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Christmastime 2011

2011-12-28T12:10:00.001-06:00

While this wasn't Dani's first Christmas, I like to think of it as her first REAL Christmas since she was just over a month old in 2010 and could only see lights. This year, she could play with and enjoy her presents as well as the lights, the tree, the ornaments, and family gatherings. While I haven't written anything over there on the Baby Blog, be sure to pop on over in the near future as I'm sure to include some highlights!

As for my Christmas, aside from the virus my computer got (from a blog they say?), the cold that I got (not terrible though) and the teething Dani is suffering (molars, what a bitch!) it was great. I got an amazing new sewing machine from Chris and a great sewing basket (that is to be my next project) from my mom. I got some gift cards, pajamas, a bracelet made by my Uncle Kirk, and of course some delish food and time with friends and family. Festivities are actually not over yet either.

I should also mention, while this isn't something I got for Christmas, it was something that I received around Christmas, and that was news that I passed my Professional Engineering Licensing Exam, which officially makes me a licensed engineer in the State of Missouri. We celebrated at work!

A lot of people have asked me how this changes things for me. For starters, it's a huge relief, one thing marked off my list, one less test I have to take (yes, I still have more testing for some specific other states), and a bit of an accomplishment for myself as I get to add the letters PE to the end of my name and remove the EIT. In terms of work, it may mean little for now as I don't have any Missouri projects that I can sign and seal drawings for at this time. Perhaps in the future I will add some states or projects for which I am responsible and then I will sign and seal drawings. Pay doesn't really change for me, nor do my tasks, but they could potentially for the future. One thing though that has changed, I personally can be sued. Before I was working directly for a PE, who was the responsible party, now I am. That's not so great, but oh well, with all good things there are some bad things.

Now, onto other things, like sewing...here are a few pictures of things I've made recently, new gifts, and planned projects...

Insulated Horseshoe Tote with magnetic closure given as a gift

Insulated Lunch Tote with button closure made with scrap materials

My new Bernina sewing machine!

Plans for my sewing basket - making inserts

Up In Arms

2011-12-08T13:25:00.003-06:00

Today, official news spread that Albert Pujols, long time St. Louis Cardinal's hero has signed a deal with another team. I'm enjoying the controversies, everyone seems to be up in arms over the $250,000,000 deal. Some people are commenting how a single person should not earn that kind of money, and if so, it should be teachers and nurses. Others say, good for him, it's not as if I have never made a choice based on economics. I can't really say much, other than the fact I am happy we still have Yadi. I have my opinions and I care not to share them here. This is one of those topics like politics, religion, the "true" Arbogast potato salad recipe, and child rearing. Mum's the word!

But, I thought, since everyone is so up in arms during a time when we should really be more positive and thankful for what we have rather than negative about what others have, I would default to something I started doing years ago, listing some of my favorite things that get me by.

The decorated "blue line" Metrolink with it's blue ornaments.
Sewing, in fact, making Dani her first holiday dress. I'd call it a Christmas dress, but it's gray, blue, and white, and has snowflakes on it.
Having two functional hands!
Having two functional legs!
Working a simple 8 hour day and going home to a relatively calm and mediocre life.
Doritos when my throat is sore.
My pink double layer plastic cup with lid and straw that has a tiny crack in it.
Cake pops (nom nom)
Baking, in fact, what I plan to do a lot of this season
Getting tweets
The "Walking in a Orgy (ahem, 4G) Wonderland" commercial

Sewing Junkie

2011-11-29T14:37:00.000-06:00

As of recently I've picked up sewing again. It's an easy enough hobby to pick up and put down when I have time at home, and it's productive. I've made Dani a cute little dress out of a man's old shirt, and a cute Christmas top also out of a man's old shirt. I got the idea from a crafters forum. Currently I'm working on Miss Dani's Christmas dress. I've got some other ideas, like a lunch box, and this jumper from a cute corduroy fabric that I got on sale. Hopefully I have time to start posting some more including some pictures. Until then, give me some fun ideas!

2011-10-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

Got this in an e-mail today and thought it was worth sharing...for all of those people that blame older folks for ruining the world with their wasteful ways....that is not entirely acurate...

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.
We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a young person.

The Green Thing

Too Much Information

2011-07-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

So it seems, per the peanut gallery, I need a nanny so that I can blog more often (personally I blame my employer for filling my working day with actual work, but then again, I haven't been laid off so I'll shut my trap). Last time I wrote (in April), it was about the Decorah Eagles that are pretty much all grown up and hanging out on a branch near the nest. Talk about empty nest syndrome. I had to stop watching them every moment of everyday because I was getting anxiety about their first flights! Ha!

But a lot has happened since then that I haven't told you about. Birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, camping with awful cicadas, layoffs at work, baby milestones, annoying bastards, finding money, etc. See, it's been a lot. (b o r i n g g g g)

Normally I like to keep the baby stuff to the baby blog (Dani is 8 months old today) but I figured while I'm here, I'll do what I do best and vent in my blog. Stress at work has doubled over the last two weeks as a supervising engineer has left HOK and put me in the position of taking on more responsibility with my Wishard project (now called Eskanazi Health). Just the tasks alone are overwhelming. Add to that working on good relationships with those I now have to work with regularly (not a people person). And then add even more to that, an individual had me in tears Tuesday for something that ended up being nothing.

So the point of mentioning all of this is to tell you that the stress levels that I have been under have been making my milk supply drop. Yes I know, too much information, oh well. But the reality is that I am a full time working mother who has chosen to try and feed her child with what breast milk I can produce while I am away from her. That alone, being away from her and trying to pump every 3-4 hours has put a toll on production. Now with the stress and what has become the end of nursing as we know it at home, the girls are just not up to making the liquid gold.

So you may ask, why not just stop? Good question! I was being encouraged to stop by one engineer at work (same person who left), and an being encouraged to stop by my husband. In their defenses they see the stress that pumping with little reward is putting on me (and the disappointment of "failing"). But I can't, this milk is the one thing that I, and only I can give Dani, and I'm joyed to be able to do so. I had a one year goal and I want to make it. It's absurd I suppose, I don't know many working mothers that essentially exclusively pump and continue past 3 or even 6 months and I've made it to 8.

So I've made a deal with myself that I will stop when, for an entire week, I no longer produce each day as much as she consumes in a day (and we're close). Until then, I'm going to drink my beer, eat my oatmeal, take my fenugreek, and try some relaxing breaths at work and see if I can get the girls pepped up and producing!

But a fun note, we decorated a coworkers desk today for his 40th birthday! Happy Birthday Andrew!

The Birds

2011-04-25T17:33:00.000-05:00

Ever since I heard about the Decorah Eagles, I've been obsessed with watching the family of eagles hatch and then grow into some fine specimen of bird. It's unlike anything you'd ever get to see otherwise if this live webcam did not exist. Here are a few pictures of the birds and the link so you can also become addicted.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Also, there was an owl in the office today, so I had my picture taken with it. It's been really cool to hear the owls hooting and calling to one another these past few weeks. Glad to see one close!

Dirty Dancing

2011-02-23T20:54:00.000-06:00

I was thinking earlier about when I was 8 or 9 years old...I went to a slumber party where we watched Dirty Dancing. When the movie came out on cable my dad let me get up at what seemed like the wee hours of the night to watch it. That very night I ended up wetting the bed. My dad reassured me while I sobbed about it and changed my bed clothes while I changed my pajamas.

What I can't recall is whether he woke me to watch it because he knew how much I liked it or if he let me watch it to cheer me up after the incident.

2011 Blizzard Fake-Out

2011-02-02T08:27:00.000-06:00

It's been a long time since I really posted any updates. For good reasons, I just haven't had time. I've transitioned into a life of balancing work and motherhood. It's confusing and stressful to say the least. If I ever had much time around the house to write, it's short lived and few and far between. I'm fairly busy at work so I can't fit in a blog. I typically eat lunch while I work, or take a short lunch because I have to make up time that had been spent pumping through out the day. So, as you can infer, writing just does not fit into the picture much these days.

You may now be asking yourself why I'm writing now. You see, we've just experienced the 2011 Blizzard Fake-Out. For those of us in the immediate St. Louis area, we were supposed to have a blizzard and ended up with about 3 inches of ice, no-to-minimal snow [I am still hoping to have power despite this fake-out, ice on the lines with heavy winds scares me, watch out Eva, you may have company]. Yesterday I stayed home because of the ice, but today I came into work (compliments of Chris' four wheel drive). I am currently one of about eight people. I figure I can use this time to catch up.

With that said, be sure to head over to baby-blog to catch up on the latest of Dano-dano since I plan on posting today.

As for the rest of us, we're doing good. About a week ago we had 9 inches of snow, you should have seen poor Bella going outside. She used her chest to barrel through the snow, and the poor thing didn't want to squat to pee (would you want to shove your tush into freezing snow to take a leak?). We were excited with the aniticipation of 20+ inches of snow, something to rival the blizzard of 1982. It just didn't pan out for us. Others in the Missouri and Northern Illinois area did see the blizzard, but not us. We were, to say the least, a bit dissappointed.

Since I can't really talk much about how exciting this blizzard is (either positive or negative excitement), I figure I'll go back in time to 1982! I was 3 years old when that storm hit so my memories are vague, but I do recall a few things. I remember being bundled in a snow suit, making a giant snow ball with neighbors, and my mom getting a ride to work with her boss. I have very fond memories of that snowfall. Were you around for the 1982 blizzard? What do you remember about it?

The Flatt 52 Photog

2011-01-09T17:29:00.001-06:00

My friend Kelly has a new blog, a photo blog, I encourage you to visit it and check it out. It makes me want to have a photog sort of like the one I started to participate in, in 2009, Picture A Day with Madness. But then I think about being overwhelmed with everything I already attempt to do and I forget all about that...so I shall live through Kelly on this one...

Do enjoy... Flatt 52

Appreciation

2010-12-22T20:44:00.002-06:00

It's been some time since I've blogged anywhere. Not only am I finding it very hard to find the time to blog, but I just haven't wanted to do so. December has been a hard month. It started out with good people in the hospital and turned into a nightmare that has been overwhelming for everyone involved. My best friend since I was 5 years old lost her baby boy Wyatt on December 13th after he spent 33 wonderful weeks in his mother's womb. To make things even more dramatic for her family, her mom was in the hospital that weekend before with serious issues as well. In an odd twist, many other friends have been going to funerals all month. Even this month my mom experienced a double edged sword with a recent medical diagnosis. While we are happy she has a diagnosis, we are worried at the road she now must take. I can tell you that it makes me appreciate my Dano-Dano even at three in the morning during a crying fit. It makes me appreciate my friends and family. It makes me appreciate getting the chance to do things that many cannot do and that others take for granted.

Normally I'd use this time in my blog to vent, to share my feelings, and to get out of my head what ever it is that dwells there. But this time I'm not going to do so. I feel as though I will always remember the anger, sadness, guilt, lack of understanding, love for friends and family, and general hopelessness of this event for which I will eventually come to terms. Instead, I am going to end here to head over to Baby-Blog and write about a few things there. I will also leave here with the following poem. I read it shortly after my dad died and really liked it. It was read last night at Wyatt's memorial as well.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.

Coat Pocket Finds

2010-12-06T08:48:00.002-06:00

I was cleaning out my coat so I could wash it (when I wasn't paying attention, it got frigidly cold here in the StL., like Alaska cold, again).

I found the following items in my coat pockets . . .

1 dime

1 nickel

1 ink pen from the Concrete Council

A shopping list (milk, cookies, chips, sodas, salad, micro-bags, yakisoba, dish soap, laundry detergent)

A granola bar wrapper

A piece of paper with the following conversation...

[Eva's handwriting]The kids that filled in at Murphy's Law were 100 times better!

I said is that Adam!? Jami said no, Adam weighs more!

[then in my handwriting] That dude needs to eat some meat, he's freaking SCRAWNY!

Bella in a Pillowcase

2010-11-23T18:51:00.000-06:00

I don't know about most bulldogs, but Bella, my beastly bully likes to burrow. Mud is fun, blankets work too! Well last night she opted for the pile of pillows I was using on the bed. [I didn't get to stay there long, Dani was fussy and so I ended up on the floor next to her swing for the rest of the night where I was up every hour to an hour and a half. You would have thought a dog might join me, but I see where the loyalty lies now...the comfy bed]. As we're all very tired these days, I understand how these things happen, but it's amusing none the less and note worthy...Bella burrowed her head into the pillows, but somehow managed to burrow her head right into the pillow case. Yep, my bully had a pillow stuck on her head. I laughed hysterically, partially because it was so funny, but mostly because of sleep deprivation!

It's okay Bella, mom loves you like crazy still and am glad you can make me laugh so hard!

Speaking of lack of sleep and my baby girl Bella, she managed to work her way into Becky's attention when she came to help me out today. With complete lack of sleep and a bad case of depression Chris needed to call in reinforcements for me when I took a video of Dani crying and then talked to him on the phone crying. Reinforcements came in the amazing package of Becky carrying in Subway for lunch with surprise cookies and an Icee! I love Icee's. Anyway, she basically had to babysit for me while I turned to mush on the couch hoarding my food. While sitting in the recliner with Dani, Bella decided to climb up and make herself known! So, be warned fair friends, for those of you that visit, you basically have to babysit me, Dani, and the bulldog. Riley is pretty content sitting back and laughing at us though!

Update from Hospital

2010-11-06T04:03:00.002-05:00

Can I count a blog at quarter to 4 am as part of yesterday? Valid reason, we're chillin' in the hospital for now. Updates to follow! NaBloPoMo

Very Short Birthday Post

2010-11-04T21:36:00.000-05:00

This is a very short blog post to say Happy Birthday to my mommy.

Exhausting Day

2010-11-03T21:36:00.001-05:00

Today was an exhausting day but productive. I brought a work laptop home to work from home for a few days. Assuming I don't give birth tomorrow (hypothetically speaking), I plan on this routine for the next few weeks. Office M-W; Home Th-F. I'll be working off my desktop through a remote connection on the laptop I've borrowed. It's actually pretty cool.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, so tonight, after leaving a great NST, Chris and I went up to E-ville to pick up her gift. While in E-ville, we picked up a deck box to put all the pool gear in for the end of summer.

I also got some good news from work...beyond working from home. I won't dwell on it though.

