Happy Anniversary!!

Today is my parents 46 wedding anniversary. This picture would have been from their 10 year anniversary.

I love you guys!!

Flashback Friday

In 1979 my grandparents rented a four-plex in Florida and the whole family all trekked there for Christmas. My grandmother cut the words to one of her favorite songs out of gold foil paper and taped them to the wall in the hall. These were also always over the fireplace when we had Christmas at her house. I bring this up because this year my sister (top right corner of the picture) has gone to Florida with her kids and husband's family to enjoy the sun and surf for the holidays. This was a great time and we had a lot of memories from this trip. I hope Marti and family create their own memories. (Also in picture, my cousin Danny, top left, cousin Debbie, bottom right, and me, bottom left.)

Merry Christmas to everybody!!

Riddle Me This...

If there are only two sizes for a drink, and I order a large, why would the cashier come back and say "I'm sorry, we only have small and medium."

Wouldn't you automatically assume that I was asking for the larger of the two sizes? Or am I just annoyed because I had to repeat everything in my order at least four times and it still was screwed up...how does one screw up a breakfast burrito from McDonald's, you ask? By forgetting the friggin' cheese!!!

My morning thus far isn't looking that great...

Dr. Pepper vs Dr Pepper

Yesterday, I received a little flak for putting the period after the "Dr" in "Dr Pepper". This morning, I decided to do a little research to figure out if there was some odd chance that I was correct in including the period. Turns out that if I were writing this blog 70 years ago, I would have been.

From Wikipedia: The period (fullstop) after "Dr" was discarded for stylistic and legibility reasons in the 1950s. Dr Pepper's logo was redesigned and the text in this new logo was slanted. The period made "Dr." look like "Di:". After some debate, the period was removed for good (it had been used off and on in previous logos), as it would also help remove any medical connotation with the product.

So, I'm just a little behind in my times. I will try my utmost to not make this mistake again.

Dr. Pepper after Dark

Last night I had a diet Dr. Pepper in the evening and then it took me forever to go to sleep. True, it could possibly be because I slept late yesterday and had a fairly lazy day, but I'm certain that the caffeine late at night is not a wise decision.

Something did, however, lead to a VERY weird dream. (Could have been the caffeine, could have been the pepperoni rolls, could have been the mani/pedi, who knows.) I've started thinking about what my next living arrangement step is going to be and have been looking at lofts to purchase, or at least pictures of available lofts. Last night I dreamt of viewing one of these lofts and really liking it and then my aunt Janice (who has never been in a dream, that I recall) appears as the person who is selling the loft and starts taking me around to look at all of it, which is REALLY HUGE (3 stories...again, in a loft?), but totally falling apart. We then go walking out in the backyard (and tell me what loft has a backyard?) and she keeps pointing out things to me, like the basketball court and the extra room that comes with 15 dogs and a roommate, who is a nurse...go figure.

I wake up all of a sudden because there is a really loud noise in my room and it takes me a minute to figure out what it is, then realize that it is my fan (yes, it is winter, I sleep under four quilts, and still have a fan on...more for the white noise than anything), so I turn the fan off, take another Rolaids, crawl back in bed and make a mental note: "What a weird dream, I need to try and blog about it in the morning."

Flashback Friday - A Couple Days Late

I knew I had a picture where I was wearing the very groovy white pleather boots (as mentioned in the Queen's Flashback a couple of weeks ago)!!

McDonald's @ San Antonio Airport

I know, probably not the healthiest option, but it is what I landed on. First. My flight back to Dallas is delayed, which doesn't thrill me, but it isn't something that I can get myself worked up about. Instead, I'll just sit and relax and enjoy mt fries...

Now on to the real story. I'm at te counter and order my meal and then sorta zone out while I wait for my food. In the meantime this guy comes up next to me and I guess he has been there more than once because the server dude turns around and pulls out a coffee cup to get him some coffee. Well, the guy next to yells a the kid to stop and go wash his hands before getting his coffe. He then turns to me and says "he just sneezed right into his hands". So server kid goes and washes his hands and I'm eyeing my soda wondering nasty germs are all over it, but also thinking 'eh, what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger'. Server kid then comes back from washing his hands and makes me a fresh soda, then reaches for the same coffee cup for the other guy...well that totally sets the guy off, which I sorta get... But I'm thinking, really? Are't you more concerned with the fact that he was handeling money right before making the drinks?

Ah well, if I come down with some horrid disease, have the CDC and the doctos from House check out the poor kid getting paid peanuts at the airport McDonalds....

Flashback Friday

This is me in 1972... I got a cowgirl ensemble that year for Christmas.... I guess I was always meant to be a cowgirl. I need to go back to January of last year when I went to the National Cowgirl Museum and revisit Cowgirl Smarts....

Travel Karma

I typically have pretty good travel karma, I like to think. I'm not a pushy traveler, I arrive with plenty of time so that a flight has never had to wait on me, I'm very aware of the storing the smaller carry-on in front of me rather than taking up overhead space....oh, and I'm polite to the flight attendants.

Today I'm flying down to San Antonio to visit one of dearest friends. I arrived in plenty of time (too early it turns out). I did get a great parking spot in the garage, right next to the door on the level that goes to the concourse. Sadly, the airport is like a friggin' sauna and I just got notice that my flight is delayed.... Come on karma, don't let me down now...

Upside... I get lots and lots of people watching time.

Flashback Friday

This is my very first Christmas, which puts me at about 8 months old (yeah, I'm the one in the highchair). This is with one of my Great Grandmothers. I've been lucky enough to have had all of my grandparents in my life for the better part of it and to have had at one point 3 of my Great Grandmothers alive during my lifetime. My sister is the one standing next to me and Grandma is holding my cousin Cathy and my second cousin Jo Janet.

There's a Computer on Your Desk; Use It!

The final Procrastination Post for 2009...

1. Go to Blogger.com and start a blog on procrastination. (Oh wait, I've already done that!)
   
2. Go to eHow.com and find out how to make a great margarita. 
   
3. Go to Download.com and get some fun, free software. (Even better to do this on your work computer and take down the whole company's network!)
   
4. Go to Wikipedia.org and find out about your favorite artist's childhood. 
   
5. Go to FreeTranslation.com and learn how to say "procrastination" in seven different languages. 
   
6. Go to Maps.Google.com, put in your home address and see a satellite photo of where you live. 
   
7. Read your favorite magazine or newspaper online. 
   
8. Google your own name and an old classmate from high school. 
   
9. Go to Flickr.com and share your photographs. 
   
10. Go to SecondLife.com and enter a virtual world where you can procrastinate all day long. 
    

And your final procrastination list challenge..... List 10 things that cheer you up when you're feeling blue. 

