Oh my gosh was I productive today!!! I'm so thrilled I got as much done as I did. My day started when I left the house at 8am to have breakfast with Sue. Here's what happened afterwards:
- picked up Sue and went to Shaws for breakfast
- stopped at a yard sale on the way back to her house
- picked up Chris (her husband) and went to Beaver Valley Farm for dog food
- spent quite a while there, picked up 4 small Phlox plants, a purple columbine plant, milky spore for the stupid Japanese beetles that eat my basil, dog food, cat food, and 2 black Viola plants (gorgeous)
- dropped off Chris & Sue and went home
- unloaded everything out of the car and got set up for some serious weeding/planting
- did poop patrol
- picked up a billion sticks in the yard and added them to the (still neat) wood pile
- tried to start the tractor so I could quickly mow the 2 ft green stuff known as grass
- pushed the tractor to my car so I could jump it since it wouldn't start
- tried jumping the tractor, then asked my neighbor if he could play with it
- went to Pep Boys and got a new tractor battery
- installed the battery and tried to start the tractor
- drove to the tractor repair place to make an appt for it to be fixed
- pushed the tractor back into the yard
- completely annihilated the small section next to the back stairs, ripped everything out, moved all the rocks, and sifted the soil
- planted the big burning bush and a few babies (for good measure)
- planted 6 Cannas
- planted a dozen gladiolus
- mulched the whole thing
- weeded the front gardens
- planted the violas
- planted the purple calla lilies
- planted the clematis
- weeded the hosta area completely
- mulched the hosta area (black mulch looks sooooo good!)
- put all the gardening stuff away
- got all of the surface dirt off of me (kinda)
- drove to the store and bought a new patio set
- spent an hour trying to figure out how to load it in the car (the kids loading it were no help)
- put the long table, umbrella, and umbrella stand in the driveway
- moved the round table to the small section of deck off the stairs
- moved all the pots over to the round table
- swept up and hosed off the entire deck
- managed to unload the 6 chairs, umbrella, umbrella stand, and the table and bring them up on the deck
- assembled the table (1 1/2 hours)
- set everything up and moved around all of the other chairs and the small rectangular table
And walla! I'm done! Not bad for a 13 1/2 hour day. I forgot to eat lunch (and dinner for that matter) so I think I'll go have an orange and then head to bed. :) Flyball practice starts at 8am!
D
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
just shoot me...
...actually, don't shoot me know, I wish it had happened 3 hours ago.
I don't normally go into as much detail as I'm about to after a date. But this was just....well...bad. It started out ok, he gave me flowers when he came to pick me up. That was a really nice thought and it was much appreciated. What girl doesn't like to receive flowers?
Anyway, I'm not even sure how to continue without sounding like a complete jerk. So I'm just going to lay it all out there and pray that he never finds my blog. First off, he lied. He's not heavyset. No man that has a stomach that big is heavyset. When the seat is as far back as it can go and your stomach is rubbing against the steering wheel, you're not heavyset. I can deal with a few extra pounds. I have a few extra pounds. Stomach stapling is not necessary for a few extra pounds or a heavyset frame. (No offense to anyone that needs to have their stomach stapled or has a heavyset frame.)
Moving forward 10 minutes - I hate the way he drives. *Hate* it. Erratic. Dangerous. Unsafe. *Hate* it. He's the type of person that sees a car with their signal on, and speeds up just so they can't pass. Not liking the driving. At all. Nope. One of those rides where you keep checking the seatbelt to make sure it's fastened.
Another 10 minutes - this is the longest trip to Waltham I've ever taken in my life.
In Waltham, we can't find a parking space. I'm thinking, "Oh good! We can turn around and go home!" No. We circle around a few times and find one. "Damn!"
Once we're in the restaurant, I catch him looking at me - *all* the time. What I (and every other normal American) would consider staring. Great. "Can I have another beer?" "Please???" "And please hurry. :)"
Over dinner, he's too busy eating - literally - everything on his plate to look at me, which I wasn't upset about. A few idle questions here and there, nothing big.
Y'know how in some TV shows they show the scene of what's happening but then overlay what the person's thoughts are over the scene? That was me. The whole time. No kidding.
We get the check. He figures out the tip. He tells me that learning Calculus has ruined him for simple math. "Sigh..." I look at the slip, which is just out there on the table and figure out what the tip *should* be. It's not her fault Calculus has ruined his math skills, she was on top of everything! When we leave, I tell him to go ahead, signal her over and pass over some cash to make up for what was left on the slip. "20%. How hard is it to figure out 20%?"
There's an ice cream shop up the street, we stop in there. I have more than half of my meal in a doggie bag and am full so no ice cream for me. He gets a small whatever and we walk back to the car. We sit inside the car while he eats his ice cream. Silently, because he's eating. "He'll be done soon. I'll be home soon."
Driving (if you call it that) back, I see signs for 93 "Almost there - only 15 mins from here!" Someone tries to get on the highway, he speeds up. "Great. I always wanted to be road pizza..."
I see the sign for Methuen - 5 miles ahead. "HALLELUJAH!" (Complete with angelic sopranos and everything - similar to what you hear in movies.)
We take the exit off of the highway. "I guess Stop doesn't mean 'Stop' for him." (Anxiously looking around to make sure I'm not going to become road pizza.....again. Seatbelt? Check!)
At the set of lights. "I can walk home, no problem."
Turning on my street. "Yay! I've never been so happy to be home!!!"
In my driveway. Saying: 'Thank you, I had a good time.'
(Thinking: "Please don't lean over. Please don't lean over. Please don't lean over. Oh wait. He can't."
'Yup. Talk soon. Bye.'
I can't even begin to describe how many other thoughts I had in that short 3 hours that felt like 15. And everyone that I'd like to vent to is A) out, B) sleeping, or C) Unavailable.
Oh, and did I mention that our personalities were a little clashy? "The sky's blue." "No it's not, it's Cerulean." "Sigh....(is it worth the argument? No.) Ok.....sigh"
I'm going to bed to lose myself in a book. :)
D
I don't normally go into as much detail as I'm about to after a date. But this was just....well...bad. It started out ok, he gave me flowers when he came to pick me up. That was a really nice thought and it was much appreciated. What girl doesn't like to receive flowers?
Anyway, I'm not even sure how to continue without sounding like a complete jerk. So I'm just going to lay it all out there and pray that he never finds my blog. First off, he lied. He's not heavyset. No man that has a stomach that big is heavyset. When the seat is as far back as it can go and your stomach is rubbing against the steering wheel, you're not heavyset. I can deal with a few extra pounds. I have a few extra pounds. Stomach stapling is not necessary for a few extra pounds or a heavyset frame. (No offense to anyone that needs to have their stomach stapled or has a heavyset frame.)
Moving forward 10 minutes - I hate the way he drives. *Hate* it. Erratic. Dangerous. Unsafe. *Hate* it. He's the type of person that sees a car with their signal on, and speeds up just so they can't pass. Not liking the driving. At all. Nope. One of those rides where you keep checking the seatbelt to make sure it's fastened.
Another 10 minutes - this is the longest trip to Waltham I've ever taken in my life.
In Waltham, we can't find a parking space. I'm thinking, "Oh good! We can turn around and go home!" No. We circle around a few times and find one. "Damn!"
Once we're in the restaurant, I catch him looking at me - *all* the time. What I (and every other normal American) would consider staring. Great. "Can I have another beer?" "Please???" "And please hurry. :)"
Over dinner, he's too busy eating - literally - everything on his plate to look at me, which I wasn't upset about. A few idle questions here and there, nothing big.
Y'know how in some TV shows they show the scene of what's happening but then overlay what the person's thoughts are over the scene? That was me. The whole time. No kidding.
We get the check. He figures out the tip. He tells me that learning Calculus has ruined him for simple math. "Sigh..." I look at the slip, which is just out there on the table and figure out what the tip *should* be. It's not her fault Calculus has ruined his math skills, she was on top of everything! When we leave, I tell him to go ahead, signal her over and pass over some cash to make up for what was left on the slip. "20%. How hard is it to figure out 20%?"
There's an ice cream shop up the street, we stop in there. I have more than half of my meal in a doggie bag and am full so no ice cream for me. He gets a small whatever and we walk back to the car. We sit inside the car while he eats his ice cream. Silently, because he's eating. "He'll be done soon. I'll be home soon."
Driving (if you call it that) back, I see signs for 93 "Almost there - only 15 mins from here!" Someone tries to get on the highway, he speeds up. "Great. I always wanted to be road pizza..."
I see the sign for Methuen - 5 miles ahead. "HALLELUJAH!" (Complete with angelic sopranos and everything - similar to what you hear in movies.)
We take the exit off of the highway. "I guess Stop doesn't mean 'Stop' for him." (Anxiously looking around to make sure I'm not going to become road pizza.....again. Seatbelt? Check!)
At the set of lights. "I can walk home, no problem."
Turning on my street. "Yay! I've never been so happy to be home!!!"
In my driveway. Saying: 'Thank you, I had a good time.'
(Thinking: "Please don't lean over. Please don't lean over. Please don't lean over. Oh wait. He can't."
'Yup. Talk soon. Bye.'
I can't even begin to describe how many other thoughts I had in that short 3 hours that felt like 15. And everyone that I'd like to vent to is A) out, B) sleeping, or C) Unavailable.
