Showing posts with label 42. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 42. Show all posts
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Apparently my new iPod also has a sense of humour
When I pulled into work on Friday morning (last day before vacation, and I knew it was already looking to be a 10 hr day minimum), the song that started, literally as I turned into the parking lot, was "Hard Knock Life" from Annie
Monday, September 28, 2009
WTF??
Pardon me for a minute here while I deal with some WTF issues...
I have gout!
In my foot!
And it hurts like hell, and I'm used to living with daily pain...
WTF?
I'm in my mid-30's and eat meat ~3-4 times/week. I get enough exercise, and for the last 6 months have been consistently getting at least/if not more than my recommended water intake. I have none of the standard risks. It can't be diet induced. I do need to lose weight, but not that much, and I'm working on that one. So WTF? body? I get down to only one thing to deal with and you feel unloved, so you throw something new at me?
I have gout!
In my foot!
And it hurts like hell, and I'm used to living with daily pain...
WTF?
I'm in my mid-30's and eat meat ~3-4 times/week. I get enough exercise, and for the last 6 months have been consistently getting at least/if not more than my recommended water intake. I have none of the standard risks. It can't be diet induced. I do need to lose weight, but not that much, and I'm working on that one. So WTF? body? I get down to only one thing to deal with and you feel unloved, so you throw something new at me?
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Quiet Sunday
Brian has his first day off in two weeks. He's just finished his six week stint of training staff for two new restaurant openings. So we're having a quiet day and it's wonderful. We went out and dealt with some bank stuff, shopped for BBQ's (looking for recommendations on gas ones <$250) for Brian's birthday, grabbed groceries and necessities and had lunch out. We're home now and watching today's Formula One race. Taking it easy and not even making Brian get a start on his honey do list. The sun is shining and it's gorgeous out. I even let Percy go out for the first time on his new harness. He didn't fight too badly getting into the harness, but he's going to require a lot of supervision. Idiot still tried to choke himself with it.
Yesterday was spent with Michelle and Dina. Michelle is going to be moving in the next month (or so) so we finally got her to come out and see the various apartment/townhouse options in the area here. She found one that's fabulous and I expect she'll take it Monday morning. We spent hours just being girls, hanging out and gabbing. It was so much fun. Next weekend we'll have Ruth and Dave and their 7 month old Ben coming to stay with us and I'm really excited about it. We had a great time with them last year, so we're planning a BBQ again this year. (And that's why I'm looking to buy Brian's present early.)
Yesterday was spent with Michelle and Dina. Michelle is going to be moving in the next month (or so) so we finally got her to come out and see the various apartment/townhouse options in the area here. She found one that's fabulous and I expect she'll take it Monday morning. We spent hours just being girls, hanging out and gabbing. It was so much fun. Next weekend we'll have Ruth and Dave and their 7 month old Ben coming to stay with us and I'm really excited about it. We had a great time with them last year, so we're planning a BBQ again this year. (And that's why I'm looking to buy Brian's present early.)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Random Photo Explosion...
This is my gateleg table out in the snow at the new place.
And this was taken before the snow finished falling...
This is a shot of the desk in my new craft room!
And since I now have a craft room, I'm actually (sometimes) making time to stitch! This is a shot of Fantasy Triptych. Colours are horribly washed out, but you get the idea... If I actually make time to stitch this weekend, I think I'll have everything done up to the bottom of the knight's feet...
A photo for Randi and certain other gamers (inside joke...).
Does that reindeer look scared to you?
As promised, this is the photo of my favourite Valentine's Day gift ever.
Even if I bought it for myself! :)
I've been doing my laundry in a laundromat since I was a teenager, so this is proving to be a huge luxury to me.
And finally, I met Bully!
And this was taken before the snow finished falling...
This is a shot of the desk in my new craft room!
And since I now have a craft room, I'm actually (sometimes) making time to stitch! This is a shot of Fantasy Triptych. Colours are horribly washed out, but you get the idea... If I actually make time to stitch this weekend, I think I'll have everything done up to the bottom of the knight's feet...
A photo for Randi and certain other gamers (inside joke...).
Does that reindeer look scared to you?
As promised, this is the photo of my favourite Valentine's Day gift ever.
Even if I bought it for myself! :)
I've been doing my laundry in a laundromat since I was a teenager, so this is proving to be a huge luxury to me.
And finally, I met Bully!
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
SNOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!
Wow, did we get snow. 15 inches of it! And just Friday I'd been hearing Becca complain about all their snow and telling her she could send it my way! Needless to say, I'm happy about it. Not so happy about having to shovel the driveway myself, four times over the course of the storm, but I'll live! I've got photos but still haven't unpacked the cable to get them off the card. Rest assured, once I do, I'll be posting a ton of photos! We've had visitors at the new place already, and I need to post photos of said new place! Also, I want to show off my Valentine's gift. Favourite one ever!
Monday, December 15, 2008
A partial update
Remember way back when we had that squirrel in the kitchen?
He came back in September. And brought a whole bunch of friends. They decided the attic space above our apartment would be a great place to shelter over the winter in and made themselves at home. We notified the new landlord as soon as this happened and told them it had been a problem in the past and would need to be dealt with ASAP. So about 3 weeks later they brought an exterminator in. The same initially ineffective one as last time. Who put traps out and then said they ignored the traps and there was nothing else he could do. Cue same repeat this year. And nothing further from the new landlords.
Do you have any idea how much noise a family (or whole clan from the sounds of it) of squirrels can make? Besides the requisite scratching sounds, we've discovered that apparently we're infested by clumsy squirrels who frequently drop their nuts, which then roll all across the attic floor. Surprisingly loudly. Also, apparently 3:30am is when the Squirrel Fight Club meets... At this point, neither Brian nor I are sure we've slept through the night without drugging ourself since we got back from Walt Disney World. In September. The accumulated sleep deficit is definitely affecting both of us.
So in November we sent the landlords politely asking for a written plan of how they plan on dealing with the squirrels. And they completely ignored it. Not even a phone call. No response at all.