Flashback Friday

Thanksgiving 1965.... Mom and her Turkey

Thanksgiving Day

I am most thankful for the following:

Family

Friends

Health

Employment

I hope that each and everyone of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

(I know this isn't a very Thanksgiving-y picture but I still like it and wanted to share.)

Thanksgiving "Weekend"

I have actually managed to stretch my Thanksgiving weekend out to a 7 day vacation!!

This afternoon I'm packing up some stuff and heading over to my folks' house where I will enjoy all of the pleasures that Mom and Dad have to offer. So far, here is the big schedule:

Thursday - Eat, eat, watch football, eat, play some board games (perhaps poker and/or chicken-foot)

Friday - Quilt-a-thon with my Mom. I will be putting the sleeve on The Queen's quilt and working on a Christmas quilt that I picked up at a shop recently.

Saturday - Probably continue with the Quilt-a-thon. Possibly work on scanning old pictures for future Flashback Friday usage.

Sunday - Brunch at Blue Mesa with the folks. Hopefully my sister and family will join us. Mom and I are planning on drinking some champagne and just relaxing.

Monday - Go to my Mom's art quilt group - The Creative Crones...they actually call themselves something else now because some people had issue with calling themselves "crones". While the crone has become a stock character is literature and is typically synonymous with a "hag", I prefer her to be just a representation as an elder states-woman of the tribe who has the knowledge to share with the younger generations or as Joseph Campbell's reference that she is a protective character much like a Fairy Godmother. Some day I hope to be a Creative Crone.

Tuesday - I head back to the Castle and do really fun things like laundry.

Wednesday - It is back to the office, but I'm off to a whole new account, which I'm looking forward to.

The Queen Cooks

She not only cooks, but does it in a suit!!

Don Quixote - Battling Windmills

This came to me in a dream the other night that in a way, we all have a little bit of Don Quixote in us. We all have something that we are battling.

Some of us have external battles like illness, poverty, abuse, etc. And I'm very thankful that I don't have these battles.

I have a number of internal windmills that I'm charging at on my mighty internal stead. My most recent struggles have been with, as most of you are well aware, what I'm doing with my life and myself. Luckily, I've made a decision and have some actual movement. Last week I turned down a job offer to leave my current company and work as a contractor with potential of making some pretty decent money in overtime, but I chose to stay with my company and not be lured away by just the money. I'm not quite ready to step away into the contracting world and go skating on that lake....fun and exciting as it may be it is also worrisome and unstable and not what I'm ready for and I don't know if I'll ever be ready for that.

Instead of venturing out into the unknown, I've decided to remain where I am and am taking a position on a different account. I'm excited and nervous. Excited because I'll have that opportunity to do something new. Nervous because what if I don't fulfill their expectations and it turns out that I'm not really prepared to do this new job. (Another windmill that I'm constantly struggling with is my self esteem/self worth.)

My next struggle is to determine where I'm going to land...do I rent, do I buy and where....

In the future if you ask how I'm doing and I answer "Battling Windmills" know that I've got an internal struggle going on and may very well ask for opinions....

Flashback Friday

I know that this is a little late for Halloween, but I think it is a very cute picture. This is a shot of my older sister, Marti at 3 years and me at 6 months.

Wasn't I a cute kid!!

Oh and just a warning to my family... I have old pictures that may just find their way out here... I'll try not to be too embarrassing!!

Happy Foods

As you may know, I have the privilege of currently living with a professional chef and am eating pretty well...both tasty and healthy. There have been numerous times when I've literally danced in my seat as I'm eating because the food is so yummy...and yes, I never thought I dance in my seat over healthy foods, it is normally over chocolate cake and ice cream or cheesecake...

As I was discussing what foods were making me happy I realized that a number of them started with "P":

• Potatoes, mashed, scalloped, soup
• Pudding (not necessarily made by The King, but still tasty and eaten often)
• Pork (as in bacon)
• Pasta (as in yummy spaghetti with turkey bolognaise sauce)
• Popcorn
• Peanut-butter cookies
• Pad Thai (though this last batch was a little too spicy for me...and not cooked with love by the King)
• Pomegranate Martini
• Prosseco (and yeah, we're getting a little off mark)

Some other non-P foods that have made me do the food dance:

• Chef Salad (made with love by The King along with homemade Parsley Ranch dressing)
• Taco Salad
• Brown rice with thyme
• Risotto

Okay, so in general, I pretty much dance whenever I'm served yummy (healthy) food that has been made with care. Look out Thanksgiving, there's no telling what sort of dancing may occur...

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Flashback Friday

I don't actually have flashback pictures to speak of, however, for me these are a little bit of a flashback. These are some pictures that I took a couple of weeks ago when I went down to College Station for an A&M game with The Queen. That trip was a bit of a trip down memory lane as well as a horrific slap in the face as to how old I've gotten and how, surprisingly, time didn't stand still after I graduated.

Me in front of my old duplex

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band on the Quad
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band as they pass

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band in the Classic "T" Formation at Kyle Field
We had really great seats. I want to thank The Queen and her Dad for inviting me. It was a really great weekend for me.

So Pitiful...

I did a little shopping recently and I know it is probably a little icky, but I don't always launder my purchases.

This morning I donned a spiffy argyle sweater and black pants and headed into the office. I thought I removed all the tags until the end of the day and a co-worker asked if I realized the I had a big ol' XL stuck to lefty?

Oops...

Snooze Button Scenarios

I am addicted to the Snooze Button on my alarm.

I used to pop right up out of bed when the alarm would go off (although I'm sure my Mom would say differently). Of course, that may be because I would put my alarm clock across the room from me, which would force me to actually get out of bed to turn it off.

Then, the alarm moved to a bedside table and all I had to do was snake my hand out from beneath the covers and hit the button. I typically set my alarm for a good 45 minutes before I actually have to get up, just so I can hit the snooze button every eight minutes and then have to actually grumble at myself to get out of bed (which The Queen has heard me talk to myself as she has passed my room on the way to work out).

My alarm clock is now situated at the foot of my bed so it is more than just snaking the hand out from the covers. This morning when the alarm went off, I did a somersault to the end of the bed and hit the snooze. I then got up, went to the bathroom, made my bed, grabbed a pillow and a blanket, and laid on my made bed with my head at the foot of my bed. I was back in snaking distance to easily hitting the snooze at least a couple of more times.

Sheesh, how much could I get done in the morning if I would just get up and stay up rather than get sucked into the luxury that is a snooze button....

Musculoskeletal System

I have a history of back problems and come by it honestly as it is something that has been "handed" down through the generations. I'm pretty used to my back going out on me and have learned how to deal with it.

