ann Taylor Loft playing "Let it Snow" and "Frosty the Snowman" today?

*double sigh*

This is how nice my hubby is: next weekend he promises to drive with me for 2 hours to a mall that has a Nordstroms. It also has a Rubios...but I suppose that doesn't fit in with my "Skinnier In 35 Days Plan", does it?

:-)

Mighty Oregon

2007-11-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

In honor of my Ducks,
Ranked #5 who BEAT THE PANTS OFF OF #4 Arizona State (ha ha!) today, 35-23:

(sing along!)

(oh, you may get a pop-up notice so you have to allow the ActiveX thingy to run)

Oregon, our Alma Mater
We will guard thee on and on,
Fellows gather 'round and cheer her,
Chant her glory, Oregon!
For the praises of her warriors,
Sing the story, Oregon,
On to vict'ry urge the heroes
Of our Mighty Oregon!

Go! Ducks! Go!
Fight! Ducks! Fight!
Go! Fight!
Win! Ducks! Win!

My Other Choice

2007-11-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

So my other choice for a blog title was:

The Mendoza Diagonal

Not familiar? Here.

It made us laugh out loud. Thought it would be a good name. Cuz we're all on that graph somewhere between Hot and Crazy.

By Way of Explanation...

2007-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

So you've heard of Fat Man and Little Boy, right?

WWII...names of the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki...

Well, this is Fat Boy & Little Man:

Appropriately named as they act like atom bombs dropped on my (once) nice, clean house...but I digress.

That's Fat Boy (a.k.a. Dave, age 5) on the right...Little Man (a.k.a. Henry, age 5 months) on the left. My kids.

So that's where the blog name comes from. Now that NaBloPoMo has started...gotta have a blog...gotta post something!