Oh, and did I mention that our personalities were a little clashy? "The sky's blue." "No it's not, it's Cerulean." "Sigh....(is it worth the argument? No.) Ok.....sigh"
I'm going to bed to lose myself in a book. :)
D
coupla things...
Well, Betsy and I went to see Cats last night. It was a good show: the costumes were great, the makeup was phenomenal, the dancing was incredible. All well and good, unless you aren't aware of what the storyline is. :) Then it's confusing and....well....just downright sucks. :)
Betsy & I have been researching a ton of stuff on Cats, where it came from, the plot, the characters, etc., etc. All things that would've been good to know yesterday before the show. :) Sven & Ginger sat next to us and (thankfully) was able to clue us in before the 2nd half. Yeah, we're idiots. :) But, I now know more than most people about it.
I'm glad we went. I had a good time. I don't know if I'd see it again and I have no idea why it was received as well as it was on Broadway. Maybe the caliber of actors is better? Soooo..... what would that mean? They can purr better? :) Again, glad I experienced it, but I don't need to do it again. :)
I have a date tonight with *T*. We're going to one of my all-time favorite places in Waltham. :) I'm hoping the company will be at least half as great as the food will be. Boy, that sounds so not nice, huh? Well, there are reasons. Not anything bizarre with *T*, just... reasons.
I have to say, I'm not all that thrilled with the whole dating scene. My life, once calm and predictable, is an increasing flurry of activity. I have to bring my PDA home so I know what I'm doing and when, I have to make sure I call the right person the right name on the phone. It's all so busy and complicated. And it's not like I was a couch potato before it either! I was a pretty busy girl, doing my own thing between work, flyball, rescue, and school. More than enough to keep me occupied!
Dating on it's own isn't that bad. It's quite fun actually, learning about different people, having conversations you really only have when you're trying to get to know someone, experiencing things you haven't before, the first kiss, etc. - all fun stuff. The parts that get me down? Roll your eyes and say 'Here we go', 'cuz that's where we're going.
A) What the f$%* is it with grown men living at home?? Seriously, just about every man I've mentioned directly or indirectly lives at home. And I don't mean in his childhood home because his parents moved to Florida. I mean, "Failure to Launch" kind of living at home. Can I tell you what a turn-off it is for the answer to "What did you have for dinner" be "My Mom made pasta." DUDE!!! You're freakin' 38 years old!!!
I know there are reasons. I know shit happens. I've had a lot of shit happen in the last 5 years, I know shit happens! But "shit happens" is temporary. Really. You can get through it. Move on. Get your own apartment. It'll be Ok. Really. Grow some and then grow up. Sheesh.
B) Drummers. Almost all of them are drummers. Seriously. And for those of you that don't know me all that well, I've already wasted 10 years of my life with musicians - 5 1/2 years out of those 10 was with 1 drummer; another 2 years was with another drummer. And this isn't anything against musicians at all! Let's just say, musicians & I are never really in the same place in life - ever. :) They're awesome people to have has friends, but romantically, been there, done that. And almost all of them have been drummers. Yay. What fun.
The worst part is, it's not like I'm seeking them out or anything. I'm not finding out someone is a drummer and chasing them down. No. Because I've dated drummers. And I'm really not looking to go backwards in life - I was hoping for forward. Fun.
Ok, I'll stop there 'cuz otherwise I have to go into personal details on some of these people and it's not my place (we'll just ignore the whole "living at home" beans I spilled.) I also don't want to hurt anyone's feelings (hoping none of these guys read this...) but at the same time, C'mon now. Seriously. Most of these men are older than me. Most of them have children. Most of them are divorced. All normal for this day 'n age and my age group. I'm sure a divorce is like getting picked up by the back of the neck and shaken like a dirty rag doll. It hurts....hurts your heart, hurts your ego, hurts your wallet, hurts a lot of things. But jeez guys!! How long do you think you have to hide under Mom's apron strings before acting like a man again? Ok, apparently I won't stop there... :-/
Moving on! Tomorrow I have huge plans to do mountains of weeding, all of my planting, mulching, and mowing, and all of my homework. I'll be happy if I just get the rest of my stuff planted and the weeding done. :) I think I have tomorrow night off of the social scene as well, so I might actually be able to watch a TV show or two - imagine that. I haven't been able to do that in a couple of weeks now.
Sunday I have flyball practice and I plans with *S*, but we'll see what happens. I will say that if these plans fall through for any reason short of a death in his immediate family, he's done. No third chance, straight to friends. Buh Bye.
Oh look! It's time to leave work. :) Cheers!!
D
Betsy & I have been researching a ton of stuff on Cats, where it came from, the plot, the characters, etc., etc. All things that would've been good to know yesterday before the show. :) Sven & Ginger sat next to us and (thankfully) was able to clue us in before the 2nd half. Yeah, we're idiots. :) But, I now know more than most people about it.
I'm glad we went. I had a good time. I don't know if I'd see it again and I have no idea why it was received as well as it was on Broadway. Maybe the caliber of actors is better? Soooo..... what would that mean? They can purr better? :) Again, glad I experienced it, but I don't need to do it again. :)
I have a date tonight with *T*. We're going to one of my all-time favorite places in Waltham. :) I'm hoping the company will be at least half as great as the food will be. Boy, that sounds so not nice, huh? Well, there are reasons. Not anything bizarre with *T*, just... reasons.
I have to say, I'm not all that thrilled with the whole dating scene. My life, once calm and predictable, is an increasing flurry of activity. I have to bring my PDA home so I know what I'm doing and when, I have to make sure I call the right person the right name on the phone. It's all so busy and complicated. And it's not like I was a couch potato before it either! I was a pretty busy girl, doing my own thing between work, flyball, rescue, and school. More than enough to keep me occupied!
Dating on it's own isn't that bad. It's quite fun actually, learning about different people, having conversations you really only have when you're trying to get to know someone, experiencing things you haven't before, the first kiss, etc. - all fun stuff. The parts that get me down? Roll your eyes and say 'Here we go', 'cuz that's where we're going.
A) What the f$%* is it with grown men living at home?? Seriously, just about every man I've mentioned directly or indirectly lives at home. And I don't mean in his childhood home because his parents moved to Florida. I mean, "Failure to Launch" kind of living at home. Can I tell you what a turn-off it is for the answer to "What did you have for dinner" be "My Mom made pasta." DUDE!!! You're freakin' 38 years old!!!
I know there are reasons. I know shit happens. I've had a lot of shit happen in the last 5 years, I know shit happens! But "shit happens" is temporary. Really. You can get through it. Move on. Get your own apartment. It'll be Ok. Really. Grow some and then grow up. Sheesh.
B) Drummers. Almost all of them are drummers. Seriously. And for those of you that don't know me all that well, I've already wasted 10 years of my life with musicians - 5 1/2 years out of those 10 was with 1 drummer; another 2 years was with another drummer. And this isn't anything against musicians at all! Let's just say, musicians & I are never really in the same place in life - ever. :) They're awesome people to have has friends, but romantically, been there, done that. And almost all of them have been drummers. Yay. What fun.
The worst part is, it's not like I'm seeking them out or anything. I'm not finding out someone is a drummer and chasing them down. No. Because I've dated drummers. And I'm really not looking to go backwards in life - I was hoping for forward. Fun.
Ok, I'll stop there 'cuz otherwise I have to go into personal details on some of these people and it's not my place (we'll just ignore the whole "living at home" beans I spilled.) I also don't want to hurt anyone's feelings (hoping none of these guys read this...) but at the same time, C'mon now. Seriously. Most of these men are older than me. Most of them have children. Most of them are divorced. All normal for this day 'n age and my age group. I'm sure a divorce is like getting picked up by the back of the neck and shaken like a dirty rag doll. It hurts....hurts your heart, hurts your ego, hurts your wallet, hurts a lot of things. But jeez guys!! How long do you think you have to hide under Mom's apron strings before acting like a man again? Ok, apparently I won't stop there... :-/
Moving on! Tomorrow I have huge plans to do mountains of weeding, all of my planting, mulching, and mowing, and all of my homework. I'll be happy if I just get the rest of my stuff planted and the weeding done. :) I think I have tomorrow night off of the social scene as well, so I might actually be able to watch a TV show or two - imagine that. I haven't been able to do that in a couple of weeks now.
Sunday I have flyball practice and I plans with *S*, but we'll see what happens. I will say that if these plans fall through for any reason short of a death in his immediate family, he's done. No third chance, straight to friends. Buh Bye.
Oh look! It's time to leave work. :) Cheers!!
D
Thursday, April 27, 2006
going in later...
I was just about ready to jump in my car and head to work when I heard there's a bad rollover on 495 taking up 3 lanes. Instead of wasting the $2.89 per gallon gas I bought waiting in traffic for the next 2 hours, I'm going to stay here until it goes away. :)
The professor gave us a one day extension for this week's homework, which is good because it's freakin' hard! It's not really going to help me much though as I'm going to see Cats tonight with Betsy. I'm excited about that. :)
The weather isn't coinciding with what my idea of spring is lately. I'm not sure what the temperature is supposed to be around this time - I just know that I've been spoiled by the 70 degree days and yearn for their return. At the same time, I'm thinking I might be able to finish off all of the planting I need to do this weekend since it's supposed to be in the high 50's/low 60's without having any bees dive bomb my head. Wouldn't that be nice! :) I think this will be my final batch of planting as well, at least for the summer stuff. I still need to get my basil started too....sigh. I think I'm might have bitten off more than I can chew. :)
Yesterday I left work early and went in for my regular platelet donation appt. I think I've gone on and on about donating platelets, so I won't repeat it now. I watched one of my all time favorite sappy chick flicks - Sweet Home Alabama. Shut up, it's a good movie. After that, I stopped by my grandparents for a visit. I told them not to cook dinner or anything but of course my grandmother gets offended if you enter her house and don't eat, so I had a cookie with my coffee and left with 1/2 a frittatta she made.
