Sheepshead & Other Stories

Moments of Kurka

2009-12-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

How does one so little take up an entire bed? How many holes does the backyard need? How can such a small ball of fur bring so much joy?

Kurka does not like it when Mama types at the computer. This act does not bring enough attention to the spoiled little sweetheart.

As I write, there is a puppy on the back of the couch, standing on his hind legs, and reaching around my neck on both sides with his fore legs. Warm puppy on my neck is a great feeling as December's wind chills the view out the window. I guess I can put up with the boy trying to chew my hair out of the bun it is in.

I love how he wants to touch at all times. I love when he decides to hide his treats around the house and then whine when Mama gets a little too close to the hiding spot. I love that he still can't figure out how to jump off the bed or on it, but when he forgets his fear, he can do it just fine.

I love watching him run, watching him figure out how to get in his favorite spot, and watching him wake up from a deep sleep. Listening to him dream (and kick me in the process!) is joyous.

Kurka makes my world a wonderful one.

"What part of 'give me a treat' don't you understand?"

2009-10-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Puppies can turn your life upside down! In the past couple years, I've gotten extremely bad at updating this site. My apologies. I cannot bring myself to just "end" blogging, but I also find it hard to put the discipline back into it as I once had. Heck, I joined Facebook and then realized that the status updates go away after awhile and got really mad at the service (well, not really mad, just disappointed) and stopped posting for over a month.

But back to Kurka. He's adorable. He's wonderful. He's a bundle of trouble and he brings a world of joy. He's a handful and the main reason my plants didn't fair so well this past summer. Kurka demands attention and gets it - rightfully so.

He is almost 7 months old now and about 14 pounds. The woman I got him from said he's be 10-12 pounds. I didn't believe her and guesstimated 20 pounds on my own. Which I'm more than okay with.

Kurka has been neutered and had his dew claws in the back removed. He has a chip in his neck in case he ever gets lost and he has plans for trick-or-treating this Saturday night.

He's smart too. Crazy smart. He picks up a new trick just about every week. Since we started working on tricks, he has added Sit, Lay Down, Sit Up, Shake, and Speak to his bag. He's doing okay with High 5. Crawl, Play Dead, Roll Over, Whisper, and Tell Me a Story are in our plans for the next month. As I type this, I might add Don't Chew on Mama's Scrapbook Supplies to the list. But he does know Give Kisses!

I mentioned crazy smart right? About a week and a half ago, I had a cold. Just an annoying sinus thing going around, but the stuffy head gave me a headache. The little bundle of joy decided that was the time to play with the loud toy that is two heads/balls attached with a plastic rope. Both heads have a squeaker in them. My head hurt and I said, "Kurka, let's pick a different toy. This one is too loud." He sat down with the toy and proceeded to rip the squeakers out of both heads! He hasn't done that to any other toy. It was an odd coincidence, but one that made Mama proud.

Kurka has started wearing bandannas now. It is really cute! Today is a new purple bandanna. He has inherited some of Taco and Chip's old items - the new dogs at "Grandma's" don't really do much playing or traditional dog activities. That's unfortunate, but the consequence of being rescue dogs who never got a chance to play as puppies. Kurka is helping each of them out of their shells. Tonight he tried to get Annie to play tug-of-war with a toy. She didn't really get the game, but he tried and tried!

I mentioned inheriting items from Taco and Chip. On Halloween, Kurka is going to be a cowboy. He's wearing Taco's old costume, the one that Grandma made years ago. We're going to put Annie in Chip's old costume too and take them around the block.

Kurka reminds me of both Taco and Chip. He'll do something every day that brings them back into my mind. I love him on his own and I love him more for helping remind me of memories I had almost forgotten.

It is life changing to have Kurka in my home. I love him more than I could ever describe and think he's the best decision I ever made. Hopefully I'll keep up with telling stories about him here.

I hope all is well in the blogosphere. Sorry I've been distant and I hope I'll find a way to reignite this passion. Until the mood strikes again.

Bullet Points of Kurka

2009-07-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Simply put, my life has been changed. Having Kurka here has impacted my existence so profoundly. Right now, I'm typing, but he's next to me, half on me and half on the giant penguin pillow, and he's chewing on a bone.

Everyday, he surprises me with something else. These are just a few of the things he has done that made me take a moment to smile/reflect/jump for joy inside:

Play hide & seek under the couch
Figure out how to sit on the back of the couch to watch outside
Learn how to go up and down stairs at Grandma's
Find 2 headless baby rabbits in Grandma's backyard
Find an unborn bird under the tree in our yard
Discover that his name is Kurka
Get the ball and bring it to Mama over and over
Bound through the high grass in the backyard
Hunt for bugs and various other small animals
Pick a favorite sleeping spot on the bed - between Mama and the giant pillow
Steal shoes
Cuddle in the morning - "Mama, hit the snooze button please"
Find mazes in the basement to explore
Steal socks (& underpants)
Bark at Mama when she's in the shower
Understand that "breakfast" is in the refrigerator
Start to comprehend "No Bite"
Watch airplanes fly overhead
Chase moths & catch them
Dig holes in the backyard
Enjoy riding in the car with his head out the window
Not enjoy getting shots at the vet (good while there, not happy when he was tired later)
Chase Pepper, Annie, and Daffy at Grandma's
Give millions of kisses to everyone he sees
Figure out how to escape the backyard and follow Mama to put the trash cans out
Let Mama know when he needs to "Go Outside"
Go through the doggie door at Grandma's if you hold open the flap
Eat raspberries, grapes, and gooseberries off the vines at Grandma's and Grandpa's
Make Mama put a fence around the lilies before they were all destroyed
Take one quick chomp and destroy Mama's wireless mouse
Wake up Auntie Dana with kisses
Play with Duckie, Chicken, Rope, Sheep, Monkey, Frog, and Squirrel
Make a bed for himself out of a blanket

Life is good.

A+

2009-06-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Kurka had his first visit with the doctor today. He checked up all good - he got an A+ because he was good for weight, temperature, coat & skin, eyes, ears, nose & throat, mouth, teeth, gums, legs & paws, heart & lungs, abdomen, gastrointestinal system, urogenital system, anal sacs, and dietary. (Never thought I'd find a way to talk about anal sacs on this site.)

He is five pounds three ounces and the doctor said he should get to sixteen to eighteen pounds in the next seven months. We go back in two weeks for some shots (additional vaccines, etc). He's only got a few months left of being a true boy - in September he'll be neutered and get a microchip.

Doctor sent Mama home with a folder full of pamphlets and checklists.

Kurka is getting better with house training. As long as I pay attention, it's fairly easy to know when he needs to go outside. He has figured out what outside is. Once he gets on the grass, he relieves himself quickly. He makes Mama really proud. Mama sounds like an idiot - enthusiastically stating, "Good Boy! Outside! Potty! Good Boy Kurka!" There is clapping and excited bouncing involved too. Yeah, having a puppy makes your IQ rise!

He is slowly adjusting to Mama's schedule. Well, Mama is adjusting to his too. It's just after 11 pm and he's looking at me and his little eyes are saying, "Mama, why are we not in bed right now? Hmmm?"

My vacation is over. What a bummer. While I know there are great things at work tomorrow, I'm going to be hurting when I leave Kurka at home. Coming home from work will be a happy moment for me!

Kypka Andriyovych

2009-06-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's pronounced, "Kurka." In tradition with true Sheepsheadians, it follows the Chicken Conspiracy rules. Although he's super brave, he is being named Chicken.

Actually, Kypka Andriyovych means Chicken, son of the warrior. He's growing into being adventurous.

Since picking up the little guy last Tuesday, we've had a few accidents in the house, but many more celebrations when he went outside. He has found that the couch is his favorite place in the house, but sleeping next to "Mama" is fabulous!

Say hello to the joy in my life:

Puppy Love

2009-06-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

After a long drive with a great friend, I am home, sitting on my new couch, watching a movie, and have a cuddly baby on my lap.

The little guy is tiny! He's absolutely adorable, sweet, and lovey. He looks at the TV when there is a louder noise and he is quite interested in the picture.

He is stunned by the backyard. It's a little big and we got home as the sun was setting, so we'll see how daring he gets tomorrow to explore a little more than where I'm standing.

His prance as he discovered the living room was priceless. He came around the corner with a wagging tail and a big puppy grin.

DM and I got to meet his mother and father. He's rat terrier, Jack Russell terrier, Wire Fox terrier, and a little T-cup poodle thrown in for good measure. He has black and white patches all over and little spots on his legs.

It was fun picking him up. The woman who we got him from had about 50 dogs running around the place, but she was nice to them and very passionate about each. A little overboard (read, "Crazy,") but she let me have him.

I'm in love!

Finally breaking down and joining the bandwagon & REALLY exciting news

2009-05-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

I did it. Not entirely sure why, but I did it. I joined Facebook. With 24 hours passed as a member, I still have no clue what I'm doing on there, but we'll see. It's interesting at least.

But this is what I really want to talk about. It's in the works and official. I've adopted a puppy!

He is a mixed breed - mostly rat terrier with some wire terrier and toy poodle thrown in for good measure. His picture online is very adorable - his head is bigger than his body!

I will pick him up from the shelter the first week of June. He's in Wisconsin right now and my vacation is approaching quickly. My new priorities include puppy-proofing the house! I have to consider names for him and I'll be flooding this site with pictures very soon.

I can't wait!

Spring...

2009-05-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Time to wake up, time to stretch, and time to grow again. Spring is here after what seems to have been an exceptionally long and hard winter. The grass is green, the trees are full of leaves, and the sun is shining.

Yesterday, Dana and I got up early (she was over for the weekend) and met my mom at her house. From there, we headed to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. We wandered up and down the 5 sections of the market, looking at the stalls filled with beautiful flowers, vegetable plants, and home grown goodies. We came home with a car load of items needing to be planted.

Scott joined us at my house and Dad was shortly behind. Mom brought dinner for all (Spanish hamburger, chips, and sweets). Dad and Scott worked on my new fence - getting it all ready for a special furry one that I will soon pick out and have join me. I worked on getting the lawn mowed which is a big task! The garden was raked and prepped (thanks Dana!) and we planted the green bean seeds. In about 51 days, I should have a great crop of beans. The lilies are coming up, the peonies are growing strong, and the tomato plants are in the ground. Gerbera daisies are in a pot just in front of the garage, a new fern is making its home in the shade behind the garage, and the annuals are filling the side of the house with color.

As of right now, I am sitting in the backyard under the umbrella, listening to music, and enjoying the fragrant smell of lilacs in the air. The breeze is mild and the sun is strong and warm. The firepit is awaiting its first use and the wood pile is stacked between the two pine trees.

Life is good right now. I know I've missed writing and I've missed reading. No promises as to when I'll write again, but I haven't given up on this site completely. Reviewing the posts, I see it's been over 2 months since I last wrote. It was cold then - the furnace was working overtime. It's not cold now. I love the changing of the seasons.

My plans today involve torture - I have a dentist appointment in 40 minutes. In the past 365 days, I've been to the dentist way too often - over a dozen times. A little over a month ago, I had an emergency arise. A molar decided to cause me some trouble, resulting in an emergency root canal on a Saturday morning. Pain pills were prescribed and two days later, an antibiotic was given to knock out the infection in my jaw. Three days after that, another set of pain pills (different kinds) were prescribed and a different, much stronger, antibiotic was prescribed. After a week of fear and pain, relief was given as the new drugs did the trick and the swelling that went from my chin to my throat by ways of my jaw finally subsided. That was not a happy week.

My plans after the dentist are simple - go to Mom's house for dinner and a bit of shopping. The work week starts tomorrow and I'm helping someone out, so I'll be at the office for 6 days in a row. But then I get two days off, work 4 days, and find myself on vacation. I need the break!

I hope all is well. Spring doesn't last long in Minnesota and I plan on enjoying what I can. Summer will be here soon and many more days of gardening are waiting ahead.

Dads are Great

2009-03-10T01:57:00.000-07:00

A typical Monday finds me heading to my mom's house for conversation, dinner, and a bit of television. That wasn't this typical Monday. Mom is out of town for work and instead of heading to her house, I spent the day with my dad.

My dad is terrific at teaching me how to do things around the house. For example, when a good deal comes around and you get a new stove for $10 but it is a gas stove and your prior stove is electric, Dad knows how to find the right pieces at the hardware store to pipe the gas up. He has all the fancy wrenches and even had this pipe glue stuff that makes the pieces fit tightly together.

Dad also knows how to help pick out some fancy new (I cannot believe I'm going to type this) window treatments for my living room. The awful curtains are gone - well, they will be once Thursday comes along and the garbage truck makes a visit. Dad suggested pulling a Scarlett and making a dress, but even she couldn't turn these curtains into a fashionable getup. That, and the fact I don't wear dresses.

Dad did forget one thing today. While working on the pipes, he turned off the gas to the house. We shut off the furnace and thermostat while the gas was off and that was good. After he turned back on the gas (main line to the house), he told me he turned the furnace back on.

He did, sort of. Dad turned the power to the furnace back on and turned the thermostat back on. After 4-5 hours and layers of blankets, I tried to figure out why the temperature of the house kept dropping when the furnace was supposedly on. That's when I discovered that the gas was turned off to the furnace.

We're supposed to get quite a bit of snow tomorrow (Tuesday). The forecast was 6+ inches. Not looking forward to that much white fluff, but at least it's not that cold out.

Hope all is well.

[Insert Title Here]

2009-03-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

I opened my email the other day to find a note from Joe wondering why I've disappeared (again - I'm getting really bad at this). No promises, but I'm not giving up on this blog yet. I hope to write more and maybe this time I'll be able to follow through.

One thing that will help will be the shiny new laptop I picked up last week. I shouldn't have to restart 7 times to get a program to run. This new system has more RAM and runs a heck of a lot faster.

On a serious, sad note, I have been dealing with some unfortunate family events. On January 30, my godmother, Cheryl, passed away. She lived with Crohn's disease since 1967. My mom is broken hearted over it and I miss her very much. Cheryl was a wonderful woman who loved animals, always made anyone feel welcome, and loved a good story. She is missed by many.

The next day, January 31, my grandfather passed away. He had been battling lymphoma for 2 1/2 years. He was surrounded by his children and my grandmother when he passed. I spent much of the week with my dad, my two aunts, and my grandmother.

During that same week, I was doomed to the unpleasant experience of food poisoning. DM and I went to eat and chat one night at a local restaurant and I spent the next day realizing how awful a day could truly be.

It was good when I returned to work but busy. February was a short month to begin with, but missing the first week of it for bereavement put me way behind. I've caught up now that it's March. Thankfully.

The first winter in the new house has been great. I'm learning how to stay warm with blankets and sweatshirts (trying to save a few dollars in the heating costs). My snowblower likes to work a little more often now and I had the experience of finding out what happens when there is a newspaper buried in 6 inches of snow and you accidentally run it over this past Sunday. If you're curious, the end result will be you in the garage - freezing and cursing as you try to cut the newspaper out with a knife. Yes, next time I'll dig in the snow before I run the snowblower again. Yikes!

I cannot wait until the snow melts. In the spring, I'm going to finish off the fence and add a furry friend to my life. A puppy will add adventure to my life. I'll probably have a lot more stories to share when there is a puppy here!

I'll try to update a little more often. Hope all is good in your lives. It will be good to visit everyone.

Passing of Time...

2008-12-31T00:32:00.001-08:00

Some years seem uneventful when glanced from a distance - I can remember much about 2005 (good, bad, good, bad, good), but there are few noteworthy moments from 2006 and 2007. Yes, they had a couple of wonderful trips and memories made, but those are just a few days of each year. 2008 has proven to be a memorable year.

As far as finances, I'm much poorer at the end of this year than when I started. Buying a house will do that to you. I'm much richer in my home life though - having a home will do that to you as well. I love my house, truly, madly, and deeply. I'm thrilled that my basement holds heat and my scrapping area is cozy and inviting. I'm adoring trips to IKEA for fun, albeit tricky, bits of furniture that have come to adorn my rooms.

I found that I enjoy gardening this year. Walking outside to check the green beans put a smile on my face each day this past summer. Mowing the lawn isn't even that much of a chore - self-propelled lawn mowers are a blessing. The spots of dirt next to the steps were perfect for flowers and walking around the farmer's market picking them out was a happy experience that I loved sharing with my mom.

At the beginning of the year, I made a couple of goals. Not New Year's resolutions, but just goals. I wanted to buy a house (check!) and I wanted to FINALLY finish my degree. Eleven years after graduating high school, I found my self a college graduate. The look of pride on my dad's face when he held my diploma was worth all the extra work on projects and stress of poor learning groups. I have yet to decide what to do with the degree, but I made it. In a few years, I may consider graduate school - if only to say I did it. It is weird not going to class (online) anymore, but it is also nice to have completed my education.

In the late summer, our family lost a beloved family member. Our dog of 16 years, Chip, left us and I'm still having trouble with that fact. As odd as it seems, I've been very private with how much this hurts. Losing him is probably the closest I've ever come to depression and I'm still in mourning over him. Mom got another dog shortly after - a beautiful female Corgi who needed to be rescued and deserves a happy, loving home. She is a darling - a princess to say the least - but she is not Chip and I don't have a connection with her like I did with him. Chip was the happiest, nicest, and most selfless being I've ever known. He had such joy in just being able to make you smile - I admired that and will always miss him. It is just really hard knowing that I'll never hold him again and never get to scratch his back again.