My pain normally manifests in my lower back and hips. In fact, a couple of years ago when I participated in walking a Half Marathon, one of my hips slipped out of joint on me and by the time I got to the end of the race I could no longer bend my knee and was literally 2 inches shorter on one side of my body. That was when I started to go to a chiropractor on a regular basis. He helped get me adjusted and aligned, after many visits over a couple of years. He lectured me on posture and how bad sitting hunched over a desk all day working on a computer was for my whole skeletal system and how issues with the back caused all sorts of other medical issues. But he was focused solely on the "skeletal" and didn't really give me a lot of direction in the best ways to protect the skeletal by working on the muscles.

I stopped going to him, obviously, when I moved to California. Luckily, I found something out there that I liked even better than having my back cracked and it had many more benefits....Pilates. For the last year out in California, I was doing Pilates once a week and had far fewer back (hip, knee, neck, shoulder, etc.) issues than the many previous years and I know it was because I had done so much work on strengthening the "musculo" part of the "musculoskeletal" system. Sadly, I haven't continued doing Pilates since I've returned to Texas and I'm starting to see/feel the muscles atrophying. Yesterday during my walk the old hip started to slip again and I had to limp around for a couple of hours trying to stretch and pop it back into place, which eventually it did go back into place.

So, you may be asking "what will you be doing about this?" Well, I'm going to find another Pilates instructor here in Texas and start working out again. I know it works for me. I know it does the body good. I don't know why I waited this long to actually follow through on doing this.

Trip Pictures...Finally

I know I told you all over a month ago that I had pictures of my trip East on my trek out of California. Well, I'm finally blogging on the computer where they are stored, so here they are:

A Giant Sequoia

View from the top
A view of the valley
The only flowing falls this time of year
El Capitan
Mountains reflected in a stream in Yosemite

Lake Tenaya
Looking down into Lake Tenaya (yes the water really was that clear)

Extraterrestrial Highway - The Beginning

Extraterrestrial Highway - The Middle

Extraterrestrial Highway - The End

Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam - Notice how low the water is

The Hoover Dam Bridge - This will be interesting to drive across when it is finished.

These are only a very few of the hundreds that I took on this trip. I will definitely go back to Yosemite and spend more time just enjoying nature....maybe a winter trip, except there won't be access to Lake Tenaya....

My Weekend

This past weekend was a pretty good one.

Saturday I got up and around and went and visited my friend Angie and her family. She and I went to a "Craft Fair" at one of the local high schools and then wandered around Garden Ridge and DSW. I really, really wanted to buy a couple of different pairs of shoes that I tried on, but told myself that I had to wait until the right time (and shutting up the voice in my head that was screaming "WHEN ISN'T IT THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY SHOES!!!").

Saturday evening I went to Bass Performance Hall with my sister and saw the Von Trapp Children sing with the Fort Worth Symphony. It was really a great show, even though Marti and I started out in the wrong seats. One of the things that cracked me up was the audience...they were quite the geriatric set. A couple of times when the singers would announce what they were going to perform next, especially when it was one of the songs from the movie, the audience would make quiet exclamation sounds and murmur approval. I would look at Marti and we would giggle because we had the joint thought of "Hello, people, it is all written in the program that was handed out as you walked to your seat...." Ah, well... All in all, it was a beautiful program and the kids were great performers.

Sunday morning I woke up at my sisters and she made fresh cinnamon rolls (you know the kind from the can with the frosting...yum) and scrambled eggs and then I hit the road heading back to the palace. As I was settling in for a relaxing afternoon of reading, I get a BBM from The Queen stating that Tarzan and Jane are coming over for Sunday night football and dinner...yippee!! The Queen and I did some minor straightening, although I think she did more because she was getting distracted by cleaning out her closet, ran to the store for beer, and prepared the puppies for company. Unfortunately, I managed to drop a full jar of terryaki bar-b-que sauce on the kitchen floor, which shattered and splattered orangish-red goo all of The Queen's jeans and got glass all over the kitchen. Not a fun thing to clean up, but we got it done.

Tarzan and Jane showed up. Tarzan gravitated to the television for football, where The King joined him as soon as he got home, and the three HCBCs present popped the cork on a couple of bottles of wine and visited. Next thing you know, it is going on 11:00 and we all need to get to bed seeing as how it is a school night and we all have to work in the morning. Tarzan and Jane headed out and the castle settled into sleep mode.

All in all, it was a really great weekend....

Quick Time Fillers

November Procrastination Post.

1. Guess how many items are in your refrigerator, then count them. 
   
2. Count the hairs on your right eyebrow. 
   
3. Play a game of tic-tac-toe against yourself and see who wins. 
   
4. Turn your shirt inside out and see how long it takes for someone to notice. 
   
5. Write down the words to your two favorite Beatles songs. 
   
6. Recite the alphabet backwards. 
   
7. Spin a quarter on your desk ten times and guess which side it will land on more often. 
   
8. List your five favorite rock bands from high school. Then go to Amazon.com and see which has the best sales ranking. 
   

One more personal procrastination list: List the 10 best times you've had while blowing off something you couldn't stand doing. 

Hair....

Gimme a head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer....

The above is lyrics from the musical "Hair".

I'm trying to grow my hair out. I've been doing this for awhile now. Initially it was growing out solely so that It would be less messy when I worked out and took a cap off. Now, however, I've decided to let it grow out and then donate it to "Locks of Love". The thing with donating my hair is that it has to be 10 inches from the point that it is cut off to the end....that will take a while.

Luckily, I have pretty decent hair. It has some curl to it for when I want to go curly. It styles nicely. My stylists have always told me that it is thick, or rather there is a lot of it. However, it is really fine, so it gets fly-a-way pretty easily.

Unluckily, I'm lazy when it comes to my hair. I've always told my stylists that I don't really care how they cut it as long as it is cute, in fashion, doesn't make me look too masculine (being a slightly bigger girl, this is something I think about), and is easy to care for. I'm a little ADD when it comes to styling my hair. I don't own a curling iron. I don't own a flat iron. I want to be able to dry and style my hair in the length of time for a song to play on the radio, which means less than 5 minutes from turning on the drier to putting the final spritz of hairspray. Longer hair takes slightly longer to style than short hair, and this is something I'm trying to deal with. This morning I realized that I was spending a lot of time round-brushing my hair every morning and then turning around and pulling it up into a pony-tail. Why do I do this? Going forward, there is going to be a lot less round-brushing going on.

I figure at the rate that my hair grows I'll be able to cut it all off this time next year, if not earlier.

I Was Just Thinking....

Actually, not really thinking so much as wanted to share a random conglomeration of things....