Well, back to debugging my stupid script. :)
D
The professor gave us a one day extension for this week's homework, which is good because it's freakin' hard! It's not really going to help me much though as I'm going to see Cats tonight with Betsy. I'm excited about that. :)
The weather isn't coinciding with what my idea of spring is lately. I'm not sure what the temperature is supposed to be around this time - I just know that I've been spoiled by the 70 degree days and yearn for their return. At the same time, I'm thinking I might be able to finish off all of the planting I need to do this weekend since it's supposed to be in the high 50's/low 60's without having any bees dive bomb my head. Wouldn't that be nice! :) I think this will be my final batch of planting as well, at least for the summer stuff. I still need to get my basil started too....sigh. I think I'm might have bitten off more than I can chew. :)
Yesterday I left work early and went in for my regular platelet donation appt. I think I've gone on and on about donating platelets, so I won't repeat it now. I watched one of my all time favorite sappy chick flicks - Sweet Home Alabama. Shut up, it's a good movie. After that, I stopped by my grandparents for a visit. I told them not to cook dinner or anything but of course my grandmother gets offended if you enter her house and don't eat, so I had a cookie with my coffee and left with 1/2 a frittatta she made.
Well, back to debugging my stupid script. :)
D
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
in case anyone's wondering...
...I'm in homework hell.
Yep, that's alllllll I've been doing - homework. Why is it that classes get harder the longer they go on? lol
Anyway, that's really where I've been spending my time so I don't even have any good gossip to share unfortunately. Oh wait, yes I do. I got an IM from *S* today, he was very apologetic for the drama. I got more of the same when I talked to him later on. What do you think, should I give him another chance?
*T* and I are heading to one of my favorite restaurants in Waltham on Friday.
Well, I'm goin' to bed, all I can see are subroutines right now...ugh.
D
Yep, that's alllllll I've been doing - homework. Why is it that classes get harder the longer they go on? lol
Anyway, that's really where I've been spending my time so I don't even have any good gossip to share unfortunately. Oh wait, yes I do. I got an IM from *S* today, he was very apologetic for the drama. I got more of the same when I talked to him later on. What do you think, should I give him another chance?
*T* and I are heading to one of my favorite restaurants in Waltham on Friday.
Well, I'm goin' to bed, all I can see are subroutines right now...ugh.
D
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Not very productive...
I had plans of getting so much done before heading to Ellin's yesterday. The only thing I managed to do was laundry, and that was only because I literally had nothing clean to wear! lol I'm so pathetic sometimes. :) Part of the problem was being up until 3am the night before talking to *T* and not getting enough sleep. I'm so not used to that anymore...
But, I did manage to get down to Ellin's before it got dark out. :) I brought a bunch of stuff down and came back with less, thankfully. We always find things for each other and save them up for a visit. :) I came back with her copy of Kung Fu - the 3rd season, a small burning bush (I'm so excited!), purple glasses, and the 2nd set of curtains she made for me. Now I just have to hang them. :)
We had a great time as usual, nice and relaxing, hanging out in front of the fire talking. It's such a relaxing place for me - my zen home away from home. :) We took a walk and looked at all of the plants, flowers, and trees that were coming up in her garden areas. I'll have to grab some Creeping Myrtle from her when the rocks get put in - that will be so nice mixed with the Creeping Phlox I'm going to move there. :)
I talked to *T* on the way home and again stayed up until 3am. Of course, it was partly caused by my not leaving Ellin's until 1am. :) After I cut Joe's hair, we watched a DVD of a British comedian - Eddie Izzard. I'll say he was really funny - a tad twisted but in a good way. Once you get past the makeup and the shoes (he's a transvestite, an executive/action transvestite to boot), he's pretty cute to watch. :)
Today I have homework and a ton of cleaning to do (boy do I hate cleaning....) I'm supposed to get together with *D* later on tonight too. I'm not sure what we're doing but I hope it'll be something fun as I can't stand to have another boring get-together with him. I also have to pick up the Bleeding Heart and Balloon Flower tubers so I can plant them with everything else later this week. I shared what I bought previously with Ellin so I don't have nearly as much planting as before. I also need to go food shopping as I'm out of fruit and veggies and I definitely have to cook at some point during the day so I can have lunch for the week. Yikes! What a busy day! What are the odds that I'll get everything done? Well, I wouldn't pull out your checkbook on that one. :)
Time to get to it!
D
But, I did manage to get down to Ellin's before it got dark out. :) I brought a bunch of stuff down and came back with less, thankfully. We always find things for each other and save them up for a visit. :) I came back with her copy of Kung Fu - the 3rd season, a small burning bush (I'm so excited!), purple glasses, and the 2nd set of curtains she made for me. Now I just have to hang them. :)
We had a great time as usual, nice and relaxing, hanging out in front of the fire talking. It's such a relaxing place for me - my zen home away from home. :) We took a walk and looked at all of the plants, flowers, and trees that were coming up in her garden areas. I'll have to grab some Creeping Myrtle from her when the rocks get put in - that will be so nice mixed with the Creeping Phlox I'm going to move there. :)
I talked to *T* on the way home and again stayed up until 3am. Of course, it was partly caused by my not leaving Ellin's until 1am. :) After I cut Joe's hair, we watched a DVD of a British comedian - Eddie Izzard. I'll say he was really funny - a tad twisted but in a good way. Once you get past the makeup and the shoes (he's a transvestite, an executive/action transvestite to boot), he's pretty cute to watch. :)
Today I have homework and a ton of cleaning to do (boy do I hate cleaning....) I'm supposed to get together with *D* later on tonight too. I'm not sure what we're doing but I hope it'll be something fun as I can't stand to have another boring get-together with him. I also have to pick up the Bleeding Heart and Balloon Flower tubers so I can plant them with everything else later this week. I shared what I bought previously with Ellin so I don't have nearly as much planting as before. I also need to go food shopping as I'm out of fruit and veggies and I definitely have to cook at some point during the day so I can have lunch for the week. Yikes! What a busy day! What are the odds that I'll get everything done? Well, I wouldn't pull out your checkbook on that one. :)
Time to get to it!
D
Friday, April 21, 2006
The weather was great...
Yesterday I worked from home for the day as I had to be around for the delivery of the new water heater. The one that's installed now is about 14 years old and on it's way out. :( Ah well. I can't really complain since my father works in the plumbing industry and gets very, very good prices on everything for me. :)
I had all of the windows open and could see the kids frolicing in the grass while sitting at the computer. Because I didn't have to worry about the phone ringing or people stopping by my office, I was about 150% more productive than normal. I will say that the temptation to go outside and frolic with them was very high at times though. :)
I attempted to get a few photos of the flowers open in the sunshine, but the stupid guard bees were still hanging around the front of the house. If you haven't seen Carpenter Bees, well, you're in for a surprise. I don't do well with bugs in the first place. But I especially don't like it when they dive bomb my head and bounce off of it. Yeah, I really dislike that. A lot. So, I made a call to my trusty exterminator Dave. :) Unfortunately, according to Dave, they're just scouting for places to make nests now and there isn't a nest for him to kill. My question is, where did they come from then? Don't they go dormant in a nest? Can't we kill that one? Anyway, he is booked solid until May 8th and can't come until then. :( I'm hoping I'm harassing them enough (from the safety of behind the screens) that they'll think this isn't a good place to nest. :) I really just wish they'd stop going after my head!
Today is a lot cooler and still sunny so I'm hoping I'll get a few good pictures before heading off to work. I'm bringing my can of Bee killer/freezer stuff with me just in case. Last year I was able to peg a few out of the air with the hose and then step on them. I tired that yesterday but apparently I'm a little rusty as all I really managed to do was piss them off. Again, really thankful the males don't have stingers. :)
Yesterday I had a conversation with *S* on IM. He was in the middle of one of his "I'm chaos", "I don't fit in", "I'm artistic", "Nobody understands me" tirades when I decided I didn't want to hear it anymore. I can't stand drama and get enough of it from my mother so I don't need it in someone I'm dating. If you feel the need to keep telling me just how much of a tortured soul you are, then save your breath. You're a tortured soul because you like it. You create the drama and attention because you like it. Don't bitch about people not taking you seriously and at the same time, say something that makes them want to walk away from you. Yes, people suck. Yes, the world isn't fair. Yes, most people are lemmings and crave the safety of not thinking outside the box. Get the f*&% over it. And surprise, surprise... As I sit here typing away in my blog, look who logs on and sends me an "I'm sorry for being an ass yesterday" IM. Great.