During the year, I went to the doctor a couple of times for this shoulder pain I've experienced for the last year and a half. What a waste of money that was. The second doctor, the one who actually bothered to do x-rays, prescribe some muscle relaxants, and refer me to a physical therapist was slightly more interested in the problem than the first guy (who may or may not have been 12), but none of those things actually relieved the pain. I'm coming to believe the problem may be a side effect of spending 6 days a week in a bowling alley for my high school years. The type of injury I'm experiencing would make sense, but I still have no clue how to make the pain disappear. I have a funny story to share about my mom's advice, but it is more suited for a post of its own. Pretty soon.

Work has been work this year. Nothing really exciting, but that's how life can go sometimes. Our department is constantly changing, which can be interesting, but also can be tedious. There are moments that make me proud and moments that don't. I don't have much else to say about the work front.

Vacations brought opportunities for pretty pictures this past year. In March, DM and I headed to Duluth for a couple of days. We managed to not lose any fingers or toes to frostbite, but we may think twice next time we decide to watch a sunrise over a frozen Great Lake when it is below zero Fahrenheit. Yeah, we're crazy.

In September, I went on the second annual trip with my mom. We stayed a little closer to home this time and found ourselves in Chicago for the week. Chicago is a great city - lots to do and see. I was thrilled with the trip and enjoyed spending the time with my mom.

I hope that 2009 brings happiness to everyone. Life has wonderful moments that we need to appreciate and savor. I wish moments that take your breath away in a positive surprise. I hope for days that stand out because of wonderful moments to each person. Best wishes for 2009.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T02:05:00.000-08:00

Just in case I don't get a chance to post again before the holiday:
Merry Christmas!

Not much has been happening here this past week or so. I put together my dresser from IKEA and I'm thrilled with it. I finally have a nice storage space for towels, sheets, and blankets.

To help put my dresser together, my dad gave me an early Christmas present. My old cordless drill died (the battery wouldn't charge anymore) and now I have a shiny new drill! It's pretty cool and I just know DM will drool over it a bit.

As for shopping, I'm sort of done. I think I have gifts ready for most everyone, but still need something for a pretty great friend. It's a small Christmas this year - that's what happens when you buy a house.

We're supposed to get another couple inches of snow tonight. I'm not sure if I want snow or if I'm hoping for the snow-free winter. No snow tends to mean extreme cold. Well, at least I've learned how to use my snowblower. It only takes about 10 minutes to clear the sidewalk/driveway when it works.

Oh! This was a nice surprise. Saturday brought us quite a bit of snow again. Before I woke up, my parents and Scott stopped by and shoveled my driveway! It was a nice, sweet thing for them to do and really made my day. I have a pretty cool family.

My Christmas plans include wrapping like mad on Christmas Eve (after work - I'm really hoping my dad's presents show up on Christmas Eve!). On Thursday, I'll get up, call Dad, and head over to Mom's for family time and wonderful food.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday, full of happy moments, and positive memories. Best wishes to all my friends!

Success!

2008-12-18T01:48:00.000-08:00

I have overcome the challenge of my snow blower! This afternoon, I woke to find about 2 inches of snow on the ground. "It will work. It will work. It will work." I chanted this to myself as I headed out in my multiple layers of clothing and hoped that I could get the machine to work for me this time.

The chanting worked! I got the machine to run and not die 2 minutes later. Within 10 minutes, I had the driveway and walkway cleared. Nice! So, I'm proud of my accomplishment today.

Let's hope this trend continues through the winter.

Layers. Yes, layers are good.

2008-12-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

I am snow blower challenged. We got about 2 inches of snow (maybe less - doesn't sound like much to say 2 inches, but it is still enough to have to clear the driveway and walkway). When I got up this afternoon, I figured I needed to go out and clear some snow. I got the snow blower to start up and then it died. Then I started it again, tried to move it forward and guess what? It died. ARGH!

After a 1/2 hour of shoveling snow and freezing the small areas of exposed skin off my body and not being able to see ANYTHING because my sunglasses fogged over and then froze, I went back inside to remove the massive amounts of clothing required to spend 30 minutes outside doing manual labor. Could that sentence be any longer? Hmmm.

Here's a secret. When it is negative 8 below Fahrenheit with a windchill of negative 20 or 30 or something (I think the news said negative 33, but it didn't feel quite that cold), fashion is no longer a concern. I went outside with three pairs of pants on (long undies, pj bottoms, and jeans), three tops (pjs, long underwear, and a hoodie), my leather jacket, two scarves, ear warmer headband, a knit hat, and the hood of my sweatshirt. Oh, there were gloves involved too. I could barely walk, but there I was doing MANUAL labor because the machine that is supposed to make my life easier has decided to only work when my dad is here because it is mean to me. It is a conspiracy.

Why can everyone else make my snow blower work except for me? Seriously, I'm nice. I'm a good person. Work dang it!

Mom and I went to IKEA tonight. I was pleasantly surprised to find a 6 drawer chest that will fit nicely in my room so I have storage space for extra sheets, towels, and other stuff. Plus, it will give me a nice place to display items such as picture frames (which I got MORE of at IKEA - I may have an addiction).

I hope everyone is staying warm. I'm going to grab another blanket and bundle up while watching a movie.

Howling Wind

2008-12-15T01:57:00.000-08:00

It is snowing outside right now and the wind is creating drifts of cold, soft, white. My first winter in this house is starting off well. Mom gave me a snowblower - it is a small one but one that should do the job for a narrow driveway. Tomorrow morning will be a good day to give the machine a workout.

I can't believe how close it is to Christmas. I'm not ready at all. I do have a small tree in my living room - it's only 3 feet high. It's sitting on an end table and is lit up in blue and white. Bowls of large ornaments are around the house trying to make the place a little more festive. I need to go shopping and figure out what to get my parents. It is going to be a scaled back holiday this year, but I'm sure it will be great to spend time with family.

Surprise ... Telegram*

2008-10-21T01:33:00.000-07:00

This is the Crown Fountain. It is at Millennium Park in Chicago. The faces will change throughout the day and water will shoot out the "mouth" of the display. Kids run and splash in the pool. It is somewhat creepy, but cool in a way too. The technology is quite good and it does make for an interesting piece to view.

I'm on vacation from work again. This is my last week off until next year. It is time to winterize the house a bit - mulch the leaves, get the tomato plants out of the ground, etc. I am going out to dinner with family & friends many of the nights this week. DM was over last weekend for scrapbooking and she'll be over again this upcoming weekend. On Saturday I am going to have a party.

There is not too much else taking place around here. Char & I played pool earlier tonight and I had the unfortunate pleasure of a drunk man trying to grind on me while listening to Vanilla Ice. I do have to admit it was rather funny.

The weekend newspaper had a story about a bar crawl with a zombie theme. The crawlers would walk like zombies. This makes the walking much slower. They have a cheer:

WHAT DO WE WANT?

Brains!

WHEN DO WE WANT THEM?

Brains!

That made DM & I giggle for about twenty minutes.

*The title is a bit of an inside joke within my family. Years ago, we saw this TV show called, "Mad Movies." They would take old movies and dub in new dialogue. One of the episodes featured, "The Night of the Living Dead." The show turned it into a surprise party with all the zombies saying, "Surprise," in perfect dead pan. One zombie frequenting the porch is set up to be a delivery man who keeps saying, "Telegram." I wish I could find the clip for you all.

A New Reason to Smile

2008-10-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I had a problem arise that I didn't really want to discuss with anyone. The problem impacted my smile quite literally. As I bit into a treat at work, I had the unfortunate incident of having a temporary crown break off.

I was not pleased and I was not feeling confident about myself. It was not a nice experience.

Luckily, I was able to get into the dentist quickly. He was able to put the temporary crown back on and schedule up some appointments.

Well, after a few painful experiences (oh, did I mention that I metabolize Novocaine extremely quickly? As in less than 20 minutes quickly?), I left the dentist today with a new bridge on my front teeth.

I'm actually very happy with the results and find myself smiling even when there isn't much going on today.

That is my news for today. I'll leave you with a picture now. I'm trying to post every day, but give me a little bit of time. I might not get the weekends every day, but I'll keep trying.

Fire up the grill

2008-10-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

(Larger image can be seen here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2905840959_ab3ea02afe_o.jpg)

Happy Friday! Want to know what I've recently learned? I've learned that I don't know how to make hamburger patties that won't fall apart on the grill. Is there a special trick to this? Anything I could do that would prevent the entire chunk of hamburger from falling apart through the cracks? Yeah, that was a mess to clean up. And then I ate rice.

Know what? I enjoy grilling. I really like making potatoes on the grill, but have a new way to make bratwurst (thanks to my cousin Brad) that is A W E S O M E! I'll never go back to the old way.

The top picture is a panoramic of Chicago taken from a boat cruise. What do you think? The bottom picture is from the subway/El in Chicago (notice a theme yet?). I just enjoyed the lighting in the shot - even though it is pretty dark. What do you think?

Hi - not much to say

2008-10-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

Not too much happening here today. My To Do list includes taking out the garbage (to the street) and that's about it.

Tonight's picture is of the John Hancock Center in Chicago. This was taken from Navy Pier. If you like the picture, give it a click! Thanks.

Starting Over

2008-09-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

My name is Beth. Welcome to the infrequently visited and even more infrequently updated blog known as "Sheepshead and Other Stories." The title is a carry over from my days as a card playing junkie, sitting at the all-night diner with DM, Keem, & company.

In the past year to two years, the posting on this site has decreased quite a bit. It saddens me, but it never saddened me enough to make a change. Well, I'm going to try to change this again.

To help me out, I'm going to try and post a new picture each night. Even if there is little to say going on, I'll at least have a picture. It's not like I'll run out anytime real soon.

No one is more surprised than I am at the changes my life has taken on recently. I'm discovering new interests that were hidden inside myself since becoming a homeowner. My house is not perfect, but I love it. The bathroom could be bigger and the basement have a lot less crickets in it, but I love that it is mine.

Gardening was a surprise interest. This past summer brought fresh green beans, summer squash, and lovely tomatoes. My flowers took off and the images will help me smile when it is cold during those long winter months.

I'll try to stop by and visit soon. Hope you are all doing well.

The first picture of this new series is of "Cloud Gate," otherwise known as the Bean. It is in Millennium Park in Chicago. I was anxious to see this sculpture and I was not disappointed. I loved it! If you like the image, please click it and go to Flickr. You can comment on it or favorite it on that site.

September 15, 1992 - August 13, 2008 In Loving Memory

2008-08-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

This post is overdue. I wrote it a week ago, but then Blogger ate it. It was almost enough for me to give up on this blog completely. But I'm not giving up. Forgive me for the disjointed thoughts that I know will follow here. This was hard enough to write once. I don't know if I'll do any justice a second time around.

In the summer of 1992, our family purchased a new home. The house was perfect for us and my mom still lives there. The backyard was fenced on all sides and Taco, our 5-year old canine, loved the space to run and explore. We installed a doggie door for added freedom.

As winter approached, our family started considering Taco's life. Taco needed a little brother. Mom and I went to a local pet store on the 15th of December and arrived back home with a three month old puppy. This little one was a mix of terrier, cocker spaniel, and Pekinese. He was dark in color, with hints of blonde below. Taco loved the little one at once and held his fascination with the puppy for at least a week. After two weeks, the little one was old news, but they were still inseperable for years to come.

We named him Chip. Officially, his name was Chocolate Chip Brooks. Unofficially, he went by "Chip Brooks Ever," "Stomach on Legs," and Taco's personal favorite, "Annoying Goofball."

One of Chip's favorite games when he was little was to be pulled across the carpet by Taco. They would each take hold of one end of a sock and Taco, the larger dog for a short period of time, would pull Chip around. Chip loved the feel of the carpet scratching his body. We think Taco always wanted Chip to pull back, but Chip just enjoyed being dragged.

As time went by, Chip shed the majority of his dark coat. When he aged, he lightened. Eventually, Mom referred to him as her "blonde boy." He shed oddly at first, getting a lion look that the groomer (a woman who cut his toenails) said others paid to have for their pets. He would loose the fur on his legs and along his torso leaving a mohawk pattern and a big bushy mane around his shoulders and head.

He had gorgeous eyes. His eyelashes were long and naturally curly. Black lines surrounded his expressive gaze in a natural eyeliner that many would die for.

Chip was rarely away from Taco. He idolized his big brother. Many of the pictures we have from the days when both gave our family so much joy include both of the lovely boys.

I want to write about when Chip fell in the river. I want to write about when our boys were robbed in a Halloween costume contest. I'd like to tell you about how Chip could count and how he could make a bed. I would tell you of his happy nature and how he always wanted those around him to smile. I could tell you how Chip was the goodest one ever. He really was.

I want to tell you all about him. I do. And I wrote it beofore. I can't tonight.

All I can say tonight is that I loved him and still do. I always will. I was able to spend time with him his last weekend. I was there the night before... I held him and told him how much I loved him, thanked him for the joy he brought to my life, and said goodbye.

I apologize for the quality of some of these pictures. Most are pictures of pictures, taken years before digital cameras touched our family's world.

If you've read this far, I'll leave you with a few more pictures. These are some of my favorites of Chip. If you feel like leaving a comment, I thank you. Please do me one favor though. Please do not mention anything with religious connotations. I would appreciate the ommission of that beyond all else. Thank you.

In Loving Memory for Chip, the one who left our family at 10 am on August 13, 2008

Pomp & Circumstance

2008-06-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

While I'm opting out of walking down the aisle to collect the expensive piece of paper, I do feel good right now. Last night, in the last hour of school, my final group paper was completed and submitted. It will be graded this week and I'll be able to see my final grade by Friday. Once the grade is up, I can fill out a form to have my diploma sent.

I did it. I'm a college graduate.

Yeah, I'm pretty happy right now.

Backyard Blogging

2008-06-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Squirrels like to run along the top of the fence in the back. They do this during the day, when the people living there are away to work and the two canines are tucked safely inside that house. The neighbors to the left also have two pooches, a black and white cocker spaniel (I think) and a pug. Pretty cute. It'll be at least a year before I get a dog to go with my quaint little abode, but I love the neighborhood.

Two houses down, I saw an elderly man and his wife out doing some yardwork. As I drove up into the drive of my place, I looked to see if they would be curious about the newbie on the block. But they never looked up. Either they are lacking curiousity or they were just too busy in their work. Probably the former.

Unpacking is coming along. There is at least some room to breathe in the living room now. My bedroom is a different story and hopefully Thursday's trip to IKEA will cure that disaster or at least make a dent in my pocketbook.

I still don't have a shower. I have a bathtub to bathe in, but no actual shower exists in this house. That should be rectified on Saturday, after a trip to the Farmer's Market in Minneapolis with Mom. Dad promised to help adapt the tub into a tub/shower this weekend. Since my hair is too long for a bathtub (meaning: I need a shower head for rinsing), I headed over to my dad's place (less than a 1/2 mile away) to use his shower.

That was a bit of an adventure. His shower was stuck on two heat settings: scalding hot and "oh my! I didn't really need that patch of skin!" After screaming in pain and weeping in frustration for a few minutes, I tried again and again. Finally, I was able to pry the knob just enough to reach a, "That's really hot, but at least I'll live," temperature. I'm beginning to think the only thing I'll miss about the old apartment was the water pressure. It was nice.

I have a water softener sitting in my garage and a twenty dollar bill ready in my pocket. There are strong, burly men arriving tonight, sometime between 5:30 and 7:30 with a washer/dryer set. Sears would deliver the washer/dryer combo, but not a water softener. So I bought the water softener anyway and we put it in Scott's truck (Mom's boyfriend and my future step-father). It made it to the garage, but I'm hoping to bribe the burly men so that they might carry it down the basement steps.

I was prepared to purchase the washer and dryer. I had thought it out, put the money aside, and was really getting ready to pay for the pair. Mom and Dad are very nice and decided that this would be a fabulous college graduation present. One bought the washer, one bought the dryer. We received a pretty good deal at Sears on these items. There is a sale going on that if you buy 1 appliance over $399, you get 10% back as a rebate. Two appliances equals 15% rebate. Three was 20%. That's where the water softener comes in.

I opted for the front loading washer and dryer. Both are Kenmore products and I am pretty happy with the purchase. Dad's friend, Jeff, is going to show up sometime and adapt the basement with a 220 volt socket for the dryer. But I'll be able to wash and line dry some things tonight, which is good since the pile of clean clothes is diminishing and the piles of "needs washing" are growing.

Today is technically only day 2 of my vacation, since I work Tuesday through Saturday. But it is the fourth day I've had off of work (the weekend) and I've slept in my home three nights now. The noise from the highway somewhat nearby (end of the street) doesn't bother me at all. I've lived by busy streets for most of my life and it is the only noise that doesn't bother me while sleeping. Now, the sound of June bugs constantly hitting the window because a gleam of light is coming from it freaks me out. Thud. Thwap. It's just gross. I found a better way to keep the lights down at night so this isn't much of a problem anymore (aka, I figured out how to have the motion sensor work and not just leave the light on permanently).