I also packed most of my bag for the hospital (partially because I needed to, partially because I'm paranoid today, and partially because Chris got my bag out of storage for me to pack it).

On the crappy news front, E. failed her 1 hour glucose test, so tomorrow she'll be doing the 3 hour test.

All right, with all that said, I'm out of here, sleep is to be had!

I Voted

2010-11-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

Today was productive. I got an ample amount of work done in the office, I had a smooth doctor's visit, and I got to eat Mexican at the newly reopened Carrisillos Mexican!

To top it all off, I voted.

I purchased Chris' birthday gift, got Eva's baby shower gift in the mail, am now blogging while resting with the babies (who are snorting loudly) in bed (I also snuck in a bowl of ice cream).

NaBloPoMo Year Two

2010-11-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome NaBloPoMo!

My goal this month, besides the mediocre task of giving birth, is to blog daily. Even if it's merely a photo, I shall try.

If you are uncertain what NaBloPoMo is, it happens to stand for National Blog Posting Month. Since my blogs are usually just worthless rants and raves that I feel the need to share with everyone, they mean little in terms of daily blogging, but it at least forces me to write daily. As it is therapeutic for me, I feel I should make the effort to write more, and this month, I at least have the excuse.

I'm trying to decide if I should require myself to blog here daily, or if I can combine the daily bloggings between here, BabyBlog, and HOK Life. What do you think?

Peter Tork, John Denver, and the Accordion

2010-10-28T20:07:00.002-05:00

The following quote is from one of the books I'm currently reading called Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez

"[...], every ounce of the Monkees' artistic merit left with Peter Tork"

I wondered as I wrote that if I had ever shared my love of Peter Tork with you, faithful reader...

Once I was intoxicated and told the world how I love Peter Tork. As a kid, he was my favorite Monkee.

I also love John Denver. Sure, he's a bit too hippie like for me, but really, I do have an affinity for him.

One day, when I had time to think and waste, I realized that both Peter Tork and John Denver where a lot alike! [I think it's the blonde hair style]

To steer the subject a bit off course, I saw a tweet about a polka band that played a version of a popular song. I replied to the tweet about my jealousy of those who can play the accordion. Yes, I agreed with @ibificus that my love of the accordion could be considered odd. I suppose that my searching for songs played by accordion makes me that much more odd. But, if you are reading this...you know I'm odd, and now even more odd because I love Peter Tork, John Denver, and accordions!

John Denver's Country Roads accordion style
John Denver's Annie's Song accordion style
John Denver's Annie's Song piano The O'Neill Brothers
Mario Brothers Theme accordion
They Might Be Giants' How Can I Sing Like A Girl (with accordion)

One day I can tell you about the time Eva and I had our photo posted on the front page of the entertainment section of the St. Louis Post Dispatch...we were polkaing!

Survey of Historic Storm Damage

2010-10-26T17:19:00.000-05:00

For those of you in the Midwest, you got to experience an amazing historic storm; hurricane force winds!! Just the sounds of the storm were amazing though it didn't seem to rain for very long.

I know some of the details because I didn't sleep well last night and therefore heard and smelled everything the storm had to offer. My alarm went off at it's normal time and I got up as if I'd slept. While getting ready in the wee dark hours of the morning, we lost power to the house. It was hit or miss who had electricity in the area.

Anyway, this meant that we only got to survey the damage of the storm when we arrived home. All looked fine, with the exception of one large tree in the backyard. One of my FAVORITE trees mind you. It was beautifully shaped, beautifully colored, tall, and skinny with a fabulous figure. Now, it's split in half with one part laying on the barren leafy ground below it and the other part leaning heavily to one side looking sad and lonely. Sadly, for this tree, it all has to go now.

I can say, I'm at least glad to see power is resumed, no windows are broken out, and the house is intact.

Lazy Bums

2010-10-25T21:01:00.000-05:00

I'm supposed to be on modified bed rest, but I think the rest of the family thought THEY were supposed to be resting...

Just Some Stuff to Say Real Quick

2010-10-10T07:02:00.001-05:00

I've been sitting here at my computer since quarter 'til 5am doing a hodge podge of Internetty things (browsing, social mediaing, paying bills, etc.) and am finally tired enough I might just fall asleep at the computer! Hopefully I make it to a comfy location before my body decides to shut down.

Anyway, today is 10/10/10 and I felt it was only appropriate to point that out (because no one else will today)! It's a busy day for a lot of people. Emily, Andy, and Tim are running in the Chicago Marathon today; Amanda is patiently "watching" the race. Today would have been my dad's 56th birthday. There are a whole horde of parties happening today for a variety of reasons. That's just to name a few things that are going on this fine October day.

I myself will be going to a party, blogging, shopping, writing out Thank You cards, addressing invitations to Eva's shower, and hopefully getting together with a friend for dinner who surprised me by coming home for my shower before she has to head back!

With that said, I'm off to hopefully catch at least an hour of sleep. I hope to blog later over at Baby-Blog about the amazing baby shower I had yesterday. As a baby-blog reminder, I need to make a post about all of the anxiety dreams I had been having (and some still to continue I'm sure); the shower of course with some highlights that include many a sheepy things and Chris' Infant Relief drops.

A few things to specific peoples

To Seth, I am sorry I didn't make it out to your birthday party, I didn't have it in me. To all that attended my shower, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, I honestly have been in tears worrying about how to work in getting items for the baby (with considerations to both time and money). You not only made it fun, but more helpful than you will ever know. To DMA and Marc, thank you for giving Chris work this week. You not only helped with our financial situation, but his mood/stress as well. Rachel, thank you for traveling all the way here, it was a wonderful surprise. To those ladies that helped plan and do stuff at my shower, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! It seems to me that everyone had a great time first of all, and secondly, I think everyone was very happy with the food and treats. I don't know what I would do if I didn't know such amazing girls like Eva, Becky, Amanda, Marie, and Brandy who would be willing to take time out of their own lives to help me. It takes a lot of stress off of me, and while you may think you know how much you've helped me, you will never know how much you've helped my sanity (which as you know is questionable at best). To Mike, congrats bud, 6 months is amazing, I tear up just thinking about it! To Aunt Pat and Aunt JoAnne hang in there ladies, your babies will be okay, we've got to tell ourselves that.

A Good Vacuum

2010-10-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

This past weekend when hanging out in the nursery putting together the dresser from Chris' parents, we noted the filthy appearance of the carpeting. We had cleaned the floor several times, so why so nasty?

Well, for starters, I blame my furry children Riley and Bella. We have a dusty, furry, and pet dander filled house. Our second culprit was not having a good vacuum for these things. We had a vacuum. It was given to us by Rachel M. and it served us all right for some time (since she returned to C-ville to sell her condo). It, like most vacuums was one of those semi-durable guys that lasts for several years and dies off slowly (as in, not a lifer like a Kirby). The problem is that our house gets DIRTY, so this vacuum that would have served some families for years wasn't up to the Spann challenge.

So, we went to Lowe's to look as some vacuums and ultimately we spent more than we should have on a quality (or what appears to be quality so far) Electrolux vacuum. It is the first vacuum I think I have ever bought. I've either borrowed a vacuum or had a hand me down. I feel like a real adult now!

Thus far I can say that it is AMAZING. Even though the nursery floor had been vacuumed and cleaned several times, this thing was full of dust and fur within one pass over the floor. The real test was to vacuum the living room rug, which turned out to fill the vacuum up TWICE!

So, I spent parts of my weekend vacuuming in between shopping with my mom, going to Eckert's, making apple pies, working from home, and finishing Eva's baby shower invitations. It was a productive weekend and I'm thinking now about all the other things I can vacuum!

What NOT To Eat For Breakfast

2010-09-28T17:46:00.003-05:00

This blog stems from a conversation with Eva from last week. We were discussing things we should maybe avoid eating. I for one, prefer all carbohydrates (simple and complex). Eva is a fan of the proteins, but for some reason is craving less of that and more carbs during her pregnancy. This got us started on the glucose test for gestational diabetes in pregnant women. Since I already monitor my blood sugar levels I've not had to take the test; Eva's is coming up soon.

That same evening after our conversation, I received the following article about glycemic indices of foods via mail...

Anyway, I thought it was interesting enough to share (courtesy of Anderson Hospital). Now, having learned what not to eat, and knowing how terrible sugars are for breakfast (even Jodi warned me), one might guess I would know better than to eat ice cream for breakfast!

Did I listen? No. How were my sugars? 170 [egads!] Did I learn my lesson? Well, only time will tell!

Keeping tabs on Baby Yadi? I've written more over at BabyBlog [with new ultrasound pics]
Still not in the gender poll? Better get in there over at the StephySite Poll!

As always, thanks for stopping by to read!

Let the Jealousy Begin

2010-09-25T14:00:00.001-05:00

I thought the 4 of us were napping together (me, Yadi, Bella, and Riley). In fact, when the phone rang to wake me the four of us were still snuggled in bed like one cozy happy family.

When I got out of bed I noticed some stuffed animal "residue" at the foot of the bed. It wasn't there when I went to lay down!

I decided to inspect further after seeing from afar, some disturbance in the nursery. I am sad to report that there is a sheep down. I repeat, WE HAVE A SHEEP DOWN! [Ok, so we really only have a sheep missing a hoof, excuse me for dramatizing]

I suspect this is a random act of violence. I placed the sheep in a low post on a shelf and I have what I suspect is a bored bulldog (aka Bella). The combination can be, and is obviously lethal.

I should have known, Bella is already competing for toys!

Do You Ever Feel OCD? Do You? Do You?

2010-09-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

In random conversation at work today, I mentioned that one of my fears is losing my hair. I don't know why, it's just one of those things I fear (not quite as bad as drowning of course, and people with masks and painted faces). Crystal mentioned that she had read somewhere about symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (ocd) and in these symptoms was a small list of common fears of which hair loss was one. I certainly won't disagree that I can tend to be obsessive compulsive though I wouldn't say it's extreme. In fact, I think we all fall into the OCD category at times as a way to control the things that happen to us for which I find cognitive therapy helpful. Regardless, it got me wanting to look up symptoms and odd facts...so I thought I'd share! Here you are...

Preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost. ..

Excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships...

Unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value...

Shows significant rigidity and stubbornness...

Themed self obsessions such as fear of contamination or dirt; aggressive or horrific impulses; doubts that you've locked the door or turned off the stove; dermatitis because of frequent hand washing; hair loss or bald spots because of hair pulling..

Okay, making that list was fun, now off to bed so I can list things in alphabetical order until I fall asleep. :)

Side note...posted over at BabyBlog

My Personality (Neurotic)

2010-09-17T13:13:00.000-05:00

I read an HOK Work+Place blog today about how one's personality could affect the workspace. In that, Vivian included a link to a test for the "Big Five Model". I took it, and here are my results:

[To see my complete results, go here! My comments on the results are below, bracketed in italics.]

Scoring is out of 99.

EXTRAVERSION...............29
..Friendliness.............21
..Gregariousness...........25
..Assertiveness............57
..Activity Level...........82
..Excitement-Seeking.......22
..Cheerfulness.............12

Your score on Extraversion is low, indicating you are introverted, reserved, and quiet. You enjoy solitude and solitary activities. Your socializing tends to be restricted to a few close friends. [Yes, I do often like to be alone, I also avoid large crowds, and while I may appear to be loud and outgoing, I have to force myself to be that person.]

AGREEABLENESS..............34
..Trust....................29
..Morality.................20
..Altruism.................79
..Cooperation..............24
..Modesty..................60
..Sympathy.................43

Your level of Agreeableness is average, indicating some concern with others' Needs, but, generally, unwillingness to sacrifice yourself for others. [I'm disappointed that the results say I am unwilling to sacrifice myself, I think I sacrifice myself quite a bit when I can...however, the lack of trust and my real need for altruism I feel have shown up numerically. Morality of 20 pts...hmm, my morals are interesting I suppose]

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS..........63
..Self-Efficacy............64
..Orderliness..............60
..Dutifulness..............31
..Achievement-Striving.....48
..Self-Discipline..........65
..Cautiousness.............75

Your score on Conscientiousness is average. This means you are reasonably reliable, organized, and self-controlled. [Organized...been called that since childhood.]

NEUROTICISM................92
..Anxiety..................91
..Anger....................76
..Depression...............98
..Self-Consciousness.......66
..Immoderation.............52
..Vulnerability............93

Your score on Neuroticism is high, indicating that you are easily upset, even by what most people consider the normal demands of living. People consider you to be sensitive and emotional. [I am SO neurotic, I don't know how I didn't get those last 7 points!]

OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE.....29
..Imagination..............53
..Artistic Interests.......19
..Emotionality.............81
..Adventurousness..........2
..Intellect................37
..Liberalism...............49

Your score on Openness to Experience is low, indicating you like to think in plain and simple terms. Others describe you as down-to-earth, practical, and conservative. [I really hate change. I'm also very down to earth, gravity can be our friend.]

[Side note...wrote over at BabyBlog]

Ever Have One of Those Days

2010-09-15T15:21:00.000-05:00

You know things are getting confusing when you get a flow chart on how to do something, and you realize you are going to need a lesson on how to read the flow chart...

This of course comes from coworker Jeff who I believe dreams in flowcharts...he is a construction manager afterall! In fact, later, when I questioned his need for a doctor he confirmed he does in fact dream of spreadsheets, flowcharts, and piles of dirt! Nice work though Jeff!

Venti Wishard

2010-09-14T19:47:00.002-05:00

Today is one of those days I could vent for quite some time here on the blog. It wasn't a bad day per say, nor was it stressful per say...it was just...hectic. A meeting from 9am to 3 pm with an impromptu hour long conference call at quarter after 4. Hectic...

Anyway, the day long meeting was pretty neat actually. It was our Clash Detection Kickoff meeting for the Wishard project I'm working on these days. We're using Navisworks to do this, and it's just amazing to see how everything has come together!