Well, before he can go into another tirade, I'm logging off. :)
D
I had all of the windows open and could see the kids frolicing in the grass while sitting at the computer. Because I didn't have to worry about the phone ringing or people stopping by my office, I was about 150% more productive than normal. I will say that the temptation to go outside and frolic with them was very high at times though. :)
I attempted to get a few photos of the flowers open in the sunshine, but the stupid guard bees were still hanging around the front of the house. If you haven't seen Carpenter Bees, well, you're in for a surprise. I don't do well with bugs in the first place. But I especially don't like it when they dive bomb my head and bounce off of it. Yeah, I really dislike that. A lot. So, I made a call to my trusty exterminator Dave. :) Unfortunately, according to Dave, they're just scouting for places to make nests now and there isn't a nest for him to kill. My question is, where did they come from then? Don't they go dormant in a nest? Can't we kill that one? Anyway, he is booked solid until May 8th and can't come until then. :( I'm hoping I'm harassing them enough (from the safety of behind the screens) that they'll think this isn't a good place to nest. :) I really just wish they'd stop going after my head!
Today is a lot cooler and still sunny so I'm hoping I'll get a few good pictures before heading off to work. I'm bringing my can of Bee killer/freezer stuff with me just in case. Last year I was able to peg a few out of the air with the hose and then step on them. I tired that yesterday but apparently I'm a little rusty as all I really managed to do was piss them off. Again, really thankful the males don't have stingers. :)
Yesterday I had a conversation with *S* on IM. He was in the middle of one of his "I'm chaos", "I don't fit in", "I'm artistic", "Nobody understands me" tirades when I decided I didn't want to hear it anymore. I can't stand drama and get enough of it from my mother so I don't need it in someone I'm dating. If you feel the need to keep telling me just how much of a tortured soul you are, then save your breath. You're a tortured soul because you like it. You create the drama and attention because you like it. Don't bitch about people not taking you seriously and at the same time, say something that makes them want to walk away from you. Yes, people suck. Yes, the world isn't fair. Yes, most people are lemmings and crave the safety of not thinking outside the box. Get the f*&% over it. And surprise, surprise... As I sit here typing away in my blog, look who logs on and sends me an "I'm sorry for being an ass yesterday" IM. Great.
Well, before he can go into another tirade, I'm logging off. :)
D
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Pictures
This will probably take a billion years to load as I'm not resizing any of them. To see the pictures in waayyyy more detail, click on them - they're *huge* :)
Since I've come out and openly admitted my addiction to growing things, I figured I'd give you a peek into what I'm so proud of. So, here are a few (ok 7) pictures of various flowers in my garden so far. (I think my white double tulips are about to bloom!)
Hyacinths - white; Grape Hyacints - purple:
Pink/Peach Tulips:
Purple Creeping Phlox:
Parrot Tulips:
Parrot Tulip - closeup: (isn't it gorgeous?!)
Cluster of Tulips:
Queen of the Night Tulip:
I'm really excited about the Q0tN Tulip - it looks like it's going to be beyond gorgeous. :)
Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!
D
Since I've come out and openly admitted my addiction to growing things, I figured I'd give you a peek into what I'm so proud of. So, here are a few (ok 7) pictures of various flowers in my garden so far. (I think my white double tulips are about to bloom!)
Hyacinths - white; Grape Hyacints - purple:
Pink/Peach Tulips:
Purple Creeping Phlox:
Parrot Tulips:
Parrot Tulip - closeup: (isn't it gorgeous?!)
Cluster of Tulips:
Queen of the Night Tulip:
I'm really excited about the Q0tN Tulip - it looks like it's going to be beyond gorgeous. :)
Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!
D
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Boy was I wrong!
Yesterday was so beautiful, I figured I'd get a jumpstart on cleaning up the firepit area before Donna came over. I was outside working on it by 9am. First I cut down a few tree-type weeds that bother the crap out of me. Then I got everything needed for the firepit area. All I really needed to do was pick up the leaves that got caught there and organize the various piles of wood and kindling that constantly get jumped on, picked through, and chewed on by the dogs. Doesn't sound too bad, right? :) Riiiiight. The wrong part I mentioned? It was all about how long I *thought* it would take. :)
I will admit that I spent some of that time chatting with my neighbors, who were also outside doing yard work. That probably added up to about 45 mins if you combine all the times I stopped. Otherwise, I was raking leaves, pulling up weeds, and moving wood - the whole time. I knew I didn't have enough bags for all of the leaves, so I started a fire thinking I'd burn whatever was left over. Let me tell you how nice the scent of a fire was even though it was 75 degrees out! My neighbor, who has come over on nights he catches the scent of a fire, agreed.
There is definitely a trick to burning leaves safely, which I learned very quickly. :) I don't have any hair on my left arm anymore, but it will grow back. :) Thankfully I learned so quickly enough that I didn't even need to use the hose that was ready and waiting. The things you learn as a new homeowner... :)
When all was said and done, I got *most* of the wood piled up along the side, *most* of the leaves raked into a pile in the center of the sand pit, and just about all of the weeds pulled. By the time Donna came, I was tired. Very tired. So, there's a nice pile of wood, a nice pile of leaves and weeds, and a small section of chaos left. I told myself I'd get back out there today to finish it up, but I'm pretty sure that ain't happening. :)
It was still really warm when Donna arrived in the afternoon (a scant 6 hours after I started the firepit area), and Freddie started sitting in Millie's raised water bowl, so I figured it was time to get them a new kiddie pool. Donna's dogs also like water so we crated them all up and took a ride to Walmart. We stopped at our friend Mary's house along the way and took a tour of her grand destruction, also known as her renovation. Things are coming along very well in her house - I think the only room that isn't being touched is the kitchen, which was done last year.
We first went up to the Walmart up at the loop but they didn't have any pools in yet. I did, however, find two more plants that I have to go back this week to get - bleeding hearts and balloon flowers. :) I knew I had seen them at Super Walmart when I was there with my cousin, so we headed over there after Mary's. Unfortunately the color options were limited so I ended up with a pink pool. Macho man Freddie didn't seem to mind though as he was in it before I had a chance to bring the hose over. Someday I'm going to have to post a video of his little chicken routine in the pool - it's hilarious. Anyway, by the time we were done, it was around 6pm and we were both starved. I made a chicken stir-fry (she's vegan so I made her a tofu chicken stir-fry) and I was psyched to be able to cook. I haven't had time to cook a full meal for a couple of weeks now. Of course, I'm not as psyched to look at the kitchen sink full of dishes because of said cooking. Have I mentioned that my sink has 3 divided bowls and all 3 of them are full? Oh well. :)
After dinner we started on the web stuff she had brought to add to her site. She added 6 new galleries to showcase her work - all of dog stuff of course. She's a great photographer though and you can certainly tell by her pictures. I truly don't know of anyone else that can get the same kind of quality action shots that she can. Remember, these dogs can *move*! I still have a bunch of proofs to add, which I'll do after my homework.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to do any planting yesterday so I'll have to find sometime this week to get it all done. The bees were out in force yesterday as well and there was one huge one guarding the front of the house for some reason. I really don't think bees should be the size of your thumb in length and width. There's something seriously wrong with that. So, I'll wait until it's cooler and plant all of my stuff then. :) That will also give me time to pick up the other two that I found. :)
On a much sweeter note, my parrot tulips are *gorgeous*!!! I noticed yesterday (from afar since the damn bee wouldn't let me near my garden) that a few more red ones have fully bloomed. It's sunny but cool right now so I'll head out soon and take some pictures. They are truly a unique and beautiful flower. I can't wait until the white ones open! Eventually I'll post a few pictures here - just have to add it to the list of things to do. :)
So now I'm going to jump into homework. I'm supposed to go to my cousin's for dinner later, but that will depend on how far along I get in my homework. I definitely have to head over to my grandparents house but that's really the extent of things I need to do today! Nice and relaxing. :)
D
I will admit that I spent some of that time chatting with my neighbors, who were also outside doing yard work. That probably added up to about 45 mins if you combine all the times I stopped. Otherwise, I was raking leaves, pulling up weeds, and moving wood - the whole time. I knew I didn't have enough bags for all of the leaves, so I started a fire thinking I'd burn whatever was left over. Let me tell you how nice the scent of a fire was even though it was 75 degrees out! My neighbor, who has come over on nights he catches the scent of a fire, agreed.
There is definitely a trick to burning leaves safely, which I learned very quickly. :) I don't have any hair on my left arm anymore, but it will grow back. :) Thankfully I learned so quickly enough that I didn't even need to use the hose that was ready and waiting. The things you learn as a new homeowner... :)
When all was said and done, I got *most* of the wood piled up along the side, *most* of the leaves raked into a pile in the center of the sand pit, and just about all of the weeds pulled. By the time Donna came, I was tired. Very tired. So, there's a nice pile of wood, a nice pile of leaves and weeds, and a small section of chaos left. I told myself I'd get back out there today to finish it up, but I'm pretty sure that ain't happening. :)
It was still really warm when Donna arrived in the afternoon (a scant 6 hours after I started the firepit area), and Freddie started sitting in Millie's raised water bowl, so I figured it was time to get them a new kiddie pool. Donna's dogs also like water so we crated them all up and took a ride to Walmart. We stopped at our friend Mary's house along the way and took a tour of her grand destruction, also known as her renovation. Things are coming along very well in her house - I think the only room that isn't being touched is the kitchen, which was done last year.