Last Thursday they were sent (registered, signed receipt required) the notification that we intend on breaking our lease due to their lack of maintaining a habitable apartment. So now we wait (at least a little while) to see if they're going to contest it. And if not, we're out of here as of Feb. 15th. Although we don't normally celebrate it, S. Valentine's Day will be a special celebration for us this year!
So that's the short version of what's been going on lately with us. We've been getting all our ducks in a row to do this. And finding a new place to live. We've pretty much decided on where we want to go. It'll be a much longer drive for both of us, but it's worth it in trade off. Assuming we get it, it'll be a two bedroom townhouse with a garage and a back yard!
He came back in September. And brought a whole bunch of friends. They decided the attic space above our apartment would be a great place to shelter over the winter in and made themselves at home. We notified the new landlord as soon as this happened and told them it had been a problem in the past and would need to be dealt with ASAP. So about 3 weeks later they brought an exterminator in. The same initially ineffective one as last time. Who put traps out and then said they ignored the traps and there was nothing else he could do. Cue same repeat this year. And nothing further from the new landlords.
Do you have any idea how much noise a family (or whole clan from the sounds of it) of squirrels can make? Besides the requisite scratching sounds, we've discovered that apparently we're infested by clumsy squirrels who frequently drop their nuts, which then roll all across the attic floor. Surprisingly loudly. Also, apparently 3:30am is when the Squirrel Fight Club meets... At this point, neither Brian nor I are sure we've slept through the night without drugging ourself since we got back from Walt Disney World. In September. The accumulated sleep deficit is definitely affecting both of us.
So in November we sent the landlords politely asking for a written plan of how they plan on dealing with the squirrels. And they completely ignored it. Not even a phone call. No response at all.
Last Thursday they were sent (registered, signed receipt required) the notification that we intend on breaking our lease due to their lack of maintaining a habitable apartment. So now we wait (at least a little while) to see if they're going to contest it. And if not, we're out of here as of Feb. 15th. Although we don't normally celebrate it, S. Valentine's Day will be a special celebration for us this year!
So that's the short version of what's been going on lately with us. We've been getting all our ducks in a row to do this. And finding a new place to live. We've pretty much decided on where we want to go. It'll be a much longer drive for both of us, but it's worth it in trade off. Assuming we get it, it'll be a two bedroom townhouse with a garage and a back yard!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
November Update
What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Books: The Reformer (Palm)
Stalking the Unicorn (iPod)
1635: Canon Laws (started)
Black Ice (started)
Cleared out the periodicals pile to <10 from >30!
What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
Usual network TV, nothing new to report there.
Loads of election coverage.
New movies: Quantum of Solace (Meh at best, far from the best Bond film out there...)
Wall-E (Fun, but I don't think I'd watch it again)
88 Minutes (Fairly predictable thriller, but worth watching)
What special days did I celebrate and how?
Election Day! Sadly, as it turns out, I went to bed about 10 minutes before they officially projected B. Obama's win. In my defense, I'd been up half the night before. See the last question for what's been keeping me up at nights!
Thanksgiving we had Michelle over and did my version of a full Turkey Day Dinner: Ham, peas, carrots, corn, beans, scalloped cheesy potatos and jellied salad. Brian made apple pie for dessert and turned down my offer to get him a pumpkin pie.
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Bought lots of Christmas gifts, but haven't given any.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
All dental, all month. Final update from the dentist now that I've had a full evaluation is that I need two more small fillings. I'm holding off on them until January when I can use the Flex Plan at work to cover my half of it... Both the dentist and I were pleased and surprised by how little else I need.
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
For the fun stuff, read my other entries! :)
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
New italian place in NYC with Neal and Tina. Three thumbs up!
Brian made a new pan-less apple pie recipe for Thanksgiving that turned out fabulous!
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
A new Airport Extreme. Our old router was dying the death of 5x/day resets and it was time for a new one. With the Extreme, I can print wirelessly and connect an external hard drive to automate our backups so they actually get done more frequently!
As mentioned earler, lots of presents, but I'm not telling what I bought!
Also, I bought a funky audio cable and rewired our home entertainment system. That little $15 cable has given our TV a new lease on life! While we were at Disney we were (presumably) hit by lightning. The power bar did it's job, and the only ill effect was it blew the speaker in the TV. I'm not going to complain about that! By figuring out how to rewire the sound from the cable box through the DVD player, we now have clean sound again and didn't have to buy a new TV. Man they've gotten expensive! Besides, I'd already spent any possible TV money on the dentists!
What were this month's disappointments?
Dealing with a very reputable website who turned out to have horrific customer (dis)service when they shipped me the wrong item instead of the 4 gifts I've ordered for neices and nephews. The right things had BETTER get here in time for me to ship them home to Canada for Christmas!
What were my accomplishments this month?
I hope I've overcome the worst of my dentist phobia. This new one is great, takes his time, and makes sure I'm completely frozen. Between that, and the Xanax, it's so very much better than any of my past experiences!
Oh, and I got a pretty good job review.
Anything else to share?
We're going to be moving. We're having to deal with the delightful legal system here in trying to get the court's permission to break our lease without having to pay penalties. Given that the reason we want to break the lease is the new owner's complete refusal to do anything effective about the squirrels in the roof over us, we expect to win, it's just going to take a bit more time. They've definately broken the Warrant of Habitability, so we've a solid case, and we documented all our concerns in writing with signature required and they've had 10 weeks to deal with it. So we're covered at least! We're pretty sure we know where we want to move to. It'll be a much longer drive for both of us, but it's a huge place and we're both really excited about it. Full townhouse with garage, two bedrooms and front and back yards! Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us! Now we just need permission to give our 60 day notice and we'll be getting out of here!
Books: The Reformer (Palm)
Stalking the Unicorn (iPod)
1635: Canon Laws (started)
Black Ice (started)
Cleared out the periodicals pile to <10 from >30!
What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
Usual network TV, nothing new to report there.
Loads of election coverage.
New movies: Quantum of Solace (Meh at best, far from the best Bond film out there...)
Wall-E (Fun, but I don't think I'd watch it again)
88 Minutes (Fairly predictable thriller, but worth watching)
What special days did I celebrate and how?