• I found myself the other morning face down on my bed with the top of my head slammed against the wall and my face pushed down in the mattress with my pillows on top of my head. Either there is a ghost in the house that is trying to kill me or I was having a very weird dream about needing to hide from something. No wonder I woke up with a headache.
• Mashed potatoes make me dance. Last night as The King was making them, he gave me a little taste and I started doing my happy dance right there on the spot. A few brief moments ago I caught myself (as did some stranger) dancing again in the kitchenette at the office as my leftovers were heating up in the microwave just thinking about mashed potatoes.
• I have relocated one of my favorite quilt shops here in Texas. I stopped there on Saturday after spending some quality time in my storage unit and ended up purchasing fabric for 2 new quilt tops. One of which I promptly went home and started working on with hopes that it should be completed by this coming weekend....maybe. I also found out that they have long-arm machines that I can rent time on!!
• Dreaming about exercising isn't nearly as hard as actually doing the exercising, although I still think it should count.
• I still really need to get my pictures from my drive up here (or at lease a select few) to share.
• AND, I really need to get my pictures that I took of my nephew's swim meet and niece's marching band performance off my camera and shared with the world. I'm SO proud of both of them.
• I'm very happy that I'm finally getting settled in to a home life...now if I could just get the job situation all sorted out....

ABBA Moving Tip

Use safety pins to pin your necklaces to an old towel and then roll them up to pack. This keeps them from becoming one giant ball of chain and do-dads. After years of moving, I have finally mastered getting my necklaces there neatly.

Dreams

It is amazing how the sub-conscious is impacted by television. Television has been playing havoc on my dreams lately.
A couple of weeks ago, after watching Desperate Housewives, the one where Susan got married... I ended up dreaming about getting married.

Then, again as part of Desperate Housewives, what's her name, was dealing with being pregnant again... I dreamt of being pregnant (of course this could also be because there are a couple of folks in my life who are preggers).

Last night after watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars" I dreamt about dancing.... And I WAS GREAT!! Who knew I was such a great dancer!!

I wonder if I'm gonna dream about swimming and/or marching bands tonight...

What to Say...

I don't have much to blog about today, but I feel I need to put something out here since it has been a while and I don't want Kim to call me out about not blogging again.

Things are actually going fairly well. I'm waiting on some news so that I can officially announce some news and make a change that I feel will be both good and bad for me....Cryptic enough for you? I'm sure most of you can probably figure it out, but I don't want to jinx it yet, so....

The puppies at the Castle have accepted me as part of the pack. I think the fact that I've fed them a couple of times, given them water, released them from their cage, and accept lots and lots of cuddles and kisses from them has probably helped quite a bit in this acceptance.

My worldly belongings are supposed to be arriving on Sunday, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will actually show up as planned. Saturday (tomorrow) I'm getting up early for a weekend and going to see my nephew in his swim meet then go with my sister to pick up my niece and take her to a band contest. I'm so happy to be back in Texas so I can participate in all of this stuff again.

My mom asked me last Sunday when I was chatting with her if I missed living in San Francisco and if I was sorry that I left and not within walking distance of restaurants and cultural activities. I told her "Mom, in all honesty, I'm doing the exact same thing that I'd be doing there...curled up in a chair reading....except here its quiet, no motorcycles roaring past, no ice cream carts being unloaded to bombard the neighborhood, no sirens from police or fire department...." I enjoyed my time in San Francisco and will be back there to visit, but I'm really, really happy to be back in Texas!!

This week I've started going out and walking around the neighborhood when I get home from work and before the King serves dinner. Wednesday evening I stopped in the park and "played" on the swings for a little while until a little girl showed up and I decided that I'd leave...not that the little kid scared me out of the park....

So, we are settling into a routine at the abode and at the office. I finally got my other computer on the network at home and will hopefully post some of my pictures from my Yosemite trip and drive down the Extraterrestrial Highway.

Bad Start to the Day

The bad start actually began last night as I was walking from one bedroom to another without the lights on. I thought I was headed in the correct direction, but I was off by about a foot and almost tumbled down the stairs....Guess I'm gonna have to start wandering around the castle wearing my headlamp so that I don't get lost....

This morning I slowly get myself around and head off to the office. About halfway to the office, I start wondering if I closed the garage door. So, I decide, rather than call the King and disturb him that I would just drive back to the castle and check...fully prepared to see the garage wide open and God knows what sort of hoodlum inside the house wrecking havoc on the poor puppies, the King can pretty much fend for himself. Mind you the location of the Castle is nowhere near where hoodlums may be lurking around waiting to sneak into an open garage, but it was early and my mind was running wild. As I pull into the driveway, I see that the garage is shut tight as a drum and I really had nothing to worry about.

I finally make it to the office and get in the building and realize that I don't have my phone with me. It is still out in the car. I stop and turn around and consider going out to the car to get my phone, but since it is raining I decide against it....if it is that important then people can leave a message....maybe I'll go get my phone at lunch.

I get to my desk and get all of my stuff up and running and ready to go and have to call the Service Desk to get help setting up my computer to print....I won't even go into that conversation because that would lead me down the "I'm frustrated" path.... Needless to say, it really throws them for a loop when I try to explain that I'm on an account asset working on the company network trying to print to a company printer.....it makes my head hurt just thinking on it.

Now, I've vented and feel better. I had a pretty interesting horoscope this morning, so with any luck the day is really going to go better than the way my morning started....

Frustration...

I'm very frustrated lately. I'm not sleeping, and that is getting frustrating. There are a number of reasons why I'm not sleeping. First among them is that I still don't have my worldly belongings. My movers called me yesterday and told me that it is all still in New Mexico and they are trying to get it on a truck with somebody else's worldly belongings but it won't fit and I can just picture things being loaded and unloaded and the likelihood of something getting lost or broken increases each day. They told me when I hired them that by law they had 30 days to deliver my stuff after pick up and the tentative delivery date will put them at 25 days... We'll see how this goes.

My second big frustration is work. I've been talking to one person about a new position that is being created, but the company moves slowly to get anything approved and in the right direction. However, in the meantime, my current boss wants to meet with me to find out 'how the job search is going' and I learn in our team meeting that somebody else on the team has already been assigned my duties...nothing like finding I've pretty much been replaced in a public setting. I know that she has been given the directive to off shore two of her positions and that we had talked about the fact that mine be a likely candidate when/if I found another position...but I haven't found that yet.

Along those lines I'm frustrated that there just aren't a whole lot of jobs out there and those that are I'm completely unqualified for.

Sorry for the pity party, just needed to vent. Hopefully, I'll find sleep soon and the frustration will ease up.