Curious about my project Wishard? Well, it's a replacement hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. Here's the rendering of what the building looks like... [from thenewwishard.org]

You can even check out the webcam at this link: http://oxblue.com/pro/open/netwise/wishard

On a side note...I wrote about baby stuff today at stephysite-baby.blogspot.com

Starting Now

2010-09-13T09:10:00.000-05:00

Due to some prompting by Holly, I've started a blog devoted to that which is Baby Yadi and my daily (if I can keep up) rantings about pregnancy. Basically, I just want to be able to record the things I'll otherwise one day forget. For example, right now the kid is jumping on my bladder giving me this urge to run to the bathroom, but as soon as it starts, it stops thus giving me the giggles (it's funny to think what this thing can do). While it's really more of a personal diary for me, I am keeping it public so that those who wish to follow along may do so.

Should you wish to follow the baby stuff go to...

StephySite BabyBlog

For the record, I'll still be writing here as randomly as I have been. I will attempt to keep most of the baby stuff relegated to BabyBlog, with the occasional sharing of information here at My Moblie Blog.

What People Do At Work, A Follow Up

2010-09-10T14:58:00.006-05:00

If you recall the e-mail about the testing of an office refrigerator, well folks, I have an update. This just goes to show that a little testing can get you a new fridge!

-----Original Message-----
From: [name removed]
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 2:41 PM
To: [names removed]
Subject: BIG news in my office

Do you recall many months ago I forwarded you the results of some scientific tests on our refrigerators? (He stuck a thermometer in them.) The fridge which failed those tests was replaced today. I'm not sure exactly when, but I walked past that room on my way back from filling my water cup and the new one was there! It just appeared. It was still the old one when I returned from lunch. Hmmm...maybe some investigaton is needed.

Opinions Are Like . . .

2010-08-23T19:11:00.005-05:00

...well, you've likely heard that saying, and it's true, opinions are like the external opening of the rectum! Everybody has one! I have lots of them and choose to share them here on my blog, or privately with friends. Sometimes I comment on others' blogs and posts with my opinion, but only in a manner that can give an alternate theory or a great big hoo-rah to the writer! I usually also like for my opinions to be based on some theory, not some random bigoted airheadedness (ahem, this will appear in my dictionary shortly)!

Now, you may know some jerks who like to share their negative or rude opinions on your blog posts, status updates, etc. Try not to hold anything against these people as they are obviously not keen on the subject of "comment etiquette". They usually don't realize that they are not being forced to read your stuff, they usually don't get the joke, they think they know more than you, or, simply said, they are probably just complete jerks like their comment suggests. They are not aware that negative comments (unless reserved for product feedback and locations where this effect is desired) is meant to be had behind the scenes through such things as a private message or an e-mail. It can also be said of these individuals that they are judgmental as opposed to you who understands it is not your place to judge, for example, what one uses as a term of endearment. Furthermore, if the comment is not intended to be rude, the offender needs to find a method of writing said comment in such a manner that lets you know this, after all, not all of us can read minds!

As for those people that like to say things aloud to you in such a manner that you feel belittled, well, let me tell you, they've accomplished their goal. But, rest assured good reader, these people only belittle because they feel they need the power. The real power lies within you, the one who is not only smart enough to know the etiquette, but the one who isn't the external opening of the rectum!

With that said, I shall leave you now to comment up this post . . .

Questions, Answers, and Congratulations

2010-08-10T09:41:00.004-05:00

I'm going to start this blog off with my quick whiny rants. Skip to the next paragraph to avoid my negativity. Why must I sit next to the loudest people in the office? If you thought I was potentially the loudest person you knew (ahem, Christine), you haven't had the joy of sitting near the people I have the tremendous task of enjoying...loud drink sipping, loud belching, loud mouth-slap chewing, and ridiculously loud speaking volume. Not all of them are loud, not all of them have these annoying traits, but when my patience is thin, I can't bear the annoyances of others (like loud sipping).

Okay, I got that out of my system, and I feel a lot better already. The only reason I'm even really writing today is to update everyone on some of the questions I've been getting a lot of lately.

When is your due date?

I don't know. I have a range of given dates between November 29 to December 8. I think when it comes time for the baby poll, it should be fun to see what people think will happen.

What baby poll are you talking about?

Chris and I are going to have a 50-50 Baby Poll (50% of proceeds go towards the baby, gambling is illegal, but I will donate 50% of the proceeds to the "winner"). Each person is to guess the baby's gender, the due date, and lastly the weight. Only those who guessed the correct gender can win. The winner is the person who is closest to the actual birth date (with correct gender). Weight is tie breaker (closest to weight). I've not set this up yet, so stay tuned! Also, think of ways to spend the money for baby (college, savings account, diapers, toys, sheep, shoes for mom, or whatever).

Are you having a baby shower?

Yes, the date is October 9. If you want to come please let me know (with address (by email)).

Where are you registered?

Uh, yea, I still have to do that.

And you still think you want cloth diapers?

Yes, why, what are you saying?

Have you gotten anything done on the nursery?

I cleaned it out, though, the mattress doesn't fit down the stair well, so it's propped up along the wall, and probably will be for some time. We're leaving it painted yellow. Otherwise, no nesting has been incorporated into my lifestyle.

How's that quilt coming along for baby?

Okay, stop picking on me for being so lazy and lacking motivation. For your reference, I have ironed fusible backing to THREE of the shirts. That's more than you thought I bet!

When is Eva due? [note: NOT "What does Eva do?" - that was an awkward moment for me]

Eva is due at the end of January. Her shower is November 13, if you want to come, please let me know, I'll run it by her of course first to make sure you aren't her mortal enemy.

Okay, do either of you couples have names picked out?

Maybe, but would we share them yet?

Anyway, thanks for your time, thanks for your concerns; I really do appreciate everyone.

A quick congrats to Andrea, Aaron and Rudy for the newest addition to the family, Veronon. Congrats to Crystal and Mark, the newlyweds!

The Parade of Mimes

2010-08-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

I've always found my dreams to be bizarre, frightening, and interesting in such a way that I never want to forget them for reasons I can't begin to explain. I've written randomly about some of the dreams I've had such as the Chicken Pox dream and Future World/Past World; being the Angel of Death; onomatopoeia; the dream where they were going to take my shoes; and really, any one of the dreams about dead people!

Lately though, I've missed out on the blogging of dreams. I've simply lacked time or motivation. Today though, I spent some time talking to my buddy Eva about a dream I had last night. We analyzed the dream too, trying to figure out just what my brain wants me to know. It was fun, you should chime in and tell me what you think! So here it is...I shall call this dream, the Parade of Mimes.

There was a parade that was both creepy and festive at the same time. I was in
the parade for part of the time and watching the parade the rest of the time and
wore a beret of some sort. I don't know where I was but it had the feel of a
damp European city, the streets were wet, the stone of the buildings was damp,
my hair was frizzy, and the wind was chilly and sharp. While I can't recall many
detail of the parade, I do know that there were both Mustangs and Corvettes in
the parade (brilliant blues and yellows) as well as mimes. Lots of mimes. They
were creepy, as all mimes are, in typical mime gear (black and white, red
suspenders). Eventuallly it was time to go, I had to walk across a bridge from
Scotland to Ireland (or the other way around, who knows) and it was REALLY windy
and I lost my hat. The bridge was really close to the water so I crawled
on the bridge and I was so scared the wind blew the hat right off and I couldn’t
do anything about it cause my arms were stiff from holding onto the bridge.

...That's What?

2010-07-27T18:39:00.018-05:00

For those of you that have ever had an ultrasound, be if for gall or kidney stones or your everyday baby, you will know how confusing it is to interpret some of the images that they give you. I'm sharing with you now, some newer ultrasound images of Baby Yadi.

The first is of my third ultrasound (July 2, 2010)...you should see [in this order]: Head with attached spine (happy to see them attached); a face (see the eye sockets?); another view of the face.

The next set is from my fourth ultrasound (July 27, 2010) [Why so many ultrasounds? Technically I'm high risk, though it'd be low on the spectrum of high risk].

For fun, I decided to give you the ultrasound images first without explanation and then with notation as to what you should see...

What do you see?	What you should see!

IF YOU ARE VIEWING THIS VIA FACEBOOK, YOU MAY WANT TO CLICK HERE IF IMAGES ARE NOT SHOWING UP!

More Alphabet Things

2010-07-14T13:07:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've been here to write. In fact, I almost forgot where to go, but frankly, I'm blaming that on pregnancy and that which mother nature calls memory loss.

Sometimes I find myself writing in my head, the things I want to say just to get out of my head and even the things I want to tell people. Other times I literally close my eyes and see sudoku. What I see there is not enough to play, but enough for me to realize I haven't had my daily fill of numbers [I know right, an engineer NOT having her fill of numbers? Well, no one has ever said I was normal]. When I go to bed though, it all becomes overwhelming. Eh, well, let me restate that. Since becoming pregnant, I sleep regularly without trouble except at night when I'm winding down and thinking of all I have to do the following day; in these cases, it all becomes overwhelming.

My trick you see, to falling asleep, is the alphabet thing [as mentioned before]. This was last night's thing: name US cities in alphabetical order, the city must be the first that comes to mind! Here they are (or as far as I got):

Anaheim
Anaheim, Boston
Ana. . . Chicago
...Denver
...Effingham
...Farmington
...Gatlinburg
...Hermann
...Irving
...Jacksonville
...Kankakee
...Laramie
...Monroe
...Nashville
. . .

I either forgot the next cities, or I fell asleep, either way, I'm quite grateful!

Yes, I AM Pregnant

2010-05-18T20:11:00.006-05:00

As many of you have heard, I'm pregnant.

Also, as many of you may know, I don't take serious things serious (unless you're talking about licensing exams, that's a whole different bucket of worms). For example, my pregnancy announcement to the world (via Facebook, heh) stated that I was parasitically infected. It's not a lie, pregnancy is in fact, until birth, just like being infected by a parasite (there is the minor difference of species variation, but for the sake of argument, just shut up and let it be).

Additionally, I compared babies to dogs. This is apparently not an accepted comparison, but think about it for a moment. You don't wash babies or dogs often as their skin is sensitive, you simply wipe them down often. There's a lot of teaching in the beginning, "don't beg for food", "don't put the knife in the socket", "go potty on the lawn", "go potty in the toilet". Dogs and newborn babies, sleep for 16-20 hours. Humans grow out of this habit, which is a bad thing. Dogs, the obviously smarter species do not grow out of this habit, though they are infinitely less productive!

For all of my current pregnancy mockery, I do not apologize, as it is after all ME. Would you expect less? Would you expect more? Didn't think so! I will however, to appease the masses (and myself just a tiny bit) share the joyfulness of this all with some images and info...

-Will you find out the gender? No

-So, are you calling the fetus 'it'? Yes, as well as 'him' out of habit, and 'Baby Yadi'

-What are you doing for the nursery? We'll be converting the sheep room (the sheep stay), it's already yellow so no need to redecorate.

-You are fairly psycho about the environment, so what are you doing about diapers? Preferably the G diapers, and even cloth, as you know, I'm opposed to destroying the environment for mere convenience. I will on occasion use what is available, but my goal is to minimize the impact of baby diapers in landfills!

-When are you due/How far along are you? I'm due around late November, early December. As of today (May 18, 2010), I'm 12 weeks (out of approx. 40 wks)

-What are you most excited about? My cousin's baby is due earlier in the year, so cousins will be of the same age; Santa Claus; school supplies; Christmas at Grandpa's.

-What about the dogs? I imagine Riley will take this all in very well. Bella, who is the baby of the house will be my problem. I anticipate carrying around a baby doll that whines to teach her what is allowed and not allowed from dogs around babies. Though stubborn (she IS a bully) she's smart, she'll learn, and she'll always be my baby girl as Riley will always be my baby boy!

-How are you feeling otherwise? Well, honestly, it's hard to be excited through all the nausea. Until Monday the 17th I had a vomit free pregnancy. It all changed with some projectile stuff accompanied by a severe headache and about 16-20 hours of sleep. I have otherwise been feeling okay. The nausea comes and goes all day long. Let's hope it passes. I want to throw out a huge thanks to Maureen for the suggestion of Greek yogurt. Others suggested it as well, but Maureen gave me some insider tips!

-Any names picked out? Nothing besides Yadier Molina.

-When are you going to start taking this seriously? What, I HAVE to do that?

-How many horror stories have you heard? Lucky for me, I avoid the people that tell me of horror stories, I can't deal with them. Instead, I hear from Maureen and Michel who are both very positive about their current and past pregnancies (respectively). SO, if you want to tell me about something good and positive, great! If you have a horror story, don't even bother!

Are you making anything for Baby Yadi? Yes, I plan on making a quilt out of all my old punk t-shirts I can't bear to toss but can't wear for one reason or another. Also, there is some scrap booking happening. Eva is drawing some stuff up for the room, I imagine Chris will make some kind of furniture, I expect at least one children's book from @ibificus, and I'm sure all my dog buddies on Twitter will work up some slimy drool kisses for me too (virtual drool works great for me)!
NOW...the images... [If you only see blobs in the ultrasounds, don't worry, that's really all they are...well that and a baby]

The image on the left is the 8 week ultrasound where you should see a blob/baby about the size of a kidney bean and the yolk sac. The image on the right is the 12 week ultrasound (bottom right is "3d") where you should see a lime sized blob/baby.

2010-04-05T21:28:00.005-05:00

When I wasn't watching, everyone's lives changed. It's not like I haven't noticed things different here or there. I just haven't taken time to look at the whole book shelf so to speak, to notice that not only have books been relocated, but some have been removed all together. Some books have been left without binding or have been ripped and torn. Some books appear to have been taped and renewed.

I don't want to talk about any one specific allegorical book per say, but I will elaborate enough to explain those I've noticed as of just this week. Maybe you can pick out which book you are! One book has simply disappeared. Another book has split in half. One book has been separated but rebound to that which makes two very nice looking books instead. At least a couple of books now have sequels. Another book isn't quite close to completion, but hey, who can rush a masterpiece? And one very exciting book ended up in TWO jails!

All of this talk of books makes me think of three things I want to say to close this up.

Currently reading the Anita Blake series and it's quite enjoyable. They might give me nightmares, but really, what doesn't?
I'm really proud of That One for doing his whole reading thing...takes a real dog to do what he does! BOL! [yes, BOL, bark out loud]
I'm going to write a book one day titled The Bastard Phlebotomist. The guy is going to think he is a poet, but in reality, he'll stick patients poorly while trying to draw blood and wiggle the needle all around until the patient is bruised and sore! The only things he'll say are "confirm you address and birth date", "son of a ...", god....[then sounds like warble warble warble]", and "okay, go now". Sounds like a great read, huh!?