Election Day! Sadly, as it turns out, I went to bed about 10 minutes before they officially projected B. Obama's win. In my defense, I'd been up half the night before. See the last question for what's been keeping me up at nights!
Thanksgiving we had Michelle over and did my version of a full Turkey Day Dinner: Ham, peas, carrots, corn, beans, scalloped cheesy potatos and jellied salad. Brian made apple pie for dessert and turned down my offer to get him a pumpkin pie.
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Bought lots of Christmas gifts, but haven't given any.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
All dental, all month. Final update from the dentist now that I've had a full evaluation is that I need two more small fillings. I'm holding off on them until January when I can use the Flex Plan at work to cover my half of it... Both the dentist and I were pleased and surprised by how little else I need.
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
For the fun stuff, read my other entries! :)
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
New italian place in NYC with Neal and Tina. Three thumbs up!
Brian made a new pan-less apple pie recipe for Thanksgiving that turned out fabulous!
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
A new Airport Extreme. Our old router was dying the death of 5x/day resets and it was time for a new one. With the Extreme, I can print wirelessly and connect an external hard drive to automate our backups so they actually get done more frequently!
As mentioned earler, lots of presents, but I'm not telling what I bought!
Also, I bought a funky audio cable and rewired our home entertainment system. That little $15 cable has given our TV a new lease on life! While we were at Disney we were (presumably) hit by lightning. The power bar did it's job, and the only ill effect was it blew the speaker in the TV. I'm not going to complain about that! By figuring out how to rewire the sound from the cable box through the DVD player, we now have clean sound again and didn't have to buy a new TV. Man they've gotten expensive! Besides, I'd already spent any possible TV money on the dentists!
What were this month's disappointments?
Dealing with a very reputable website who turned out to have horrific customer (dis)service when they shipped me the wrong item instead of the 4 gifts I've ordered for neices and nephews. The right things had BETTER get here in time for me to ship them home to Canada for Christmas!
What were my accomplishments this month?
I hope I've overcome the worst of my dentist phobia. This new one is great, takes his time, and makes sure I'm completely frozen. Between that, and the Xanax, it's so very much better than any of my past experiences!
Oh, and I got a pretty good job review.
Anything else to share?
We're going to be moving. We're having to deal with the delightful legal system here in trying to get the court's permission to break our lease without having to pay penalties. Given that the reason we want to break the lease is the new owner's complete refusal to do anything effective about the squirrels in the roof over us, we expect to win, it's just going to take a bit more time. They've definately broken the Warrant of Habitability, so we've a solid case, and we documented all our concerns in writing with signature required and they've had 10 weeks to deal with it. So we're covered at least! We're pretty sure we know where we want to move to. It'll be a much longer drive for both of us, but it's a huge place and we're both really excited about it. Full townhouse with garage, two bedrooms and front and back yards! Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us! Now we just need permission to give our 60 day notice and we'll be getting out of here!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Has it really been less than a week?
So, to recap the last week, it's been busier even than normal for us!
Sunday we headed into the city and went to the American Museum of Natural History to use our Space tickets we'd gotten when we signed up for our membership. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to use them, they expire Dec. 4th! Then we met up with our friends Tina and Neal for the real reason for the trip into the city: a talk and signing by Neil Gaiman! We went out to dinner first at a little italian place that turned out to be pretty good. My pasta was excellent, Tina and Neal's pizza was fantastic and we all wanted to steal some of Brian's lasagna... Then off to the talk! I've never been to something like this so I didn't really know what to expect. We had fabulous seats. Third row back and in the center, and although we bought them separately online using the "best available" option, we ended up right next to each other! The talk was awesome and very entertaining. The host (Chip Kidd) was fabulous at his job. He kept it moving and convinced Neil Gaiman to tell some absolutely fabulous stories. Then it was into the signing line. And the real flaw of the organization came through. The signing line started from the rear of the auditorium. Meaning those of us who were great fans and bought our tickets early were stuck at the end of the line. Grrr! We ended up sending Brian home early to catch an earlier train since he had to work early in the morning. But eventually we got to our turn to get things signed, and neither Tina nor I turned into babbling fangirl idiots. I consider that a success! The least said about my train ride home, the better... Overall it was a fabulous day and great experience. I'm very glad we went.
Wednesday was to be my second author talk/signing. Yes, two in one week! Jaime Oliver was going to be at our local Barnes and Noble! This one, sadly, wasn't nearly as good. The tickets were being handed out starting at 4pm. Brian was awesome and traded shifts to get there in time to get tickets for me and Michelle, who was going to come with me. And again, we had fabulous seats. Brian got us tickets number 4 and 5! Unfortunatley, Michelle got sick at work that afternoon and ended up going home and not coming to the signing. It sounds like it was a very nasty bug, so I'm happy she went and took care of herself. Now, where NG's signing was well organized and run, this was the opposite. Whoever does the scheduling for Jamie Oliver thought it would be no problem to get out here from Manhattan in 75 minutes during peak rush hour. Doh! He ended up arriving a little past 8, and because he was running so late, they cancelled the talk portion of the evening, and the autographs were restricted to just autographs. Not even personalized ones like we got from NG. I'm very glad we'd been to that one first so I saw how positive an experience it could be. This one would have sworn me off them otherwise.
Then last night (Friday), Brian got one of his Christmas presents early. I had to give it to him early, since it was tickets to a show, and they would have been useless if I'd waited! We went and saw the Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood show! We saw them a couple of years ago and had a fantastic time of it, so I was really pleased to see they were coming back this way and the tickets were more than affordable. Being Mr. Uncurious that he is, he's known there were tickets that were a gift for him on the bulletin board in an opened envelope for almost 2 months now and had no desire to peak at what they were! No way would I have managed that feat! The show was as phenomenal as we remembered and we both had a great time. We laughed until it hurt and then kept laughing some more! It's all improv comedy, mostly loosely based on games from shows like "Whose Line is it Anyways?". I can't recommend it highly enough!