The excitement of being here, the understanding that this is "my place," and pride I have in my house are amazing feelings. I really am loving being a home owner.

I still have much to unpack and a few more necessities to buy. I decided against a riding lawn mower, but am going to pick up a self-propelled little Honda mower. Dad let me try his out and I found it a better value for the money and easy to operate. I've got to plant a few little gardens here and there and I cannot wait until the peonies in the front start to bloom. There is a gigantic rhubarb plant in the back, next to the air conditioner, that is ready to pick. Maybe Mom knows something good to make with it. I'll have to check.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that my car made a funny noise. Yesterday, I took it to this mechanic, Keith, that my mom trusts. Nice guy and honest. Honest mechanic may be a bit of an oxymoron, but it is true. I asked for an oil change, the 35K mile check up, and for him to figure out what was wrong with the car. He did the oil change, talking me out a new air filter, checked all the belts and such, and then reattached this piece of plastic hanging down on the bottom of the car. The piece of plastic was the noise culprit. He also noted that my tires, which were dealership 35K mile tires, were getting pretty bad and I had him put new 80K mile tires on the vehicle. It rides much smoother and drives like a new car again. I love it.

Life is good here.

24 hours down, a lifetime left

2008-05-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

It's official. I am a home owner. The closing went like a breeze (I think I only signed about 30 times, I was expecting WAY more). I met the daughter and son-in-law of the woman I bought the house from. I'll tell that story soon. It's cute.

I work tonight and tomorrow (Saturday). Moving day is Sunday. I'd say my apartment is 90 - 95% packed (there are boxes everywhere!) I woke up at 11 am this morning (unusual) and finished my 2,000 word paper. I didn't expect that, but it really reduces my stress. For school, I still have to answer a discussion question by Saturday and type up a 75 word portion of the team paper. Once I sit down to do it (tonight after work), it should take no more than 30 minutes. I need to participate (respond to three discussion threads) on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Hmmm. Sunday will be interesting. But, if I post after midnight on Saturday night/Sunday morning, that would work. That should only take 20 minutes or so.

The realtor (Spencer) kept thinking I should be more nervous than I was. He kept asking to see my hand to see if it was shaking. It wasn't. I guess I wasn't nervous for the closing because I knew my finances and I know that this is the right house for me. It was a fast process from approval to finding a house to closing, but when it is right, it is right.

The things I have left to pack are all things that don't fit in the traditional box or are something I would label "Misc." I'll be throwing most of these things into boxes or bags tonight after work. Should only take a couple of hours.

That's where I am at in life. I can't wait until Sunday when I start putting things in the new house. I have all of next week off of work so that I can settle in and get all those little things done (like Homesteading the property, buying a lawn mower, getting a washing machine, unpacking, arranging, and making the place mine.) I need to find out where the post office is to turn on mail service for the address and then make many calls to change my address. I'll put a forwarding address out with the post office too.

I think I'm going to have my car serviced next week too. It makes a funny noise sometimes that bothers me. Hope it's not too expensive. I'm due for an oil change as well, so that will probably help the car and improve gas mileage.

With gas prices as they are, I'm happy that I am living 1.8 miles from work and .4 miles from Dad. Mom is about 4 miles away. It's also nice that the car gets over 30 miles to the gallon, even on city streets. It's more on the highway.

The next week is going to be exciting!

T minus 11 hours and counting

2008-05-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

My expectations were to be more nervous than I am. There's an odd calm that has surrounded me. I'm unsure if it is focusing on school, distracting myself with packing, or working this week that has done it, but I'm pretty relaxed about tomorrow.

In just over 11 hours, I will start the signing-my-life-away process. Spencer is meeting me at the house between 11:30 and 12:00 for a final walk through. Afterwards, we will head to the title office and I'll start signing papers. Lots and lots of papers. I hope I have a good pen.

The cashier's check is ready. I've given everything to the loan processor and she said it should be fine. The utilities are set up (cable on Monday - ooh, shiny Internet). After the closing, I plan on heading to the hardware store, picking up the new locks for the doors and installing them. Dad is going to meet me after he gets off work and help spray this bug killer around the perimeter of the house. Mom will call when she gets off work.

I plan on being at the apartment before 7 pm. I'm going to work on this paper (that isn't really due until Sunday, but being ahead of the game is important.) I'll get my group assignment done tomorrow (75 words or so, I could do it right now, except I'm planning on bed soon). I'll finish a discussion question for class, participate a little, and then watch the season finale of LOST (which I haven't been too impressed with this season, but it's a hard habit to break).

I'll then call DM, pick her up (just an hour or so early) and head to the Chalet. James said he'd probably be up earlier than normal and Betsy is joining us when she gets off work.

I don't have much (besides locks & bug stuff) planned for the time after the closing until 7. I might get some food. Maybe Mom or Dad will want to eat something. I'm not planning on moving any boxes over on Thursday, although it couldn't hurt. I still have some packing to do in the apartment, but nothing that can't be finished by the time everyone arrives on Sunday. It's mostly the things I'm still using (computer, bath stuff, food, bedding, clothes for the week, etc.) I've got a lot of boxes and I think they might be enough. I hope so. I can start using bags if necessary. The things left to pack are little odds & ends. I may just label them as "Misc" because the reason they aren't packed yet is that they didn't fill a box and it seemed wasteful to put one small thing in a big box.

On a school related note, do I really want to write about my personal, professional, and educational goals for the next five years? No. Will I? Yes. Will it be true? Who knows.

Two thousand words all about my learning experience. Whoopie.

But, school is another countdown. In twelve days, I'll be exiting the university with a piece of paper that states I'm qualified to do the job I already have. Sounds great, doesn't it? At least the company I work for paid for the majority of it. That's a pretty nice benefit.

Off to sleep, perchance to dream of white picket fences.

Bullet Point To Do List

2008-05-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

Two full calendar days left. About four minutes of Monday left. Walk-through on Thursday at noon and closing scheduled for one.

Yikes!

To do:

~~Go to bank on Tuesday to change one cashier's check in for another~~
~~Call mortgage processor (before trip to bank) to get exact amount for cashier's check~~
~~Buy new locks~~
~~Spray perimeter of new house with bug killer~~ (thanks Dad!)
~~Write 2000 word paper by Thursday about the past, present, and future of my academic career (oh, the joy) *started~~
Write introduction section to learning team paper due by Saturday *started
Participate in class so that I don't end up with a B in this class too *partially done
~~Restrict rage against other group members who don't contribute~~
Finish packing up bedroom *90% complete
~~Finish packing up hall closet #1~~
Finish packing up hall closet #2 *95% complete
Finish packing up kitchen *85% complete
~~Finish packing up scrapbooking stuff in dining room~~
Finish packing up bathroom *97.5% complete
Finish packing up living room *90% complete
~~Get more boxes~~
Create directions for the possible 17 15 people helping me move on Sunday
Relax *working on it
Work ~~Tuesday and~~ ~~Wednesday~~
~~Call water company and hopefull get through this time~~
~~Confirm that electric and gas are set up through same company~~
~~Don't freak out *still working on it~~
Clean bathroom
Clean kitchen
Clean living room
Wash windows
Clean bedroom
Clean dining room
Buy washing machine *next week
Buy lawn mower *next week

Yeah, stress level rising a bit. Oh well, it's exciting!

Update to Lyrical Quiz* Updated Again!

2008-05-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

The opening lyrics that are unsolved are listed first. There are still 19 points available!

2. I want you between you and the feeling I get when I miss you, when everything here is telling me I should be fine, So why it so hard above as below that I'm missing you every time; I got used to you whispering things to me into the evening, follow the sun as the colors left this world, seems to me that I'm definitely hearing the best that I've heard...

3. As I walk along I wonder what went wrong with our love a love that was so strong - 1/2 credit to DM for getting the title "Runaway". Who is it by?

5. I keep hearing you're concerned about my happiness, but all that thought you're giving me is conscious I guess, if I were walking in your shoes I wouldn't worry none, while you and your friends are worrying about me I'm having lots of fun...

8. Winners, losers, small time misusers, do what they must on their own

9. I'll give you the best I can give you baby, that's all I can give, we'll live it the best we can live it baby, as long as we live

12. Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm, I know, it's been coming for some time - CCR, what's the title? DM 1/2 point

13. When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I would offer you a warm embrace

14. You and me we were the pretenders, we let it all slip away, in the end what you don't surrender, well the world just strips away

16. Aaaah hey! Oh yeah baby. Like a fool I went and stayed too long, now I'm wondering if your love's still strong

17. Fearless people, careless needle, harsh words spoken, and lives are broken; thoughts for ages, help me I'm fading, heaven's waiting, it's time to move on

20. We got something we both know it we don't talk too much about it, ain't no big secret all the same but somehow we get around it

24. Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world, you can see she's a beautiful girl, a beautiful girl, and everything around her is a silver pool of light, people who surround her feel the benefit of it, it makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm - KT Tunstall, what's the title? 1/2 point to DM

29. They put a parking lot on a piece of land, where the supermarket used to stand, before that they put up a bowling alley, on the site that used to be the local palias - Not a trick question. I have both versions.

31. When I was a young boy, my mother said to me, there's one girl in the whole world for you and she probably lives in Tahiti

32. Talking to myself and feeling alone, sometimes I'd like to quit, nothing seems to fit, hanging around, nothing to do but frown

33. Oh, why you look so sad, the tears are in your eyes, come on and come to me now, don't be ashamed to cry, let me see you through, cause I've seen the dark side too

34. Take me now baby here as I am, pull me close try to understand, I work all day out in the hot sun, stay with me now til the morning comes

35. I keep a close watch on this heart of mine, I keep my eyes wide open all the time, I keep the ends out for the tie that binds

37. There you go and baby here I am, well you left me here so I could sit and cry, golly gee what have you done to me,

39. Once upon a time, once when you were mine, I remember skies, reflected in your eyes, I wonder where you are, I wonder if you think about me, once upon a time - Moody Blues, what is the title? 1/2 point to DM

40. Well my heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talking, I came across a place in the middle of nowhere

1. Summer has come and past, the innocent can never last - "Wake Me Up When September Ends", Green Day (DM got it right!)
4. Give me a ticket for an aeroplane, I ain't time to take no fast train, oh the lonely days are gone, I'm coming home - "The Letter" Joe Cocker - Yea DM! (Granted she said it was #5, but we'll give it to her)
6. You know that it would be untrue, you know that I would be a liar, if I was to say to you, girl we couldn't get much higher - "Light My Fire", The Doors (Go DM!)
7. When the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light you see - "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King - 1/2 point to DM, 1/2 point to Teri! I would have also accepted the John Lennon cover version.
10. See the stone set in your eyes, see the thorn twist in your side, I'll wait for you - "With or Without You," by U2. Way to go Teri!
11. A man walks down the street he says why am I soft in the middle now why soft in the middle the rest of my life's so hard - "You Can Call Me Al", Paul Simon (DM got it!)
15. Shadows grow so long before my eyes, and they're moving across the page, suddenly the day turns into night, far away from the city, but don't hesitate 'cuz your love won't wait - Awesome job Teri! It is "Baby, I Love Your Way," by Peter Frampton! You are amazing to get this one!
18. Well a man come on the six o' clock news, says somebody been shot, somebody been abused, somebody blew up a building, somebody stole a car, somebody got away, somebody didn't get too far - Tobey Keith & Willie Nelson, "Beer for my Horses" point to DM!
19. What is happening here, something's going on that's not quite clear, somebody turn on the lights, we're going to have a party starting toniiiiiight - Teri is really good at the hard ones! This is "Dancing on the Ceiling," by Lionel Richie!
21. All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, I'm standing here outside your door, I hate to wake you up to say goodbye - "Leaving on a Jet Plane", DM said John Denver (who I think was the original. I have the Peter, Paul & Mary version) - 1 point awarded
22. Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a train; and I's feeling nearly as faded as my jeans - "Me and Bobby McGee", Janis Joplin - Point to DM
23. There's a port on a western bay, and it serves a hundred ships a day, lonely sailors pass the time away, and talk about their homes - "Brandy", Looking Glass - Go DM!
25. Who's gonna tell you when it's too late? Who's gonna tell you things aren't so great? You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong - "Drive", The Cars, W00T to DM!
26. I had a friend, was a big baseball player, back in high school, he could throw that speed ball by you, make you look like a fool, saw him the other night at this roadside bar, I was walking in, he was walking out, we went back inside, sat down, had a few drinks - "Glory Days", by the Boss, Bruce Springsteen - point for DM
27. Put on my blue suede shoes and boarded the plane, touched down in the land of the Delta blues in the middle of the pouring rain, W.C. Handy won't you look down over me, yeah I got a first class ticket, but I'm blue as a boy can be - "Walkin' in Memphis", Marc Cohn, go Dana!
28. Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine, never understood a word he said, but I helped him drink his wine, he always had some mighty fine wine - "Joy to the World", 3 Dog Night, Go DM!
30. What you want, baby I got it, what you need, you know I got it, all I'm asking is for a little ... - Go Teri! This is "Respect" by Aretha Franklin!
36. I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window, I saw the flickering of love on her blind, she was my woman, as she deceived me, I watched and went out of my mind - "Delilah", Tom Jones, DM gets a point!
38. I used to hang out down at Jack's pool hall, you go down there don't do nothing at all, you wanted to play some cards there was a game in the back, if you wanted a shot of something you went and talked to Jack - "Rack 'Em Up", Jonny Lang, Nice one DM!

Dana's sitting at 16 1/2 points right now. Teri has 4 1/2 (and got some pretty hard ones!). Anyone care to join in the fun? The winner will receive an original brooksba item! (Hint, most likely a picture in a frame)

I'll post the answers next Monday (after the cable gets set up at the new place.)

18 and Life

2008-05-11T02:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I know, cheesy title. But what can you expect from a mind overworked by ethical thinking, logical reasoning, and puzzle solving as the boxes pile up and space for more boxes must be created.

School has started. That's where the "ethical thinking" and "logical reasoning" are coming from. This last class is the Capstone, or the one where we put it all together. I was afraid of statistics, but at this point, we've been discussing what is ethical and where do we stand on certain issues. Interesting at least.

I drove by my house again. The sign in the front now states to the neighborhood, "SOLD" with confidence. I'm so excited about this and can't wait to move (because seriously, apartment living is really starting to suck). Moving involves a lot of work, which at this point involves gathering as many boxes as I can lay my hands upon and trying to pack things so that I'll be able to find them again once I move.

One of my aunts is a consultant for a crystal company. She has done this for years. What does this mean? It means that for every birthday and Christmas I received crystal. It's beautiful and functional and delicate. And a bitch to pack. Over the years, I did the right thing at each move. I kept the boxes. Sure, they take up a lot of space (at Dad's house for the last 4 years), but it was nice to bring over 9 - super duper garbage bags full of empty crystal boxes. The packing of these items can be a bit challenging in figuring out how each piece fits, but once the box is closed, the items are protected well.

I have the first week of June off of work. It will be nice to have the time to settle into the new place, again, my place. I'm just getting used to saying that. It feels good. My mom said she might take some time off during that week to help out and we could be doing a bit of shopping. IKEA may be a destination.

I feel as if there was a point to this post that I lost about the time I signed in. The title offers me little help, other than to remind me that I have 18 days before I am a homeowner. Interesting.

Since I've lost what I was looking to post about, I think it may be time for bed. Good night!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Pini gemellati

2008-05-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

The weekend has arrived again and the stress level should hopefully decrease some. All is well on the home ownership front, although I may be having an unexpected expense that has nothing to do with the house popping up (car related in fact). I started packing tonight. I believe I officially have 10 boxes ready to haul. Unfortunately, that's not even a dent.

I met with the inspector on Thursday. I think I wrote about that already. Maybe. It's all so jumbled right now. While walking around the backyard, my dad suggested a name for the home. With two Norway pines growing in the backyard, he suggested, "Twin Pines." And the mood I'm in tonight, I thought I might spice it up a little. What do you think of "Pini gemellati"? From what I can gather, this is the Italian translation of Twin Pines. It may not stick.

I thought I'd post a picture, just in case anyone was curious. Twenty-five days left. Wow!

I'm exhausted. I may post again tomorrow to discuss the war I'm going to wage with the management of my apartment complex. It appears they cannot do math and do not want to live up to their end of the agreement. Grrrr!

Test of Patience

2008-05-02T01:06:00.000-07:00

Patience is a virtue that others have commented that I have. At times, I feel as if it is wearing thin, but all-in-all, I can normally survive and make others feel comfortable. Lately though, it's been harder. The stress of so many life changing events is starting to get to me.

Rarely do I have troubles sleeping. I'm still able to sleep straight through when I do fall asleep, but so many thoughts have been going through my head lately that it is hard to fall asleep. When this happens, I try a trick my mom told me when I was pretty little. She explained that she would tell herself stories when she was trying to sleep. The stories always involved having to hide from someone (bad guys or something) and having to be very still and quiet so they wouldn't find her. My stories are variances of this same thing and I usually fall asleep before the story gets any farther than the previous night. In this sense, I've been stuck in the same place of my current story for at least 8 months now. That sounds rather boring, but it helps to fall asleep.