Last, but not least, I want to give a shout out to Stubbs, whose birthday passed uneventfully on April 2nd. Good day Stubbs, good day!

Fingerprints Don't Fade

2010-03-28T16:18:00.005-05:00

Eva and I took some time out today to go see the movie Remember Me. I cried through several parts of the movie and silently thanked the movie dearly for comic relief. But all in all, it was a decent movie whose premise is sad and true. It mostly deals with death, love, lack of understanding, and the effect that one person can have on others' lives. The movie even begins with the Gandhi quote "Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it". For those of you intending to watch the movie, I won't elaborate, though I will provide you with a couple quotes from the movie...

Caroline asked me if I knew what I'd say if I knew you could hear me. I told her I know: I love you. God, I miss you. And I forgive you.-Tyler

If you could hear me, I would say that our finger prints don't fade from the lives we've touched. -Tyler

I guess I wanted to write about seeing the movie so I could emphasize something. The things we do, good and bad, they do leave fingerprints on someone else. We may not know it, but we may be the one thing that keeps someone smiling. We might also be the one thing that torments someone else, so maybe try not to be that person. We can't live worrying/working/stressing/being depressed every day. If you feel the need to compliment someone...forget social boundaries that might make you feel awkward...say something, it may be the only compliment that person receives. People are mean, but don't be bothered by them, not everyone will be mean to you, they just don't "get" you. Life really is short and we never know what tomorrow holds...make the most of the little things, the one's you love, and the one's that love you in return.

Now, go on and take a few seconds to list a few of the small things that get you by...

Snuggling with the dogs

Knowing that you can talk to some one who does not hear you, and knowing that really, they do

My shorter curly blond hair that goes where ever it wants when the humidity is high, no matter how much I hate it, I smile in the mirror

Incessant giggling that can't be stopped which incurs more giggling

The stuffed animal carcasses laying about the house...each with its own place so that cleaning is endless with carcasses ending up back where you removed them from

Always having a book on standby...never want to be left without reading material

Saying the perfect thing at the perfect time that gives you the confidence/pride tingle up the spine

Being able to relate to someone, for the simple matter of letting him know he is not alone

Finishing a project

Marking things off a list

My notebooks
The Notebook of Potter-Arbogast transcripts

Four leafed clovers

History

Battery chargers

The End of Time Apparently Did Not Have an Appointment

2010-03-23T13:38:00.003-05:00

I waited for it yesterday, the end of time. But it never really ended. The day started, it progressed, I got sucked into work late to come home and exercise all without the end of time. I played video games, I read a book, I showered, I snuggled with the dogs, again, all without the end of time.

Call it what you will, Armageddon (an epic battle associated with the end time); the Apocalypse (the eschatological final battle of end of the world; Omnicide (human extinction as a result of human action); or Doomsday (occurrence which has an exceptionally destructive effect on the human race), I expected it all to happen yesterday.

Why? A few reasons I suppose. It just feels like it's about time (or should be). Also, I had figured my hoping for the end of time might encourage it along, frankly I'm tired and I could use the eternal sleep. Lastly, the thing that pops into my mind is social health care, but I'll stop the conversation short since I don't discuss politics.

Oh well, here we are, without the end of time. I suppose I'll make a day of it and enjoy the weather by having a picnic with the dogs.

Save The Elephants

2010-03-10T07:48:00.005-06:00

I sign petitions and then wonder if they help. For example, a world can ban whaling, but Japan will whale anyway. Five million people could sign a petition, but does it help? If a world won't stop Japan, why do we believe that 5 million signatures would mean anything more or less to them? While I use Japan as my example, the thought applies to global parameters.

Does anyone know?

Anyway, I saw this post on Twitter from @ibificus. It made me think of two friends in particular (Kelly P.-F. and Amanda S.). I care too, so I signed. I want to pass this along. Browse the site, I encourage you to sign petitions you see relevant. If you find out how much help (or how little), let me know!

SAVE THE ELEPHANTS, a petition to help prevent the breaking of the worldwide ban on ivory trading.

What Is She Doing?

2010-03-01T18:27:00.004-06:00

Being an idiot in St. Louis' first Idiotarod!

What it is? It's a 4 mile race through downtown St. Louis with checkpoints where challenges will be performed.

What's with the cart? The race is executed with a cart and 5 team members. Each team has a theme for which the members dress up and decorate the cart. We are the Sorta Sheep.

Why are people doing this? It's a fund raiser for Operation Food Search. Please go to the Virtual Shopping Cart, and when you are at the check out, be sure to list "The Sorta Sheep" as the company. [Remember those grade school fundraisers everyone hated...yea, well, they're back!]

I still don't get it... I don't know how else to explain this to you, but here's a shot with help from the organizers: "Downtown St. Louis Idiotarod, which pays homage to the Alaskan tradition of the Iditarod in which dogs pull a sled and musher across the Iditarod Trail. Our event is similar, except replace the dogs with people and the sled with a shopping cart, put it in downtown St. Louis, and add a heavy dose of weirdness"

Wow, this really sounds like something you'd do! You are right!! I've been envious since I heard about in New York where a friend participated. I was beyond happy to see it finally arrive here in St. Louis! My team mates are Amanda Sutter, Amy Henke, Dave Ulrey, and Chris Trowbridge! Wish us luck!

Being the Change Brings Thanks

2010-02-18T13:13:00.004-06:00

Doing things to help others is something I selfishly like to do because it makes me feel better. I want to be one of the people I want people to become!

Every once in a while some one sends a message of thanks my way that just makes me sky-rocket to the moon! Today, I happened upon one of these...
Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for assisting us gather medical supplies for Haiti Relief!

My wife, Cynthia, arrived safely to Port au Prince Haiti this morning. She meet her uncle and delivered the supplies that we gathered to help support the medical clinic his family is providing for their surrounding community. Your generosity will go directly to help heal the injured and wounded people in the Delmas area of Port-Au-Prince.

Cynthia is now heading north with a medical group to Deschapelles, Haiti to do relief work with “Hopital Albert Schweitzer”. The hospital did not collapse from the earthquake and is still functioning. She will be fitting people with prosthetics as well as provide general medical treatment for the next 9 days.

Cynthia and I, her family and the Haitian people appreciate all of your generosity.

Thank you for your kindness,

John
Because the names of these people are not mine to share, I just won't share them; but with that said, all the thanks go to the real people doing something!

That phrase "be the change you want to see in the world", might have something to it.

Chet the Jet AKA @Chetthedog

2010-02-17T13:17:00.004-06:00

I'm reading the second book of the Chet and Bernie mysteries...Thereby Hangs a Tail. I've mentioned the books before so I won't dwell, I just wanted to share an excerpt that makes me think of Riley.

"A strong breeze sprang up in the room, and not too long after that I realized it came from my wagging tail."

Oh dogs!

Anyway, as a reminder, you can check out Chet's blog at chetthedog.com where your pets can become friends of Chet as well (Riley and Bella are both there). You may also find him on Twitter where he goes by @chetthedog!

You won't find it as a big surprise to also know he's hanging around Facebook. With so many new people to smell, why wouldn't he?

What People Do At Work...

2010-02-10T13:31:00.002-06:00

The following is from an e-mail I saw today, that as joking as it may seem, is very real. As you can see, some people just really want to test anything they can!

-----Original Message-----
From: [name removed]
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 12:28 PM
To: [names removed]
Subject: Refrigerator Temperatures

If you don't use the refrigerators in the kitchen, you can delete this message.

This message is for informational purposes only.

On 10 Feb 2010 I conducted a study of the temperatures in the two refrigerators located in the kitchen near EC-G utilizing scientific methods and instrumentation*.

The findings of the study are as follows:

Refrigerator on the right (looking at the front of the refrigerators)
Top compartment** (degrees F) 0
Bottom compartment (degrees F) 32

Refrigerator on the left
Top compartment (degrees F) 32
Bottom compartment (degrees F) 55***

*I stuck a thermometer in the refrigerator compartments.
**Traditionally known as the freezer on this refrigerator.
***Beverages can be cooled utilizing the ice machine near the real estate division.

No One Gets Me Quite Like Me

2010-02-10T07:54:00.004-06:00

No one quite gets me, like me. I've always said that I write for my own self. I often reread what I wrote to laugh at myself, to see how I've digressed, or perhaps improved. I also have a much more personal blog [I know, more personal than this?] that no one really reads; I very randomly read it to see how I've changed, to refocus my mind in a healthier manner. I think it's necessary that we do that every now and again. We have to do things for us. If we don't take care of ourselves first, how are we to ever help anyone else?

Anyway, I got started on all of this because I read Greg Kot's Wilco Learning How to Die. It was a great book and biography about Wilco and Jeff Tweedy. While it's ancient in terms of Wilco having concluded around 2002; the thoughts of Jeff Tweedy would still ring true. One of his particular quotes made me think of how important we all are to ourselves.

"That's the beauty of music" he says. "Because when it feels right, it does feel like you invented it-because you did. You invented if for yourself"

We should all be able to take a moment to forget what anyone else will think of what we write, draw, sing, or cook. If we make ourselves happy, the others will soon follow. We can't control the world, but we can control what decisions we make.

Anyway, I wasn't going any place in particular with this other than to say I really enjoyed the book. I also really enjoy rereading what I write because no one gets me like I do [my jokes are dry, but damn, I love 'em]. No matter who comes and goes in our lives, they each served a purpose while there that we should be grateful for that rather than resentful. Also, it's way too easy to get wrapped up in things greater than ourselves, but we shouldn't. We are all that matters. If we take care of us, the rest does follow.

Now, off of my public service announcement with a quick update that I'm moving on to the new Chet the Jet book. Also, I thought it was time to make you think...

You get only three clues...What Am I?

I am a fiber tip pen.
My ink is translucent.
I was invented in Japan in 1962.

Alice Cake and Twitter Tea?

2010-02-08T12:47:00.004-06:00

I've mentioned this once before via Twitter, but just saw something that made me think about it again...

When I see someone walking with scissors or a knife having the point facing anywhere but down, I begin to think, "didn't your mother ever teach you to carry sharp objects with the point facing down? You've got to be careful or you'll fall on it and die"!

Then it occurs to me that maybe the said individual doesn't have a mother! What if, his mother was carrying a knife (point up) and fell? What if she fell on her knife and stabbed herself to death?

Oh the horror!

That thought usually manages to trigger some horrible dream I had, and as always, that's what happened this time, though, a bit different, it had to do with me having to carve electronic chips out of dead bodies. I don't know why I did this, I don't know who I had to do this to, and I can't recall when I dreamt this. I just thought moments ago, "hey, I had a dream about carving out chips of bodies". The bodies were more of a cake though, like Alice in Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More" video.

Of course this gets me thinking about the new Alice in Wonderland coming out. I'm totally creeped out by the story in general, and all fabrications of it beyond the book simply intensify that which I find creepy. Irregardless of my "creep out" factor, I will be watching it! I really can't wait. Less than one month to go!

Now, to wrap it all back up, Alice made me think of tea parties, which reminds me, I've not had Twitter Tea in some time!

Dead Flies? Think of Me!

2010-02-03T09:10:00.006-06:00

When it comes to being twisted, I am up there in the ranks. What surprises me is that anyone else would notice this, but apparently, according to good friend Chris, people are noticing. The following is an e-mail I recieved this morning, and let me tell you, I think it is a pretty weird and awesome idea! I have no idea where this originates, if you do, please share!

---Fw: What to do when you are bored at work.....
---On Wed, 2/3/10, Chris wrote:

This seems like something you would do . . .

What to do...

1. Kill a few Flies

2. Put them in the sun to dry for one hour.

3. Once they are dry, pick a pencil and paper... Let your imagination flow.

Here are a few examples...

Meet Me in St. Louis

2010-02-02T22:46:00.003-06:00

Take some time out of your busy schedule to swing by the St. Louis Science Center on Saturday, February 6th to get some knowledge on earthquakes. 10am-2pm

I'll be there, along with many other nerdy, knowledge friendly people demonstrating what earthquakes can do, how they are caused, what to do if you are in one (as well as after), and what a person can do to be safe (and I'm sure there are other things too).

I will have my home-made shake table on hand as well!

Come on, you know you want to!

I Rant About Chinese Products Yet Again

2010-01-31T09:59:00.005-06:00

One could easily say that yesterday I was on a tirade. It all started because I needed to wrap Eva's birthday present, the Tim Burton book I bought her while at the MoMA.

I could have simply used Christmas paper that I have at home, but the dilemma is two-fold. One problem is that I feel those who celebrate their birthdays so close to Christmas get jipped in a sense. They get cheated on gifts and most of the cheated gifts are wrapped in Christmas paper. I don't want to be one of those people; the one's who cheat others. I admit fully that I love to give people gifts. I love to make others happy be it with small gifts, large gifts, or simple compliments. So, as one might see, there was no way I was wrapping a birthday gift I was so excited about in Christmas paper!

The second problem with Christmas paper is that I prefer to save every sliver so that it may be used to wrap something next season. I don't want to waste it is what I'm saying.

So now I had the dilemma of how to wrap the gift. Simple I thought, get a handkerchief and wrap it in that. Well, that would have been nice if every handkerchief in the freaking US were not made in freaking CHINA! Scarves, head wraps, socks, and underwear...everything made in China.

So to end my tirade, I'll tell you that I chose not to wrap the book. I refrained from bitching too much about it, and yet here I am a whole day later still stewing!

One might ask, "what do you do now Steph?", and to that I have an answer! Go to furoshiki, they tell you where the wraps are made!

And Still More Things...

2010-01-28T13:48:00.004-06:00

I love to share the things I enjoy with hopes that others may enjoy them as well...

reading in the shower

Getting unexpected (and good) mail

Spending free time in my pajamas

The expressions my dogs make

Surprising myself by doing something I didn't think possible

Getting a joke that no one else gets

The flavor of bubble gum

The smell of books

Finding something unexpected in a book (an old picture you once used as a bookmark or an old movie ticket perhaps)

Seeing a photo you had forgotten about, but brings back fun memories

Receiving a compliment

Being told that you are the glue that holds things together.