We first went up to the Walmart up at the loop but they didn't have any pools in yet. I did, however, find two more plants that I have to go back this week to get - bleeding hearts and balloon flowers. :) I knew I had seen them at Super Walmart when I was there with my cousin, so we headed over there after Mary's. Unfortunately the color options were limited so I ended up with a pink pool. Macho man Freddie didn't seem to mind though as he was in it before I had a chance to bring the hose over. Someday I'm going to have to post a video of his little chicken routine in the pool - it's hilarious. Anyway, by the time we were done, it was around 6pm and we were both starved. I made a chicken stir-fry (she's vegan so I made her a tofu chicken stir-fry) and I was psyched to be able to cook. I haven't had time to cook a full meal for a couple of weeks now. Of course, I'm not as psyched to look at the kitchen sink full of dishes because of said cooking. Have I mentioned that my sink has 3 divided bowls and all 3 of them are full? Oh well. :)
After dinner we started on the web stuff she had brought to add to her site. She added 6 new galleries to showcase her work - all of dog stuff of course. She's a great photographer though and you can certainly tell by her pictures. I truly don't know of anyone else that can get the same kind of quality action shots that she can. Remember, these dogs can *move*! I still have a bunch of proofs to add, which I'll do after my homework.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to do any planting yesterday so I'll have to find sometime this week to get it all done. The bees were out in force yesterday as well and there was one huge one guarding the front of the house for some reason. I really don't think bees should be the size of your thumb in length and width. There's something seriously wrong with that. So, I'll wait until it's cooler and plant all of my stuff then. :) That will also give me time to pick up the other two that I found. :)
On a much sweeter note, my parrot tulips are *gorgeous*!!! I noticed yesterday (from afar since the damn bee wouldn't let me near my garden) that a few more red ones have fully bloomed. It's sunny but cool right now so I'll head out soon and take some pictures. They are truly a unique and beautiful flower. I can't wait until the white ones open! Eventually I'll post a few pictures here - just have to add it to the list of things to do. :)
So now I'm going to jump into homework. I'm supposed to go to my cousin's for dinner later, but that will depend on how far along I get in my homework. I definitely have to head over to my grandparents house but that's really the extent of things I need to do today! Nice and relaxing. :)
D
Friday, April 14, 2006
I think I'm addicted
I'm not sure how this addiction snuck up on me. I truly wasn't expecting it and I'm not sure what to think about it. Sure, there are worse things to be addicted to, certainly. But I think I'm going to have to search the web for a self-help group or something. I know for a fact there are others like me out there. Have they ever realized they might have a problem?
What I'm really hoping is that it's just a phase and I'll grow out of it shortly. However, I really don't think that's the case, no matter how much I'd like to deceive myself. Everytime I turn around I'm thinking about them. How beautiful they are. How soft and fragile. I want to touch them but I never do because I think I'll ruin them. And the worst part about it is, it's my own fault.
They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step... right? Well, here goes nothing. I'm addicted to growing things. There I said it. Surprisingly enough, I don't feel better acknowledging it. Oh what is wrong with me?! lol I love planting bulbs. I'm thrilled to start seeds indoors even though I murder all of them usually. I can't wait to have the planter overflowing with herbs that I'll hardly ever use in cooking I rarely do. :) Ok, I do eat the chives a lot, but I never touch Chamomile or Oregano! And what am I going to do with Sage? Nothing! But I love that I had a hand in their growing. I love that I planted half of this stuff from seed and I get results. Did I mention I'm probably going to add Lavender to it? Or that I'm itching to get a tomato plant? Sigh. Certainly this means I have a problem.
Ok, so I was thinking about the garden again today (like everyday - I'm embarrassed to admit I walk around looking at everything before I leave in the morning and again when I get home) and I decided that I don't have enough color for the summer. So far the spring crop is doing very well. I'm quite happy with my results and I look forward to seeing what else will pop out of the ground. Today one of my parrot tulips bloomed and I was so filled with happiness it was ridiculous. See? I need help! :) But oh my is it gorgeous.
Anyway, since I didn't have enough color for the summer (mind you, I still have to get bulbs of flowers that will come up in the fall), I decided to take a ride to pick up a few. A few ended up being 85 bulbs and tubers, and a few plants. Again, now you see why I need help. :) This time around, I got a blue climbing Phlox plant, a red & white Columbine plant (clearly the most intriguing flower I have), some other plant that I can't remember the name of, Cannas, Freesias, tall blue Phlox, more Daylilies, a few Calla Lilies, a couple of Clematis and a ton of Gladiolus (pastel and a brilliant orange). Oh, and I got some Dill seeds for the planter garden. Yes, another herb that I'll have no idea what to do with. I'm a sick, sick chick. :)
My friend Donna is coming over tomorrow with her dogs so we can work on web stuff, and now, do some (ok, a ton of) gardening. Thankfully she has more than a clue and will steer me in the right direction as far as placement and grouping goes. I felt guilty so I called and gave her a heads up rather then having her show up and surprising her with 85 bulbs. :) She agrees that I need serious help.... And she has both a flower garden and a vegetable garden!
But now, I have to go give in to my sickness and start plucking the seeds out of the Basil pods so I can start those tomorrow as well. Considering I've only done 3 levels of one branch and I have about 35 seeds already, I think I have a long night in front of me. :) Anyone want some Italian, purple basil? :)
D
What I'm really hoping is that it's just a phase and I'll grow out of it shortly. However, I really don't think that's the case, no matter how much I'd like to deceive myself. Everytime I turn around I'm thinking about them. How beautiful they are. How soft and fragile. I want to touch them but I never do because I think I'll ruin them. And the worst part about it is, it's my own fault.
They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step... right? Well, here goes nothing. I'm addicted to growing things. There I said it. Surprisingly enough, I don't feel better acknowledging it. Oh what is wrong with me?! lol I love planting bulbs. I'm thrilled to start seeds indoors even though I murder all of them usually. I can't wait to have the planter overflowing with herbs that I'll hardly ever use in cooking I rarely do. :) Ok, I do eat the chives a lot, but I never touch Chamomile or Oregano! And what am I going to do with Sage? Nothing! But I love that I had a hand in their growing. I love that I planted half of this stuff from seed and I get results. Did I mention I'm probably going to add Lavender to it? Or that I'm itching to get a tomato plant? Sigh. Certainly this means I have a problem.
Ok, so I was thinking about the garden again today (like everyday - I'm embarrassed to admit I walk around looking at everything before I leave in the morning and again when I get home) and I decided that I don't have enough color for the summer. So far the spring crop is doing very well. I'm quite happy with my results and I look forward to seeing what else will pop out of the ground. Today one of my parrot tulips bloomed and I was so filled with happiness it was ridiculous. See? I need help! :) But oh my is it gorgeous.
Anyway, since I didn't have enough color for the summer (mind you, I still have to get bulbs of flowers that will come up in the fall), I decided to take a ride to pick up a few. A few ended up being 85 bulbs and tubers, and a few plants. Again, now you see why I need help. :) This time around, I got a blue climbing Phlox plant, a red & white Columbine plant (clearly the most intriguing flower I have), some other plant that I can't remember the name of, Cannas, Freesias, tall blue Phlox, more Daylilies, a few Calla Lilies, a couple of Clematis and a ton of Gladiolus (pastel and a brilliant orange). Oh, and I got some Dill seeds for the planter garden. Yes, another herb that I'll have no idea what to do with. I'm a sick, sick chick. :)
My friend Donna is coming over tomorrow with her dogs so we can work on web stuff, and now, do some (ok, a ton of) gardening. Thankfully she has more than a clue and will steer me in the right direction as far as placement and grouping goes. I felt guilty so I called and gave her a heads up rather then having her show up and surprising her with 85 bulbs. :) She agrees that I need serious help.... And she has both a flower garden and a vegetable garden!
But now, I have to go give in to my sickness and start plucking the seeds out of the Basil pods so I can start those tomorrow as well. Considering I've only done 3 levels of one branch and I have about 35 seeds already, I think I have a long night in front of me. :) Anyone want some Italian, purple basil? :)
D
Thursday, April 13, 2006
so much on my mind....
...but first a recap of the past week. :)
I didn't end up going to the movies with *S* on Monday - he's still sick. But *D* called and we went out to dinner instead. Had a good time, relaxing, etc. Didn't end up doing my homework.
Tuesday I had dinner plans with the family at my sister's house. You'd have to know my sister, but let's just say cooking is not one of her strongest domestic skills. :) But, you can't really mess up cooking stuff on the grill, which is what she (actually her husband) did. The food was good, conversation was good, being with my immediate family was great. We had fun. :) (And as you can see Cal, I'm updating my blog) :) Didn't end up doing my homework....again.
Wednesday, I had plans for a quiet night on the couch watching a movie with *D*. That was....ok. I need to work on understanding (tolerating?) how different his personality is from mine. He's soooo quiet, calm, contemplative... nothing phases the man... *ever*. Everything is so non-chalant, no big deal, why worry about something that you can't do anything about, etc., etc. I guess it's not that part that I'm having a hard time with, it's more the level of extremity that gets me. Actually, the fact that I can't read him at all that is most likely the biggest problem. He shows no emotion, his expression doesn't change at all - even his body language is so muted it's hard for me to pick up on anything. I don't know. I don't see this being long-lived if this is how it will always be.
I left work early Wednesday as I had to wait for a delivery and had planned on getting *all* of my homework done because it was due that day by midnight. I didn't get nearly as much done as I would've liked before *D* came over. I jumped right back into it when he left, but I didn't get all of it done until 12:15am. I'm hoping the professor won't care about it being late by 15 mins, but it's quite possible he might so I have to be prepared for the possibility of missing points. It's all my fault anyway - complete product of my own procrastination coupled with my social life taking over my day-to-day life. That's going to stop right now. Enough with the plans on every single night crap - it might hurt my 4.0 GPA!