Then this morning I went back to the dentist again. This time to get the permanent crown put in on the tooth I had the root canal done. It went really well, much better than I had any expectation of. It's never pleasant, but it didn't hurt, and now I should not have any further problems with that tooth. And the problem I'd developed with the other teeth being super sensitive to cold was caused by my "overbrushing". I've got a paste that should help, and am told to brush gentler and it will go much better. This afternoon, since I'm doing much better, we're going out to see Quantum of Solace. We both really want to go see Becky's Choir concert tonight in Mineola, but we're playing it by ear on how I'm feeling. Keep your fingers crossed!
Sunday we headed into the city and went to the American Museum of Natural History to use our Space tickets we'd gotten when we signed up for our membership. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to use them, they expire Dec. 4th! Then we met up with our friends Tina and Neal for the real reason for the trip into the city: a talk and signing by Neil Gaiman! We went out to dinner first at a little italian place that turned out to be pretty good. My pasta was excellent, Tina and Neal's pizza was fantastic and we all wanted to steal some of Brian's lasagna... Then off to the talk! I've never been to something like this so I didn't really know what to expect. We had fabulous seats. Third row back and in the center, and although we bought them separately online using the "best available" option, we ended up right next to each other! The talk was awesome and very entertaining. The host (Chip Kidd) was fabulous at his job. He kept it moving and convinced Neil Gaiman to tell some absolutely fabulous stories. Then it was into the signing line. And the real flaw of the organization came through. The signing line started from the rear of the auditorium. Meaning those of us who were great fans and bought our tickets early were stuck at the end of the line. Grrr! We ended up sending Brian home early to catch an earlier train since he had to work early in the morning. But eventually we got to our turn to get things signed, and neither Tina nor I turned into babbling fangirl idiots. I consider that a success! The least said about my train ride home, the better... Overall it was a fabulous day and great experience. I'm very glad we went.
Wednesday was to be my second author talk/signing. Yes, two in one week! Jaime Oliver was going to be at our local Barnes and Noble! This one, sadly, wasn't nearly as good. The tickets were being handed out starting at 4pm. Brian was awesome and traded shifts to get there in time to get tickets for me and Michelle, who was going to come with me. And again, we had fabulous seats. Brian got us tickets number 4 and 5! Unfortunatley, Michelle got sick at work that afternoon and ended up going home and not coming to the signing. It sounds like it was a very nasty bug, so I'm happy she went and took care of herself. Now, where NG's signing was well organized and run, this was the opposite. Whoever does the scheduling for Jamie Oliver thought it would be no problem to get out here from Manhattan in 75 minutes during peak rush hour. Doh! He ended up arriving a little past 8, and because he was running so late, they cancelled the talk portion of the evening, and the autographs were restricted to just autographs. Not even personalized ones like we got from NG. I'm very glad we'd been to that one first so I saw how positive an experience it could be. This one would have sworn me off them otherwise.
Then last night (Friday), Brian got one of his Christmas presents early. I had to give it to him early, since it was tickets to a show, and they would have been useless if I'd waited! We went and saw the Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood show! We saw them a couple of years ago and had a fantastic time of it, so I was really pleased to see they were coming back this way and the tickets were more than affordable. Being Mr. Uncurious that he is, he's known there were tickets that were a gift for him on the bulletin board in an opened envelope for almost 2 months now and had no desire to peak at what they were! No way would I have managed that feat! The show was as phenomenal as we remembered and we both had a great time. We laughed until it hurt and then kept laughing some more! It's all improv comedy, mostly loosely based on games from shows like "Whose Line is it Anyways?". I can't recommend it highly enough!
Then this morning I went back to the dentist again. This time to get the permanent crown put in on the tooth I had the root canal done. It went really well, much better than I had any expectation of. It's never pleasant, but it didn't hurt, and now I should not have any further problems with that tooth. And the problem I'd developed with the other teeth being super sensitive to cold was caused by my "overbrushing". I've got a paste that should help, and am told to brush gentler and it will go much better. This afternoon, since I'm doing much better, we're going out to see Quantum of Solace. We both really want to go see Becky's Choir concert tonight in Mineola, but we're playing it by ear on how I'm feeling. Keep your fingers crossed!
And cue the nightmares
I've had problems with nightmares for years. Never know when a random one will hit, but I know not to do things that will encourage them. Like watch scary movies. I've been teased since I was a teenager that I was such a wuss. And I never cared because the teasing was faaaaaar better than the nightmare. Interestingly, I can read things as freaky as I like and be fine. Even Brian (who loves scary movies, the more intense the better) was pretty freaked out by Neil Gaiman's Sandman and had to stop reading it at bedtime. Me, I ran through the first volume in two nights of bedtime reading and was fine.
So take tonight. I know the root of this dream, at 8:30am, I'll be back at the dentist for the crown.* And tonight I get hit with a dozy of a nightmare. Involving a freaky nasty insane dental surgeon who, amongst other horrors, cuts the tongues from siamese twin girls (about 9 years old). Then, with a proper nice announcer voice saying "meanwhile, in the next operating room over" my dentist is just getting started on me. And has a heart attack. And other surgeon comes in to take over. Thankfully, I woke up at that point. But if you think I can get back to sleep tonight, you're as insane as the freaky guy!
So I'm just going to sit here and catch up on everyone's blogs. Distract myself. And love Percy to death, since it's what he wants me to do anyways!
*And is it just me, or is 8:30am on a Saturday not an inhumane time to have to be at the dentist?
So take tonight. I know the root of this dream, at 8:30am, I'll be back at the dentist for the crown.* And tonight I get hit with a dozy of a nightmare. Involving a freaky nasty insane dental surgeon who, amongst other horrors, cuts the tongues from siamese twin girls (about 9 years old). Then, with a proper nice announcer voice saying "meanwhile, in the next operating room over" my dentist is just getting started on me. And has a heart attack. And other surgeon comes in to take over. Thankfully, I woke up at that point. But if you think I can get back to sleep tonight, you're as insane as the freaky guy!
So I'm just going to sit here and catch up on everyone's blogs. Distract myself. And love Percy to death, since it's what he wants me to do anyways!