The Pounds SHOULD Be Dropping Off

Well, it has been a whole week of very healthy eating. While at the castle there has only been one meal that has been eaten out and that was because the Queen and I were strolling down college memory lane prior to going to Midnight Yell Practice on Friday night. Some of the items that the King has prepared are:

Grilled Chicken with brown rice and grilled vegetables and a salad with Granny Smith apples, craisins, and a champagne vinaigrette dressing
Steak with potatoes and grilled vegetables and a salad (with more champagne vinaigrette dressing)
Roasted Chicken with rice and vegetables (lots of broccoli and asparagus)
Chicken stir-fry with all sorts of scrumptious veggies that I didn't think I would eat but because I didn't want to hurt the King's feelings I tried and turned out I actually like them.
Sauteed chicken and veggies in a wine reduction sauce with garlic and thyme in the rice

All the yummy foods are sorta running together as there is always enough for leftovers the next day. The times that the King hasn't cooked for me, the Queen has actually shown some talent in the kitchen and makes a really tasty Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Every night as we wander off to bed the King sets out my cereal bowl and glass for the next morning, so I'm having breakfast each morning before I leave the house. I also take an apple with me for my mid afternoon snack.

On top of this, I started using the Castle's on site work out facilities and have to climb up stairs to get to my room. PLUS, I've been doing a lot of wandering around the campus for work.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that with the good food and the exercise that I'll be able to get my body on track towards a healthy second half.

Great Bumper Stickers for Procrastinators

Here you go...October Procrastination Post

1. Just don't do it!
   
2. If I stop procrastinating, my dog won't like me. 
   
3. Someone's gotta do nothing. 
   
4. Playing 9 to 5. 
   
5. I'd rather be a day tripper than a day planner. 
   
6. My Mondays are Fun Days!
   
7. God laughs at your best made plans. So don't make any!
   
8. On my way to work and searching for detours. 
   
9. I'm not procrastinating... I'm pacing myself. 
   

Come on, you know you love the personal procrastination list challenge: If they made a movie about your life, what are some title options? (Also, think about your costar choices and who would play you.)

Life at the Castle

First, I know you are all very jealous that I get to stay with the Queen and you don't.

Second, I haven't this much healthy food on consecutive nights since I graduated from college and my Mom stopped cooking regularly for me. The King has cooked dinner ever night, minus one, and I've had the pleasure of taking the leftovers for lunch or the following night. I was even blessed to have the Queen make grilled cheese for lunch today!! My body doesn't know what to do with all the lean meat, brown rice, and veggies; except enjoy and crave more healthy!!

I really feel like I'm settling in nicely, here. AND the puppies are accepting me!!

Settling In

I just wanted to put a quick note out here to let those of you who are wondering what happened between my last post and now...

When we last left, my Dad and I had arrived in Albuquerque and heading off on the last leg to home. We got up and around on Saturday and headed out. Dad started out driving and drove through to Abilene. I then took over the wheel through Mineral Wells then he took us on home. I was really happy that my Dad offered and I took him up on the offer to drive back with me. I considered it for about 24 hours...actually about 30 minutes....and then took him up and I was so glad to have him with me to share the burden of the drive.

Yesterday, my sister, BIL, niece and nephew came over t my folks place and we caught up, had lunch, and looked at probably a fourth of my folk's Alaska pictures. I'll have to look at them again, as I tended to doze during some of them. I then headed over to the Queen and King's house.

I arrived and we (mostly th King) unloaded my car, we relaxed, and I had my first of many, I'm sure, of yummy meals. We watched a little TV then headed off to bed.

This morning I got up, unpacked all my clothes, started some laundry, got a lesson on alarms and remotes and is now going to head off to my storage unit and to pick up my wine and visit with my Fairie Friend!!

Drive "Home" Day Four

This morning Dad and I got up and around nice and early and headed out over the Hoover Dam. The water level is REALLY low...kinda scary where all the water has gone to, but I'm not going to go down that path of save the environment....

Really didn't have a whole lot of excitement to discuss today. We left Hoover Dam and headed out to Flagstaff and then on to Albuquerque.

Diane commented yesterday that the drive to Albuquerque is really long.... I'd have to agree, it felt like we just kept driving and driving. There was a lot of beautiful scenery. Here in Albuquerque we checked in to our hotel and the weirdest coincidence is that last night we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in room 313. This evening we check into a Holiday Inn Express...guess which room they give us....yep... 313... A little eerie, huh? Sadly, as I sit here and type this I'm realizing that there is a heavy walker in the room above us and since we are next to the workout room people in there have decided to turn the television ALL THE WAY UP and yeah, we can hear it in this room as well....ah well, we are both tired enough that we'll fall asleep soon and just block it all out... I hope.

Tomorrow we will be making the final push on into Mom and Dad's in Cresson, TX.

Drive "Home" Day Three

This morning I awoke and headed back into Yosemite Park and headed over the Tioga Pass... It was beautiful. I've decided that I like the High Sierra Mountains better than the the valley floor and Lower Sierra. For some reason it struck me as more stark and prettier. I stopped to put my feet in Tenaya Lake. There was a couple there pulling food out of their car in preparation for a picnic. I, of course, had to make a comment to the extent of "Thanks, but y'all didn't have to make breakfast for me...." They got a chuckle; I got cold toes as the lake was really cold, but lovely!!

I then got through the mountains and headed into Nevada.

I went to and down the Extraterrestrial Highway, and my Tom Tom even knew to call it "99 miles down the Extraterrestrial Highway" is what Daniel the computer voice told me what to do. Sadly, I saw no Extraterrestrials... I did see a couple of coyotes and a lot of free range cattle. The whole time I was traveling the highway, I was completely out of cell phone range, so I missed my Dad's call(s) when he landed at the airport in Vegas.

A couple of hours later, I came out of cell phone lock down and started my decent into Vegas. I had programed Tom Tom to find the airport and called my dad to let him know that I was about 45 minutes away and I'd be picking him up soon. Well, that's what I thought. It turns out that I had programmed Tom Tom to go to the wrong airport. (Who knew that there were more than one in Vegas.) I should have realized that I was not heading to the correct place as there were no planes in the sky heading in the same direction that I was heading and the fact that I hadn't seen any signs....Well, I show up at the VTG and that is when it dawns that I'm in the wrong place...I reprogram Tom, call Dad to tell him I'm still on my way, and head out...Only to get caught in a less than nice neighborhood in a construction zone.... An hour later, I show up at the correct airport and Dad jumps in the car and we head off to the Holiday Inn Express (how many of y'all come to Vegas and stay at the HIE?).

We check in and then walk over to a casino which is just on the other side of the parking lot and grad some dinner....no there was no gambling, neither Dad nor I are big on that.