Moving on, I was again supposed to do something with *S* tonight, but he's still sick - and he can keep it! It was a blessing in disguise that he said yes when I asked if he wanted to reschedule as I had forgotten I had made plans with Sue to have dinner and hang out with one of our cousins, MaryAnne. Ooops. :) Apparently I didn't write that down. Another reason why I need to back off of the social life - I can't keep track of it!
The good part about this coming weekend is that *everyone* has their kids so I'll be able to have some alone time. :) I don't think I have any plans, or I should say, I haven't written down anything I'm supposed to do so I'll have time to get stuff done (laundry, planting, cleaning the deck & firepit area [yes still...], *homework*, etc.) Something is tickling my brain about Donna potentially coming over with the pups, but I'm not sure if that's this weekend or not. I'll have to call her as I obviously didn't write it down... damn it. :) Sunday is Easter so I know I'll be heading over to my grandparents at some point - just have to find out what's going on from my Aunt.
Before leaving early for the day to work from home (I know, work is so tough sometimes...), I attended a seminar that an internal group had put together on the different temperament types. I find that kind of stuff fascinating and always want to learn more. They way the temperament types were explained was different than what I've heard in the past. This particular speaker used types proposed by Hippocrates: Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholic, & Phlegmatic. The theories are similar to those of the Myers-Briggs tests, but according to the speaker, it's the "how" whereas the MB tests are the "why". It defines the underlying nature of people.
These types of tests make me think (I know, what doesn't...) I enjoy taking them, figuring out what they say I am, etc. but I don't think it's the end all-be all that people take them to be. For me, everything is situational. I can't react the same way to the same situation - there are a lot of factors involved; how I'm feeling, what kind of mood I'm in, who's there, what the "it" is, what else I have going on, etc., etc. I don't feel I fit into any of these particular types nice and neat like. I see pieces of myself in all of them. I will concede that there are types that I feel I have more in common with, but again, that really depends on my mood and what else is going on. While I find all of this stuff fascinating, I don't think they provide "answers" like these authors seem to lead us to believe. I think we try so hard to "fit in" and "understand" that we'll accept anything that appears to do that. I have to wonder what I'd become if I tried to squish my soul into one or two of these boxes. Probably not something I'd like very much. That thought is quite depressing actually!
Anywho, for all of you that were bugging me about updating my blog - see what you get? :) Next time you'll be more careful before saying anything. There's that old saying, Be careful what you wish for.... you just might get it. ;)
D
I didn't end up going to the movies with *S* on Monday - he's still sick. But *D* called and we went out to dinner instead. Had a good time, relaxing, etc. Didn't end up doing my homework.
Tuesday I had dinner plans with the family at my sister's house. You'd have to know my sister, but let's just say cooking is not one of her strongest domestic skills. :) But, you can't really mess up cooking stuff on the grill, which is what she (actually her husband) did. The food was good, conversation was good, being with my immediate family was great. We had fun. :) (And as you can see Cal, I'm updating my blog) :) Didn't end up doing my homework....again.
Wednesday, I had plans for a quiet night on the couch watching a movie with *D*. That was....ok. I need to work on understanding (tolerating?) how different his personality is from mine. He's soooo quiet, calm, contemplative... nothing phases the man... *ever*. Everything is so non-chalant, no big deal, why worry about something that you can't do anything about, etc., etc. I guess it's not that part that I'm having a hard time with, it's more the level of extremity that gets me. Actually, the fact that I can't read him at all that is most likely the biggest problem. He shows no emotion, his expression doesn't change at all - even his body language is so muted it's hard for me to pick up on anything. I don't know. I don't see this being long-lived if this is how it will always be.
I left work early Wednesday as I had to wait for a delivery and had planned on getting *all* of my homework done because it was due that day by midnight. I didn't get nearly as much done as I would've liked before *D* came over. I jumped right back into it when he left, but I didn't get all of it done until 12:15am. I'm hoping the professor won't care about it being late by 15 mins, but it's quite possible he might so I have to be prepared for the possibility of missing points. It's all my fault anyway - complete product of my own procrastination coupled with my social life taking over my day-to-day life. That's going to stop right now. Enough with the plans on every single night crap - it might hurt my 4.0 GPA!
Moving on, I was again supposed to do something with *S* tonight, but he's still sick - and he can keep it! It was a blessing in disguise that he said yes when I asked if he wanted to reschedule as I had forgotten I had made plans with Sue to have dinner and hang out with one of our cousins, MaryAnne. Ooops. :) Apparently I didn't write that down. Another reason why I need to back off of the social life - I can't keep track of it!
The good part about this coming weekend is that *everyone* has their kids so I'll be able to have some alone time. :) I don't think I have any plans, or I should say, I haven't written down anything I'm supposed to do so I'll have time to get stuff done (laundry, planting, cleaning the deck & firepit area [yes still...], *homework*, etc.) Something is tickling my brain about Donna potentially coming over with the pups, but I'm not sure if that's this weekend or not. I'll have to call her as I obviously didn't write it down... damn it. :) Sunday is Easter so I know I'll be heading over to my grandparents at some point - just have to find out what's going on from my Aunt.
Before leaving early for the day to work from home (I know, work is so tough sometimes...), I attended a seminar that an internal group had put together on the different temperament types. I find that kind of stuff fascinating and always want to learn more. They way the temperament types were explained was different than what I've heard in the past. This particular speaker used types proposed by Hippocrates: Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholic, & Phlegmatic. The theories are similar to those of the Myers-Briggs tests, but according to the speaker, it's the "how" whereas the MB tests are the "why". It defines the underlying nature of people.
These types of tests make me think (I know, what doesn't...) I enjoy taking them, figuring out what they say I am, etc. but I don't think it's the end all-be all that people take them to be. For me, everything is situational. I can't react the same way to the same situation - there are a lot of factors involved; how I'm feeling, what kind of mood I'm in, who's there, what the "it" is, what else I have going on, etc., etc. I don't feel I fit into any of these particular types nice and neat like. I see pieces of myself in all of them. I will concede that there are types that I feel I have more in common with, but again, that really depends on my mood and what else is going on. While I find all of this stuff fascinating, I don't think they provide "answers" like these authors seem to lead us to believe. I think we try so hard to "fit in" and "understand" that we'll accept anything that appears to do that. I have to wonder what I'd become if I tried to squish my soul into one or two of these boxes. Probably not something I'd like very much. That thought is quite depressing actually!
Anywho, for all of you that were bugging me about updating my blog - see what you get? :) Next time you'll be more careful before saying anything. There's that old saying, Be careful what you wish for.... you just might get it. ;)
D
Monday, April 10, 2006
2 dogs are harder than 1...
...when you're used to running just 1 in a flyball tournament! I shouldn't say it's harder, per se, but definitely more tiring! Usually I take the Monday after a 2 day tournament off, but I have meetings I can *not* miss this afternoon. Plus, I have to be careful with my time off for next month as I'll be out doing fun dog stuff for the last half of May. :)
Freddie's turns were crappy all weekend. I should've taken the box home, but I didn't even think of it until I was already half way home. There was no way I was turning back! But, all the dogs did awesome all weekend. I dropped Steffi off and chatted with Holly & Rob for a while about how well Steffi did, the baby, and how Sammi was doing. I guess you get used to the sound of a baby crying, but not in the 1/2 hour I was there. ;)
All in all it was a great weekend. The next tourney is May 7-8 (I think) in Manchester. It would be nice if we could have our new shirts by then, but I don't think that will happen. Oh, and the tourney that was supposed to happen the weekend of April 22nd got cancelled so I have an extra weekend free! Woohoo! Hopefully it will be gorgeous out and I can spend that time outside in the yard or doing something fun. :) Yard sale season will be starting soon so it'll be nice to have the time to get a little yard sailing in. :)
I was pulling into my driveway yesterday after dropping Steffi off and noticed a hint of color that wasn't there before in my garden. My tulips are starting to come up! A pink tulip has bloomed, and my parrot tulips are on the way - on the right side. I'm sure after a day of sun today, they'll be beautiful flowers when I get home. :) How exciting! My Phlox also started coming alive so there's a bunch of pretty pink flowers on a bed of green in the garden on the left side. :) I plan on taking pictures and showing my gardening partner-in-crime and co-worker, Mike, when I get in today. He's going to be so jealous! I think there's enough color for spring, but I still have to work on what will bloom for summer and fall. Boy am I having fun with it though!