In the past couple of weeks, I keep having other thoughts in my head and I forget to tell myself the story. So, my sleep is delayed each night. Unfortunately, the alarm clock still blares music at the same time each workday.

I'm overly excited about the reality of home ownership. Today, I met with the inspector and toured "my" house again. If everything goes well, it will be my house in 4 weeks exactly. Wow [full stop]. My dad was nice enough to meet me at the house for the inspection. I felt much more comfortable with him there since he understands the information much better than I do and has way more experience in fixing little things than I. There are a couple little things that need to be done in the house and I'm sure I'll have a million and a half projects lined up. But, all-in-all, this house is livable. That is important to me. Some of the others I viewed required quite a bit of work before I could even sleep there.

I'm stunned at how fast this entire process is going. Although it may seem long each day, I have to remember that there is a real possibility that I will have gone from the unknown to the preapproval to the house search to the home owning in less than 6 weeks. In fact, if everything goes right, it will be 38 days. I work for a fairly large bank and all of my co-workers are amazed at how fast this is. In many ways, this helps reduce my stress because I won't have it as long. In other ways though, it seems to drag and is probably larger than I expected.

On top of the home buying process, I have one final class left for school. In less than 6 weeks, I will be a college graduate. My last class starts on Tuesday and I still have only a vague idea of what it will entail. I have to fill out some paperwork tomorrow at work to have the class reimbursed (thankfully the Large Bank is paying most of the bills for school - nice benefit).

The last class I took was on eBusiness. It was an absolute nightmare. I managed to pull off a B+; a fact I still haven't told my dad. (That story is to come one of these days when I actually start my encyclopedia of brooksba posts.) Besides the subject matter being rather boring, I was stuck with a teacher that didn't gain my respect and a learning group that prompted me to give really nasty (in a professional way) remarks at the end of the class. There was a guy in the group who refused to participate during our forming stage and then demanded that we change the way we met at his whim. What really bothered me about the situation is that he wanted to communicate with others by using teleconferences. He rejected any ideas posted in the online forum and negatively impacted discussions. We attend an online school (in which most teachers discourage or actually don't allow teleconferences for communication) and we were taking a class on how to conduct business online! Really? Really?

It didn't help his overall score that he turned in his portion of the paper extremely late and left the compiler (not me - in fact, I was the ONLY group member to turn in my assignment on time or within 4 days of the due date) in the lurch. I helped the compiler with editing and reading through the paper and helped make the right adjustments.

In these classes, what stuns me the most, absolutely appalls me, is the lack of skill found within certain group members. I look at the classes we are in and I know how much schooling is required before reaching this point. I just do not understand how these students have made it this far in the process without learning anything. The minimum amount of classes at this school alone (assuming credits from other institutions and prior learning from high school) to be at this point of the program is something like 17 classes. In each of those, there is an individual paper due weekly and group assignments due usually 4 of the 5 weeks. That means these people have written at least 85 individual papers and contributed to 60+ group assignments. By this point, you'd think they'd have learned how to cite a source, how to use transitional statements, and how to format a paper in APA format (which has been required for every single paper). I don't even want to go into the subject of grammar or being specific in writing. It's exhausting.

So, with one class left and the amount of stress purchasing my first home added to the mix, I hope to make it through the next 6 weeks with all of my hair still on my head, all my fingernails still intact, and with my blood pressure remaining in the healthy range that it always reads.

Someone at work joked tonight that I could add more to my plate by applying for other jobs, getting promoted, and possibly trying to get married. Funny. Yeah. Marriage is not a possibility at least. I'd also have to apply for another job if I was looking to be promoted, so that's not something I'm going to add to my mix right now.

But deep down (well, and on the surface), I'm still extremely excited about this house. I'll post soon some pictures and more information about it. There are pictures on my camera of this house that my dad dubbed, "Twin Pines," today. Don't know if that will stick, but it might. There are two beautiful Norway Pines in the gigantic backyard.

I really need boxes now. I do need to start packing! The good news is that I have the first nine days of June off to be able to move most of my things. I'll also have my apartment until June 30th and be able to get really situated correctly. This helps.

Because it takes my mind away from the pending paperwork that I want finished NOW

2008-04-30T00:40:00.000-07:00

On the home front, there's a slight stall in the counter offer agreement. As it turns out, the owners have countered my offer, but only slightly (if the financing doesn't go through, they get to keep some of my earnest money - no biggie), but they are also out of town and won't be able to sign the papers until Wednesday. Coming from the generation of instant gratification, I'm stressing a little (probably without reason) and I have slept very little in the past few days.

So, with that in mind, I'm trying to clear my mind. In efforts to get back into blogging, I'm going to revisit an old idea. It's a musical quiz with the answers straight from my iTunes playlist.

I'm going to post the opening lines of 40 songs that come up in shuffle. You, dear readers, get to guess the song title and artist. The person with the most correct will win. The prizes include bragging rights and if you're willing to send an address, possibly a fun, brookba original gift. That's up to you though.

Let the games begin:

1. Summer has come and past, the innocent can never last
2. I want you between you and the feeling I get when I miss you, when everything here is telling me I should be fine
3. As I walk along I wonder what went wrong with our love a love that was so strong
4. Give me a ticket for an aeroplane, I ain't time to take no fast train, oh the lonely days are gone, I'm coming home
5. I keep hearing you're concerned about my happiness, but all that thought you're giving me is conscious I guess, if I were walking in your shoes I wouldn't worry none, while you and your friends are worrying about me I'm having lots of fun
6. You know that it would be untrue, you know that I would be a liar, if I was to say to you, girl we couldn't get much higher
7. When the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light you see
8. Winners, losers, small time misusers, do what they must on their own
9. I'll give you the best I can give you baby, that's all I can give, we'll live it the best we can live it baby, as long as we live
10. See the stone set in your eyes, see the thorn twist in your side, I'll wait for you
11. A man walks down the street he says why am I soft in the middle now why soft in the middle the rest of my life's so hard
12. Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm, I know, it's been coming for some time
13. When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I would offer you a warm embrace
14. You and me we were the pretenders, we let it all slip away, in the end what you don't surrender, well the world just strips away
15. Shadows grow so long before my eyes, and they're moving across the page, suddenly the day turns into night, far away from the city, but don't hesitate 'cuz your love won't wait
16. Aaaah hey! Oh yeah baby. Like a fool I went and stayed too long, now I'm wondering if your love's still strong
17. Fearless people, careless needle, harsh words spoken, and lives are broken; thoughts for ages, help me I'm fading, heaven's waiting, it's time to move on
18. Well a man come on the six o' clock news, says somebody been shot, somebody been abused, somebody blew up a building, somebody stole a car, somebody got away, somebody didn't get too far
19. What is happening here, something's going on that's not quite clear, somebody turn on the lights, we're going to have a party starting toniiiiiight
20. We got something we both know it we don't talk too much about it, ain't no big secret all the same but somehow we get around it
21. All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, I'm standing here outside your door, I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
22. Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a train; and I's feeling nearly as faded as my jeans
23. There's a port on a western bay, and it serves a hundred ships a day, lonely sailors pass the time away, and talk about their homes
24. Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world, you can see she's a beautiful girl, a beautiful girl, and everything around her is a silver pool of light, people who surround her feel the benefit of it, it makes you calm, she holds you captivated in her palm
25. Who's gonna tell you when it's too late? Who's gonna tell you things aren't so great? You can't go on thinking nothing's wrong
26. I had a friend, was a big baseball player, back in high school, he could throw that speed ball by you, make you look like a fool, saw him the other night at this roadside bar, I was walking in, he was walking out, we went back inside, sat down, had a few drinks
27. Put on my blue suede shoes and boarded the plane, touched down in the land of the Delta blues in the middle of the pouring rain, W.C. Handy won't you look down over me, yeah I got a first class ticket, but I'm blue as a boy can be
28. Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine, never understood a word he said, but I helped him drink his wine, he always had some mighty fine wine
29. They put a parking lot on a piece of land, where the supermarket used to stand, before that they put up a bowling alley, on the site that used to be the local palias
30. What you want, baby I got it, what you need, you know I got it, all I'm asking is for a little ...
31. When I was a young boy, my mother said to me, there's one girl in the whole world for you and she probably lives in Tahiti
32. Talking to myself and feeling alone, sometimes I'd like to quit, nothing seems to fit, hanging around, nothing to do but frown
33. Oh, why you look so sad, the tears are in your eyes, come on and come to me now, don't be ashamed to cry, let me see you through, cause I've seen the dark side too
34. Take me now baby here as I am, pull me close try to understand, I work all day out in the hot sun, stay with me now til the morning comes
35. I keep a close watch on this heart of mine, I keep my eyes wide open all the time, I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
36. I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window, I saw the flickering of love on her blind, she was my woman, as she deceived me, I watched and went out of my mind
37. There you go and baby here I am, well you left me here so I could sit and cry, golly gee what have you done to me,
38. I used to hang out down at Jack's pool hall, you go down there don't do nothing at all, you wanted to play some cards there was a game in the back, if you wanted a shot of something you went and talked to Jack
39. Once upon a time, once when you were mine, I remember skies, reflected in your eyes, I wonder where you are, I wonder if you think about me, once upon a time
40. Well my heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talking, I came across a place in the middle of nowhere

Love at First Sight

2008-04-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

"Can you picture yourself living there?"

This was one of the questions I'd heard multiple times when speaking to homeowners before I went to view houses on Sunday. As it turned out, there were five houses on the list for the day. I met Spencer face-to-face for the first time at the first location with both of my parents there. We walked around the house, checking out the yard (and a really weird looking tree - it could have been at home in the Wizard of Oz), and then entering a house with horrible red shag carpeting, four entrance doors, an attached garage (in which none of the previously mentioned four doors connected it to the house), and a multitude of empty rooms. Not a bad house, but not one that I could picture myself in.

Four of the five homes I was shown on Sunday were vacant. This isn't a bad thing, it just made it difficult to picture myself in most of them. Well that and too many "do-it-yourself and hope-to-be-able-to-actually-live-here in 5 years" projects. There was one that I feared I wouldn't even be able to use the waste removal facilities without hours of gruelling labor (or expense).

One house was inhabited and during the walk through, two cats came to pay a visit. They ran up and down the paths created by the residents made up of extra junk and plenty of Miller High Life cases of beer. Who stores beer by the bed? Really? I'd like to know. Oh, wait, I do know. These people. These same people who have a basement without much moving room (lots and lots of piles of stuff) and the walls covered in heavy metal and grunge musician posters.

The second house we viewed was by far the best. It was vacant, but not dirty. The house had previously been owned by the same family for 56 years. My realtor kept saying "her" and "grandma," so I think she had lived the last few years alone in the home and is now either moved onto a retirement home (hopefully!). This property is 2 1/2 blocks away from my dad's home, 2 miles from work, and three doors down from a quaint little park. It boasts .3 acres and at first glance the backyard seems to go on forever (at least to my apartment dweller eyes). It is one and a half stories with a basement. The attic and basement are unfinished, but have lots of room for storage and opportunity to build value in the home. Half of the basement is carpeted and has lots of room for certain piles of scrapbooking materials that take over other areas of my current living space.

The garage is detached and is actually a one and a half car garage. Shelving takes up the 1/2 part of the garage, which is pretty nice for some additional storage. A few feet away is the entrance to the house through the kitchen. There is another entrance at the front of the house.

The main floor has a cute little kitchen, a decent sized living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The layout is almost identical to the layout in my dad's house.

So, I fell in love. I can see myself living here. I can see myself coming home, sleeping here, and having a great time.

I can see this being the right place for me so much that I put in an offer! And guess what. After paperwork galore, waiting and nail-biting, a slight counter-offer back, it is accepted!

I'm going to own this home! It is possible that if things go right, I'll be closing on the house on May 29th. I'll have a month to move out of my apartment and get settled into my new place.

Seriously, I'm jumping up and down inside. I randomly break out into clapping.

Hee hee hee! This is cool.

2 Br, 1 Bth

2008-04-27T02:49:00.000-07:00

"I have been receiving emails from Spencer lately."
"Spencer?"
"Yes, Spencer."
"Spencer who?"
"Spencer M."
"Who is Spencer?"
"Spencer is the random real estate agent that was assigned to me when I checked out Houses.com."
"Oh... Wait! Houses.com?"
"Yes, that's right."

It's true. My intent to purchase a home is quickly solidifying. I have spoken to the bank and golly gee, I've been pre-approved for a certain amount of money to start making my own monthly payments on a dare-I-say-it mortgage.

I feel like I'm 18 again and thinking, "I'm an adult now!" Just wait until the day I actually purchase my own furniture. What a sign of mature adulthood that will be.

In a little less than 12 hours, I will be meeting my real estate agent face-to-face for the first time. We've exchanged emails for a couple of months now and spoken on the phone twice (this may be the longest "relationship" I've had in years) and I'll be meeting him at some location in the afternoon on Sunday with both of my parents.

There are six properties on my shortlist now of houses to view. I'm excited about two of them, but the other four are interesting enough to spend a little time looking at. Over the past few weeks, I've been contemplating the real possiblity of owning my own house. The stress actually reduced when I spoke to the bank last Monday and received the pre-approval in less than 25 minutes of cellular phone time. The exciting part was that once the representative actually sent the information in about the possible mortgage, the response was practically immediate. I emailed Spencer as soon as I hung up and had an appointment with him for Sunday at 4:00 PM within minutes.

I'm not looking for a big house. I don't want a really big house. I'm single and affording this on my own. There will be yardwork and maintenance that I'll deal with, but that's a reality of owning a home. Maybe in a year or so I'll get a puppy.

But right now, I'm excited for so many reasons. Parking the car full of groceries within 30 feet of the door is a wonderful thought. Being able to put clothes in the dryer (or hang them on a line!!!) and not having to sit and wait for the cycle to be over to make sure no one moves my underwear without my consent is relieving. Having a kitchen where the stove isn't additional counterspace for scrapbooking memorabilia seems more logical. Having room to put up exercise equipment makes me happy (as odd as that sounds). Not listening to the jerk living above me scream about his personal problems and hearing his girlfriend sobbing in pain is a nice perk. Being able to customize my walls (color) and making a place mine is thrilling.

I'm sure I'll be busy in the next few months. If I find a place I like, I hope to move in June and be out of my apartment when the lease is up at the end of June. There is more happening at the same time (school, work, life, etc) and I'm going to try and write about my experiences a bit more in the upcoming months.

It's Been Awhile - How About Some Pictures to Make Up for My Vanishing Act

2008-03-19T01:08:00.000-07:00

We all know that I haven't been around. Instead of apologizing and making a promise that I can't keep right now, I thought I'd just take the opportunity to post something that I wanted online. Dana and I went to Duluth a couple of weeks ago and stood along the shoreline of Lake Superior while the temperature was hovering around zero Farhenheit. Neither of us lost fingers or toes and managed to avoid frostbite by layering our clothing so much that someone could have pushed lightly and we may have fallen over.

But we had a good time. It might be crazy, but it really was fun. We drove along Skyline Parkway at night and viewed the HWY 2 bridge all lit up. We stopped along the shore of Lake Superior to see the ice breaking up and admiring how much it looks like broken glass everywhere. We stayed up all night long to watch the sunrise over Lake Superior. It was a good trip.

What would a trip be without pictures? You got it. Here are some of my favorites (and yes, I'm getting much better at narrowing down the field. I have decided to develop less than 10% of the pictures taken by my camera. I'm getting better!):

In the bottom row of images here, I would like to point out the two pictures with the orangish tone. What I love about these images is the fact you can see the ice evaporating away from the sun's rays. Pretty cool!

HWY 2 Bridge

A Very Cold Dana

A Very Cold Beth

Skyline

Arial Bridge

Ice on the Lake

The third picture from the left in the bottom row is an ice fishing hut. See, there are people crazier than Dana and I.

Dana again - looks happier here.

Vroom (or how I learned that my tripod is not strong enough to battle wind and the extra weight of my new telephoto lens)

If you're interested, the entire set of "best pics" from the trip are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooksba/sets/72157604139620039/

I hope you enjoy. I'll now head back to the schoolbooks. I am so glad this is getting close. I do NOT like the class I'm in right now. Ug.

Life, In General

2008-02-20T02:44:00.000-08:00

Returning to work after a long weekend or a week off is always an interesting experience. I felt rather busy today, but it was a good day. I feel like I walked in the door and never stopped until the calls stopped rolling into our call center.

My day, well, my work day, started with a meeting with my peers and boss. We have a specific meeting agenda once a year where we analyze the results of a survey conducted each fall, focusing on an area of strength and an area for improvement. I enjoy these meetings because great ideas are generated to help improve our already great environment. It just makes me happy.

The best part of my day, even though most was pretty good, was being able to see the expression on a banker's face. She is a banker on my team who is just plain awesome. I've nicknamed her "Smiley," because she always greets each day with a positive attitude. It is absolutely contagious. She tends to get a lot of recognition (most of the bankers do) because she is a top performer, but also because she is just so positive. We like to have her represent our call center at job fairs and I enjoy working with her quite a bit. Last year, 2007, she performed very well, but never knew quite how high she ranked in comparison to other bankers. She figured she was in the top 25-30, but she was actually #3 in our entire center (out of 170 bankers or so). I've known for about a month how well she performed, but kept it a secret. Why? Because we award a trip to the top performing bankers each year. At the end of April and beginning of May, she will be going to Florida/Disney World for 5 days, all expenses paid and will get to bring a guest. This is a nice trip that the company awards to select individuals (about 1% of the organization) and I'm thrilled for her. She beamed all night long and kept saying, "Did I tell you how much I love my job?" and "I still can't believe it!" Days like today make my job meaningful.