*And is it just me, or is 8:30am on a Saturday not an inhumane time to have to be at the dentist?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
I survived!
I had a root canal this morning and still made it to work by 9am. And best of all, absolutely no ouch. None. In fact, (granted probably due to the drugs) I fell asleep while they were still working on getting my jaw frozen. It's sore this evening, of course, but I'm amazed at how big an improvement this is over past experiences at the dentist. I'll be going back to him without qualm. I'm not looking forward to it at all, but I'm no longer terrified. Which is good because I go back for the crown on the 15th!
Now, if only I can get off the drugs long enough to get some stitching done! I did get Michelle's birthday card done in time for today, but still need to do several other family ones and get them in the mail.
Now, if only I can get off the drugs long enough to get some stitching done! I did get Michelle's birthday card done in time for today, but still need to do several other family ones and get them in the mail.
Monday, October 06, 2008
To Switch or Not to Switch
So... Yahoo has changed the terms of my webhosting package. It's actually turned out to be a pretty good thing for me, and one of the nice changes is that I can now set up my own Wordpress blog really easily and get away from Blogger. I never go near my hosting/transfer limit (which just went up by orders of magnitude anyways) so I'm thinking of switching. So I wanted to ask those of you who use WordPress, do you love it? Hate it? Little things that bug you?
And most importantly, have any of you migrated your blog? How hard was it? I'd rather not lose the last several years worth of posts...
Thoughts folks?
And most importantly, have any of you migrated your blog? How hard was it? I'd rather not lose the last several years worth of posts...
Thoughts folks?
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Update!
I've seen this questionaire used before, and I'm finally giving in. It's better than not posting at all, right?
September 2008 Round Up
What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Books: Deed of Paksenarrion (re-read at work)
The Conquerer (on Palm)
Hellboy novel (for fun on vacation)
Started: Crocodiles on the Sandbank (iPod)
Polar Shift (brain fluff reading)
5 things from the pile of magazines (1 Pop. Sci. and the other 4 from the MNH which we are members of.)
What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
New shows: Fringe (Not for us, too science light and unbelievable)
Bones (LOVING it!)
Returning Favourites: NCIS, CSI, Biggest Loser, DWTS (so I know what they’re talking about at work) and Survivor
New movies: A bunch of silly things while I was at home sick. Nothing I would have normally wasted any time on and nothing I’d recommend anyone watch. But better than nothing while propped up on the couch fighting to breath without moving :P
What special days did I celebrate and how?
Ummm… 8 days at Disney! It was a combined annual vacation/wedding anniversary/got our Greencards/Brian has a job trip and WONDERFUL.
Brian went to Becky’s unbirthday party and had a great time.
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Hallowe’en exchange with Rose in New Zealand, see photos in another post.
Lots of gifts for people from Disney.
Birthday card/Gift for Becky.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
MASSIVE ear and strep throat infection started our last night at Disney. 2 full courses of antibiotics, 1 ten day course of steroids and 1 ruptured ear drum later, I’m mostly better. I still have very little stamina, but it’s getting better every day. Brian picked up a little of my infections, but we got him to the Dr. ASAP and she didn’t mess around with him on antibiotics so it wasn’t nearly as bad for him.*
*Not that she messed around with me, but I’ve got drug allergies and can’t take two whole classes of antibiotics. We try not to use the extra-strong-kills-everything ones of the few I can take unless we have to so I don’t build up any resistant infections. I have enough health problems without going there! The first round killed the strep right away, apparently they just got bogged down there and didn’t go looking for any other fights :P
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Disney!!! (Do we see a theme here?) Normally there’d be more than just that, but getting sick right after knocked me right out.
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Lots of new foods at Disney. We had the dining plan and made the most of it we could. Confirmed that I can’t eat Crimini mushrooms either. :( We had a great chef at Le Cellier who was the one that told me Crimini are apparently baby Portobello mushrooms (which I know I have a problem with). I decided to risk it and try just a single mouthful of Brian’s mushroom risotto because it looked soooo good. It was! It was heavenly in fact. Paying for it for the rest of the day was not. I do, however, have the recipe now and will be attempting it at home with mushrooms I *can* eat!
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
We sprung for special photos at Disney. Not something I’d ever have really decided to spend the $$ on myself, but Brian actually spoke up about REALLY wanting them. It’s so very rare that he actually wants something I was happy to indulge him.
What were this month's disappointments?
Not much really. Brian got a promotion that came without a raise, which was disappointing, but his annual review is coming in October. He’d better get a good one then!
Ruining the end of our vacation wasn't exactly on my list of high points, but overall it could have been a lot worse. What if I'd gotten sick the first night instead of the last? And given how susceptible I tend to be to things when in crowds, I'll take it. Stupid lazy immune system!
What were my accomplishments this month?
I finally finished the birth sampler I’d been working on for ages! And started the next of my obligation stitching pieces.
I got started into my unread magazine pile, which I have been meaning to for a while. It's over a foot tall...
And I leave you with something that makes me smile very, very much!
I think I might have to give in to Valerie and Michelle at work and start knitting...
Anything else noteworthy to record?
September 2008 Round Up
What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Books: Deed of Paksenarrion (re-read at work)
The Conquerer (on Palm)
Hellboy novel (for fun on vacation)
Started: Crocodiles on the Sandbank (iPod)
Polar Shift (brain fluff reading)
5 things from the pile of magazines (1 Pop. Sci. and the other 4 from the MNH which we are members of.)
What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
New shows: Fringe (Not for us, too science light and unbelievable)
Bones (LOVING it!)
Returning Favourites: NCIS, CSI, Biggest Loser, DWTS (so I know what they’re talking about at work) and Survivor
New movies: A bunch of silly things while I was at home sick. Nothing I would have normally wasted any time on and nothing I’d recommend anyone watch. But better than nothing while propped up on the couch fighting to breath without moving :P
What special days did I celebrate and how?
Ummm… 8 days at Disney! It was a combined annual vacation/wedding anniversary/got our Greencards/Brian has a job trip and WONDERFUL.