The thing that I noticed was the big difference in the sensory overload that I got at this small casino in comparison to the past couple of nights when I was in Yosemite and enjoying the sounds of silence and the stars within touching distance.

Tomorrow we get up and head out to Albuquerque.

Day Two - Yosemite Tour

Let me start off by saying that I woke up at around 2:00 this morning to go potty and detoured over to the window. I opened the curtains and saw a sky FULL of stars...I felt like I could just reach out and scoop a whole bunch up.... so beautiful!! Being out here where you don't have any light pollution really enhances the night sky!!

Okay on to the tour.... I got myself around decided to just grab some fruit and a muffin out of the snack shop and shovel those in while waiting for the bus to arrive. I somehow ended up being the last person to get on the bus (I decided to make a pit stop before leaving and didn't hear them calling "all aboard"). I got there and ended up having the front seat right behind the driver, which was perfectly fine for me. I was the only person traveling alone; everybody else were all coupled up which got me a little sad to start with because it was just one more thing that I was doing by myself without somebody there to share in the memories with....but I got over that as I was also able to do my own thing. In fact at one of the stops I was chatting with the tour guide and she asked if I was married and I said "no" and she said "I'm always impressed with women who have the courage and are brave enough to travel by themselves." I have to say to myself, "I'm pretty proud of me too."

Anyway, on to the tour. We saw lots and lots of trees and rocks and mountains. We went to the top of Glacier Point and had our lunches...the food was nothing more than a turkey sandwich and chips, but the view was SPECTACULAR!!! We went to the valley floor and visited The Ahwahnee, nice hotel but I was expecting something along the lines of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining...not so much. It was nice, though. The waterfalls, except for Bridalveil Fall, were all dried up due to the late season and global warming. We saw three different teams of climbers climbing the face of El Capitan (talk about crazy). I took probably 150 pictures, which someday I'll get some of them posted so y'all can see.

Oh, and I have determined that the toilets in our national parks leave a lot to be desired.

I wish that I had come to visit Yosemite earlier and been able to spend more time here, doing some hiking and exploring (well, except I'm not really a hiking kind of person), but this is just one more place that I'll have to come back to.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting up at the crack of dawn and heading back out through the park up and over Tioga Pass and into Nevada and along the Extraterrestrial Highway into Vegas to meet my Dad....

Hopefully, I won't get abducted....

Drive "Home" - Day One

Yesterday, I had a great crew of movers show up and do a fantastic job of packing up all of my worldly possessions. I used the Delancy Street Movers and would highly recommend them to anybody moving in the Bay Area...I don't know if they have locations in other cities. The Delancy Street Foundation helps pick people up when they have hit bottom (addicts, alcoholics, ex-cons, etc.). The guys show up and while the team lead is covered in tattoos, from the parts that I can see, and the others have prison tattoos and the like, they were all perfect gentlemen...very respectful of me and my stuff. I have complete faith that my belongings are going to show up in Texas with no issues...aside from the crappy job I did of packing my own things. As I told my sister when she called, "unpacking is going to be very interesting because I have probably 10 boxes that just have 'random' as their label, which means I have something from the bedroom, some books, and maybe a pot or pan in the box.

After the movers finished with me, I headed back to the apartment and "cleaned" until I was just too worn out and decided to just throw everything that was left away and be done with it. I drove down to my boss's house, where I was spending the night, we had dinner and then headed off to bed.

This morning, I slept in, as much as I can. Once I got up and got around, I rearranged my car, then headed out. I love my Tom-Tom that I purchased solely for this trip as it is wonderful in directing me where I need to go and I don't have to drive off the road trying to read my Google Map directions.

I arrived at Tenaya Lodge and thus far am very happy with my stay. I would love to come back to this place in the winter and actually take part in some of the winter activities that they offer like ice skating and snow shoeing. The people here are very nice and helpful. When I first pulled up the bellhop was exceedingly helpful and friendly without, I think/hope, expecting anything from me. I got up to my room and had to take care of some work stuff, but then went for a walk around the hotel and sat outside reading... In fact, I finished my book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies... Very cute book and since I've never read the original Pride and Prejudice I wasn't offended by having zombies and martial arts thrown into the story line.

5:30 came around and I headed off to one of the 3 restaurants that they have on site. I sat out on the patio and had a scrumptious grilled chicken picata with garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, and squash. I topped the meal off with a Tiramisu.... yummy, yummy, yummy. I was joined at one point by a little bird that just sat on the table directly across from me and watched me eat... it was a little strange as I munched away on chicken....

Now, I am back up in my room reflecting on the past couple of days and watching Dancing with the Stars....

Movers Have Arrived

I got up this morning at 3:30 with a full on panic attack thinking about my move...what if the movers don't show up...what if I can't fit stuff in my car...what am I going to do without my stuff for a month...what if I can't find storage...when they get here with my stuff how will I manage without my stuff for 6 months.... AARGHHH....

The movers showed up 30 minutes early and are almost finished going through and loading all my boxes...one thing to stop worrying about.

Easily Distracted

As I'm sure you are ALL aware by now, I'm moving back to Texas. In fact, the movers are showing up on Monday at 9:00 AM..... I'm not packed yet..... I still have a LOT to do..... I'm distracted.....

First thing this morning I got up and went to my storage unit and pulled the last of things out of there that I needed to pack a little better as well as get my luggage, since I'm packing my clothes and taking them with me so that I'll have them with me.... the movers have a 30 day window when they will show up in Texas. I came home and got the stuff out of my car and threw some things in the trash. Then I took a break and did a little Facebooking...took care of my farm and did a couple of Vampire missions.... I know sad, sad.

Next, I started packing my luggage.... and yes, I've managed to get all of my clothes into 3 huge over stuffed suitcases (well, except for my undies and my outerwear).

I took a break and talked to my mom for a bit. Managed to actually zip up the 3 stuffed suitcases and now have sores on my fingers.... oh well.

Next I decided to figure out which shoes needed to come with me and which could go with the movers (see above comment about 30 day wind0w). Of course, instead of just putting them into a box for shipping, I had to try on every pair and sort out which ones I didn't even need to bring with me, which will be left for Goodwill. Then I decided that I needed a break and turned on the television.... Let's see.....

What's on....

"Hoarders"....This show makes me realize that I'm not that terrible, really, I'm not.... yet...

Camping Day Three

Tonight is the final night camping...at least until I come back next year.

Today was pretty much like yesterday...breakfast, load up the boat, go to the cove, kill a couple bottles of bubbly (it is amazing how fast they go), go back quickly to camp, pick up more bubbly and some more passengers, go float/drink, etc.