Dictionaries, the kind you find in book form

Diaries/notebooks/sketchpads that age over time and are reviewed at a later date to bring smiles, confusion, and reminders of muses

A few other things that get me by...
T.H.I.N.G.S.1
T.H.I.N.G.S.2
T.H.I.N.G.S.3

Farewell Pat

2010-01-26T21:03:00.004-06:00

Often times I would look out the back door into the yard and see Riley standing at the fence. His giant head peering over letting out one bark after another. Knowing Riley the way I do, I always knew these as "hey, pay attention to me, I want you to pet me" barks. They were the same barks he gave to neighbor Terry (aka The Vegetarian).

These past few years though, Riley has split his neighborly barking among a few neighbors. One neighbor even gets Bella hopping around and eager to paw or bark for attention (as opposed to merely biting Riley's ankles). I had always thought that it was the neighbor dog Buddy, that runs along the fence with Bella that got her all wound, but it wasn't; it was that dog's owner, Pat that got them both so excited.

So it goes that I'd hear barking outside, I'd look, and there my two beloved children would be, barking at the fence. I'd see Pat wave finally, I'd send a wave back and go about my business while I watched him and his dog, along with my dogs hanging out at the fence. It was a little while later I learned that he made special trips to the fence with treats for my dogs.

Pat was a really great man who had a kind heart. It was Pat that knocked at my door to notify me that someone threw a rock through my car window. I saw Pat at least twice a day if not at my fence, always taking his dog Buddy for a walk.

I'm very heartbroken and sad about the death of a man I hardly knew. Perhaps I'm sad for my dogs who will never understand why their pal will never again be over for treat time at the fence. Perhaps I'm sad for Buddy who is now without his faithful master. Perhaps I'm sad for the entire neighborhood, as we've lost a really great person and neighbor.

Anyway it goes, I'm sad. January 25, 2010 -- Rest in Peace Pat, you were a great person.

Getting By

2010-01-26T17:30:00.002-06:00

A few more things that get me by...

Watching Bella (the bulldog) climb into bed with her wee little legs

Riley's ears

Smarties

SweetTarts

Knowing that Bella will beg for food, no doubt showing her two front bottom teeth

Getting a lot of stuff done in a couple of days that would normally take a week

My pink and gray loafers

Angel food cake

Reading something in a book that I really enjoy and can relate to that I later share

Getting invited to lunch with people

Being able to help someone by answering a question, fulfilling a task, or, well really, just helping do anything

spreadsheets and databases

Too Many Words Sound Alike!

2010-01-13T12:44:00.003-06:00

"I'm jealous, Becky is going to see Grease tonight" he says. I look confused and disgusted all at the same exact moment. I wonder aloud, "really, I want to go to Greece, how did I not know about this"? I get that blank confused expression in return while he replies, "well, you know, working at the Fox, she gets so many tickets, so she's going to see it tonight". Damn it, I did it again, the other Greece!

While I won't be going to Greece anytime soon, I will be going with Amanda to New York this weekend for the Tim Burton exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. I am supposed to give my flight info to my brother so that some one can "track" me for my mom. So, here it is:

Since that's cleared up, my only worry is about poor Haiti. They needed better buildings.

SMART ASS

WHO AM I?

I am a TV character.

Carroll Spinney plays me.

My voice was based on a Bronx cabbie’s.

I am green.

My pet peeve is cheerful people.

My favorite vacation spot is the Mudville City Dump.

I love trash.

I live on Sesame Street.

WORD

advertent: giving attention; heedful

30 Million Dollar Garage

2010-01-12T15:51:00.006-06:00

Did you know that if you were going to have a concrete parking garage built in the US, it would cost you about $15,000 per car? So for instance, if you wanted to allow 2000 cars to park in your garage, it would cost you 30 million US dollars.

There are a lot of stipulations that I should note, [you know, all that fine print]. As I am neither an estimator nor producer of said concrete structures, you should ignore anything I have to say...just thought you might like to know that tidbit!

SMART ASS
WHERE AM I?

I am a lake.

My waters come from glaciers.

I claim to have 300 sunny days a year.

Each winter, I have 400 inches of snowfall.

I am the second deepest lake in the US.

My southern shore is known for its casinos.

I am divided between Nevada and California.

I am in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

WORD

yashmak: A veil worn by Muslim women that is wrapped around the upper and lower parts of the face so that only the eyes remain exposed to public view.

Chet the Jet

2010-01-11T08:37:00.003-06:00

I recommend books all the time that people probably end up hating and wondering why I'd even bother reading let alone recommending! But one of the books I once recommended to my brother was Dog On It by Spencer Quinn, seemingly enjoyed by all. My mom and both my brothers read it. Since then, and to my utmost delight, I found the blog by Chet the Jet (hero of the book, a dog named Chet). I also follow Chet on Twitter! Anyway, the new book is out, Thereby Hangs A Tail.

I chose to mention this because I was reading today's blog which made me chortle aloud at work, thus giving away the fact I wasn't actually working. [People don't laugh at work in this industry]. So it goes, Chet arrives home and realizes that there have been trespassers. I'm on edge with anticipation as to who might have been on his property...

...I followed the scents: squirrel, bird, the mailman, toad, and several of my guys, including – Iggy?

...I have to laugh, that's just exactly what a dog would do; get everyone up in arms thinking some one is at the door or breaking into the house, you charge through rooms at the ready to find, but what, really?, that's just a squirrel taunting you with it's tail! Ohhhhh Dogs!

Anyway, good books, go read!

SMART ASS
WHAT AM I?

I am a form of dance.

I have companies throughout the world.

My lead dancers are called principals.

I have five main positions.

Edgar Degas’ paintings of me are well known.

The Nutcracker and Swan Lake are among my popular works.

Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of my most famous dancers.

My apparel can include tutus and toe shoes.

[easy peasy japanesy...and on that note, Mike, you were right, it was Degas...interesting that we just had that conversation yesterday]

WORDS

febrile: marked or caused by fever; feverish. This word, along with fever, are derived from the Latin word febris, meaning a fever.

confabulate: 1.:to talk informally; chat. 2. to hold a discussion; to confer. 3.:to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication. Confabulate, fabulous, and fable are all derivatives of the Latin word fabula meaning "conversation" or "story" depending on the usage.

kinesics: a systematic study of the relationship between nonlinguistic body motions (as blushes, shrugs, and eye movement) and communication. The formal study of "body language" is believed to have begun with the publishing of Ray Birdshistell's book Introduction to Kinesics in 1952.

No No, The Other Chicago!

2010-01-10T13:04:00.005-06:00

She told me three or four times about how she went with Mama Skweak, Becky, and Skweak to see Chicago (the musical) at the Fox Theater. She wasn't doing it as if to "rub it in" that she got to go, she was merely excited at having had the opportunity. She really enjoyed herself.

This time though she told the story as if confused and irritated that she had to reiterate that she had gone. It came up because she was mentioning something or other about seeing Chicago. My first thoughts were of sadness of being replaced. I had for a moment thought that she found cooler people to hang out with; people that liked Chicago. My second thoughts were that of not really liking Chicago. My next thoughts were that Eva didn't like Chicago either, why would she be doing that? So I had to ask, "You went to see Chicago"? She shot a crooked glance at me. One of those unsure glances; "is she loosing her mind?" type glances. As she retold the story it all came back, "OH, THAT Chicago, thank god, I thought you were talking about the band"!

All's good now!

What's Going On?

2010-01-08T08:31:00.003-06:00

I'm either having a stroke or everyone on Twitter today is really confusing!

Want to know where the earthquakes are happening? Go to these sites:

Mediterranean

Want to know about any event? Go here:

ubAlert

WHO AM I?

I am a famous leader.

I was born in Corsica in 1769 and died in 1821.

My military battles were well documented.

I was the greatest military genius of the 19th century.

I declared myself Emperor.

I was called the “Little Corporal.”

In 1815, I pushed it too far at Waterloo.

I told Josephine, “Not tonight.”

WORD

truculent: 1:feeling or displaying ferocity 2: deadly or destructive 3: scathingly harsh 4: aggressively self-assertive

Book of Lost Things

2010-01-07T07:57:00.003-06:00

I just finished a lovely book, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It was a great book with much taken from myths, folklore, and fairy tales. I have to admit that the ending was my favorite part. I won't share it, but will tell you that it has elements of well dressed talking animals [one of my bigger fears]; twisted fairy tales that end not quite like you expect yet the tales all end in some way that you some how did expect; the ending is sad and yet you smile by the shear happiness of it all. I recommend it indeed. On that note, I also think that @ibificus, @Emmet, and @FrankieP would rather enjoy it. First, well dressed talking animals. Second, great imagery for the mind that I think the likes of those fellas would appreciate. Third, it's twisted, and those three seem to like that which is twisted [or I assume since that what I gather from Twitter]!

WHERE AM I?

I am a North American city in the Rocky Mountains.

I am a stylish ski resort for the rich and famous.

I was once a rich silver mining center.

I am in Colorado.

I am located on the Roaring Fork River.

I share my name with a variety of tree.

I am the site of a music festival each summer.

John Denver moved here in the 1970s.

[Not quite so easy today]

WORD

passel: a large number or amount. [This word is similar to the words cuss and bust with respect that it comes from a "linguistic idiosyncrasy" where there is a loss of sound of "r" after a vowel and before a consonant in the middle of a word. curse-cuss; burst-bust]

Things Will Get Easier?

2010-01-06T07:39:00.005-06:00

And so it goes, 2010 is on the move. It hasn't started out swell, but I suppose, granted the way the universe works, I shall not worry the small stuff. As an update, Chris (Andy's friend) is alive and well. By well I mean no internal injuries. Yesterday afternoon he was sitting on his couch when a car drove over his porch and into his front room pinning him against the wall opposite where he sat; he was then flown to Barnes-Jewish hospital. As I mentioned, he is well and since they aren't my injuries I won't share them here, just know he's well.

I have a whole list of worries and dilemmas plaguing me at the moment, but I won't share them all at once, instead I shall share with you a question in order to get your opinion on the matter.

QUESTION
How should one say 2010? [Click here for my poll]

Twenty Ten [history indicates this to be logical... The War of Eighteen Twelve; Party Like It's Nineteen Ninety-nine]

Two-thousand and Ten [while this feels right to me, I would not have chosen to say "The War of Eighteen-hundred and Twelve" nor "The War of One-thousand Eight-hundred and Twelve"]

WHAT AM I?

I am a musical instrument.

I am made from brass, but am not part of the brass section.

A “Bird” was known for playing me.

I can be an alto, soprano, tenor, or baritone.

Lisa Simpson plays me all the time.

Bill Clinton once played me on a late night talk show.

I am occasionally used in the orchestra.

My popularity stems mainly from jazz.

[another easy one to boost the confidence! As usual, check back in the comments for the answer]

WORD
fissiparous: tending to break up into parts; divisive. For example, my home made shortbread! In biology, where the word was first used, it applied to organisms that produce new individuals by fission (dividing into seperate cells creating two new and unique organisms).

Did I Wake Up In Alaska?

2010-01-05T07:46:00.007-06:00

I fear I may have accidentally moved to Alaska without knowing I have done so...

[temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit]

WHO AM I?

I am an actor and screenwriter born in New York City.

The first movie I wrote and starred in won Best Picture.

My most famous character now has been in 6 movies.

My second most famous character has been in 4 movies.

Neither character speaks much.

At birth, part of my face was partially paralyzed.

I have a body-focused nutrition company and book.

My nickname is “Sly.”

[Seriously, if you can't get this, you're out of the loop, but I'll be sure to post the answer in the comment section of this blog towards the end of the day]

WORD

alley-oop: A basketball play in which a player catches a pass above the basketball and immediately dunks the ball. "Alley-oop" was first heard by English ears under the big tops of early 20th-century circuses. When acrobats were about to leap to their trapezes, they would often cry the similar sounding French word allez-oop--an interjection meaning roughly "go up". Its latest venue is the half pipe, where skateboarders and snowboarders pull "alley-oop" spinning tricks.

Smart Ass

2010-01-04T08:08:00.002-06:00

So far 2010 started out well. It's 3°F outside with a -6° wind chill. This weather made drinking my hot tea quite delightful!

I was a bit disappointed in my word of the day so I decided to register online for my free calendar (that came along with my purchase of the paper kind).

I opted for Smart Ass (though it took some finagling with the site to get around to giving it to me)! Anyway, instead of a word, here's a riddle...

Where Am I?

I am a famous structure in Asia.

Shocking conditions were endured while making me.

I was built by Allied prisoners of war.

The Japanese oversaw my construction.

I was portrayed in a 1957 Oscar-winning movie.

I am in Thailand.

I was destroyed during the war, but was rebuilt.

I am still in use today.

[Just a note from the editor, don't respond with the answer "Thailand", smart ass indeed]

Year In Review - Part II

2009-12-29T12:04:00.004-06:00

As always, I made sure to have some escapade in my year.

This year was New York, NY; Kansas City, MO; Austin, TX; Santa Claus, IN; Dublin, Ireland; London, UK; Glasgow, Scotland; Berkeley, CA.

Here are a few pics...

Lessons Learned...

Sometimes you have to get away be it for entertainment, avoidance, therapy, or your birthday. You just need to do it!

Traveling alone has its rewards. You get to go where you want, do what you want, and all on your schedule.

Traveling alone can be scary. When something goes wrong, you have only your brain to figure out what to do

Traveling alone means it's hard to get good pictures. Yea, you can ask the random stranger to take a picture for you; but with my trust issues, no one was touching my camera!

Sometimes the places you least expect to enjoy are the best and vice versa. I had high hopes for London though it proved much less enjoyable than anticipated. I had low hopes for Berkley and it proved to be a top on my list of places to return.

Year In Review - Part I

2009-12-23T07:19:00.013-06:00

I only have a few days left of this year and since this year has sucked so royally, next year, the big 2010, will be grand. One can only hope.

As today is my Friday, I'm feeling pretty good. I thought that I'd get started on my year in review. To say I don't know where to start would be completely cliche, but true. It's not that I did so much that I can't even begin; rather, I just don't remember. Lucky for me (and you), I wrote a blog this year!

Instead of recapping all that has happened in the year, I'll simply start with the topic of "Downtime- What I Did to Recharge". Wonder where I got this great [modified] idea? Well, check out this fellow here!

I Blogged at stephysite and hoklife!