Brian went to Becky’s unbirthday party and had a great time.
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Hallowe’en exchange with Rose in New Zealand, see photos in another post.
Lots of gifts for people from Disney.
Birthday card/Gift for Becky.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
MASSIVE ear and strep throat infection started our last night at Disney. 2 full courses of antibiotics, 1 ten day course of steroids and 1 ruptured ear drum later, I’m mostly better. I still have very little stamina, but it’s getting better every day. Brian picked up a little of my infections, but we got him to the Dr. ASAP and she didn’t mess around with him on antibiotics so it wasn’t nearly as bad for him.*
*Not that she messed around with me, but I’ve got drug allergies and can’t take two whole classes of antibiotics. We try not to use the extra-strong-kills-everything ones of the few I can take unless we have to so I don’t build up any resistant infections. I have enough health problems without going there! The first round killed the strep right away, apparently they just got bogged down there and didn’t go looking for any other fights :P
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Disney!!! (Do we see a theme here?) Normally there’d be more than just that, but getting sick right after knocked me right out.
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Lots of new foods at Disney. We had the dining plan and made the most of it we could. Confirmed that I can’t eat Crimini mushrooms either. :( We had a great chef at Le Cellier who was the one that told me Crimini are apparently baby Portobello mushrooms (which I know I have a problem with). I decided to risk it and try just a single mouthful of Brian’s mushroom risotto because it looked soooo good. It was! It was heavenly in fact. Paying for it for the rest of the day was not. I do, however, have the recipe now and will be attempting it at home with mushrooms I *can* eat!
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
We sprung for special photos at Disney. Not something I’d ever have really decided to spend the $$ on myself, but Brian actually spoke up about REALLY wanting them. It’s so very rare that he actually wants something I was happy to indulge him.
What were this month's disappointments?
Not much really. Brian got a promotion that came without a raise, which was disappointing, but his annual review is coming in October. He’d better get a good one then!
Ruining the end of our vacation wasn't exactly on my list of high points, but overall it could have been a lot worse. What if I'd gotten sick the first night instead of the last? And given how susceptible I tend to be to things when in crowds, I'll take it. Stupid lazy immune system!
What were my accomplishments this month?
I finally finished the birth sampler I’d been working on for ages! And started the next of my obligation stitching pieces.
I got started into my unread magazine pile, which I have been meaning to for a while. It's over a foot tall...
And I leave you with something that makes me smile very, very much!
I think I might have to give in to Valerie and Michelle at work and start knitting...
Anything else noteworthy to record?
Friday, September 19, 2008
Help me name my new car, please!
I'm trying to come up with something fun for the license plate of the new car. Brian has decided he'd rather keep the older black elantra, and wants to keep the XVART plate on it. So now I need to come up with something for this one...
The DMV's site where you can check if the plate is available is here.
I'm leaning towards something TARDIS related because the car really does seem bigger on the inside than the outside! But the MY BMBLB plates just don't work. I'm turning them into the DMV for a refund this afternoon.
The DMV's site where you can check if the plate is available is here.
I'm leaning towards something TARDIS related because the car really does seem bigger on the inside than the outside! But the MY BMBLB plates just don't work. I'm turning them into the DMV for a refund this afternoon.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Meet the new Xvart!
So, to explain, no we don't own two new cars. We're not that rich. :( Brian might be able to work legally at last, but he's not making that much. :)
I sold my bumblebee.
I know, I loved the car. I truly did. But I had a lot of problems with the dealership. Including one that could conceivably have lead to me suing the dealership. And the "service manager" getting pissy with me and hanging up on me because I wasn't happy with his "service" and called and made a complaint. Lets just say it was pretty ugly and to the point I didn't want to deal with them. And since smart is so new in the US, there are only 50 dealerships total to cover all of the US. But the car itself was great. And I had a friend who also loved them. And his local dealership was adding several thousands in dealer add ons... But his dealership is great. Wonderful even. So we made a deal.
He's happy and I'm happy. I'd have loved to have a smart. But I WON'T deal with the dealership.
So say hello to my new blue Elantra! To be rechristened Xvart the Second once I find out how to transfer the plates from the black Elantra. It's pretty, if anonymous, and it gets good gas mileage and will get me to and from work safely. AND it worked out to be significantly cheaper than my smart with the end of model year deals. I'm pleased with it!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
A long overdue WOHOOOOOOO
This should have been posted sooner, but we had a trip home and wanted to surprise our families with the news. I don't think anyone was waiting with baited breath, cetrainly not us...
We got our greencards!!!!!!
After eight and a half years, we finally got them. It's been a pretty hard, ugly process for us, but it's now done. At least until 5 years from now when we can apply for citizenship. :) What this means is that we're free. Free to move. Free to work for whomever we want. Free to work a second job (as a Stampin' Up demonstrator for example). Free to buy a house without 25% down (not that it's happening on LI, but I can dream). Closer to being able to adopt a child. Free to get a promotion at work. Just, generally, free.
The trip home was quite the adventure as well. We were approved on Friday the 20th. Planned to go home the next weekend, leaving on Thursday the 26th. As soon as we were approved, our old visas were no good to get us back across the US borders. So we booked the first appointment we could get with USCIS to get our passports stamped. Which was for Thursday the 26th. Packed everything up in our little bumblebee and headed to Hicksville, which is closer to NYC and has much more frequent train service. Caught the 7am train in, then the subway to the office. Waited in one line, then in the big waiting room. At 11:30 we finally were called. And the lady refused to stamp our passports! Because our cards themselves had already been ordered. Even though it could be as much as 90 days before we got them! To explain just how screwed up the process for getting a stamp in our passports actually was, I asked the officer the following:
Me: "So, just to make sure I'm clear on this. In order to have gotten our passports stamped, we would have had to have booked an appointment 4 days before we were approved and could know we would need the appointment, and would have had to have managed to be here during the 6 hour window in which your systems showed we were approved but our cards had not yet been ordered?"