My date last night didn't happen. He had a sore throat that he got from his kids. Although I was bummed I wasn't going to get my shoulders massaged as promised, I wasn't all that heart broken as I was able to head to bed early. :) We're supposed to go to the movies tonight, but I'm kind of hoping he's still sick so I can get my homework done. Priorities y'know. :)
Well, I've woken up enough to realize I now have to pop it into 5th gear in order to get to work on time. :)
D
Freddie's turns were crappy all weekend. I should've taken the box home, but I didn't even think of it until I was already half way home. There was no way I was turning back! But, all the dogs did awesome all weekend. I dropped Steffi off and chatted with Holly & Rob for a while about how well Steffi did, the baby, and how Sammi was doing. I guess you get used to the sound of a baby crying, but not in the 1/2 hour I was there. ;)
All in all it was a great weekend. The next tourney is May 7-8 (I think) in Manchester. It would be nice if we could have our new shirts by then, but I don't think that will happen. Oh, and the tourney that was supposed to happen the weekend of April 22nd got cancelled so I have an extra weekend free! Woohoo! Hopefully it will be gorgeous out and I can spend that time outside in the yard or doing something fun. :) Yard sale season will be starting soon so it'll be nice to have the time to get a little yard sailing in. :)
I was pulling into my driveway yesterday after dropping Steffi off and noticed a hint of color that wasn't there before in my garden. My tulips are starting to come up! A pink tulip has bloomed, and my parrot tulips are on the way - on the right side. I'm sure after a day of sun today, they'll be beautiful flowers when I get home. :) How exciting! My Phlox also started coming alive so there's a bunch of pretty pink flowers on a bed of green in the garden on the left side. :) I plan on taking pictures and showing my gardening partner-in-crime and co-worker, Mike, when I get in today. He's going to be so jealous! I think there's enough color for spring, but I still have to work on what will bloom for summer and fall. Boy am I having fun with it though!
My date last night didn't happen. He had a sore throat that he got from his kids. Although I was bummed I wasn't going to get my shoulders massaged as promised, I wasn't all that heart broken as I was able to head to bed early. :) We're supposed to go to the movies tonight, but I'm kind of hoping he's still sick so I can get my homework done. Priorities y'know. :)
Well, I've woken up enough to realize I now have to pop it into 5th gear in order to get to work on time. :)
D
Sunday, April 9, 2006
I. am. junk.
I really can't remember when the last time I was this tired. I really hope I get some energy and soon.
Yesterday was a loooooong day. I left my house at 6:30am and got home at 8:00pm. Had I known it was going to be so long, I would've had someone come by and let the dogs out! The poor things!!!!! But, they were troopers and I didn't find any accidents. If I had, I couldn't have been mad at them anyway. Thankfully I think they realized just how tired I was since all they wanted to do was cuddle with me for the 1 hour I was home and awake. Right now, I have one dog laying by my feet, and the other 4 trying to share a dog bed next to the desk. It's pretty damn cute. :) I think they miss me.
I'm running Freddie on one team and Steffi on the other. Freddie is doing well, consistent and clean. Steffi is doing incredibly well considering I've only run her once before. But, she's coming back to me for just food so I don't have to use the bucket of balls with her. That might change today, but I don't think it will.
I actually got up on my own (with the assistance of 2 alarm clocks and my cell phone datebook alarm) but was thankful when I heard the phone ring at 5:15am. We're in the first race of the day and racing starts 1/2 hour earlier than yesterday. Thanks Paula!
I've got a little bit of coherency after 1 cup of coffee so I need to go shower so I can be there on time. :)
D
Yesterday was a loooooong day. I left my house at 6:30am and got home at 8:00pm. Had I known it was going to be so long, I would've had someone come by and let the dogs out! The poor things!!!!! But, they were troopers and I didn't find any accidents. If I had, I couldn't have been mad at them anyway. Thankfully I think they realized just how tired I was since all they wanted to do was cuddle with me for the 1 hour I was home and awake. Right now, I have one dog laying by my feet, and the other 4 trying to share a dog bed next to the desk. It's pretty damn cute. :) I think they miss me.
I'm running Freddie on one team and Steffi on the other. Freddie is doing well, consistent and clean. Steffi is doing incredibly well considering I've only run her once before. But, she's coming back to me for just food so I don't have to use the bucket of balls with her. That might change today, but I don't think it will.
I actually got up on my own (with the assistance of 2 alarm clocks and my cell phone datebook alarm) but was thankful when I heard the phone ring at 5:15am. We're in the first race of the day and racing starts 1/2 hour earlier than yesterday. Thanks Paula!
I've got a little bit of coherency after 1 cup of coffee so I need to go shower so I can be there on time. :)
D
Thursday, April 6, 2006
It's quiet here...
You wouldn't think a house with 5 dogs and 2 cats could be considered quiet, but giving back the 2 dogs I was watching (making it 7) really made the place pretty peaceful!
Holly & Rob are now home with TJ. Sammi didn't really care much about the baby and Steffi just wanted to lick his face the whole time. She's quick though, so she'll learn quickly the new rules when it comes to the baby. I'm "borrowing" her this weekend so we can run her at the flyball tournament in Dover. I think I'm running her on our 2nd team, but I'm not sure who will boxload then. Either way, it looks like it will be a tiring weekend!!
I had a date the other night that went well. *D* is sooooo laid back he makes me look high-strung when I'm sleeping! Every once in a while he comes up with something that has me rolling on the floor laughing my ass off, so I'm pretty sure I can get used to his "no sweat" outlook.
I'm not sure why I did this, but I have plans with *S* on Sunday after the tournament. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a rug but we'll see how I feel. I've warned him that my conversation skills may be lacking in between the snores, but he did promise a massage so I'll try to stay awake. :)
I got my grade back from the class I just took - A. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to keep my 4 GPA since I only got 75% on my final project. I sent her a few emails asking why and she wrote back last night saying she had missed 2 features on it and had fixed my grade. There was a point where I was just going to say 'screw it' and not bother with hounding her for an answer, but I'm very glad I didn't now. I worked hard on that final project and 100% is the grade I deserved. She said she had opened it in the frameset of the school window and had missed some of my scripting. You'd think she'd know better by now and would've opened it in a new window. Sheesh. But, all's well again. :)
This new class is a boatload of fun. I love working in Unix so I'm having a great time so far. The best part is, I'll be able to take what I'm learning right now and apply it at work right away. I love learning new skills!
We were supposed to attend a tournament the weekend of April 22nd, but it's been cancelled due to low signup. The teams planned it on the same weekend there was another big tourney in Buffalo, NY, which ticked off quite a number of people. But, we can't go to either now unfortunately. 2 weeks time isn't enough for all of us to travel the 6 1/2 hrs to NY. That and most of the rooms are already booked. :( Just another reason why I should get one of those small RV's! Then I wouldn't have to worry about lodging, I'd just drive my lodging there! lol
Ok, enough playtime - time to get to work!
D
Holly & Rob are now home with TJ. Sammi didn't really care much about the baby and Steffi just wanted to lick his face the whole time. She's quick though, so she'll learn quickly the new rules when it comes to the baby. I'm "borrowing" her this weekend so we can run her at the flyball tournament in Dover. I think I'm running her on our 2nd team, but I'm not sure who will boxload then. Either way, it looks like it will be a tiring weekend!!
I had a date the other night that went well. *D* is sooooo laid back he makes me look high-strung when I'm sleeping! Every once in a while he comes up with something that has me rolling on the floor laughing my ass off, so I'm pretty sure I can get used to his "no sweat" outlook.
I'm not sure why I did this, but I have plans with *S* on Sunday after the tournament. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a rug but we'll see how I feel. I've warned him that my conversation skills may be lacking in between the snores, but he did promise a massage so I'll try to stay awake. :)
I got my grade back from the class I just took - A. I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to keep my 4 GPA since I only got 75% on my final project. I sent her a few emails asking why and she wrote back last night saying she had missed 2 features on it and had fixed my grade. There was a point where I was just going to say 'screw it' and not bother with hounding her for an answer, but I'm very glad I didn't now. I worked hard on that final project and 100% is the grade I deserved. She said she had opened it in the frameset of the school window and had missed some of my scripting. You'd think she'd know better by now and would've opened it in a new window. Sheesh. But, all's well again. :)
This new class is a boatload of fun. I love working in Unix so I'm having a great time so far. The best part is, I'll be able to take what I'm learning right now and apply it at work right away. I love learning new skills!
We were supposed to attend a tournament the weekend of April 22nd, but it's been cancelled due to low signup. The teams planned it on the same weekend there was another big tourney in Buffalo, NY, which ticked off quite a number of people. But, we can't go to either now unfortunately. 2 weeks time isn't enough for all of us to travel the 6 1/2 hrs to NY. That and most of the rooms are already booked. :( Just another reason why I should get one of those small RV's! Then I wouldn't have to worry about lodging, I'd just drive my lodging there! lol
Ok, enough playtime - time to get to work!
D
Monday, April 3, 2006
Thomas Joseph
Look! Pictures!!
This is T.J. I know I'm biased, but he's a pretty cute kid anyway. No ugly baby comments on this little guy. :)
Then here he is with me, one of the very many people who will buy him obnoxious toys for Xmas, Birthdays, and any other time I feel Holly & Rob don't have enough excitement in their life. :) Apparently he's going to be an awesome musician as he's getting a drum set from both me and his Uncle Mike. :)
This is T.J. I know I'm biased, but he's a pretty cute kid anyway. No ugly baby comments on this little guy. :)
Then here he is with me, one of the very many people who will buy him obnoxious toys for Xmas, Birthdays, and any other time I feel Holly & Rob don't have enough excitement in their life. :) Apparently he's going to be an awesome musician as he's getting a drum set from both me and his Uncle Mike. :)
And finally, here's the proud dad, Rob, holding T.J. for the world to see. I think they're lucky the first one is a boy as I can't even imagine how over-protective he would be with a girl, considering how he is after day one with T.J. :)
Holly didn't want to be in any of the pictures, which I completely understand. I wouldn't want to either if I was beyond low on sleep, was in a hospital gown, and had just spent 45 hours in labor. I'll probably never be able to understand how she can say "I'm fine" after that...especially since I have my Dad drive up from Melrose to comfort me & bring me soup when I have a cold. ;) Never said I wasn't a big wimp when I'm sick. :)
Probably the best line of the night was "Come to Papa. Hey, this time I really mean it too." Well, there were others, but I'm sure Holly would want me to keep them to ourselves. ;)
It's now time to bed down alllll of the dogs. :) Sammi & Steffi get to sleep with baby clothes tonight - it lets them get used to the scent of the infant before they go home.