There are the obvious things to make myself physically "unwind" and these consist of Nyquil and diphenhydramine. A lot of Effexor helps too!

I've spent some time this year "getting in shape" which translates to "tearing up my knees". I ran a couple of 5k's and tried to regularly stick to jogging that allows me to think alone while physically exhausting myself. The best benefit is the endorphin high.

Doodling has become a new "stress reliever" at work. I suppose it started one night after talking to @ironstef about zentangle. I recently purchased a lovely handmade [out of used books] journal to store my doodles. The lovely journal was made by @thefancylamb

Reading is always high on my list of things to do. It serves so many purposes (keeps the mind fresh with ideas and knowledge, kills the time on the bus, lulls me to sleep, tells me amazing stories, gives me things to talk about, and relaxes me). This year I've read more than most years because I've used public transit about 75%-85% of the year; which happens to be where I do most of my reading. Here is a small list of what I read in 2009:

A Dirty Job
Fool
Blood Sucking Fiends
You Suck
The Twilight Series
Let the Right One In
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible
Broken

Want some words? Here ya go...
jump the couch: A defining moment when you know someone has gone off the deep end. Inspired by Tom Cruise's behavior on Oprah.
Chrismukkah: the holiday mixture for Hanukkah and Christmas.

My Daily Food?

2009-12-21T13:28:00.003-06:00

I was asked what "My Daily Food" means. I think the question spurred because of the lack of content about food on my blog. I'm not a foodie (baker perhaps), I rarely cook. In fact yesterday I contemplated this for dinner...

My Daily Food is a ska song by Toots and the Maytals. I'd give you the lyrics but I only know a few. "I earn my daily food", "it's my daily food", "something something something" that sounds like "take a banana peel", and then some other words that sound like mother and father and let go. I sometimes make words up to my music. For example, to this song I often say "Happens all day, happens all day; spendin' my time lookin' like a, like a crazy fool"! [For those of you that have/know the song, I'll give you a moment to play it and wait for the moment that you can totally understand what I mean]!

I make words up in songs all the time. Sebadoh has a song called Ocean whose lyrics go like this, "somethin' 'bout the middle of the ocean, somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin' else, and that's all I know".

I'm just classy that way!

Word...

bid: A prison sentence.

Alphabetical Order

2009-12-17T05:33:00.002-06:00

When I can't sleep, I have a few techniques that I dazzle myself with in order to doze off. The first trick consists of a healthy dose of diphenhydramine. If that fails me, or if I manage to resist the urge to consume medication, I do the alphabet thing. It's simple, much like counting sheep.

The problem with counting sheep is that it requires too little thought and therefore my brain begins to wander again as the sheep roam about doing their own thing. So I have to do something more complex. [Once I wrote equations in my head, but I found I got so consumed with trying to remember complex ideas that I wanted to get up and write things down rather than sleep. So, I go to my good old alphabet thing.]

For ages (or since junior high school), I said the 50 States in alphabetical order. Then, when I got too used to that, I'd count how many states had A's, or double letters, or ending in vowels, etc. I rarely bore of this; however, on occasion, I like to mix things up for my brain. In these cases I list items in alphabetical order, based on theme, and repeat them until I eventually fall asleep. It never fails that eventually I just doze off with little recollection of where I even left off. For example, last night was animals...

armadillo
armadillo bear
armadillo bear crocodile
armadillo bear crocodile donkey
...you get the idea...this is my list...or as far as I got...
armadillo bear crocodile donkey elephant ferret giraffe horse impala jaguar kangaroo llama moose n..n...n...

Complaints

2009-12-16T07:53:00.005-06:00

To say "I hate to complain" is a flat out lie. I like to bitch and moan and sob until everyone gets the idea of how miserable I am about something. Hence China!

But this morning isn't about China at all. It's about people. So I will vent to you , my two readers [ahem, see Becky, two, thanks!]. I will use the word "you", but please remember that it is not actually you to which I refer. I'm being nice by leaving names out. Here I go...

Do not make jokes to me about wanting to be dead if you don't like my response. I'm full of all sorts of negative thoughts on a regular basis for which I would have assumed you might have noticed.

Miss All High and Mighty, if you ever insult my friend again (for no reason), I will bust your lips open, dabble them with sea salt and then slice the insides of your fingers with vellum paper. I will dabble some salt in there as well.

If I walk in and you ask how the day is with my response being "crabby", perhaps you should take that as a firm indicator that you need to layoff the slight insults and regular jests I might otherwise not hit you for; today, I might hit you. Seriously though, give a girl some room!

Just as some people need coffee in the morning to function, as do I. I may not be a drinker of the coffees, but at least let me get some water. If I tell you my first priority of the day is to get a cup of tea...let me go get tea. It takes mere minutes that you just wasted by rambling something I chose not to hear.

Well, now that I got that out of my system, we all feel better!

Here are some words good friends...
awesinine: Stupidly brilliant or brilliantly stupid.
Picasso pause: When a person stands still for a moment admiring their own work.
urbanup: To look something up on urbandictionary.com
chemical yoga: A chemical cocktail of Xanax and muscle relaxers, used in conjunction to relax one's mind and body.
backstalk: To go through an acquaintance's blog entries, even those dated before you met, in order to learn more about that person. [I do this way too often]
lucktard: One who has a natural dumb luck that bails them out of any situation, regardless of severity. [Ahem, I could list a few]
Holidaze: Term that defines the feelings of confusion and excitement people have between thanksgiving and Christmas; the blur one feels after/during shopping for gifts on crowded retail stores with heavy holiday traffic.

Chuffed About Uncle Bob!

2009-12-11T21:27:00.004-06:00

Do you ever feel like you hear a phrase that you KNOW you have to adopt? Well I was reading the comments to my blog and heard one I know I've got to incorporate into my daily language.

I wrote about the word "chuffing" not too long ago and the following was a comment to that blog post:

They say "chuffed" all the time in New Zealand. As in, "I won the lottery. I'm chuffed!"

Not to be confused with "I'm stuffed" - which has nothing to do with food but instead means something like "I'm screwed." As in "Dog ate my very important homework. I'm stuffed."

But the BEST saying here is "Bob's your uncle" which means something like "And everything will be fine." Use it like this, "Call your teacher and explain that your dog ate your homework. Ask for an extension. And Bob's your uncle!"

So many thanks to Moon Over Martinborough for the new cool phrase! For those of you interested, Moon Over Martinborough wrote one of my favorite blog stories of all time, Life and Death Outside Our Door.

Nightmares...Again

2009-12-10T11:20:00.001-06:00

I’ve been having nightmares again. They seemed to lessen for a period of time for a couple months at most, but a couple of months is far greater than you can imagine when it comes to impeding my sleep. They are back and I don't know why. Stress? Lowered immune system? Actual fear? I just can't figure it out. Here are some of the details, perhaps you have some insight.

Often times my nightmare consists of me looking for something. After awaking, I rarely remember what it was that I looked for...I just know that in my dream I am looking for something. In this process I walk into rooms and become startled. Take a moment to follow this thought with me...you walk into a room that you think is empty and suddenly realize someone is in the room; or similarly let's say you have a large doll/mannequin/masks/human-sized-cardboard-cutout...sometimes you might catch this out of the corner of your eye and it startles you because you think someone is there for the briefest of moments. Whatever the case may be, it is momentarily frightening, causing your heart to feel as though it's pounding in your throat along with the confusion that comes along that causes you to glance back every now and again to be sure! In my dreams, while searching, I will catch something out of the corner of my eye. My heart races and I am consumed with fear but when I glance over to see who or what is there, it usually turns out to be a mask. There are several masks I see over and over again, though my mind has seen many in dream form. I can only show you one of the masks by photo but the others may be mere figments of my imagination as I can’t recall where I would have seen them in the real world (one appearing to be a human face simply peeled away from the body and limply laying right side out; the other is a very fine porcelain mask with feminine features but painted in a sparkly blue paint. Think pretty Blue Man Group with cats eyes. It ties in the back with light pink satin ribbon).

Last night’s dreams were much different than my typical. There were two distinct dreams I awoke from startled. The first that I can’t quite recall much about had to do with my teeth. My teeth had been wired shut and the moment I took the wiring off, my teeth cracked and fell out. While very little was left in my gums, what remained were shards of bony tooth that cut the inside of my mouth.

The second of dreams I had was about water, one of my biggest fears. I was in charge of getting a ’63 split back Corvette (black and white with smooth dark grey interior…so nice I could have licked it if it were real) overseas. As part of the transport, I was to follow the shipping container that contained the most beautiful car known to man. As it goes, I was on a ship outside of the cabin. The sea was rough and I didn’t have a life preserver. I was holding onto a post for dear life as the ship rocked to and fro with water splashing all around. The water was a dark green that couldn’t be seen into, and the last memory of that dream I have is being startled awake as the ship tipped over to its side. When I awoke my hands were cold and clinched so tightly into fists that my fingernails had dug into the flesh of my palms.

[As a side note, I want to send many thanks to Drew for making a donation to my 5k! Awesome support! Thanks so much baby bro, you rock, and I still have your birthday present in my backpack!] [Also, if you are wondering, donations can still be made]

A Necklace Made Me Cry

2009-12-09T20:28:00.005-06:00

I got a package in the mail today. An unexpected package is almost always good! I looked it over to be sure it was safe. As you likely know, I'm paranoid enough to believe someone would mail me anthrax in an effort to murder me. Little does that person know, all they would have to do is send me some Blue Gatorade with cyanide and the problem is essentially solved! Anyway, off course here...mail...package...me. I noticed the package was in eco-friendly holiday shipping paper. While no name was on it, I recognized the address, Lami, St. Louis. Aha, my dear friend Kelly sent me a package.

Do I open it, do I not open it...what to do...gah, OPEN IT! Inside was a ribboned and wrapped box. I couldn't wait. I know, I know, I should have waited...but I couldn't, I was too excited! Inside was a beautiful necklace, and exactly the kind I like. A bronze colored simple but beautiful necklace!

It of course brought tears to my eyes.

So to Kelly, who may or may not read this...Thank You. Thank You for making me happy, for making me cry, for my gift. Mostly, thank you for being You!!

I Spare Your Fingers of My Vellum Wrath

2009-12-07T18:25:00.004-06:00

It's funny that anyone would beg to avoid my wrath! It is especially funny to me that anyone would think I was an imposing threat of any kind! Well, there's always a first!

Two friends go on vacation. As vacations go, there's some bickering along the way. [You know what I'm talking about!]. Said friends come back from vacation choosing to disagree, but maintaining a mended friendship. Knowing that one of the friends would tell me all about the vacation (including the bickering), the other friend asks that when speaking to me, to ask that I spare him my wrath that is from being an overprotective friend. [Yea, that sounded confusing, sorry]. He didn't want me to hunt him down and slice the insides of his fingers with vellum. [You know that webby part where the fingers join, yea, that hurts when paper cut with vellum, so I use it as a threat]. So, Friend, You know who you are, I spare you this time, only because I now know after stories of this trip, that you truly are married to my dear friend!

In other subjects, I must send may thanks to my friend Becky for her donation! Thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks! I really appreciate it and as you know, there was no need to do so; which makes it mean so much more that you actually did make a donation! Next time you fund raise, call me first!!

A 2 Mile 5K Run

2009-12-06T11:06:00.006-06:00

Today I ran what should have been my second 5k. Turns out we only ran 2 miles. No one knew the actual route we were supposed to be taking and so we all aimlessly followed the runners before us taking the wrong path, thus not actually running the full 5 kilometers we were predestined to go!

You might be wondering why I would wake up early on a Sunday to go out and run in 20°F weather (or -6.7°C for those using SI units). It was for a cause, the Arthritis Foundation. It wasn't my idea, in fact, I would never encourage those with arthritis to go out into cold weather and run. Both running and the cold irritates arthritic joints; for this I can speak first hand as both of my knees have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Again though, I agreed to run with a friend who in the end was unable to make it for very understandable reasons. I did have two people with me though, my teammates Andy and Amanda. Andy was top runner in his age bracket; all three of us won raffle prizes as well. So despite the route error, it was all in all, a decent morning!

Proposed and Actual Routes Taken

I should at least have one more picture to come (of me and my crew). Oh, and for the record, I was under 23 minutes for the 2 miles I ran...so getting better I dare say!

A Couple of Chuffing Questions

2009-12-03T12:49:00.009-06:00

It's been a real fucked up day. My computer program hates me and is using Chinese symbols for my icons/buttons.

I was told to uninstall and re-install to fix the problem. Great! I'm so thrilled you told me that Bentley! Of course, considering some of the things that are happening around me to people I know, I should really stop bitching! I like to bitch about stuff though. I really like to bitch about China!

Here's my real point to writing today! I'm doing a gift exchange with friends. The gift needs to be generic and non-gender specific. In addition to said gift, I am including a small home made gift. What I would like are some ideas! What would you like that is small and relatively cheaply priced?? Small bottle of alcohol? Wine? Calendar? Crossword puzzles? A block of cheese? "Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late" book? [Preferably something I can find that is not made in China, thanks]

So, give me some ideas while I give you some words!

rock:

1. To use. To make do with, usually to great effect.

In use: We don't need you to make the spare bed, we can rock the couch.

2.Streetball term for the basketball.
3. A form of cocaine.

V-Card: Virginity. All virgins have a "V-card" until they "cash it in" for sex.
BA: Badass, pronounced as bee-ay (as opposed to bitch being bee-ya).

NOW, a word question for you! Twitter friend @ibificus used the word "chuffed". Having never heard the word before I looked it up and found several different meanings. Now I'm curious. How do you use the word "chuff/ed"?

chuffed=adjective British Informal. delighted; pleased; satisfied. [As in, I'm chuffed by stories with sheep!]

chuffed=adjective British Informal. annoyed; displeased; disgruntled. [As in, I get so freaking chuffed when people talk to me when my body language says "get the fuck away".]

chuff (chuffed, chuffing, chuffs)=verb. To produce or move with noisy puffing or explosive sounds. [As in, I really didn't want to move those boxes, so in point I chuffed through the task so everyone knew.]

chuff (chuffs)=noun. A noisy puffing or explosive sound, such as one made by a locomotive. [As in, well, you get the idea!]