Her: "Well, it sounds bad when you put it like that, but yes"
We left the USCIS office and I was totally brokenhearted. After all we went through to get the !%@$ things, they had to pull this? We cancelled the trip home, which was for my nephew's Christening (Brian and I are godparents) and also coincided with the surprise party plans for Brian's sister's 30th birthday. And we both went into work Friday. While explaining (numerous times) at work what I was doing there, friends encouraged me to go home at lunch and check the mail, just in case. I finally gave in and went.
And the cards were there!
I quickly threw everything back into the car and hurried back to work. Called Brian, had a mini celebration at work, snuck out early and we hit the road that afternoon! It was an insanely short trip home, we arrived Saturday afternoon and left at 5:30 am Monday. The original plan was to leave Sunday evening and make Buffalo to make Monday's drive shorter, but I just couldn't do it. We decided to do the drive back all in one shot on Monday. Ugh, I remember now why we don't like doing that! At least by leaving at 5:30am we only added about an hour onto our drive due to rush hour traffic. Total time back was 12.5 hours. But we made it! And we've got the cards!
Oh, and the car was awesome. No problems with comfort, and the fuel economy can't be beat. Our best tank was 52 mpg. That was distinctly with Brian driving and also with the AC on. Most of my fills ended up in the low 40's which is still nothing to sneeze at! When we hit US Customs in Buffalo, the inspector was funny about it. He asked if we had anything to declare, were we bringing anything back? Well, obviously not much, but he still had to ask! :) It was cute.
We got our greencards!!!!!!
After eight and a half years, we finally got them. It's been a pretty hard, ugly process for us, but it's now done. At least until 5 years from now when we can apply for citizenship. :) What this means is that we're free. Free to move. Free to work for whomever we want. Free to work a second job (as a Stampin' Up demonstrator for example). Free to buy a house without 25% down (not that it's happening on LI, but I can dream). Closer to being able to adopt a child. Free to get a promotion at work. Just, generally, free.
The trip home was quite the adventure as well. We were approved on Friday the 20th. Planned to go home the next weekend, leaving on Thursday the 26th. As soon as we were approved, our old visas were no good to get us back across the US borders. So we booked the first appointment we could get with USCIS to get our passports stamped. Which was for Thursday the 26th. Packed everything up in our little bumblebee and headed to Hicksville, which is closer to NYC and has much more frequent train service. Caught the 7am train in, then the subway to the office. Waited in one line, then in the big waiting room. At 11:30 we finally were called. And the lady refused to stamp our passports! Because our cards themselves had already been ordered. Even though it could be as much as 90 days before we got them! To explain just how screwed up the process for getting a stamp in our passports actually was, I asked the officer the following:
Me: "So, just to make sure I'm clear on this. In order to have gotten our passports stamped, we would have had to have booked an appointment 4 days before we were approved and could know we would need the appointment, and would have had to have managed to be here during the 6 hour window in which your systems showed we were approved but our cards had not yet been ordered?"
Her: "Well, it sounds bad when you put it like that, but yes"
We left the USCIS office and I was totally brokenhearted. After all we went through to get the !%@$ things, they had to pull this? We cancelled the trip home, which was for my nephew's Christening (Brian and I are godparents) and also coincided with the surprise party plans for Brian's sister's 30th birthday. And we both went into work Friday. While explaining (numerous times) at work what I was doing there, friends encouraged me to go home at lunch and check the mail, just in case. I finally gave in and went.
And the cards were there!
I quickly threw everything back into the car and hurried back to work. Called Brian, had a mini celebration at work, snuck out early and we hit the road that afternoon! It was an insanely short trip home, we arrived Saturday afternoon and left at 5:30 am Monday. The original plan was to leave Sunday evening and make Buffalo to make Monday's drive shorter, but I just couldn't do it. We decided to do the drive back all in one shot on Monday. Ugh, I remember now why we don't like doing that! At least by leaving at 5:30am we only added about an hour onto our drive due to rush hour traffic. Total time back was 12.5 hours. But we made it! And we've got the cards!
Oh, and the car was awesome. No problems with comfort, and the fuel economy can't be beat. Our best tank was 52 mpg. That was distinctly with Brian driving and also with the AC on. Most of my fills ended up in the low 40's which is still nothing to sneeze at! When we hit US Customs in Buffalo, the inspector was funny about it. He asked if we had anything to declare, were we bringing anything back? Well, obviously not much, but he still had to ask! :) It was cute.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Take That!
There's a certain someone out there who complains about my cooking, and in particular that I use too much fat/oil/meat in my cooking and that it's going to kill Brian because heart problems run in his family. Me, personally, just with my cooking. There are three important facts to know here. First, the food I make when we have company over is very different from what we eat every night. It's a chance to splurge, to make something special. Secondly, yes, high cholesterol does run in Brian's family. We're watching it and taking appropriate measures. When he got his first high reading at his annual physical, we made a lot of changes to how we eat, started exercising more and paid attention. One year later, it'd gone up another 75 points. That's genetics. Not food. And thirdly, I donated blood last month. When you do, they test your cholesterol level and send you the results.
Total cholesterol: 169 mg/dL
Take that!
(For those who don't know, in order for you to have high cholesterol, you need to be over 240, and anything below 150 isn't healthy either as you're likely too low on the "good" cholesterol)
Total cholesterol: 169 mg/dL
Take that!
(For those who don't know, in order for you to have high cholesterol, you need to be over 240, and anything below 150 isn't healthy either as you're likely too low on the "good" cholesterol)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Vignettes of a busy weekend
Saturday morning on the train:
An 8 year old girl and her dad were sitting behind me. Girl asks dad "But dad, when can I start to play Dungeons and Dragons? It looks like so much fun!" Guess who I spent my ride talking to. She was thrilled that I was actually going in to run a D&D adventure for a bunch of guys. "See dad, girls really can do anything!"
Saturday afternoon during the game:
We discovered that V has never seen a real James Bond movie! The adventure itself was a full on Bond hommage and a lot of fun. V will be coming over soon for a Bond day. Hrm, Roger Moore or Sean Connery first?
Saturday evening:
JenJen called while I was running the adventure. It was her birthday and they had tickets to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway. But Joey was sick and couldn't go. Was I interested in the other ticket and could I get into the city in time?