D
Woohoo!!!
Little T.J. decided to grace the world with his presence at 11:49pm, Sunday, April 2nd, 2006. Finally!!! He weighed in at 7lbs, 1 oz. & is 20" long. The Trooper known as Holly is now comfortably resting and doing great. Rob is calling some of the hospital personnel "chuckleheads" so he's on his way to recovering as well. :)
Congratulations guys!! :-D
D
Congratulations guys!! :-D
D
*Still* haven't heard anything...
I'm hoping it's because Rob didn't want to wake me up during the night and not because she's still in labor!! Hopefully I'll hear soon...sigh.
D
D
Sunday, April 2, 2006
oh my poor friend...!
I've talked to Rob a few times today and as of 8:50pm, Holly is *still* in labor! Seriously, if I didn't want kids before, I *really* don't want them now! Rob is having a real hard time seeing Holly in pain and Holly is beyond tired since the contractions aren't letting her get any sleep. I so hope I get a phone call soon from them saying little T.J. has finally arrived! My poor friends!
Yesterday's poker tournament was a Hoot! I wasn't the first one out, I think I was the 4th (out of 9), which means I didn't win diddly. :) I was actually doing pretty well in the beginning, I got a bunch of chips from everyone with 2 straights. Then I went in against Larry, who was all in, and lost that hand because his straight was one number higher than mine. Ah well! We all had a really good time for the most part. Once it got down to 3, then 2 people, it got very serious, very quickly. It didn't help that we were playing with the blinds going up every 30 mins. either - just added more pressure. But, Heidi reigned supreme and walked away with the First Place cash prize and the medal. :) Sandra got the 2nd place cash prize, which wasn't bad. I didn't really lose my shirt, I was just kidding. :)
I didn't get home until pretty late, and then Holly & Rob came with the dogs, so I just went to bed. I think I was still pretty tired from Friday. :) Which, btw, looks like I did absolutely nothing. lol I'll notice the changes in a couple of weeks I'm sure.
I had a leisurely morning until I decided to do homework. I'm really liking this class!! I got all of my assignments posted today (they're due Wed), and started on next week's assignments. I'll be in this class when I start traveling in May, so I have to make sure everything is posted beforehand. I'll be away for the first couple of weeks of my next class so I have to find out how to handle that - if I can make it up, or turn stuff in early so I don't get bumped from the class. I have time to figure that one out, thankfully.
After I was done with that, I went over to my flyball captain's house for a team meeting. We need to get the ball rolling for the tournament we're hosting in mid-June. I think you'd be surprised at how much work is involved in running one of these things! Oh, and since half of the team will have newborns, and the other half will be ready to give birth, we'll be very short-handed. Anybody feel up to helping out for a weekend? It's fun! :) I can teach you everything you need to know. :)
I've been on the computer since I got home, doing some homework and returning emails so I think it's time I spent some time cuddling with my beautiful, furry kids. :)
D
Yesterday's poker tournament was a Hoot! I wasn't the first one out, I think I was the 4th (out of 9), which means I didn't win diddly. :) I was actually doing pretty well in the beginning, I got a bunch of chips from everyone with 2 straights. Then I went in against Larry, who was all in, and lost that hand because his straight was one number higher than mine. Ah well! We all had a really good time for the most part. Once it got down to 3, then 2 people, it got very serious, very quickly. It didn't help that we were playing with the blinds going up every 30 mins. either - just added more pressure. But, Heidi reigned supreme and walked away with the First Place cash prize and the medal. :) Sandra got the 2nd place cash prize, which wasn't bad. I didn't really lose my shirt, I was just kidding. :)
I didn't get home until pretty late, and then Holly & Rob came with the dogs, so I just went to bed. I think I was still pretty tired from Friday. :) Which, btw, looks like I did absolutely nothing. lol I'll notice the changes in a couple of weeks I'm sure.
I had a leisurely morning until I decided to do homework. I'm really liking this class!! I got all of my assignments posted today (they're due Wed), and started on next week's assignments. I'll be in this class when I start traveling in May, so I have to make sure everything is posted beforehand. I'll be away for the first couple of weeks of my next class so I have to find out how to handle that - if I can make it up, or turn stuff in early so I don't get bumped from the class. I have time to figure that one out, thankfully.
After I was done with that, I went over to my flyball captain's house for a team meeting. We need to get the ball rolling for the tournament we're hosting in mid-June. I think you'd be surprised at how much work is involved in running one of these things! Oh, and since half of the team will have newborns, and the other half will be ready to give birth, we'll be very short-handed. Anybody feel up to helping out for a weekend? It's fun! :) I can teach you everything you need to know. :)
I've been on the computer since I got home, doing some homework and returning emails so I think it's time I spent some time cuddling with my beautiful, furry kids. :)
D
Saturday, April 1, 2006
A new flyball teammate...soon!
Holly & Rob just dropped off the dogs so they could head to the hospital to have a baby! I told them I'd pick the pups up but apparently that wasn't an option. Pretty soon we're going to have a new flyball shagger!
Rob said he'd call me right afterwards, even if it's 3am. Gosh I'm so excited for them!!!
D
p.s. - oh, I'll tell you how I lost my shirt at the poker tournament tomorrow. :)
Rob said he'd call me right afterwards, even if it's 3am. Gosh I'm so excited for them!!!
D
p.s. - oh, I'll tell you how I lost my shirt at the poker tournament tomorrow. :)
Oy...
Sunburned: Check!
Bruised: Check!
Sore: Check!
Cut: Check!
So, it only took about 9 hours from start to finish yesterday. Here's how it went: Unloaded the flyball equipment out of the car, rented the machine, asked the contruction guy to help get it out of the car, I went over the lawn with the machine and seed (twice), went back over with grub control, went back over with more seed and soil, watered it a bit, planted the rhododendrons on the side, planted the hostas on both sides and along the driveway, planted the gladiolas, planted the yellow daylilies, planted the dahlias, planted the purple daylilies, brought everything into the house, asked my neighbor to help me get the machine back in the car, returned it, and loaded all of the flyball equipment back into the car. Whew!
My hands are junk right now, all beat up, cut, & bruised. My back... we won't even go there - it's trashed. My legs are bruised, but otherwise fine. My shoulders... yikes. They're soooo tight I wonder if they'll ever loosen up! It was a good workout though. I slept *solidly* last night. :)
Kim came over around 7:30 and I had just finished up 15 mins before. I jumped in the shower (which felt oh so good!), got a little energy back, and went out to dinner. We were supposed to go out after dinner for drinks and whatever (maybe a little pool), but we were both pretty tired. :) So we called it a day around 11 or so.
Today I'm being lazy and am enjoying it. :) I have the poker tournament at 1pm. I'm pretty sure I was only invited because I'm an easy cash flow, but whatever. :) It should still be fun! Nobody puts together a party like Sue & Lisa.
I also have to remember that we lose an hour because of the time change tonight. It's really hard for me to get adjusted to it - every year it gets worse and worse. But, I'm really excited about spring and summer this year because of all of the things growing so hopefully it will be better. :)
Millie is being really cute now, relaxing on the love seat so I think I'm gonna go cuddle with her. :)
D
Bruised: Check!
Sore: Check!
Cut: Check!
So, it only took about 9 hours from start to finish yesterday. Here's how it went: Unloaded the flyball equipment out of the car, rented the machine, asked the contruction guy to help get it out of the car, I went over the lawn with the machine and seed (twice), went back over with grub control, went back over with more seed and soil, watered it a bit, planted the rhododendrons on the side, planted the hostas on both sides and along the driveway, planted the gladiolas, planted the yellow daylilies, planted the dahlias, planted the purple daylilies, brought everything into the house, asked my neighbor to help me get the machine back in the car, returned it, and loaded all of the flyball equipment back into the car. Whew!
My hands are junk right now, all beat up, cut, & bruised. My back... we won't even go there - it's trashed. My legs are bruised, but otherwise fine. My shoulders... yikes. They're soooo tight I wonder if they'll ever loosen up! It was a good workout though. I slept *solidly* last night. :)
Kim came over around 7:30 and I had just finished up 15 mins before. I jumped in the shower (which felt oh so good!), got a little energy back, and went out to dinner. We were supposed to go out after dinner for drinks and whatever (maybe a little pool), but we were both pretty tired. :) So we called it a day around 11 or so.
Today I'm being lazy and am enjoying it. :) I have the poker tournament at 1pm. I'm pretty sure I was only invited because I'm an easy cash flow, but whatever. :) It should still be fun! Nobody puts together a party like Sue & Lisa.
I also have to remember that we lose an hour because of the time change tonight. It's really hard for me to get adjusted to it - every year it gets worse and worse. But, I'm really excited about spring and summer this year because of all of the things growing so hopefully it will be better. :)
Millie is being really cute now, relaxing on the love seat so I think I'm gonna go cuddle with her. :)
D
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