Jill did get up on the wake skate a couple of times and did great. David, one of our crazy Irishmen, tried his hand at wake boarding and driving the boat. We then stopped for a late lunch and picked up, yep you guessed it...more bubbly. The inner tube came out and we did some dragging people on that...I've agreed to do the tube next year...baby steps for me.

Eventually we headed back to the cove. The exciting part of the afternoon was when Jill tried to push me off the side of the boat but instead I man-handled her over the bow and into the drink...I then jumped in right after, but of my own accord.

Dinner was again yummy and it is amazing how hungry and tired you can get after a full day on the water.

I will definitely be back. It is really great to have this sort of down time to just relax and enjoy being with friends...I'm gonna miss these guys when I move back to Texas...

Camping Day Two

At least I think it is day two...it is all starting to run together.

We spent the better part of the day on the boat. I actually swam out to the boat and helped to unanchor it...okay, let me rephrase, I dog paddled out. We loaded up the boat and made a couple of laps around the lake and then anchored off in a cove and killed a couple of bottles champagne and floated and relaxed. I actually spent the better part of the time in a floaty out in the middle of the lake just tied to the boat... I am really becoming a water/boat person.

We eventually pulled up anchor and some folks tried their hand at water boarding...not me. We then headed to a restaurant on the water and had a bite to eat then returned to the cove for some relaxing (and more champagne).

Now we have finally gotten off the water, showered, and working our way up to cooking some skirt steak, corn, and salad for dinner...let me rephrase, they are prepping for cooking; I'm prepping for eating.

Until tomorrow...

Camping- End of Day One

While we thought the trip was starting off wonderfully, it turns out that we had actually set up in the wrong site, so we had to move EVERYTHING to the correct site...very hot, very tiresome.

After we moved everything, to the correct site, we went down to the lake and waded in. Very cool thing, there is fool's gold floating all through the lake so it was like swimming' in gold!!

Eventually 2 more of the party showed up and we launched the boat. First thing we did was go and try to register w/ the sheriff. As we pulled up to the dock, I grew wings and managed to jump from the boat to the dock and helped guide the boat in...quite the change from last year.

We then spent the next couple of hours on the lake stopping to relax and drink a little bubbly.

As the sun set we anchored the boat, went and took quick showers and now we are grilling up some tritip, corn, and salad and again listening to the crickets....

Aside from the dirt and the bugs, this is the life!!

Camping Day One

We got in yesterday around 2:30 after a pretty easy drive. We unpacked the trucks and the boat, got the campsite all set up, went and got ice and wood and a bite to eat. For the most part it was pretty uneventful.

In the evening we sat around the fire and watched the stars and listened to the crickets and I think bats. It got very cold, so we all headed off to our little beds and went to sleep.

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the raccoons invaded, although they couldn't get to much...they did try, though.

This morning, got up and started breakfast of fresh ground/brewed coffee, hash browns, eggs, and sausage.

The next adventure will be launching the boat.

Trek to Texas

I am a week away from heading back to Texas and am very excited about my trip. (Even though I did wake up at 4:30 this morning having a panic attack because I still have so much to do and will be gone the rest of this week camping.)

My movers arrive on September 21st and I have already reserved the street parking for the moving truck (just one more way for the city of San Francisco to take money from me). They will load up and head out with my worldly belongings and some time in the following 30 days I'll actually get to see my stuff again... even if it is to go straight into storage.

Once the movers leave, I will wrap up stuff around my place and then head down to spend the night at my friend's house. On the 22nd I head out for Yosemite. I am staying at the Tenaya Lodge for two days (it is a bit of a splurge, but I deserve it). On the 23rd I am taking a day long bus trip through Yosemite. This way I'll be able to see all of the great spots and not have to worry about driving myself.

On the 24th, I'm planning on getting up and heading out east over the mountains and into Nevada. I am then going to take the Extraterrestrial Highway down into Las Vegas/Henderson where I'll be spending the night. My initial plan was to crash there and then head out to Albuquerque and then on in to my folks place on the 26th. However, I spoke to my Dad this morning and he is going to fly out to Vegas and then drive back the rest of the way with me... which I'm very excited about.

On the 25th, Dad and I are going to get up and go across the Hoover Dam and with any luck we are going to do the tour. Then we'll head out across the desert and end up in Albuquerque, as per my initial plan.

On the 26th, we'll get up early, if I know Dad and it'll be a long drive, and take out across the rest of New Mexico and into Texas. We'll be getting in to their place, hopefully, by early evening so that Dad can sleep in his own bed and I can visit with Mom.

On the 27th, I will get up and around at some point and head out to McKinney and pull into my new home with the King and Queen and Puppies. The 28th, exactly one week after the movers take off with my belongings, I will sleep in, settle in, and drive to my friend Angie's to see my Godson and pick up my wine.

Sadly, it'll be back to work on the 29th....

Camping Prep 2009

I'm preparing for my second annual camp trip and went to Target this morning. I did this last year as well (See Target - Love/Hate Relationship). I didn't get into quite as much trouble this year but did acquire the following in preparation for facing the great outdoors:

1. Starbucks Frappucinos (nor really a requirement for camping, but while everybody else is having fresh brewed coffee Bailey's; I'll be drinking my Fraps)
2. 2 Repel Citronella Candles (one of which I will carry around with me at all times)
3. Repel Sun & Bug Insect Repellent with Sunscreen
4. Twin pack of Coppertone Sport SPF 30 sunscreen (will be applied liberally in hopes of not getting any horrific burns this year)
5. Aveeno SPF 30 Facial sunscreen (also to be slathered well on the ears and the hair part... learned lessons in the past)
6. Energizer Weather Ready 3 in 1 flashlight
7. Energizer LED Headlight

So, I'll be well slathered down with sunscreen and bug spray and while I may look like a giant geek with a headlight, I'll be able to find my way in the dark and keep my hands free to catch myself when I fall, which I'm certain I'll do at least once during the upcoming week.

We head out on Wednesday and I'm really looking forward to just spending some quality time sitting by the lake or on the boat and relaxing.... lots and lots of relaxing...

It's Not When You Start, It's How You Finish

Surprise, here is your September Procrastination Post...

1. Leonardo da Vinci, one of the Italian Renaissance's greatest geniuses, labored over the Mona Lisa for over a decade. 
   
2. J.R.R. Tolkien, the English writer, took 14 years to complete Lord of the Rings. 
   
3. Al Jarreau, the popular singer, didn't have a hit record until he was 41. 
   
4. Saint Augustine, one of the foremost philosopher-theologians of early Christianity, didn't pursue his faith seriously until he was almost 40. 
   