[By the way, those of you following my blogs (all One of you), you might have noticed my lack of letter writing as I noted I would do...nice of you to notice...I'm a slacker, you should know that by now]

NaBloPoMo Day 30 Post 30 - You Thought I'd Had Enough Did Ya?

2009-11-30T09:01:00.007-06:00

It's here! Today is the last freaking day of my "post-a-day"! I never thought it would get here!

Funny to me, is that I plan on doing it all again next month! Well, sort of...

I was reading on Twitter this morning [Twitter's my new BFF] when a tweet came through from @adampknave about his blog. To cut to the chase, here is an excerpt [though I highly encourage you to read the whole thing here]...

"[...] This holiday season, whatever you celebrate, is a rough one for a lot of us in terms of money and stress. Instead of gifts I propose this:

Take the time to write the people closest to you. Send them an email, or a letter in the mail. Tell them how much they mean to you, and why. Share some history. Remind them of why they’re so close to your heart. Maybe they don’t know, maybe they do, either way a reminder is a magical thing. Thirty of them. [...] That’s it. Think of the effect it can have on the people you love, and frankly, on yourself.

Thirty emails. We can all do it. Join me.

So, Mr. Adam P. Knave, I'm in! I'm going to write! [Except, I might do 31 since there are 31 days in December, but I'm with ya anyway!]

How does this have any effect on you, my only reader? Well, on occasion, I will be sure to share some of these people, the histories, and letters with you.

So stay tuned, and maybe, join in!

Words...
keep steppin':To move on from something bad.
Christmas creep:A phenomenon where the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier each year.
skillets:Closest friends [very fitting for today's topic]
UDI: Acronym for "unidentified drinking injury". Random bruises, aches, and pains one pick up when one is drunk but can't recall exactly how it happened [yea...]

NaBloPoMo Day 29 Post 29 - Playing With Balls

2009-11-29T17:51:00.003-06:00

I like to decorate balls. You know, the kind that are glass and hang on Christmas trees! @ironstef came over and we glued, painted, and laughed about some balls. [What else do you think girls do when we get together??]

Here are some of my creations:

And here are my favorites modeled after my babies Riley and Bella...

@ironstef will have to comment here and leave a link or some photos of her finished ornaments!!

NaBloPoMo Day 28 Post 28 - Your Favorite Ornaments

2009-11-28T22:51:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow, @ironstef and I will be making ornaments! I recall making these as a child. Sometimes we painted ceramic Santas. Often we made construction paper cut outs. One of the ornaments I recall most (and wonder if it still hangs on mom's tree) is a blue one dad helped us make from a kit. I think we wrapped polystyrene with blue cloth, then applied gold trim and pins to it. It was a favorite of most of the ornaments we had on the tree with the exception of each "first Christmas" ornament.

So this brings me to wonder, of the ornaments that are placed on your tree (if you trim trees that is), what are your favorites and why?

NaBloPoMo Day 27 Post 27 - Decorations

2009-11-27T21:59:00.007-06:00

I will not lie to you about my general zest (or often lack thereof) for holidays. There are a few I get terribly excited about, those being Halloween and St. Pat's Day. Many will argue that neither are holidays. Well send those bitches my way and I'll argue. I like to argue assuming the context is neither religious or political. Holidays though, send the bitches my way! Also if the subject is China, I'm in for that argument too. Anyway, back to my point. Normally I am one of those curmudgeons that wander about the store complaining loudly about rude people, about how Christmas time is about greed these days, about annoying shoppers, about carts in my way, about screaming children, about bad parenting of said screaming children. You get the idea...I'm just a curmudgeon!

I wasn't born or reared this way. Both of my parents, religious as they were, taught us to be thankful for what we had. We were taught to be respectful and kind. We also got the religious hoopla as well. I admit to no longer celebrating Christmas and the like as a religious holiday. I do however take this time to celebrate my loved ones; my family and friends that have been kind to me and supportive of me. So I suppose when I walk into a store and see kids wandering aimlessly while their parents are off looking for the best deal on a plasma TV, I get angry. I become irate when I say excuse me and get scowled at for having manners. I become the curmudgeon!

Anyway, I had a point here before I trailed off...my point is that despite my dislike for Christmas hoopla, I do enjoy the traditions that make me recall the days of yore; the Christmas tree with home made ornaments, hand-me-downs, and grade school creations; stockings with our names painted on them; the Christmas candy bowl my father decorated as a child; the reindeer candles I bought my mom from school; even the cheesy sweatshirts! So to begin the day, here are my Christmas socks:

For my family, the traditional day to decorate for Christmas was the day after Thanksgiving when we'd all help put the tree up. So, as this is the traditional day for me, here is my tree...

And as I prefer the home made nostalgic ornaments as opposed to the ornate store bought, here is my craft project to expand my current collection of Steph's home made ornaments along with Grandpa's hand carved ornaments, past gifts, and my collage of hodge-podge sheep and pig ornaments found along the ages!

NaBloPoMo Day 26 Post 26 - Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T20:32:00.002-06:00

Hi! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! What did you do? What are you thankful for?

NaBloPoMo Day 25 Post 25 - #Doodle

2009-11-25T11:02:00.002-06:00

A doodle for your time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Word...
skeezy: Used to describe a dubious and dirty or vulgar individual. A combination of "sketchy" and "sleazy". Think in terms of a used car salesman!

NaBloPoMo Day 24 Post 24 - A Test of Your E-Mail System

2009-11-24T19:20:00.002-06:00

This is a test and only a test of your broadcasting system, or rather my ability to upload a blog to blogger from my e-mail! It's very simple from what I can tell, but as things have gone for me lately, I won't hold my breath. I should though, hold my breath until I go brain dead or something of the sort. Again, with my luck, I'd live through to be a paralyzed carrot with restless leg syndrome and a brain that runs a million miles a minute.

Anyway, with that little rant over with I thought I'd continute my testing by sharing a link and an image. So here you are:

A Link about Owl Tattoos

And an image of one of my favorite bull dog friends That One (or as I like to call him, EBD)...by the way, I stole your picture EBD!

SO...if neither of those work, well now you know it's because I've been unsuccessful at this, and if they do work, well good, there you have it!

NaBloPoMo Day 24 Post 23 - Engineering

2009-11-24T13:17:00.005-06:00

Engineering at it's finest!

The arches will eventually measure more than 1,000 feet across. At the moment, the structure looks like a traditional suspension bridge. But once the arches are complete, the suspending cables on each side will be removed. Extra vertical columns will then be installed on the arches to carry the road.
The bridge has become known as the Hoover Dam bypass, although it is officially called the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, after a former governor of Nevada and an American Football player from Arizona who joined the US Army and was killed in Afghanistan.
Work on the bridge started in 2005 and should finish next year. An estimated 17,000 cars and trucks will cross it every day.

The dam was started in 1931 and used enough concrete to build a road from New York to San Francisco . The stretch of water it created, Lake Mead , is 110 miles long and took six years to fill. The original road was opened at the same time as the famous dam in 1936. More photos below .

An extra note: The top of the white band of rock in Lake Mead is the old waterline prior to the drought and development in the Las Vegas area. It is over 100 feet above the current water level.

Word...
Viagrate: to imbue with lasting vigor.

[I have no idea who to thank for this, Crystal sent it to me at work, from before her, I have no idea, but thanks!]

NaBloPoMo Day 23 Post 22 - It's That Kind of Day

2009-11-23T12:16:00.004-06:00

Maybe it's the energy in the air. Perhaps it's the three day week. Most likely it's the sugar I've consumed, but I'm beating this day better than any abusive husband can beat his wife despite how it's started out!

For starters Bella, my adorable beastly bully dog got stuck in the compost heap again this morning. So I had to trek outside in the land-mine filled yard half in my work clothes, and half in my pajamas to free her.

Then I had to lug a crap load of belongings into work. I was running late since I had to gather it all up in addition to my time spent saving my beastly bully.

I left the house, got into the car, started the engine, realized that I'd forgot my phone, turned off the engine, went back into the house, locked up again, back to car, you get the idea...could have been worse, but annoying none the less.

I got to work, got onto the elevator, pushed the floor 7 button (lady in elevator with me was going to floor 8). The elevator stops at floor 7, doors do not open, the elevator then goes up to floor 8 and the doors open half way. We both push our way out in a fury worried that at any moment the elevator is going to dramatically drop hundreds of stories just like it does in the movies!

At lunch, I go to get a bag of chips from the vending machine (my blood pressure is low do to an overdose of a medication that I am supposed to cut in half but am too lazy to do thus requiring me to eat something salty (so my excuse goes)). They got stuck in the machine.

We'll just have to see how the rest of my day carries out! If I keep up the sugar intake, nothing will bring me down! Mwahaha!

Some words...
ROAR: Acronym for "right of admission reserved". Typically seen on clubbing/rave tickets, it means that if you're drunk or high, the bouncers will kick your ass out!
ninja skills: Ability to do something without being detected or suspected.

NaBloPoMo Day 22 Post 21 - 10 Questions About You and T-Day

2009-11-22T19:10:00.006-06:00

I have very little to say today. So I thought that instead of talking about myself, I would talk about you! Or at least I'm going to ask you some questions about this upcoming holiday.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

If celebrating, what meal (side dish, etc.) will you be making or eating?

What are you most looking forward to?

What are you thankful for?

What is your favorite memory of Thanksgiving?

Do you have a funny story for Thanksgiving (dad throwing the turkey sort of thing)?

Will you be watching any of the big games?

Will you be doing any Black Friday shopping?

If shopping, what for? / If not shopping, why?

Will you be putting up decorations after T-day for any of the upcoming holidays?

NaBloPoMo Day 21 Post 20 - Donations

2009-11-21T17:51:00.003-06:00

First of all let me say that I am fully aware that I'm cheating! Instead of doing a post a day for National Blog Post Month, where I've already missed three, I'm "catching up" by posting several over the last few days. Meh, as everything goes with me: I tried, I failed, I now perform a mend to the situation. Hence, a post...

Anyway, if you've read the blog as of rather recently you will know that I'm participating in a 5k. Please feel free to come along with me. Also, I am collecting donations (that can be made online or by mail in check). To check my status you can look in the upper left of this blog or by checking on my fundraiser site!

Thanks!

NaBloPoMo Day 21 Post 19 - Ska Brew

2009-11-21T09:52:00.004-06:00

While I still insist that coworker Matt is a traitor and scoundrel for leaving HOK, I still felt compelled to buy my ska buddy some Ska Brewing Company beer. Here's what it looks like...

Other than that I have little to say this morning! Here's a word...
Queen's Boulevard: A major street in Queens that is known to be one of the most dangerous streets to cross in NYC. Queens Boulevard is a major commercial strip for many of the neighborhoods it cuts through, which includes Briarwood, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Elmhust, Woodside, Sunnyside, and Long Island City. Queens Boulevard is quite possibly the widest non highway in NYC. Through much of its stretch, it's a 12 lane multi-median divided street. Queens Boulevard starts off at Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens and goes all the way to the Queensboro bridge and to Manhattan.

NaBloPoMo Day 20 Post 18 - Run Away With Me, Please

2009-11-20T08:16:00.005-06:00

Really though, read the title, I really want to run away, encourage young people to avoid engineering [at least this field of it] and be a sheep herder or a librarian, or maybe a little [or lot] of each.....

Who's in?????????

_____________________________________________
PS: conversation of the day so far...

Me: So, want to run away with me today...away from the hell that is engineering??? Huh huh huh???

Cohort in Crime Christine: Yes please!!! Anytime . . . anywhere . . . I’m always up for running away.

Me: I want to march over to some universities today and smash kids hopes and dreams of becoming engineers! Crush them!!! Mwahhahaha!! After that we can go wherever!! [Please note the enthusiasm by numbers of exclamation points]

CiCC: Ahh, so it’s EVIL Stephy today . . . love it!

NaBloPoMo Day 20 Post 17 - Run Away With Me

2009-11-20T08:05:00.004-06:00

First up to bat......HAPPY BIRFDAY BABY BRUDDA! Twenty-Four, hurts nothing like 30, enjoy it while you can! [Sniff sniff, my widdle baby brudda is growin' up so fast, it seems like just yesterday I was picking him up at school]

Next at the plate, I'm doing this in December, you should join me! Kim Estes is actually the person that asked me to run with her, and I thought it would be very enjoyable [ok ok ok, as enjoyable as running 5k can be]!

And now the third, your word...
turkey drop: This happens when a dating couple try the long-distance relationship thing when they go off to college in September. Typically, when thanksgiving rolls around and everyone goes home for the holiday, someone gets dumped.

NaBloPoMo Day 19 Post 16 - The Extent of My Design Abilities

2009-11-19T08:08:00.007-06:00

I was asked to make a poster for the structures group. I was given 10 photos to use. The rest was up to me to make up. This is the extent of my design abilities...sad to say, but at least I got to mark a task off my list!

[click here for large version]

I'm an engineer, not a graphic designer, what more could you expect??

Word...
Kentucky doorbell: To drive up to someone's house or apartment and proceed to honk the horn until they come out rather than exiting the vehicle and going to the door.

P.S. I was asked what the small structure in front of (and inside the circle) was (shown in construction)... after some research I found out that it is a cistern for collecting rainwater. It was designed by another company.

NaBloPoMo Day 18 Post 15 - This Is Short

2009-11-18T06:05:00.000-06:00

Matt's leaving HOK. To him I say BLEH!

Now I have no cube mate.

I have an SEI meeting.

I watched a scary movie.

Word...
babysit: To pay little or no attention to your alcoholic beverage, letting it sit idle while you pretend to nurse it.

In Use: Hey, you gettin' paid to babysit that beer?

NabloPoNo Day 17 Post 14 - Reading Time Vomit

2009-11-17T06:40:00.000-06:00

A story I promised...

I was about 6 years old in First grade. My mom was pregnant with my younger brother Drew, and for a period of time she was in the hospital with complications. [Please keep in mind that this was back in the day when hospitals kept a person for more than one day, and to me it seemed like an eternity, but could have been no more than a week perhaps]. I was very much a mama's girl and tried to stay attached to one of her legs at all times. There were a few times we were detached, one of which was school. After dragging me down the hall while I sobbed, she'd lob me through the classroom door and run as fast as she could out of my sight. Once in the classroom I seemed to calm myself enough to at least focus on getting to the end of the day.