Sunday morning:
How many smartcar owners does it take to make a smart circle? Only one. The trick is getting all the others to listen to the one! The meetup was really neat, and there was a photographer there from National Geographic taking tons of photos. My bee could be in NatGeo!
Sunday evening:
Brian and I slowly discover we have joined the legions of the lobster people. Apparently 2.5 hours in the direct sunlight was too much, even through the SPF 50 sunscreen! Brian was also a little heatstroked, so we spent the evening taking care of him.
An 8 year old girl and her dad were sitting behind me. Girl asks dad "But dad, when can I start to play Dungeons and Dragons? It looks like so much fun!" Guess who I spent my ride talking to. She was thrilled that I was actually going in to run a D&D adventure for a bunch of guys. "See dad, girls really can do anything!"
Saturday afternoon during the game:
We discovered that V has never seen a real James Bond movie! The adventure itself was a full on Bond hommage and a lot of fun. V will be coming over soon for a Bond day. Hrm, Roger Moore or Sean Connery first?
Saturday evening:
JenJen called while I was running the adventure. It was her birthday and they had tickets to see The Little Mermaid on Broadway. But Joey was sick and couldn't go. Was I interested in the other ticket and could I get into the city in time?
Sunday morning:
How many smartcar owners does it take to make a smart circle? Only one. The trick is getting all the others to listen to the one! The meetup was really neat, and there was a photographer there from National Geographic taking tons of photos. My bee could be in NatGeo!
Sunday evening:
Brian and I slowly discover we have joined the legions of the lobster people. Apparently 2.5 hours in the direct sunlight was too much, even through the SPF 50 sunscreen! Brian was also a little heatstroked, so we spent the evening taking care of him.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Two Great Weekends
In a row!
Last weekend was Brian's birthday on Friday. We both took the day off and enjoyed life, and the gorgeous weather. We slept in, saw the new Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie (definately a wait for the DVD, or better cable), then went to play pool at Dave and Busters. We got a call from our friends Ruth and David that they'd had a minor plan change and were now on their way over! They'd been planning on coming down to the area for Passover and had asked about cheap hotels... And our place is free!
Saturday was spent relaxing and having fun just hanging out. I feel bad that Ruth and Brian ended up doing my planting for me (my back still won't allow that), but given that the lilies are distinctly growing, I think it was a good idea. I tried to go get bloodwork done, but they'd changed the hours. Murp! I (or truthfully Dave) put the new plates on my car too! Wohoo!
We'd planned a very casual BBQ for Saturday night since Brian asked me NOT to plan a birthday party. It was also the weekend of NY Comic Con, so many of our friends were busy with that. It ended up with Brian, me, Michelle, Ruth and David. We relaxed, gamed, chatted a lot, played Wii (they brought Mario Party, which I can so see myself addicted to) and Marble Mania, which Ruth had brought as a thank you gift. It's me who owes them a thank you! I am so very much enjoying this game, and it's totally non competitive, which I appreciate. Sunday was spent calm and relaxed as well.
It's been so very long since we just had a calm, relaxing, fun weekend like that, and we needed it. It very much recharged my batteries.
This weekend was also a load of fun. We had tickets Saturday night to go see MacBeth staring Patrick Stewart with Joe, Jen, Jess and Jay. We decided we may need to change our names to "J" names too... The play was really good with phenomenal performances. In particular, the three Witches were incredible, and creepy. It was staged to be occurring at some point during a war in the early part of the 20th century and that lent an interesting twist. The dialogue was all just as Shakespeare had written it, but with the slightly modern setting. I am so very glad we went as it was such an experience.
Then, today, we had tickets to see Curtains. We've both been wanting to see it since it started last year, so I bought Brian tickets for his birthday. Shortly after I'd bought them they announced the show was closing the end of May. For anyone local, I *STRONGLY* urge you to go see it before it ends if you enjoy musicals or comedies. For this was great as both!
Last weekend was Brian's birthday on Friday. We both took the day off and enjoyed life, and the gorgeous weather. We slept in, saw the new Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie (definately a wait for the DVD, or better cable), then went to play pool at Dave and Busters. We got a call from our friends Ruth and David that they'd had a minor plan change and were now on their way over! They'd been planning on coming down to the area for Passover and had asked about cheap hotels... And our place is free!
Saturday was spent relaxing and having fun just hanging out. I feel bad that Ruth and Brian ended up doing my planting for me (my back still won't allow that), but given that the lilies are distinctly growing, I think it was a good idea. I tried to go get bloodwork done, but they'd changed the hours. Murp! I (or truthfully Dave) put the new plates on my car too! Wohoo!
We'd planned a very casual BBQ for Saturday night since Brian asked me NOT to plan a birthday party. It was also the weekend of NY Comic Con, so many of our friends were busy with that. It ended up with Brian, me, Michelle, Ruth and David. We relaxed, gamed, chatted a lot, played Wii (they brought Mario Party, which I can so see myself addicted to) and Marble Mania, which Ruth had brought as a thank you gift. It's me who owes them a thank you! I am so very much enjoying this game, and it's totally non competitive, which I appreciate. Sunday was spent calm and relaxed as well.
It's been so very long since we just had a calm, relaxing, fun weekend like that, and we needed it. It very much recharged my batteries.
This weekend was also a load of fun. We had tickets Saturday night to go see MacBeth staring Patrick Stewart with Joe, Jen, Jess and Jay. We decided we may need to change our names to "J" names too... The play was really good with phenomenal performances. In particular, the three Witches were incredible, and creepy. It was staged to be occurring at some point during a war in the early part of the 20th century and that lent an interesting twist. The dialogue was all just as Shakespeare had written it, but with the slightly modern setting. I am so very glad we went as it was such an experience.
Then, today, we had tickets to see Curtains. We've both been wanting to see it since it started last year, so I bought Brian tickets for his birthday. Shortly after I'd bought them they announced the show was closing the end of May. For anyone local, I *STRONGLY* urge you to go see it before it ends if you enjoy musicals or comedies. For this was great as both!
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