Well, my weekend started out awesome. Friday was the third anniversary of AHB (my work place, abbreviated) and the owners surprised us each with a thank you card and a very sizable amount of cash. I spend some of mine on paint and trim for the kitchen and some vinyl floor tile adhesive because lo and behold, when Jay said he was planning on getting started on the kitchen remodel, he meant it! The walls are almost done - one left to go. The wall behind the stove is going to be a different color, just to mix things up a bit, so I painted the window frame on the opposite wall to match it. I'll take pics when it's closer to being done. Anyway...
Yesterday we went to a graduation party for Barb's boys; Nathan just graduated from middle school and Chris just graduated from high school. Despite the fact that there were a bazillion people there who I didn't know (one of my least favorite things), we had a good time. Left around 4PM, drove around for an hour trying to find a liquor store, stocked up on Ketel One and Triple Sec for kamikazes, went home, took a nap and went back at 7 to sit out by a huge fire pit with Barb and Dan. There's something so grounding about sitting outside in front of a huge fire. I hope we get to do it many more times this summer.
I have tomorrow off and am planning on painting some more. I am on the fence about the green paint I got today. The colors suggested on the American Tradition website as complimentary are not appealing to me, so I tried to pick one myself and I'm not sure I like it. I'll use the paint somewhere either way, but I think I'm going to end up having to buy another color. Oh well...
Hope everyone has a lovely Monday.
This is what Whimsy thinks of my blog.
Posted @ 8:55 PM
Thursday, June 22, 2006
This is a pic of the sky on a clear day around 8PM.
This is a pic of the sky Tuesday night, also around 8PM.
Same trees, same sky. I didn't adjust the color, brightness or contrast at all. Isn't that awesome? I seriously thought a tornado was gonna drop on me right then and there, standing in the middle of the road in my pajamas!
The little white flecks are dust and bugs that my flash picked up. For all those clouds, we only got enough rain to polkadot the road. It was weird.
More:
Posted @ 9:56 AM
Monday, June 19, 2006
Is that the most perfect line of severe thunderstorms you ever saw or what? Gotta shut down before something blows up.
Posted @ 7:27 PM
Sunday, June 18, 2006
I had a dream this morning that Adam Sandler's on-again-off-again girlfriend convinced him to take on responsibility of two kittens he didn't want because his dog gave birth to them. He was rip shit when I told him that a) male dogs don't have babies and b) dogs don't have kittens.
He was so grateful that I saved him from the horrible burden of raising illegitimate kittens that we were hooking up in my bathroom at my childhood home when my mother walked in and we all started chatting. He was wearing a bathrobe, sitting with his feet up, and it inched open a bit to reveal a peek at his special purpose. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go rent The Jerk. Now! Run! Your movie exposure is severely lacking!) Anyway, my mom saw and I laughed and said, "Marth, meet Adam."
Fucking whacked dream!!
P.S. I'm a horrible copycat! Be gentle - I've never read my own poetry out loud (other than snippets, in the process of writing.)
Jay is gone until Wednesday to see NIN with his best friend in Connecticut and what am I doing? Planning a wild girl's night out? Nope. Sitting around the house naked eating Ben & Jerry's? Nope. (Well, at least not yet!) Going to the beach to sit and write self-indulgent poetry? Nope. As it turns out, I am so very cool and social that I am sweating like a pig all alone, gutting and cleaning the house. (Truth is, this needs to be done, so I don't really mind.) I just went to WalMart and bought a shelving unit so we can maximize the storage space in the laundry room, which is more of a miscellaneous space than an actual room, which just happens to fit the washer and dryer. My plan eventually is to get a stackable washer/dryer combo to open it up even more. For today it looks good though and there are no longer paint cans and cleaning supplies stacked on top of the litter box...
In a way I am psyched to have the next four days to myself, but on the other hand, I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do with myself. I would have looooooved to go up to Laconia to see The Bars this weekend, but I am not about to sit in traffic for hours in 80 degree weather with a busted AC, surrounded by Hell's Angels and I don't know anyone who doesn't already have a passenger on the back of their bike. Oh poo. I was looking forward to showing my tits. Just kidding. (For those of you who don't know, it's tradition for onlookers to yell "Show us your tits!" and the biker babes oblige.)
*sigh* I guess I'll go continue with my efforts. Happy Saturday.
Posted @ 2:30 PM
Monday, June 12, 2006
When I was a teenager, I came to describe a certain kind of solar occurrence -- usually immediately before or after rain and usually right around sunset -- as it being "yellow out." Well, my also nature-appreciative friend and coworker, Barb, reintroduced the yellow phenomenon to me as as "magic light." I much prefer her terminology. Anyhoo...
I captured a fantastic example of magic light just a few minutes ago. As much as a Scrooge as I am about bandwidth and file space, I am linking this little one to the original because I just find it too beautiful not to share in all it's full-sized glory.