My team also had a meeting tonight where we celebrated our successes in January (more recognition!) and we also had our annual meeting to go over our survey results. There is always room for improvement in our environment, yet I was pretty pleased with the results of our survey. It asked 12 questions (well, 12 major questions) and we scored "Agree" to "Strongly Agree" in every single one of them. It was a fun meeting and there were some terrific ideas presented. I know that implementing the ideas will help us achieve even more.

Work was good. Home wasn't so good. I was awakened at a quarter to 9 am by my upstairs neighbor screaming at the top of his lungs. He has extreme anger management issues. I didn't have time to stop by the office on my way out the door, but tomorrow I am going to complain. This is not the first time he's been beligerant to the point where I worried about his safety or the safety of others and it is quite bothersome. I think he was on the phone this time, screaming obsenities and using threatening language. After giving a big "F*** you" to the person on the other end of the phone, he must have disconnected the call and then decided to file away something in his bathroom. There was this awful scrapping noise coming from upstairs. The more I live below this person the more and more I want a house. I'm sick of his actions and it worries me to be living close to a person who acts as he does. I'm going to talk to the office in the afternoon and see what can be done.

On one hand, I want to complain about his actions, and on the other, I'm a bit afraid. I know that sounds a bit ridiculous. Here's the thing. I've worked in a call center for eight years now. Customers tend to be calling from a comfort zone when they reach us (calling from home). One thing I've learned about human nature is that people can become much more aggitated and use extreme language/behavior when on the phone versus in person. Not that people don't get out of hand in person, but I remember only 2 people upset enough to a point where other customers could see the problem when I was at the branch and I compare those experiences to the 50-100 escalated/upset customers we speak with each day. When I took escalated calls as a primary function of my job, I remember at least once every couple of weeks having someone who was out of control.

I think of all the out of control customers I've spoken to in the past. Not one compares to the extreme behavior this man living above me exhibits on a fairly regular basis. His behavior seems to be escalating to a point beyond recourse. If he hasn't hurt himself or someone else, he's going to soon. So, while I want to say something to reduce the problem, I am also afraid that he might want to lash out at me. Not that I know who he is or think I'm in any danger right now. But when I say something, I don't want him to know it was me. I trust the police not to give away my identity to him if I report him (as I did one time that I think he was abusing a girlfriend). I guess I don't trust the apartment complex staff to protect my identity. That's sad, but true.

I tried to complain at the office about him once before and was completely brushed off by the woman working there. She wasn't one of the regular women in the office, but she was an employee of the complex. So, this discourages me. I guess I'll see what type of response I get tomorrow.

On a much more positive note, I received my final grade for the class I was just in. My dad will comment and ask what happened to my grade, but all-in-all, I'm proud of the 98.45% I received. It's hard to get 100% in a class where the majority of your grade comes from group assignments.

Two more classes, I'll be graduating. My next class starts on March 11, which happens to be DM's birthday. I have a week off before the class starts and hopefully DM and I will have fun adventures that week. I am looking forward to it.

There it is. Simple post, nothing profound, but an update on my work life, my home life, my school life, and my plans for next month. Life is pretty good right now, minor problems, but nothing to get me down.

(Spell check isn't working tonight, so I apologize if I have a couple of words incorrect.)

Colorful Words

2008-02-11T23:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, colorful words. As in the ones I just yelled loudly at 1:30 am in my apartment. It was a simple chain reaction, but as I was heating up leftovers, I emptied the plastic dish onto one of my plates. In this, I managed to drip gravy on the floor. Simple, right? So, I grab for the paper towels. This knocks over the wire rack I have on top of my refrigerator. Which sends (amongst a bag of torilla chips and a very large container of vinegar (why do I have so much vinegar?)) a beautiful, footed crystal bowl crashing to my kitchen floor. It was not unbreakable.

Crap. Now I have added "mop" to my things to buy at the store. I want to make sure to get all the little pieces of glass picked up.

Oh, and my food got cold. I had to reheat it. Argh!

Hey, look at that, two posts in two days! Not bad, huh?

Too Long Between Posts

2008-02-11T00:45:00.000-08:00

How have you been? I would probably know if I had been paying attention in the cyber-world lately, but I can't change the fact that I haven't been up-to-par on the whole blogging thing. I got an email from Joe (thanks for the prodding) that pointed out my absence.

How have I been? Decent. Life is going pretty well right now. I don't have any complaints, other than the fact we're stuck in the dead of winter right now and it's cold outside. Now, anything over 20 degrees is beautiful. Seriously. Above zero, still good. But it is -7 degrees Farenheit outside right now, and that's without the wind. Add in windchill and you get the feeling of 1,000 razorblades slicing up any exposed skin. I don't know how to make the site show the equivalent temperature for those who use Celcius. I just know that Farenheit and Celcius meet at -40 degrees and with windchill, we've been there. It is rather nice though when it is 30 degrees and snowing. It's quite beautiful.

These are old, but here are some snow pictures I took in December:

I do love the snow, even when it involves digging my car out of a pile of white. I don't think I could live somewhere without snow or even the changing of the seasons. I thrive on the changes of the year and really do enjoy the differences of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Since I last wrote, I've taken almost a full course at college. Tomorrow is actually my last day of class. With this one out of the way, I'm two courses away from graduating and soon I'll be able to use the words college and graduate in the same sentence. Right now, I still lack the ability and every time I try to indicate the end result of my long-term goal, it comes out, "I'm a ca-co-lagegeee ga-gadurate." One of these days I'll be able speak the phrase with pride.

Speaking of my upcoming graduation, I think I'm going to have a party. Well, that is if I buy a house. I have a timeline for events to purchase my first home, but that timeline includes waiting until March to call for a pre-approval. I'm going to see then how feasible this dream is. I like the fact that houses are dropping in value, which makes it more affordable for me. I also like the fact that the prime rate was dropped twice in the last month (good for work and personal life), but I'm scared of where our economy is and where it is going.

But I need a house. That sounds silly, because sure, I don't "need" it. But I want a house. I want a house for many reasons. My car is getting old (not that old, but it's not new anymore) and I'd like to have a garage for cold winter days. I want to have a fenced in backyard (even a little one) so that I can have a puppy. I want to have a washer and dryer on the same property because lugging laundry around is a hassle. I want a basement with a big room for scrapbooking where I can put everything in its place. I want room in my living room to put in an exercise bike to lose the pounds I gained when I became a supervisor and stopped running around our call center for four hours a night. I want the freedom to paint the walls any color I desire (and I think bold colors are awesome). I want to plant flowers in the backyard to take pictures. I want to be able to grocery shop without it becoming an ordeal to haul the bags from my parking spot halfway across the parking lot up the stairs and down the hall to my refrigerator. I want room to invite friends over for a night and maybe have a bonfire pit in the backyard.

I don't want a big house, but something that I can call mine. And the biggest thing that I want is to stop throwing money away each month on rent and build up equity.

What else is going on with me? Not too much. School takes up a lot of time. But I still get out and see friends. I go to my mom's every Monday for dinner, to play with Chip, and socialize. We have a good time. Chip is getting older, which bothers me, but he is still cute and still a loving member of our family. Smoke is the youngest of the pets at Mom's and he's anti-social. But he is getting better with company. I tend to pull out his toys when I'm there and have spent time petting him (much to my discomfort - I think I'm slightly allergic to cats). Mom told me that Scott's friends (family? I'm not sure) came over and said, "Oh, the other cat is here!" Smoke usually doesn't even make appearances for company. But he is getting better. Being in my mom's home will do that to an animal.

Work is pretty good. Problems from before are minimized and not in my immediate focus any longer. My team is doing fairly well and the feeling of "team" is very strong. This time of year is busier for the bankers, but not so much for me. I have been able to devote much more of my time towards coaching than when I have to write reviews, etc. As much as work is going well, I am looking forward to a long weekend (starting Thursday) and eleven days off in a row in March. DM's birthday is approaching and I've taken a week off to celebrate it with her. We'll go to Manny's and the opera during that time, but we're also considering a roadtrip to Canada. We both want to see Kakabeka Falls frozen. The only thing that really makes me question this idea is the fact that we'd be driving through northern Minnesota in one of the heaviest snowfall times of the year. But we'd follow the highway for most of the trip and then drive along Lake Superior for another big portion. The lake effect may help regulate the weather. We'll see how the weather is and then make a decision.

But I want to get out and try out my newest toy. For Christmas, my mom gave me a telephoto lens for my DSLR camera. I'm excited to see what it can do. Plus, I need new pictures!

So, I'm sorry that I don't post often or get around to everyone's sites. I know I sound like a broken record and I really wanted to improve in 2008 with blogging. I miss it. I do. I miss everyone and knowing what is going on in everyone's lives. Everything is pretty good here, but I just don't have a lot of news. I think that's part of the problem with blogging. There's no karaoke on Sundays (so no funny stories), I can't write about work much, and life is good. I'm busier with school and have more weekly routines for my social life (after work), so I'm not home as much. I also find myself a little sick of the computer by the time I get home.

But it will get better. I don't know when, but it will. Until then, I'm lurking. I hope all is well with everyone and I am sorry again.

2007: A Year in Review

2007-12-31T13:30:00.000-08:00

During a conversation with one of the bankers on my team, I heard about a traditional Jewish holiday in which the individual spends the day praying. It wasn't anything ground breaking, most religions have some type of holiday devoted to inner reflection and asking for help from a higher power, but I remember this conversation because of a belief he mentioned. The day's purpose was to prove worthiness and the activities of that day would supposedly determine how the next year went for the person. I am sorry that I don't remember more details of which holiday, but I pay attention to the holidays of other religions as much as I pay to the holidays of the religion I was raised on. After describing the day, he mentioned that he isn't sure if he believes that the day actually determines how his year goes, or if it is psychological, meaning he chooses to see the year as positive or negative overall. It is similar to an optimist or pessimist looking at the same scenario and determining how full the glass is.

In reflecting on 2007, I cannot determine if this was a good year or a bad year. If I read this site as of late, I'd say it was a terrible year. But my natural instinct is to review the entire year as a good one. That could just be the optimist in me (I've been accused of always seeing the bright side), but I am starting to understand that in whole, the year wasn't that bad. In fact, there were some awesome moments to hold onto and cherish.

Before I jump too much into my "Year in Review," I do have to mention one of the coolest things I've ever heard. Coca~Cola, my lifelong addiction, understands the draw of its consumers to need it's product at all times. So, to help Jews get their fix during Passover, there is a version of Coca~Cola released that is made from pure cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup. I guess there are varying levels of kosher and during Passover, HFCS does not pass. Which means, besides the cocaine, it is the closest version of the original Coca~Cola made. I am going to find some of this during Passover because I have to try it!

A semi-tradition, DM and I started 2007 together at Perkins, playing a game we have deemed, "Ask the iPod." It is a silly game, but it entertains us. The game consists of my iPod, filled with 3,000+ song titles, and whatever silly question we can ask about the future. We have turned my portable music collection into a Magic 8 Ball or fortune teller. The funny part is the meanings we make up when the iPod gives an answer such as, "Drift Away," for the question, "What will happen in August of next year?" Knowing us, it would create an image of a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn raft slowly floating down the Mighty Mississippi and we'd imagine that the song title implies we'll end up in New Orleans by December.

I say it is a silly game because the "predictions" have yet to come true. The iPod is a wonderful device, but fortune teller it is not. Yet, we still laugh, and in the hopes of gaining blogging material, we write down all the responses. We'll spend two hours doing this, until the battery is completely drained and the shuffle feature no longer produces funny answers. But it helps us start the year with laughter and friends. As for starting 2008, I have no idea if the iPod will be used to make predictions. Instead, I know I will be at James's house, celebrating the calendar change with friends and semi-strangers. DM may be there, I hope she is, but that depends on how she feels. I hope that she is feeling good enough to go out for a night, because tonight will be a fun night, a special night. And it is always better to ring in the new year with great friends.

With that said, I would like to review 2007, exploring the events of the year to see how I've changed, where I've grown, and what I've experienced. The year started with strong feelings of love. In January, I was still on top of the world, excited by correspondence with Andriy, that one that got away so many years before. I recognize now how futile those hopes are, but what can one do? When you love someone, it is hard to ignore how happy you can be with a simple hello, a brief message of kindness. It is a recurring pattern in my life, that at this point I can say with plausible deniablity, that wouldn't recur if I opened an email to find a note from him. I should know better, but it doesn't help. When the year started, I had received a recent note from him, which throws all the doors to memories open in my mind. There is a saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Absence views memories with rose-colored glasses, ignoring the not-so-perfect parts. I'm not saying that Andriy's visit, back in 1998, was filled with not-so-perfect parts, but that when I hear from him, my heart does grow fonder, longing for him in my life. I still love him, I always will in some way, but absence makes the pain dull. Without correspondence, I can gently shut the doors to memories, leaving them stored for the next time I need to remember. The hardest door to shut is always the one to the memory of his departure. I always remember being at the airport, wearing sunglasses inside because my eyes kept tearing up. The image of him, waiting for the last possible moment to board the plane, standing there, freshly shaven, leaning over and taking my face in his hands, moving his thumb over my jaw line as he gently kissed my cheek, saying goodbye, and boarding the plane, walking down the hallway to the plane, getting to the L in the walkway and turning back, for one last look, and waving with a sad smile and tears in his eyes, just about kills me every time. I don't know how I didn't fall to the ground, screaming, but somehow I managed to make it to the window and watched as his plane taxied to the runway. Silent tears flowing down my cheeks, understanding, but not wanting to believe, that this would most likely be the last time I ever saw him. In January, that is the memory that kept coming back, almost as a regret that I didn't do more to keep him nearby. As the days passed and no new correspondence arrived, I was able to shut some doors back up, but that final one stays open, just a crack.

At the end of January, my workload changed significantly. This helped keep my mind off of Andriy, and helped me enter February with a new purpose. A new program was going to be tried, and I spent the end of January, all of February, and the beginning of March training a new employee on an individual basis. This took me away from my team 20 hours a week, which was hard, but also helped by providing one of the best employees I've ever had. The effort involved was completely worth it and I'm thrilled with this employee. She is truly great, in all areas, for the team. Besides wonderful performance, she is an integral part of our team, driving others to greatness, always recognizing her peers, and promoting a team work atmosphere in a job that can easily be seen as individualistic. While it was time-consuming at the beginning, it has had an amazing payoff.

Also in February, I had concerns with family life. My mom had a hip-replacement surgery in February caused by severe arthritis in her right hip. There was worry during the surgery, relief after she made it through the operation, and then visiting her in the nursing home that she spent a week after the surgery. For Mom, this was the low point of her year. It was hard to see her in the nursing home, recovering. She was able to return home after a week, and spent the next six weeks at home, mostly in bed. I would visit on Mondays and we'd play Trivial Pursuit and watching television. The good thing is that the replacement surgery went well, she is up and walking around now, able to do more activities than before the surgery and without pain. It also started me going to her house every Monday, which allows me a wonderfully home cooked meal, time spent with the pets, and being able to connect with my mom. Our relationship is stronger than it ever has been and I'm grateful of the time I get to spend with her. It is absolutely wonderful.

In March, I kept going to my dad's on Sundays, my mom's on Mondays, and karaoke was still the activity of the week. DM turned 40 this past March, which was celebrated by going to the opera, eating a meal at Manny's, and having her mother visit. We had a great weekend of scrapbooking, pictures were taken, and we were able to enjoy a typical Sunday night at karaoke. Well, typical in the fact that we were at the Chalet, singing and laughing. But there were some extra special moments of birthday celebration for DM, including presents.

April and May were both fairly uneventful. Patterns of my week were set, and I spent a lot of my time dealing with a couple of employees that made trips to HR's office frequent. The good news is that I'm not dealing with that anymore, but it was stressful. To de-stress, a manager's meeting was called at Manny's by Liz. Adding James into the mix, the three of us went to have a good meal and talk manager talk. It is helpful to have friends who are managers in different fields because we can swap stories and tactics. It just works well.

In June, I did something I've never done before. Since DM ditched me this past year for vacation to go to Wisconsin with Keem, I decided to take a trip by myself. It was a simple trip, exploring Minnesota. I spent a lot of time in my car alone, driving and thinking about life. I also went on my first tour of a cave, saw the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and almost died in a hail storm on Lake Itasca. Okay, I didn't even get hurt, but being surrounded by noisy, irritating children, having the boat pummelled by grape-sized hail, and accepting a ride in a stranger's car were all life-or-death situations. But it all turned out well. Plus, I got to play with my new camera and loved the results.