I never enjoyed reading much at the age of 5-19, but I knew I had to learn so I tried for a few moments each day. The teacher, whose name I no longer know how to spell, would break us into groups and we'd each take our turn sitting in a circle around the teacher reading our few lines in the text book. I don't know how or when or why it would happen, but every day, EVERY SINGLE DAY, I would vomit! The got book covered, my clothes got littered, and the stench went every where! I would be sent to the Principal's office (who had my Aunt on speed dial since this was the routine); and from what I understand, my classmates grew to hate the pine scented absorbent that was sprinkled over my mess for cleaning.

Ah, those where the days!

...word...
raise: Parent or parents; the people who raised you.

In use: I am having Thanksgiving dinner with the raise this year.

NaBloPoMo Day 16 Post 13 - For @sheehanpaul

2009-11-16T06:15:00.005-06:00

There are some of us that like to travel and to remember our travel in the smallest of ways...by this I mean, liberating ink pens from hotel rooms! Here is a small collection of mine...

From top to bottom -
Couples Resorts, Negril, Jamaica
Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada
Hotel Bothwell, Sedalia, Missouri
Stratosphere, Las Vegas, Nevada
Double Tree in Berkley Marina, Berkley, California
Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
Renaissance Hotel, Austin, Texas
Millennium Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri

Join the club, PLO - Pen Liberation Organization...

This post is for Twitter friend @sheehanpaul, loved your liberated pen picture a while back! Keep up the good work!

Word...

ringtone DJ: An annoying person who shuffles through all their ringtones incessantly.
Austrailian kiss: (aka Aussie kiss)-Similar to a French kiss, but down under.

NaBloPoMo Day 15 Post 12 - Delayed Jack

2009-11-15T14:10:00.000-06:00

I'm terrible at keeping up with this posting you see! Ah well, one more thing I'm lousy at, just add her to the list! So when I came in to write today I thought I'd go back through my old unposted compositions, of which I found the following...

Imagine if you will, a large Jack-in-the-box. No, not the kind that is associated with fast food; but instead a very colorful toy! Imagine it to be about 10 feet high (or about 2 times your height) with the same length and width. The very colorful and giant box is decorated with all sorts of crazy images of your desire and has a crank to one side for winding up the Jack that lazily rests inside waiting to startle you as he wishes. I'm sure you can think of all sorts of interesting ways to turn the crank if you just let your mind wander. My first thought is to stand on a stool with the crank at its highest position; jump onto the crank and let the kinetic energy from the ride down carry it back up. Return to the top and repeat! The music to go along is certainly very much like circus music! Anyway, let's fast forward to the point where Jack comes hurdling out of the box! Let's say that Jack jumps out and in doing so, throws handfuls and really more like cannonfuls of confetti! But let's pretend that every piece of confetti has to be picked up and put back into the box!

You see, this is how I feel about a particular job I am working on, in fact, the phrase in today's meeting that made me think of this metaphor was "we have to put all the pieces back in the box". You might notice now how I jumped right to the Jack-in-the-box imagery. Of course in my imagery I see two or three men in suits running around at the box grabbing confetti like it's money, shoving it where they can to collect it all simply to get it back in the box. It won't matter to them if the confetti gets torn and trampled, so long as it ends up back in the box.

NaBloPoMo Day 13 Post 11 - Friday the 13th, Again...

2009-11-13T08:51:00.006-06:00

Today is Badger's birthday, so Happy Friday the 13th Birthday Honey Banjoooo...

In other news, coworker Matt is on the phone with the IRS over some trumpted up charges we aren't sure are even real...fraud? Who knows. Doesn't matter because the trumped up charges are to a guy with a different middle name and social security number. Amazing things pass through here some days. Just last week my other coworker JJ was called at work and informed that his wife was dead. Rather the election board was trying to confirm she was dead, turns out some other lady with his wife's name died in July. Do people actually do their jobs these days or is it just government employees getting away with not working. On that note, if we are being forced to use government health care, well, you might see where I'm going with this...I don't discuss politics.

Anyway...I'm trying to figure out if there is a goat that when bleating sounds like a human yelling. Is it like a fainting goat that yells? Anyone know? Is there a sheep that does this by chance?

Word...
play: 1. To cheat on or use someone. 2. Hella game from the opposite or same sex.

NaBloPoMo Day Twelve Post Ten - Forgot Dream

2009-11-12T07:46:00.010-06:00

Every evening that I jog [or lay awake suffering from insomnia] I think of all the things I plan to write. I even write these things out in my head in such a way that if I could use my mind to make the physical action of writing happen, I'd have novels all over flowing the shelves. [Okay, so yes, the books are already over flowing the shelves, but they aren't books *I've* written]. But then I arrive to the computer the following morning and my mind is blank. I can no longer recall all of my brilliant ideas. It's as if the book I'd written never existed, but I swear to you I have some brilliant ideas, I just forget them.

Even this morning I thought of something I wanted to write, but, well, as you can guess...I forgot what it was. It's okay though, I'll try to take better care of my ideas by jotting a note or two down about them. As for now, you'll get part of my dream from last night [surprise surprise, you only get that part which I can remember, I've already forgotten the rest!]

...I looked in a mirror to see that my skin was washed out, very pale but freckle free. I leaned in closer to see my skin. It was dry and cracked with fine lines in places I'd never seen them before. Disappointed I looked over my entire face finding age. I stopped once to glance into my own eyes that were as they truly are; a hazel colored iris that has amber and green in streaks around the pupil. I felt slightly reassured that I was still myself, but disappointed that I was the person looking back in the mirror. I was actually a bit horrified that it was me. But what I saw next was even more frightening. I saw that I'd lost most of my hair, the bald area covered in scabs. I poked at them to discover they were bruised, tears streamed down my eyes while I tried to gather my memory to recall when this had happened. Nothing came. Then I woke up panicked.

Word...
Facebook crush: A crush on a FB friend is characterized by the unexplainable urge to revisit the friend's Photos tab repeatedly and checking to see if other friends have written new messages on their Wall. Usually afflicts users who are only somewhat acquainted. [heh]

NaBloPoMo day Eleven Post Nine - 11.11

2009-11-11T08:55:00.002-06:00

Veteran's Day

Traffic Light

Me Crabby

Big Surprise?

Not Really

Word...
Kodak courage: An extra dose of courage and the tendancy to go beyond one's usual physical limits when being filmed or photographed. Generally applied to action sports.

NaBloPoMo Day Ten Post Eight - Principles

2009-11-10T12:45:00.003-06:00

First things first...if you are one of those people that reads things and then goes off and tells my mom, stop reading now. The poor woman doesn't need to worry about me more than she does already.

Ever since this whole attempted mugging of coworker Jim, I've been getting some flak about the time I leave work and my method of transportation. I feel the need to defend myself a bit, as if I'm being mugged, but rather of my principles than tangible items. It goes along with the ideology of terrorism such that if we change the ways we live to hide from terror, terrorists indeed defeat us. If I choose to change my life and the things I value, then I've been mugged (though no one gains anything)!

I choose to use public transit for a few reasons with the first being downright selfish! I don't like to drive. Other reasons consist of the lower cost, less mileage on my auto, perhaps better for the environment, lessened ease of traffic and downtown parking, etc. I refuse to change my principles for a scumbag.

As for the time I leave work, I guess I don't know what to say. I've been leaving earlier, but with winter here, it's dark regardless of the time I leave. Sometimes I NEED to stay late, sometimes I WANT to stay late (work-aholic? perhaps so), sometimes I am GUILTED into staying late. In any case, I'll try to leave when others do. It's the only change I feel good about making pertaining to all this flak.

With that said, I leave you to your word...
hug it out: To hug in order to help get over anger or sadness.

NaBloPoMo Day Nine Post Seven - Oops!

2009-11-09T09:51:00.025-06:00

Okay, so by the title I would hope you could infer that I missed two posts. I would hope more so that you are one of my two readers that pay attention often enough to simply know that I missed two posts.

Anyway, I'm way off the course of topic which is "how and why I would miss blogging"! I would like to blame work, since it is after all overwhelming me these days! I cannot though. As you may know, I was off to Berkley, California for a couple of days for a volunteer meeting for SEI (Structural Engineering Institute) that I am involved in since I am the local St. Louis Chair. It's not grand. You could even go so far to say I am Chair only because I lost the election. To be true though, I enjoy it some times as I altruistically love structural engineering. Sorry, off track, I won't dwell there but will get back to my point. I returned on Saturday, my first missed blog day/post. I would have sent a short blog from my phone, but was traveling non-stop in such a manner that my phone was on airplane mode most of the day. When I did get back to St. Louis, it was late, and so I only got a chance to do anything besides move at around 10pm; at which time I crashed into bed holding on snugly to my dogs that I missed dearly. It didn't occur to me until later in the day Sunday that I'd missed a day. I had sort of made a silent vow to blog Sunday with an extra to make up for my mistake. Well, you see how that went!

None the less, the bloggity guilt has overwhelmed me...and as such I will spend an enormous amount of time today catching up! Now is the time to either really try to focus with me, or to simply scroll to the bottom for your words!

-Thursday mom had surgery. She is doing well, but in a lot of pain. Thanks for all the well wishes!

-Thursday I flew out to Oakland, took the BART to the North Berkley station where I waited for a hotel shuttle to pick me up. Turns out two of the other meeting attendees were also waiting, so I got a head start meeting people!

-Friday I went to my meeting that went well. We then took off for a boat ride around the bay to look at the old, new, and still under construction Bay Bridge. I encourage you to go check out baybridgeinfo.org. We had a great guide and an all around great trip on the bay (despite my innate fear of water, I enjoyed myself). See pictures below.

-Upon returning to the hotel (that sits in a marina) I discovered that I didn't need to go to any meetings that evening, but only to a dinner that was several hours away. I decided to take that time to go for a jog in a nearby park, Cesar Chavez Park (see below for location and pictures). While jogging I literally had to stop to catch my breath from the over powering view. At the North end of the park as one turns the corner from the East, you can see out over the bay to the mountains, to Yogi Bear Island (see a map for real Island name), to the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, and even to San Fransisco. Breath.Taking!

- I flew home on Saturday leaving some meetings early. Saturday was the 7th, my anniversary. Considering how this year has gone, it's a small miracle we've even made it to three years. I choose not to air laundry on my blog, not the place nor the time. But, it should be noted that we did have a third anniversary and I did make it home for part of it!

- Sunday was a gorgeous day that started by taking the dogs to meet Amanda and Lou in a dog park in Edwardsville. They were worn out pretty quick, thankfully! From there we took the pooches home to then headed over to Kitchen Conservatory where I bought a knife as a gift, but the best part was that it was made in Germany (not China). I also bought some Vanilla Extract Paste.

-I made a small donation here...

Donate Here!

Words...
disco nap: Sleeping when you have something going later on that you need to get ready for.
Kraft singles: Dollar bills. Derived from another slang term that refers to money as "cheese".
audible: To make an unexpected, last-minute decision. This definition is derived from its meaning in football.

NaBloPoMo Day Six Post Six - East Bay

2009-11-06T19:07:00.003-06:00

San Fransisco..and East Bay may be one of the most beautiful things my eyes have ever seen! Truly breath taking!

NaBloPoMo Day Five Post Five - All About Amanda

2009-11-05T07:34:00.004-06:00

Short blog for a short girl! :)

No real story today as I have tons to do and I leave for California at noon. I'm excited to get away from reality for a bit; not so excited that it's for a meeting, and even less excited that I have to go while my mom is having surgery. She says it's okay. I have to trust her instinct on this one. Drew [aka Baby Brother] is supposed to be taking care of her, but I worry that she'll try to do too much. She always does too much!

Anyway, scmanyway; I don't have a real story but an amusing quote...

I was discussing with Amanda my method of choosing to go or not go to Cali., which was basically asking everyone I knew and even everyone I didn't know what I should do...and majority vote was to go. Amanda had also suggested that I go and so her response was, "at least I'm not alone in the majortiy". She caught herself right away. Majority, no one is alone!

Word...
lactard: A lactose-intolerant person.
[Speaking of Amanda....*snickering*, she's a lactard!]

NaBloPoMo Day Four Post Four - Mom's Birthday

2009-11-04T07:48:00.004-06:00

Again, little time...synopsis:

-Today, mom's birthday! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Mutti!
-Tomorrow is her surgery.
-Tomorrow I leave for California, I return Saturday night.
-Got in a little bit of a quarrel yesterday at work, which ended up with the phrase, "I need to speak to you in a conference room"...great!
-I just got lectured...yea I know, some thug is going to beat me up and rob me of everything I have...the thought passes through my head all the time...if I could have a body guard with me at the snap of my fingers, everything would be lovely, but I don't and I can't!

I can't think of a short story for now...but I've got a small list: Reading Time Vomit; Drew and the Broken Nose; Irish Dude and the Camping Tool....etc....so stay tuned!

At least a word...phlog: Fake blog; a Web site pretending to be a blog but actually the creation of the mainstream media or professional; political operatives.

NaBloPoMo Day Three Post Three -V

2009-11-03T08:11:00.005-06:00

I won't have time later so I'm writing early. I'm at work and the slave driver will be in soon, so I can't write too long....

My new life's strategy from coworker Jim: "Under promise and over deliver every time", set the bar low and you will succeed and avoid failure every time! I've tried this strategy a few times and failed anyway, so I can't say it'll be effective, but you never know right!

A very quick story and one word...

V
Years ago there was a television miniseries called "V". It stood for the "visitors" and was about aliens coming to take over Earth. I was probably 4 or maybe 5 at the time and therefore my older brother was about 6 or 7. We became instant fans as everyone in my household was a fervent fan of the thing called science fiction. We all still are to this day. Anyway, we were huge fans, we played "V" regularly. We made our own posters displaying the iconic red V, the symbol of the resistance(V for victory which was spray-painted over posters promoting Visitor friendship among humans). Eventually, the family moved to a new house a year or two later, and somewhere we managed to get our hands on some red spray paint. As you can guess Dusty and I painted the town red...or at least various parts of the backyard with the drippy red V!

Word
electile dysfunction (ED): The state of impotence and abject disinterest toward the political elective process.

BY THE WAY, IT'S ELECTION DAY, GO VOTE, YOU AIN'T GOT ED!