5. Rodney Dangerfield, the actor and comedian, didn't get rolling until he was 42 years old.
   
6. Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), began his franchise in his sixties. 
   
7. Raymond Chandler, the author of crime stories, published his first short story at 45, and his first novel at 50. 
   

Here's your challenge: Make a list of household goods you don't need. Then estimate what your net gain would be if you sold them on eBay. 

ABBA's Soundtrack

I really don't have much to say today, but I now feel obligated to post almost daily just to give you all a glimpse into the soundtrack of my life. So, here is today's song and why....

The Theme Song to Fat Albert

Why? I feel my brain is all mushy today...I have mush-brain.... One of the characters on Fat Albert was named "Mush-Mouth".... Ergo, The Fat Albert Theme Song

Just one more glimpse into how this mad, mad, mad, mad world called ABBA's brain works....

The Lost Dr. Seuss Poem

As I clean out my office in preparation for A.C.E., I came across this and thought I'd share. If the author of this is out there and finds this post, I apologize for stealing this and I'm NOT claiming that I wrote this in any way, shape, or form....

I Love My Job!
I love my job. I love the pay!
I love it more and more each day.
I love my boss, he is the best!
I love his boss and all the rest.

I love my office and its location, I hate to have to go on vacation.
I love my furniture, drab and grey, and piles of paper that grow each day!
I think my job is really swell, there's nothing else I love so well.
I love to work among my peers, I love their leers, and jeers, and sneers.
I love my computer and its software;
I hug it often though it won't care. I love each program and every file.
I'd love them more if they worked a while.

I'm happy to be here. I am. I am.
I'm the happiest slave of the Firm. I am.
I love this work, I love these chores.
I love the meetings with deadly bores.
I love my job - I'll say it again - I even love those friendly men.
Those friendly men who've come today,
In clean white coats to take me away!!

So, the song to add to the soundtrack today.... Dr. Demento's Delights They're Coming to Take Me Away.

Walking

Issue: I'm no longer good at walking alone.

History: I've been really doing a good job walking pretty consistently and the last couple of times Samantha has joined me on my walks. Today, however, I was on my own. When walking with Sam, I have a tendency to walk a little slower. Sam is a couple of three inches shorter than I am and I have a fairly long stride. In order to put her into a complete run, I keep my long stride and just slow the pace down.

Today, I didn't have her around to be my "pace" car. I started out at a pretty good pace and the next thing I know my ankle starts to give me troubles. Actually, let me say it was hurting. I've had to be very careful with this ankle for almost a year now, ever since I fell of Jill's boat last year and sprained it. It has never healed properly and I baby it. I haven't been having any troubles with it lately, thanks to being really careful with how I walk and working to keep everything in alignment.

Solution: I really, really wanted to stop walking, but knew that I would just be mad at myself if I did that. I stopped and did some stretching and then decided that I needed to slow myself down. Easier said than done, without my pace car. So, how did I do it? I had to come up with a song (I know that is a shocker that I turned to music) that would give me the correct pace. I came up with and started singing in my head Patsy Cline's Walking After Midnight. It has a nice 4/4 beat with a bit of bounce.

And yes, that would be the song to add to ABBA's soundtrack for the day.

Project A.C.E. Is Underway

Project A.C.E. = Andrea's California Exodus

I went to Pilates today and met with my trainer, and friend, Abby for the last time. As she pulls out the workout sheet that she created for me so that I could continue my Pilates work after I've returned to Texas. I immediately started crying... it started very suddenly and unexpectedly. I realized that this is really happening and I have SOOO much that I need to do and SOOO many people and things that I really am going to miss. Not only do I have all of the spots that I have yet to see, although I think it is going to have be moved to another list of things that I want to do when I come back and visit.

This week my list of things that I need to accomplish:

1. Finish quilts and get them mailed off (not really part of Project A.C.E., but needs to get done)
2. Pack up my sewing equipment (after I finish #1)
3. Go to storage unit and get wine boxes and then get additional boxes from BevMo
4. Sort through clothes and determine what is going to Goodwill
5. Shred and pitch paperwork
6. Have a nervous breakdown (one of many, I'm sure)
7. Get a couple of good walks in

So, back to my final workout with Abby.... One of the items that she had me do towards the end of the workout was called "swimming"; which is basically laying on your stomach and making that swimming motion, which is supposed to work the stomach and back muscles. Anyway, I immediately start singing R.E.M.'s Nightswimming. So, that is the ABBA soundtrack entry for the day.

And as a side note... One of the lines in the song is "...September's coming soon...." Freaky, huh?

How Our Minds Work

I've spoken before about how minds think differently and this was evidenced again today while walking with Samantha.

We passed a car that had a bumper sticker that said "War is never the Answer".

I said, "Doesn't that depend on what the question is?"

Sam got to thinking about it and started down a lengthy path about the possibilities of when War would be the answer from a philosophical standpoint. (Sorry, Sam, I sorta stopped listening and drifted off into my own world.)

I had to interrupt her and say, "Yeah, I wasn't thinking of that, I was thinking of questions of this nature:"

• Name the 1969 song by Edwin Starr, which is a blatant anti-Vietnam War protest....
• Name the band that sings Low Rider....
• What 3 letter word is akin to the Old High German word werran meaning to confuse...

So, there are times when "War" is the answer....

(And yes, that would be 2 song references in the soundtrack of my world....)

Walking Across Golden Gate Bridge

I woke up this morning to gray, gloomy skies and I didn't think I was going to go out. However, as the morning progressed the sun started to come out and I pinged Samantha to see if she was still interested in going across the bridge with me. She had never walked across the bridge, even though she is native San Franciscan. I picked her up and headed out to Crissy Field. Once we got there, the day turned out to be beautiful. It was windy but the fog moved out for just the time frame that we were there, so I really think the gods were on my side. We walked out along Crissy Field and stopped at the Warming Hut. We purchased some water and coffee and then headed out. Here are some pictures of our walk over:

First a shot of the bridge from the start of the trail.

Here's a shot as we start to cross.

One of the support thingies.

One of the signs posted on the bridge.

A view of the bridge from the other side.

Once we got to the other side, we had to sit for a little bit and joked that we should call Sam's dad to come pick us up. The funny thing is that at about that time her folks called and when she told them where we were her dad DID ask if we wanted him to come get us. We didn't take him up on the offer. Instead, we hauled our butts up and headed back. Once on back on the city side, we stopped at the gift shop and did the total tourist thing....we bought t-shirts that say we walked the bridge.

I thought I had more pictures of the city from the bridge, but sadly my battery was going on my camera and I couldn't really validate that the pictures were being taken because of the glare. I highly recommend walking across the bridge on a sunny day, it really is a great experience.