July was uneventful, mostly dealing with work and going to karaoke. If I had realized at the beginning of July that our Sunday karaoke days were coming to an end, I might have appreciated them more. But with weird Scottish Craig trying to sit on top of me each week, I guess the memories are tainted. Now that karaoke doesn't happen on Sundays, the nights are filled with occasional scrapbooking, occasional going out with Liz and James, or sometimes a meal at Perkins. But even the nights at Perkins are infrequent on Sundays, for fear of running into Craig or his friend, another oddity called John. July did also allow another trip to Manny's to celebrate Liz's birthday. I do look forward to our different birthdays!

August brought a trip to Waupun, Wisconsin with DM. It was the second year we've made this trip, visiting with my mom, Scott, my aunt Cheryl, my uncle Tim, my cousin Ellen, my cousin Brad, and Brad's girlfriend Jackie. We had a great time, laughing with my family, sitting around a campfire, and playing games. It is a nice time and hopefully we'll get to do it again this year. It is just a weekend, but a fun weekend.

September was probably the best month of the year, and also the worst. On the work front, it noted the start of a difficult time. That difficult time is a large reason why my writing is so infrequent. There is a bit of fear in posting any details of the time and so, being wiser, I have not written anything. All I can say now is that the issue has minimized and I don't have to worry about it anymore. Which is good, because it was a bad time. But on a positive note, September was awesome. I went on a road trip with my mom. I was able to see places I've never seen before, and I was able to spend a wonderful week with my mom. I've written loads about that trip here, posting picture after picture. It was a week I'll never forget and we are already talking about our next trip. My mom said, at Christmas, "This has been quite the year. I spent the beginning of it in a nursing home and I was able to go drinking on Beale Street." We explored St. Louis, both of us mustering up enough courage to enter the Arch. Big, scary bridges were crossed back and forth across the Mississippi River, and we both cried at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library. We have a shared story of the Sizemores, a couple we met while driving through the Ozark Mountains. We've both been to Graceland now and the memories are wonderful.

In September, I also went to my 10-year high school reunion. Besides the fact that I got to see Liese and Bruce, and the fact that James was kind enough to accompany me, I know I won't go to another reunion. Class reunions are interesting things - forcing people to talk with one another when besides the diploma, most have little to share in experiences. I'm not saying high school was a bad time for me, quite the opposite in fact, but I don't feel a need to relive it with a bunch of strangers. Oh well. It was just one night.

In October, I took another week off of work. During that week, I relaxed at home, went to Manny's with my mom, Scott, DM, and Liz to celebrate my 29th birthday, and DM came over for the weekend to scrapbook. It was a pleasant week, filled with friends and family. It has become my tradition to take a week off of work in October each year. I had hoped for a trip to South Dakota for the first part of that week, but with DM's diabetes claiming most of her vacation time in 2007, that has been postponed. It was still a wonderful week and the shining point of the month. Work was stressful and great, filled with ups and downs that I'll not visit here.

In November, I had a few scrapping weekends with DM, a visit to my grandparents house for Thanksgiving, and another Thanksgiving meal at Dad's. The second meal involved a garlic injected turkey (oh, yum!), my mom, my dad, Scott, and DM. After the meal, we sat at the table, sharing stories and laughing. There was happiness in the room and I found myself thankful for having parents that still get along even though the marriage didn't last. It is great to see my mom so happy with Scott and knowing that my dad is happy in his life.

December, as always, was a busy month. End of the year work was required for my job, including writing reviews, planning for 2008, and spending the last of the budget. Work got fun in December, with the problem from the previous months being moved away. In an attempt to use up more of my vacation time (I get six weeks a year and can carry over up to one week, so I had seven weeks of vacation time to take. I managed six and will carry over another week for 2008), I took yet another week off. During that week, I went to my mom's house three times to bake cookies and watch movies. I also did a little shopping, slept late, and managed to plan about 4 hours of activity every night. My mom, Scott, my dad, DM, and I all went to Benihana's one evening for dinner, which was good once we got past the fact the restaurant was freezing.

As the holiday approached, I did some last minute shopping. On Christmas Eve, I went to Mom's house again, this time to watch two holiday movies and stay up until midnight, talking with her. On Tuesday, Christmas Day, I headed back over to her place around 5 pm. Dad joined us and we ate a wonderful meal of Swedish pancakes (which are to die for). We opened gifts, everyone receiving something they loved. I got a new lens for my camera, which I can't wait to try out on vacation. My mom received her gifts, but reacted in a way I wasn't expecting to the book I made for her. She opened the package, finding the book, "Bridges of the Mississippi River," and noted that the person who went had that same light burnt out on the Memphis bridge as when we were there. Then she realized that it was a book that I had made and cried uncontrollably for 20 minutes! She loves the book and has looked through it over and over. I wasn't expecting that strong of a reaction, but it ended up pretty good. After presents, we all spoke for awhile, and then Dad went home. I stayed a little longer, playing a game with Mom and just talking. While I can't remember a Christmas that was bad, this was a wonderful day and I'm trying to remember it for always.

Seven hours to go and the new year will be upon us in the Central Time Zone. I've got to get to Mom's now for a Monday night dinner and then pick up DM (hopefully) for a party at James's house. My New Year's Resolution is to not let work bog me down and devote some more time to the blogosphere. I know I have over 200 posts to read, according to bloglines, and I plan on being around this week to read and to comment. Best wishes for a Happy New Year and I look forward to all the great stories of 2008. I guess 2007 was a pretty great year and I hope that 2008 brings more fun, laughter, and experiences to all.

Still

2007-12-14T01:20:00.001-08:00

Still:

Around
Not reading
Sometimes reading but not commenting
Feeling bad about my lack of participation
Feeling sorry for not visiting
Wanting to get back into blogging
Missing all my friends from the blogosphere
Dealing with personal issues that I can't discuss
Stressed out
Sleeping poorly
Having problems with my shoulder
Sick of being stressed

Sorry I haven't been around. I'd like to make promises, but I don't think I should. No one has been forgotten and I really do feel bad about not visiting. I am not going to go into any details about what is going on and I'd appreciate no specific mentions if you do know what is going on in the comments.

Maybe things will be better in the new year.

Miss you all.

Published

2007-11-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

Give DM the credit for this. I made a book. It is the first book that I've made and I guess it is a nice quality printer. It is a photobook, showing the bridges and sights along the Mississippi River that I saw on my trip in September with my mom. I ordered a couple for myself (one for me, one for Mom for Christmas).

If you're interested, it is available for purchase. I don't expect anyone to buy this book, but thought I should create the opportunity. I may make some more books. This was pretty easy and cool.

There is a link to the site in my sidebar.

A hardcover version is $39.95. This version has a dust jacket with additional information on the flaps.

A softcover version is $26.95.

The majority of the cost goes to the site that helped with the software and the marketing of the book. They also take a portion of any markup for their services.

I just thought I'd share.

Disappointing

2007-11-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I awoke to the sound of hammering on the floor coming from the apartment above mine. I really hate my upstairs neighbor. It's this guy who seems to have a bad temper. I called the police one night when he was screaming at his girlfriend and heavy objects kept crashing to the floor.

But I hate him. Hate is a strong word, I know. But with that incident of domestic violence, a cat that leaps around causing extremely loud noises (in a building that doesn't allow cats), his demand to play movies at full volume at all hours of the night, and his weird compulsive habit of vaccuuming every night at 2 am (which involves him moving every bit of furniture in his apartment), I have come to dislike the man.

Well, a couple of days ago, right near the first of the month, I woke up to the hammering sounds. When I was at the computer, I saw things being hurled out the window above. Turns out it was carpeting.

Excitement built. Is he moving out? Am I lucky?

The question was answered today. No. I am not lucky, no he hasn't moved out.

How do I know? I was awakened by the sound of him screaming at someone over the phone, using the two words in his vocabulary repeatedly. Neither of those words are appropriate for children.

Dang it. I wish he'd move away.

My Kind of Place

2007-11-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Traveling through the Ozarks, Mom and I stopped at Mystic Caverns. Here we were able to experience two, that's right two!, caves. I've become a bit of a cave junkie, having visited four now this year. Before 2007, I had not experienced a natural cave. There was a cave in the Northern portion of Minnesota that was formed from iron ore mining, but that was not a natural cave. I've been told I may have seen another one when I was very little, but I don't remember it so it doesn't count.

But back to the trip. I was excited to visit these caves. I like walking through a cave - the temperature is always the same, there is clean, crisp air, and I don't have to wear sunglasses. A young girl took us on the tour, her male co-worker watched the counter/gift shop as we headed down into the cave. Which was good because there was a creepy man hanging around and I think they did that so she wouldn't be left alone with that man. Smart kids.

It was after Labor Day and a weekday, so Mom and I had the tour to ourselves. I appreciate that. Then I can take tons of pictures! The first cave had been used to make moonshine during Prohibition and also ballroom dances were held there. It was unfortunate that the cave had that history because the damage is still evident. It takes millions of years for cave formations to grow and minutes to destroy them. But there were still cool sights to see!

You can see where pieces of the cave have been cut off here. The straight lines at the end show the damage.

The main attraction of this cave was a formation called the Pipe Organ. It looks a bit like the pipes of a large instrument and I believed the story that if hit, the formation made loud, long sounds much like a pipe organ would. It was very large and impressive.

The soot on the cave walls shows the impact of running a moonshine operation inside this cave. I couldn't imagine being lowered on a rope through a small hole, dressed to the nines for a ballroom dance, and then partying in droves of black, sooty smoke. But to each their own.

This little fellow met us as we were leaving the first cave. Kind of cute, in a lizard sort of way.

The second cave was discovered much later and so it is much better preserved. This first picture shows the white flow stone in the cave that looks much like white mud. I was told that if someone stepped in the flow stone, a foot print would be left for ages, much like a footprint would show in a pile of snow (but of course the flow stone wouldn't melt away).

This cave's major formation was a bell. It's very pretty. It also sparkles in the right light.

People see different things in the formations of a cave. This is supposed to be a dragon or a dinosaur. Do you see it?

I find this so pretty.

Ripples in the flowstone.

A large column in the cave.

Cave bacon! There were formations considered to be pancakes and eggs too!

The bell one more time. This cave had a tall ceiling and so some of the formations on the ground were very flat. It's interesting to see how the velocity of the dripping water creates different formations. Each drop deposits a bit of calcite before it falls and as it hits the ground. It's very minute and that's why it takes so long for formations to be created. I am just fascinated by caves!

Outside the cave is serene and pretty. I noticed that we were in the Bible Belt of the country though as we traveled through. The question about this picture that has formed is, "Do you think they believe Jesus is actually buried there?"

I think that is the end of the pictures I'm sharing from the trip. I've developed them now and I'm preparing my scrapbook layouts in my freetime (freetime? What is this freetime thing you speak of?) Maybe I'll complete the album before my next vacation, but that seems unlikely. I just had a week off last week (yeah!) and I have another week off in early December. I considered going to New Orleans to see where the Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico (which I considered on my trip with my mom and then Diana commented the same! That was pretty cool to see great minds thinking alike). I haven't decided quite yet since that involves flying and some extra costs. But 2007 could be the year of the Mississippi. Who knows?

Rolling Hillsides

2007-10-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

Let's see how this goes. I'd like to share some pictures from my trip again today. The images are from the drive Mom and I took through the Ozarks. If driving over big, scary bridges was not stressful enough, we now faced curvy, mountain roads that dropped out of view quite often.

And this just seems fitting proof as to being in the Ozarks. Yeah, we didn't stop to eat here. Wonder why?

Here is an old building that we passed on the road. I just really liked how this picture turned out.

Living in a rather flat state (rivers and lakes are beautiful scenery, don't get me wrong, but we've got little for hills), I was fascinated by the mountains. Sure, it's not like we were in the Rockies or visiting after the leaves turned, but the colors were still pretty great. Rows and rows of shifting hues greeted us as we drove and stopped at different overlooks.

This overlook was kind of cool. We met the Seizemores at it. This couple had driven up to the overlook to use their cellular phone. They live in the valley near the house with the red roof. (Which I couldn't find.) Reception was poor at home, so they made their way up the mountain a couple times each day. The husband told us their story on how they chose to live here. He was working, fixing all the lights in the Arkansas school districts, and he saw this view. He called home and said, "Honey, we're moving." They now found themselves building a house in the valley, hoping the roof would be done soon because the bear had destroyed their tent five times now. He let us know we were standing on top of a giant cave, probably where the bear lived.

As we spoke with the couple, the man asked where we were from. When we replied, "Minnesota," he asked, "Ever been to Ponka?" The blank stares must have indicated our confusion. As it turns out, he has a friend in Ponka. It's about 20 miles from where we were and it is known for elk herds crossing.

It was a beautiful place to view the mountains.

As I said, the drive was a little stressful. Mom is playing here, but this isn't too far from her expression behind the wheel.

A nicer picture of Mom. And yes! I got her to use a camera on the trip!

And just a few more pictures of our time in the Ozarks. Because I'm not addicted to photography. (I guess I just like these pictures.)

Also, while we were staying in the Ozarks, we decided to see a waterfall. Unfortunately, this plan didn't work too well. We had figured on going to a waterfall that was an easy, 1-mile hike. In speaking with people, we were directed to Lost Valley Trail. As it turned out, this trail was 3 miles one-way and a moderate hike. With Mom's hip replacement, this wasn't the best idea. We didn't make it to the waterfall, but I did get to see a few pretty butterflies.

And for Johnny, each did remind me of Uzi.

As far as trip photos go, I think I only have one more set that I'm going to share. Hopefully I'll get to them tonight. I'm going to try and jump start my blog back up and try to post daily in November. This also means I need to visit daily in November. Let's see how this goes. I used to love writing nightly, and there are things to write about. I'm off to work now. I have to give an interview tonight and it is Halloween, so let the madness ensue!

More of Memphis

2007-10-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've shown you Graceland, Beale Street, and the Mighty Mississippi, but there is even more of Memphis left. On our trip, I found this city to be fascinating, inviting, and comforting. I am glad that we spent the longest amount of time in Memphis because the city is a great place to visit.

One of the days, we decided to visit the Civil Rights Museum. It took us some time to find it, following street signs pointing this way and that. But we did eventually find the site. This is where it gets to be a little disappointing. When we arrived, we walked up to the entrance, noting the scene and taking a couple of pictures I will share here, but we ended up not going into the museum. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed inside and with Mom's hip and my desire to not leave expensive cameras sitting in the car where people could watch us put them in there, we walked back to the car and left. That didn't stop us from taking a couple of pictures outside of the Lorraine Motel, the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. If I do go back to Memphis, I will take the tour of the museum, but I'll leave the camera behind.

Our hotel room had a nice view of Downtown Memphis. There was a church next to our hotel and we heard the bells ringing a few times. Here are some pictures of downtown, as the sun set and the sky darkened.

Besides seeing Graceland, the Arch, the river, and some mountains (still to come!), our trip had a focus on good food. The "Trifecta of Ribs" had a stop in Memphis. Southern style BBQ ribs were quite the draw and so we found ourselves going to Corky's. The food was very good, even with a full restaurant and a mishap that occurred right away. Mom ended up with sauce on her shirt before the food even arrived. Unfortunately, there was BBQ sauce on her menu and it did make her feel pretty sad. The server ended up comping our appetizers, BBQ pork nachoes and something else I can't remember for the life of me right now. Our meal consisted of a shared BBQ pulled pork sandwich, complete with the coleslaw right on the sandwich, a rack of dry ribs cooked to perfection, jalepeno hush puppies (which Mom loved!), and a side of spaghetti (ordered solely for the experience of having spaghetti as a side dish). Hush puppies are deep fried corn bread, for those like me who didn't know.

Also in Memphis, we stopped by the Memphis visitor's center. Inside, there were large bronze statues of two of the biggest names to come from the area. The King of Rock 'n Roll and a blues legend stood tall inside and I had to take pictures (what else would I do?)

Elvis

BB King

I had a great time in Memphis.

The Mighty Mississippi

2007-10-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

In early June, I went on a roadtrip by myself. On that trip, I headed north a little bit to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Having lived so close to the river most of my life, it has been an interesting year to "discover" the river for myself. I've seen where it starts this year and now with this last trip been able watch it grow. One can walk across the headwaters easily and hardly imagine standing there how massive the river gets by the time it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

I drive over bridges crossing the Mississippi all the time. One less since the collapse of the 35W bridge in early August of this year, but that was a bridge I had crossed many times. Whenever our family had visitors from the Post-Soviet realm, Andriy included, we would go to a boat launch site within five miles of our home to view the river. During my first attempt at college, I found myself going to that spot to relax and watch the river when stress levels increased. When my grandma passed away, I drove down to the river and sat there, reflecting. DM and I went to the river one night to take pictures and met Shrunken Head Man.

As much as the ocean is part of the lives of those who live on coasts, the Mississippi River has influenced my life. But I've known it as a decently sized river, one that it takes less than 30 seconds to cross when traffic is moving at the speed limit on the highway. When this trip idea started, my mom suggested going to Memphis so that we could both see a bit of the South, experience Beale Street, and visit Graceland. She also suggested a route down to Memphis that was longer than Google Maps would suggest. Her idea, probably to entice me, was to travel down the Mississippi River where I could take pictures. The idea was formed prior to the bridge collapse, but after I visited the headwaters.

That's where this started. With that, I want to take you on a journey down the Nile of North America. We won't reach the delta or where the river ends, but we'll see it grow and watch it change.