Posted @ 8:02 PM
I just got home from a visit with my friend Mona, who runs Klassik Bengals. Now let me first tell you that I am a major animal advocate and believe in adopting a homeless pet before buying a purebred. However, there are some cases where a mixed breed just isn't the same as a purebred. This is probably more obviously true in terms of dogs (some people are "Shepherd people," or "Lab people," for example) but I have found it to be true of cats, too. In my case, though I loooove my barn cats and would never want to part with them, I am totally hooked on, in love with and fascinated by Bengals. Whimsy is a Bengal and she's just so different than my others; they really do have their own thing going on. Anyway, so Mona offers me this kitten:
Wook at dat widdle face!
and I soooo would love to take him, but Jay would shit a brick. Yes, I know it is my house, but we both live here, so I won't be one of those other halves that just goes and does it regardless of how my fiancee feels. But look at these pics...
Wild Thing
Super Ferocious
Seeing Spots!
Jay's argument is that we just barely got enough room for the cats we have, which I agree is true. Then I think of Mona, who has most of her cats living on the first floor of her house, which is only slightly larger than this place... They're all happy and healthy and super affectionate. *wish* (Heh, Freudian slip? That was supposed to be *sigh*) I so have the crazy cat lady gene.
Posted @ 1:59 PM
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Shhhhhhh, I'm not supposed to be on the couch!
This week went by very fast but not without exhausting everyone. I keep telling myself that the pace will die back down, but then I remember that I said that the last three years and then concluded that this is just what it feels like to be playing a major role in a thriving new business. Or maybe I'm just getting old and don't have the stamina I used to. Or maybe I am just a big, lazy baby. Lol. Who knows. Probably a combination of things.
So the other day, D (my boss, abbreviated to protect the innocent) asked me to stick around for a few minutes before I went to lunch, because he needed to talk to me. Well, I am totally confrontationphobic, so I was squirming in my chair all morning until the time came. It started with, "There's a practice management seminar in Pennsylvania next month..." at which point, I was thinking, Oh, he just needs me to adjust the schedule, which is what usually happens. When he was done with the summary, he said, "Wanna go?" I just about dropped! The techs get to go to CE (continuing education) functions all the time, but there isn't much offered for front desk personnel, so I am almost always left out. I mean, granted, I learn a lot on my own time so it's not like I am unqualified or badly trained, but I go stir crazy if there's nothing new to learn and that has very much been the case lately.
The funniest thing to me? Sarah is technically the Head Nurse (tech) and very often on a crabby power trip. Well, though this is not a nurse/function, she is still coming...but as my guest! Ha ha ha. She didn't understand why I received an email confirmation for both of us and she didn't get one. When I told her, she turned bright red and said, "I wasn't aware there was anyone who could/couldn't go." I told her that the brochure said the seminar was geared towards owners and practice or office managers and that D put me down as the office manager but wanted her to come, so he had to put her down as a guest. I didn't rub it in her face; I didn't have to. She was knocked down a few notches just because D put me down as the manager personality and not her. See, strictly in terms of job titles, neither of us are managers. I am the Client Services Director and she is the Head Nurse. However, when we first opened, D said that he expected that one of us would evolve into a hospital or practice manager role as the hospital grows. So I'm sure this is killing her. I don't mean to be catty, but after all the cranky crap I have had to deal with from her, this was priceless!
Anyhoo, I am wicked psyched about it. We'll be staying at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia which, judging by the pics, looks pretty ritzy. I might have to leave my Crocs at home. Boooooo! Other than that though, all expenses are paid by Bayer and I will be paid for work, too. Oh, one other cool thing? Each Bayer rep got to invite only a small number of clinics in their territory. Our rep covers a huge area (tri-state, I think), and we were on her list, so I feel even more special! Yay!!
I guess that's about all I have for today. Oh, be sure to check out the Team Nova link on the left and donate whatever you can. It's a damn good cause and your generosity will actually accomplish two major things: 1) Help support research on heart disease and 2) Continue to strengthen my friend Erin's faith (and her children's) in mankind. And let's be honest: who couldn't use some positive affirmation that there is still a lot of goodness in the world? Go click and be happy!
Posted @ 3:58 PM
Monday, June 05, 2006
My mom sent this to me and it's funny but also kind of tragic, because this is just about every day for me and I'm not old!
AAADD (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder)
This is how Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder manifests itself with me.
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye -- they need to be watered.
I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed,
the bills aren't paid,
there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only one check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
Posted @ 7:52 PM
Saturday, June 03, 2006
This is Dewey. He was just too damned cute not to share.
Last week was incredibly long. Don't know why exactly, because Dianne is back plus we have an intern who's doing a lot of the cleaning, so realistically, we're in good shape, but everyone was still whipped by yesterday evening. I guess without the staff we have pulling the load now it would be truly insane, so I should be thankful.
Since they've been home with the baby, I guess none my bosses' local family members have stepped up to even offer a gallon of milk and they're having a tough time with D working 55 hours a week and M home with the new baby and the two boys. I decided to make them a very tasty dinner they could just throw in the oven: crepe manicotti. Has anyone ever had this variation? When I was in high school, my friend Sunny's mother made them for us when we were stoned out of our minds and it was like the best dinner ever. I've made them myself a few times since and they're even awesome in a state of full sobriety. This batch was made with savory crepes, Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce, lean ground beef, minced garlic, sauteed zucchini and onions, an egg, some Italian seasoning, and mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta cheeses. D just emailed me that it was awesome. Makes me feel good to do things like this.
Anyhoo, gotta take The Goon Dog outside. Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend.
Posted @ 9:16 PM
This is Dewey. He was just too damned cute not to share. 