Before we go on our journey, here are a couple of older pictures of the river that I've taken. The first is the headwaters and the second is from that boat launch in Fridley, Minnesota. The third picture is taken in downtown Minneapolis, not far from where the 35W bridge collapsed.

Our first river stop was in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. It's not too far from home, but it is after the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi River. The Minnesota River joins near the Cities and so the Mississippi is a notable river by the time you reach LaCrosse.

Besides the river and a big, scary bridge, there are many statues in LaCrosse. Here are three:

We entered Dubuque, Iowa late in the afternoon.

After Dubuque, it wasn't long before we made it to the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities are made up of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline/East Moline and Rock Island, Illinois. The cities all have a history around the river. We stopped in Davenport and Rock Island. The first two pictures here are in Davenport.

We found a place with the word sunset in its name right as the sun was setting, so it was a good indicator to pull over and check out the view. This is in Rock Island.

We made it to Burlington, Iowa late that night (well, late for Mom. Early for me.) In the morning, we headed out again, but not before checking out the river in Burlington. It was another neat bridge!

The next stop was Hannibal, Missouri. Hannibal is the hometown of Mark Twain and hopefully we are all aware of the effects of the Mississippi River on his writings.

Kind of a neat tribute to the man.

That evening, we stayed in St. Louis, which I've share already. There are plenty of pictures of St. Louis on this site already, so I will only put one up showing the river itself.

The day we left St. Louis, we drove a route into Kentucky. The pictures from crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky have been shared already, but we did need to cross the Mississippi again before we made it to the Ohio River. We crossed in Cape Girardeau. As we approached the bridge, Mom said, "Is that a church?" She saw the tops of the bridge in the distance and hoped that it was steeple towers. It wasn't. We found a side road along the river and stopped for a nice view.

To view the river and not just the bridge, we stopped at a way station shortly after driving near the Cape Girardeau bridge. At this way station, I got a little "gusty" and climbed up on a fence to see over the tree line. Mom got a picture of it, but the picture didn't show the fence. Oops. Here are views of the river from that stop.

Finally, we visited the river one more time. In Memphis, we saw the Mississippi River after the Missouri River and the Ohio River joined the banks. By this point, the river is very large and impressive. There are two bridges in Memphis, connecting Tennessee to Arkansas. We did cross both, much to Mom's fears.

This bridge is Highway 55. Along this bridge, we saw the wide river and the bridge kept going. The bridge is built out over a flood plain.

We walked around the park near the river in Memphis. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the sights. It was just great. Simple to say, but true.

The other bridge in Memphis is the Interstate-40 bridge. I liked this one. At night, it is lit up and we saw it coming in the first evening.

There is a pyramid in Memphis. I'm not sure what is housed in the structure, but I do understand why the city has erected this type of monument. The Mississippi has been referred to as the Nile of North America and Memphis was named after the Egyptian city. With this in mind, there is a pyramid. It's neat to see.

Along the waterfront, we saw a memorial for Tom Lee. I like how these pictures turned out.

And here is my mom, sitting by the memorial along the banks of the Mississippi.

When we left Memphis, Mom took a few pictures on the bridge. I like this last one because it does show the bridge and the pyramid.

Change of Plans

2007-10-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

One of the days of our trip was designated for arriving in Branson, going to a show, and seeing this fountain at a mall that cost $7 million to build. It wasn't the day of the trip that I was looking forward to the most, but it seemed like something to do.

Mom and I arrived in Branson and the mood of the trip changed. We drove through a city of bad (and I mean bad) drivers, saw trashy store front signs and flashy billboards, and noticed buildings packed so closely together that it just made us feel uncomfortable. We decided quickly to find this fountain and head out of Branson.

Finally, we did find the fountain and it was impressive. There was music playing and water shooting up and the Bellagio's fountains are way cooler. There were people sitting around watching the water spray up in the air. I took out my camera, because that is what I do, and snapped a few quick shots. Mom said, "Okay. We saw it. Let's leave." She was not a fan of Branson and I have to admit I wasn't either.

The fountain that we visited and people watching the water.

With the change in plans, we needed a place to stay. Mom called while I drove and we found a hotel in Springfield, Missouri. Our hotel experience was not the most pleasant, but at least we had a good meal at the Springfield Brewing Company. After two dinners of ribs, we both wanted to have either a good burger (no fast food) or a decent steak. I searched online and found the Springfield Brewing Company, which advertised prime rib. We agreed that the menu looked a little more diverse and decided to give it a try. (Is it odd that I based the fact that they might have good steaks based on the fact their appetizer menu had spinach dip, chipotle sauce, and pita bread on it? I just figured if they had that type of appetizer menu, they must have a chef or two that knows how to cook a good steak.)

When we got there, Mom and I found it to be delightful. For an appetizer, I got the Bavarian pretzels, mainly because I never considered this as an appetizer before. A little heavy on the salt, but the pepper jack cheese to dip them in was great! My entree was the Redbird Pie. It was "seasoned ground beef and onions topped with brown gravy, green beans, corn, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, shredded cheddar cheese and topped with a flaky pie crust." It wasn't too shabby. I forget what Mom ordered, but I think it was a burger of some sort. She enjoyed it, I remember that much. She ordered a beer, brewed there of course, and I ordered a root beer.

And wow! It was probably the best root beer I have ever had. The menu stated it was made from birch bark, star anise, vanilla, and peppermint. It so good. If they would have sold it, I would have bought a case. As it turns out, the place was a good place to pick up gifts for Liz, James, and my dad. I bought some six packs of micro-brewery beer for each of them, mixing and matching. This evening was a pleasant surprise on the trip.

The hotel experience was not good. It is a corporate hotel, but managed by some cheap people. Little things added up to a long list of complaints and I don't typically complain about hotels. Our room had fingernail polish (purplish-red) all over the walls, table, and lampshade. It was splattered in such a way that it was most likely the remains from a fight. The bathroom door didn't work right and the light switch was oddly on the outside of the door. It was a room for two, but only had a single cup serving of coffee. Mom went to go swimming in the morning and the pool was so dirty she couldn't see the bottom of the pool. She went to the counter to complain to find a sign that indicated the only way to get an extra towel was to bring the wet one to the counter. There was also no one at the front counter for over a half hour, while customers were waiting.

All of this is little, but one of the more annoying things, at least in my opinion, was something my mom noticed. She works in the food industry and she is aware of which products and the quality of those products that her competitors make. There was cereal in the lobby in the morning in General Mills containers. Except it wasn't General Mills cereal. It appeared the people running the hotel had emptied the original containers and kept refilling them with imitation products. But they also didn't do their homework since a type of cereal (a knock off of Frosted Flakes) was in one of the containers. Frosted Flakes are produced by Kellogg's. It just showed another way the management of this hotel was trying to cut costs. It's not so much that they didn't have General Mills cereal, but that they were falsely advertising that they did. Oh well, Mom did make a complaint to corporate.

In the morning, we hit up a couple of attractions in the area before driving through Oklahoma and into Kansas. We went to this exhibit called, "Wonders of Wildlife," that was next to a large Bass Pro Shop. It was an educational tour filled with some wildlife and interactive displays. There was an annoying family walking through about the same time as we were where the grandma let the kids run around and bump into/push/be rude towards others. We kept trying to hold back or get in front of them, only to find them popping back up. Oh well. But some of the exhibit was cool.

This bird kept flying by people, probably expecting food. Except there wasn't food to feed it. Who knows?

This was an exhibit to show the parts of a fish. Mom stood in the mouth. It was funny!

These are called Look Down fish. Anyone think of Dick Cheney here or is that just me?

Frogs, aka Green Duckies, for DM

It was behind glass and hard to photograph, but here is a Bald Eagle. Man, these are big birds!

After we went to the Wonders of Wildlife exhibit, we went to Fantastic Caverns. Advertisements showed this to be a tour of a cave involving a motorized vehicle and Mom was a fan of that. She is still recovering from the hip replacement surgery and doing well, but the idea of riding through a cave sounded good. And I like caves, so it worked out well.

This cave is one of four in the world large enough to drive through. It is the only one in America and possibly North America. We piled into this car pulled by a jeep and we were on the tour. I do like caves. (There will be another post about caves soon.)

While we were disappointed in Branson, it was okay. We had a great time in Springfield, even with the bad hotel room. I got to add another cave to my list of visited places (I'm becoming a cavern junkie) and had a great meal. It was cool.

A Bite to Eat and a Place that Made Me Cry

2007-10-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm not going in any particular order from the trip. I'm sorry for that. I'm not really sorry about posting so many pictures. Part of the benefit to posting the pictures is that I'm capturing some moments from the trip before they slip from my mind. Another part of the benefit is I get to share some things I found to be cool. I know that some will feel that I'm posting too many pictures, but oh well.

The day we left Memphis was the day we drove into Arkansas and towards Little Rock. Tonight's post is about that early afternoon drive, before we reached the mountains. The mountains will be a separate post, but tonight I share a visit to a fast food restaruant and a visit to a museum/library that moved me.

Sonic is advertised here in Minnesota. We don't have this type of restaruant here. It might be the cold weather that deters eaters from sitting outside and having food delivered. I don't know. But since I've seen Sonic advertised, Mom and I had to stop. Just to see what it was. As it turned out, the place wasn't bad. I wouldn't call it the best food I've eaten, but it served its purpose. Here are a couple pictures of Sonic, for those who have never seen the place.

After eating, we headed back on the road towards Little Rock. We had one item on our agenda for the city and it was a good one. We planned on visiting the William J Clinton Presidential Library. Oh. I miss Bill. So much. Mom has been saying that she misses Bill for a couple of years now. I agree. Walking through the library and seeing the figures on our economy, on our foreign policy, on how world conflicts were resolved, and just hearing speeches of his made me wishful for 8 years ago. It is a very stark contrast to where our country is today.

We wandered the floors of the library and ended the visit with a video. Bill Clinton narrates the video, discussing his political campaigning and some of the things he was proud of during his administration. Just listening to him speak, hearing his voice, and being caught up in his charisma was powerful. Mom and I both sat in this dark auditorium sobbing. I do miss him.

After touring the library, we took a trolley to the gift shop where we both went a little nuts. I bought two shirts for myself and one of them has, "I Miss Bill," on the back. It was cool to walk into the gift shop and see the words my mom has been saying for a few years.

(On a funny note, my mom was told at work that if she voted for John Kerry that gas prices would soar and that we'd be in a war that we can't get out of. Well, a couple of years later, she told that person, "You know, you were right. I did vote for John Kerry and gas prices have soared and we're stuck in a war we can't get out of." The person did laugh and blushed in embarrassment.)

The library is right next to the Arkansas River, one of the six state name rivers we crossed on our trip. There was another bridge, not so big and scary. The pictures below are of that bridge and river, the library from the outside, and a few of the exhibits inside.

How cool is this!?! Awesome!

Live Music, Drinks to Go, and Neon Lights

2007-10-03T01:13:00.000-07:00

On two nights of our trip, Mom actually pushed bedtime back to a respectable hour. The only thing that kept her awake past 10 pm besides arriving at a hotel at 10:01 was the draw of Beale Street in downtown Memphis. Door-to-door bars with live blues music and alcoholic beverages seemed like the thing all the cool kids would do on vacation and so we did it too. We stayed in Memphis two nights, the only stop on the trip that we didn't have to pack up all our junk in the hotel room immediately after waking in the morning, and we hit the town both nights. Never closing down the bar though; I leave that for home. Jeez, you'd think with all the time I spend in bars I'd actually drink liquor. Not since that ultra-embarrassing night in January of 2006 though. Oh well. Back to my point.

Beale Street is a pretty cool place to visit at night. Gift shops are open late, there is music coming from every other bar, and a "Northerner" will be astounded by the different cuisines advertised in the windows of different restaurants. The first night, we started at a place called the Rum Boogie Cafe, where we did break down and purchase a CD. It's still in my suitcase. This is in no means a testament to the music on the CD, but only that I've been too lazy to unpack the clean clothes and all the souvenirs. School going back in session may have something to do with that or the fact that I have screwed up my right shoulder so badly the thought of bringing non-necessities into my apartment makes the pain even worse. Heaven forbid to think of the pain if I lifted something heavy.

But back to the Rum Boogie Cafe. When we sat down, Mom said she was going to the bar to get a drink and would get me a soda. As she returned, she looked at me and was aghast to find that I had a couple of strands of Mardi Gras beads. My mother, who should know me just a little by now, exclaimed, "What did you do to get those?" Her accusatory tone was full of shock and I felt like I was 13 again.

My response was simple. "I sat here." She didn't believe me until the man leading the band noticed her and threw two strands of beads her way. She was then quite content with my story and was thrilled that she had beads. Ah, the ways we amuse ourselves.

I think I enjoyed this bar the best. The music was excellent and it had a good crowd. There were dancers, but also enough room for dancers. Which is always a plus because the experience of having a drunken swing dancer's ass slamming into your table/back/elbow if positioned correctly is not my idea of happiness. To each their own.

Without further ado, I present the Rum Boogie Cafe visually. Don't mind me, I was born with a camera in hand. (Okay, if you believe that, mind sending me $1,000?)

Not a great picture, but you can see the beads.

From the Rum Boogie Cafe, Mom and I headed to BB King's place.

And, of course, random images from walking not "10-feet off of" Beale.

Oh, did I mention the crowd as we tried to leave BB King's place? As we were leaving, I thought about purchasing this T-shirt I saw as I walked in. I was trying to ask the girl at the door about it, but there was a large commotion and a line to get out of the bar. At first, I figured it was because the band just stopped playing and maybe this was normal. It wasn't. I finally got the girl's attention and had this conversation with her:

Her: Oh my god! Oh my gawd! He shook my hand. That movie star, Steven Seagal, just shook my hand! Oh my gawd! Oh!
Me: How much is that pink T-shirt?

As it turns out, Steven Seagal was just outside the building. I was not excited. Mom did take a picture of him, only because Scott does like this man's movies. The picture didn't turn out well and neither of us really cared. I'll just say the man, whom I never found attractive to begin with, looks old. And looks like taking beatings for a living and performing martial arts didn't help him age well. Oh well. It was time to head back to the hotel and get some sleep.

The second night on Beale Street was filled with loud engines. There was some sort of event with motorcycles taking place. None of these pictures have been edited yet, so forgive me if the cropping is not the best. While I was working on this post, I realized that the second night's pictures ended up missing my editing process. Whoops! The evening was fun. Mom and I shopped, bought tons of gifts, and caught a bit more music at a place called Wet Willies. I ended up being the dullard at the bar, ordering the "Weak Willie," virtually a grape slushy. We listened a band play there, fascinated with how all the members of the band watched the keyboardist for their cues. Some women requested the band play, "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone," and the keyboardist did a good job of faking the words. He was pretty far off, but it was recognizable and a lot of fun.

On the way out of this bar, we noticed the Hard Rock Cafe. It was closed, unfortunately. I wouldn't have minded a T-shirt from Memphis. We headed back to the car and was approached by a man who wanted money. He was probably the most interesting weird person we ran across on the trip, but paled in comparison to Shrunken Head Man. Oh well!

We did have a ton of fun on Beale Street. I liked staying up late and listening to live music. Mom liked the music and the atmosphere.

Meet Me in St. Louis

2007-10-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

When we first planned our trip, Mom and I had the idea of driving down to Memphis by going through St. Louis and returning through St. Louis. The route changed and the plans grew, but we maintained the idea of going through St. Louis on the way south. In St. Louis, we planned on seeing the Arch, the Mississippi River, and eating some great St. Louis B-B-Q. We also planned on going to a botanical garden, which we did, but it turned out to be a bit of a bust. We didn't have the time to explore that we thought we would and so we kind of ran through the garden.

The Arch was extremely cool. We visited the park with the Arch first at night. With evening settling in, Mom and I walked around the park, viewing the river, looking up at the monument, and telling each other over and over, "I'm not going up in that thing."

For Dana, I had to snap a few images of a flock of birds that were filling up the sky.

There were also the big, scary bridges that we may or may not have crossed. We did go over a few bridges in St. Louis, all of them scary. As went to visit the Arch the first night, we ended up on the wrong side of the river in East St. Louis. That was a little scary, in and of itself. Let's just say East St. Louis is not the tourist attraction that St. Louis is.

The next day, we visited the Arch again. And it was still as tall as the night before. But the fear of being picked on by Scott (Mom's boyfriend) was stronger than the fear of heights, so Mom convinced herself to get inside and told me I had to go.

And here Mom and I are:

Heading to the top of the Arch was an adventure. Once you purchase a ticket, you stand in line, waiting for these little pods that are egg shaped to take you on a four-minute journey to the top. The pods shift into an upright, vertical position as you travel up the Arch. The jolting back into position is a bit unnerving, but you do get used to it.

At the top of the Arch, Mom and I started viewing St. Louis and taking pictures.

And Dana will appreciate this. (Actually, I sent it to her, but it is funny.)

The view!

One of the other stops in St. Louis was the Chain of Rocks pedestrian bridge. This bridge used to be how those traveling Route 66 (to get their kicks) would cross the Mighty Mississippi. Route 66 was a two-lane highway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles. Mom discussed the importance of it quite a bit during our trip and we would repeatedly see signs about it. The conversion of this bridge to a pedestrian walkway is quite nice and it was a great, unexpected thing to do in the afternoon. I managed to walk to the 1/2 way point on the bridge (Mom almost made it). I saw where the signs turned from Route 66 Missouri to Route 66 Illinois. The view was awesome. It was a great place to see the Mississippi and see how large it was getting. These are some pictures of the bridge, the river, St. Louis in the distance, and Route 66 memories.

On the way out of St. Louis, we stopped for ribs. It was the first meal of our "Trifecta of Ribs," and it was delicious. I found that the sauce at this place, Bandana's, was the best on our trip. Each time we ate ribs, there was a different favorite part, but I really enjoyed the sauces at this place.

Yummy!

Remember that botanical garden I mentioned? We weren't there long, but I did get a few pictures that I enjoyed.

All-in-all, St. Louis was pretty cool. Even with a big, scary bridge or two.

Drive By Shootings

2007-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

On our trip, my mom and I were able to claim making it to 11 states in 8 days. In saying this, we are including detouring a bit to drive through Kentucky for an hour, Mississippi for an hour, and passing through the corner of Oklahoma for 24 minutes. This also includes starting and ending in Minnesota and cruising up 35 in Iowa, a road that many would find boring but after curvy mountain roads, two lane highways, and "big, scary bridges," turned out to be wonderful!

Entering Kentucky, we crossed the Ohio River on another "big, scary bridge." This bridge was under construction and down to one lane. Mom, who has had a fear of bridges for just about forever, did not find the situation pleasant. We developed a trick on the trip to help her fear. I would drive over the bridge while she held the camera. By holding the camera and taking a few pictures, she ended up focusing on the camera and not her fear. It certainly helped my stress level driving and it helped her not curse as much.

In this picture, you can see traffic merging into one lane. We crossed the river surrounded by trucks and it was hard to get a great shop.

We crossed the Ohio River right before it dumps into the Mississippi River. It's rather big at this point.

My mom thought it was fun to take a picture of me as I drove over the bridge.

Mom and I had a bit of time between Graceland and hitting Beale Street for the second night so we drove south a little to enter Mississippi. We didn't spend a long time in Mississippi, but we did stop at the visitor center. It was actually the nicest of all the visitor centers we went to. The ladies running the center had the perfect Southern hospitality. We were offered water and sodas and asked to sign the guest book. It was just pleasant.

Oklahoma was brief, but at least we got to shop. And we were on a toll road, so that made the driving fast.

The toll booth - not the phantom toll booth.

The trip home was swift. As I mentioned, Iowa was an easy road and once we found our way to Minnesota, it seemed like home was just a bit away.

Corn, corn, and more corn. And pretty countrysides.
Iowa

It was nice to be home. I love the state sign for Minnesota.

The first day of the trip, we went through Wisconsin. Here's just a couple quick shots of the state.

"The Mississippi Delta was shining like a national guitar..."

2007-09-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

One of the projects I involved myself in once I returned from my road trip was to organize my photos. With time devoted, I was able to narrow almost 3,000 pictures down to a little over 200, depicting 39 places/attractions from the vacation. My mom and I covered 2,497 miles, hitting 11 states in 8 days. We had a wonderful time and I took many pictures (surprise!).

I'm going to be sharing many of these pictures. It will help me get back into blogging, even though school has started again and this teacher seems to demand much more effort than others for participation and my group picked a topic that will be extremely difficult (which the teacher has vetoed, which is good, I figured she might, but we still need a new topic by Thursday). The topic I picked for my individual papers will not be easy, but at least interesting.

On day 4 of our trip, my mom and I went to Graceland. The home of Elvis Presley is quite the sight! It is a bit of a time capsule. The entire place is still decorated as it was in the 1970s. It is excessive and there is a general feeling of the family profiting from his name (considering a $25 entry charge - this was the highest priced tour we took). But it was interesting and I did buy souvenirs! (Because I'm a sucker.)

When you walk in, you listen to an audio program on headphones describing the different rooms and some of Elvis's history. You get to see the sitting room/living room right away. The upstairs of Graceland is roped off from tourists, but the ground floor gives you a picture of 70's excess by letting you see the sitting room, the dining room (not pictured), the parent's bedroom (not pictured), and the kitchen.
Sitting Room

Kitchen

When you travel downstairs, you get to see the TV room, where Elvis liked to watch three networks at once and decorated with his symbol. The symbol was TCB and a lightning bolt, which stood for Taking Care of Business. You also get to see the pool room, where the walls and ceiling are covered in fabric. Finally, you do see the famous Jungle Room, which I have three pictures of. One of the pictures does have my mom in them.

A portion of the house has been converted to show some other items that Elvis either used in decorating previously or memorabilia of his life/stage show. There were displays about his movies, music, and his life events. The tour did continue through other buildings on the property (recording studio and a racquetball court turned into a display area).

A jumpsuit of his on display:

He was popular:

This was one of the beds he had. It frightened me. It also has speakers in the bed. I'm not sure if it was the roundness of the bed or the fur that actually scared me the most. Probably the fur:

Here is the house from outside. It was interesting to see that Graceland isn't really that large of a home. It wasn't what I expected. It's a nice sized house, but by today's mansion standards, it is small.

The end of the tour is the graves of Elvis and his family. I have a pictures of his grave specifically here, but wanted to point out how Graceland is still an attraction. His grave still draws visitors daily to pay tribute. I did not bring anything, but was amazed at how many people left flowers, drawings, and tributes.

*The title of this post is the opening line to Paul Simon's "Graceland."

Planning Stages

2007-09-04T01:39:00.000-07:00

In less than a week, I hit the open road with my mom. There's been a lot going on to prepare and also a lot going on outside of the trip. For Labor Day weekend, I worked Saturday (normal schedule). I went to two parties on Sunday - one an afternoon picnic at Char's and one a birthday party for James. Both were fun.

At the second party, I got scared a little. Nothing much, but an odd moment. When I used the restroom, I came out to find Little Matt, one of our friends from karaoke/James/Dean/Liz/Bryan connection, sitting on James's bed, waiting for the restroom. He was just sitting in the dark, silent. I didn't even notice him at first. I jumped just a little. Yikes.

Also, I realized that I really don't know much about video games. There were a bunch of gamers at the party and I was completely lost listening to them. But I still had a good time and missed DM, who was at home with hives. I'm sure she'll explain on her site. Poor girl. No fun at all.

Today, Monday (which I guess it's past midnight so technically, it's Tuesday), I went to my mom's. We had a great chicken dinner and did some more finalizing of the trip. From what we've determined, the map below should show our trip. In a week's time, we'll cover almost 2,000 miles and drive for over 35 hours. But! It's going to be worth it.

I know I've gone over this trip before and I don't want to rehash all the plans. I guess I'm just really excited. This week is going to be interesting. I work Tuesday - Saturday and leave Sunday morning. On Tuesday, I have meetings and more meetings. Plus regular work. I have training on Wednesday and Thursday (early! Ouch!) I'm sure I'll sleep most of Wednesday night (early to bed, early to rise) and then DM and I are going to karaoke on Thursday. With the training, we can go a little earlier. That's cool at least. Friday will be a normal workday, as will Saturday, but I have to pick up the rental car on Saturday before noon. Another early day. I guess this week will prepare me for my mom's sleep schedule.

Mom and I ran to Target tonight to pick up some minor supplies for the trip. Actually, only 4 things. Two bags of candy that were on sale (we really wanted to try the candy corn flavored Hershey kisses - they're okay), a new pair of sunglasses (for me), and a notebook (travel journal!). The journal is pretty cool - it has a picture of the Eiffel Tower on the front, which has nothing to do with the trip but is a travel destination. I just liked the style of the notebook.

My To Do list for the trip is shorter, but there's still some things on it:

Finish packing
Cash in jar of change for spending money
Pick up rental car
Figure out which books to bring
Update iPod with new music and updated playlists
Upload pictures from camera to computer to clear up memory card
Print up puzzles for trip (Sudoku - I'm a little addicted)

Here's the map. It starts in Fridley and twists and turns to hit certain cities/landmarks.

I'm so excited!

View Larger Map

What is it about Willie Nelson that makes him so cool?

2007-08-29T02:37:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm just getting older and my tastes in music are getting better or I'm getting older and my tastes in music are getting worse, but I'm finding myself appreciating Willie Nelson quite a bit lately. A couple of my favorite songs (top played) are now "Highwayman" and "Beer for My Horses." Both are the Red-Headed Stranger.

The best part of Willie Nelson is the fact he's not that great of a singer. He has a nasally, high-pitched voice. But there's feeling in it.

One of my recent purchases (seriously, is there a support group for iTunes addictions?) is Willie Nelson covering one of my absolute favorite songs of all times. While I've appreciated his version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," I recently found another Paul Simon (sans the Garfunkel) cover.

How fitting is Willie Nelson singing, "Graceland"? It's perfect!

"I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee."

And guess what? I am.

In a less than 2 weeks, I'll be visiting the home of Elvis Presley, walking on Beale, eating BBQ ribs, and hanging out in seedy blues clubs hoping to play a round of billiards with a local master (which of course I'll lose. Do you think they'll let me just play a game to say that I've played a master?)

And besides seeing the Civil Rights Museum and the Mighty Mississippi, I should get a chance to see the Arch in St. Louis (and eat more BBQ ribs), step foot in five states I've never seen (Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas), see the Ozarks, possibly see a show in Branson, and play a game of cards at the Catfish Casino on the river. Oh, and visit Kansas City (did someone say ribs?)

Mom has called it the "Trifecta of Ribs" and I have had "Walking in Memphis," and "Graceland," in my head for a month. The rental car is lined up, some of the hotels are booked, and we're going on a road trip. I'm so excited!

The last time I went on a road trip with my mom was over 10 years ago. And it was to Iowa to visit family. (I'm not knocking family, just saying that it was a general drive to go where we used to live.) I plan on using the heck out of my cameras and eating all the wonderful styles of BBQ ribs, seeing the tourist sights, and getting into the vacation.

I don't even know what part of the trip I'm the most excited about. Is it the sight-seeing? Is it the driving with loads of music blaring from the iPod? Is it taking pictures? Food? Actually, I think I'm most excited about going on vacation with my mom, as an adult. I'm excited to get to spend a week with my mom, no distractions. I'm sure we'll get to know each other even better.

By the way, the new single from KT Tunstall's sophomore album is called, "Hold On." And it's awesome! I'm listening and bopping around as I type. I bought a ton of new music (seriously, addicted to iTunes. Bad.) Some of the recent gems:

"Eyes on the Prize," by Mavis Staples
"Right Time, Wrong Place," by B.B. King & Bonnie Raitt (originally by Dr. John I think)
"Right Time, Wrong Place," by Tom Jones (oh, if there was ever a man to throw your panties at, it's him. Sorry for the visual.)
"Because the Night," by Bruce Springsteen
"Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" by Bobby Womack
"Just the Way You Are," by Barry White
"I Walk the Line," by Live

Got any other good covers that I should check out? I wish I could find the Cher version of "Walking Memphis." I just want a decent female singer version of the song. Dang.

Alright, I'm trying to get back into blogging. We'll see how this goes. I think I'm ready now.

A Bit Too Close to Home

2007-08-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been around much and I do plan on catching up soon. School's over and that will help. I've been going out a lot and my Internet connection has been picky. So, enough excuses. I'm sorry I haven't been posting or reading. I do miss everyone and will get around soon.

I'm posting this morning because of the "catastrophe" that happened in Minneapolis tonight. The news is focused on the collapse of the 35W bridge. It's near to home. I don't know the focus in national and global news, but it is big here. I figure it's known at least in many places since it is on the front of MSN.

It's scary. When I first heard the story, I was at work. My first thought was about the bankers who were still coming into work that night. I had two bankers that didn't start until after the collapse. One lives two blocks from the bridge. He was fine.

One girl on another team received a call from her boyfriend. He was two cars ahead of the collapse. Scary stuff.

I don't have much to write, just checking in. I should be able to get online this weekend for reading and writing. It's 5 am here now and I'm off to bed. Miss you all!

Watercolor Lily

2007-06-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

Although there is a lot more going on right now in my life (read as "work, work, work"), I am relaxing by playing with pictures. Thought I'd share one.

How are you?

Travel Journal Day 3 & Day 4

2007-06-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here is an important life lesson. If you find yourself staying in a hotel alone, it is still not a good idea to take a shower with the bathroom door open. The deadbolt and metal arm lock will keep Anthony Perkins out, but the steam from the shower will actually set off the smoke detector in your room. At this point, you will be wet and naked trying to figure out what that awful noise is and then quickly decide what to do. Do you 1) run out into the hallway towards safety screaming "Fire!" or do you 2) forgo safety to dry yourself off and get dressed after quickly surveying your room to find no actual fire? I chose option 2. It was nice that the alarm only went off in my room.

Day three of my vacation was rather uneventful. When I got up, I packed up the car again and headed north this time to Park Rapids, Minnesota. The drive is around three and a half hours so I listened to quite a bit of music and got lost in thought. The day was overcast, so I didn't stop at any rest stops or wayside stations along the route. I only made one stop and that was for food in a city called Motley. Craving a butterscotch dip cone from Dairy Queen, I stopped where the Hot Eats & Cool Treats are advertised. The burger I had was decent and I do really like DQ's fries. Which is odd, since I rarely like French Fries.

I was going to get a cone before getting back on the road, but then these men came in. One of them gave me a double take with a slimy smile. While I appreciate the fact I was checked out, it somewhat frightened me because there was just something creepy about the smile.

So back on the road I went. I found the hotel and checked in. And surprisingly, I stayed in the hotel all night long until I checked out the next morning. I watched a little bit of "Planet Earth" and then a movie on my laptop. Not an overly exciting day.

The next morning, Thursday now for those keeping track, I drove 20 miles to Itasca State Park. Itasca State Park is the first state park for Minnesota and is the second largest. It boasts Lake Itasca, the source of the fourth longest river in the world, the Mississippi. I don't know what it is about the Mississippi, probably has something to do with the fact I've lived near it most of my life, but I am fascinated by it. As others who live near oceans feel a pull to the water, I feel comforted by the river. It's always there.

When I arrived at the park, I was looking for the north entrance. I passed the southern and eastern entrances to find the one closest to the headwaters, but never found it. When I was halfway to Bemidji, I turned around and entered the park at the east entrance. It was only $5 to get in (which is insanely cheap in my opinion. It cost $10 to look at the potholes in Wisconsin.) Once inside, I drove the main road to the headwaters. I was about two and a half hours early for the boat ride, which was a good thing as it turned out.

I meant to walk across the Mississippi's start. I would have, but there were ~~8,000~~ ~~800~~ 80 about 25 kids running around. It was enough to try and get a picture without some child in it screaming. I wanted to yell at this grandmother. Oh, she made me so mad. This little girl was running towards the shoreline, without shoes on, she'd been in the water up to her knees already, and her grandmother reached out and pulled her back by the hood of her sweatshirt. She pulled hard. The little girl started screaming in tears while her grandmother hushed her so she could take a picture. Grandmothers are not supposed to choke their grandchildren. Grandmas are supposed to be nice. This made me so mad. Besides choking the little girl, she just ignored her tears.

The headwaters are cool. I really liked seeing the source of the Mississippi - the lake is actually the source, but the headwaters are where the river becomes a stream. The scenery is beautiful and would be peaceful sans 8 million screaming children. (There will be 80 million tomorrow when I tell the story. Children multiply by annoyance factor.)

After spending about a half hour at the headwaters, I headed to the gift shop I picked up some postcards, a couple of flat rocks (for scrapbooking), and a magnet for myself. I also bought sunscreen. Which now has a permanent place in my camera bag. The only time I'm in the sun would be when I have my camera, so it is a logical location for it. I also purchased a few gifts for DM and one for my mom.

I still had some time before the boat tour, so I stopped at Peace Pipe Vista and walked the path to see a panoramic view of Lake Itasca. Along the path, I saw a big, icky spider that creeped me out. I took pictures of it. Surprise.

It was getting closer to the time of launch, so I headed to the boat tour pier. I parked by the lodge, as indicated on the website. Then I walked down to the dock. I should have driven all the way down, but I didn't realize there was parking at the dock.

While waiting for the ride to start, a nice woman named Ann started chatting with me. Her sister, Sherry, joined in. They were both recent grandmas and on vacation together without the rest of the family. When I boarded the boat, I sat in the back with them, overlooking the water. This lasted until the family from the headwaters appeared. It wasn't all of the kids from the headwaters (there must have been 3-4 families there), but this was the family that all the brothers and sisters decided to go on vacation together and bring each of their 3-4 kids. Argh! The kids wanted to sit in the back. Soon, the four chairs (three occupied by Ann, Sherry, and myself) were overrun with 9 children, three mothers, a grandmother, and two babies. Sherry, Ann, and I moved inside to "give them some room."

The tour is a two hour trip following the Schoolcraft journey to the headwaters of the Mississippi. There were a couple of bald eagle sightings, but both were on the side of the boat I wasn't on. Bummer. I did get to see the Minnesota state bird, the common loon. I may have a couple of pictures from the sighting worthwhile. We'll see when I finally go through them all.

The light kept fading as the sky grew darker. About the time we reached the headwaters, it was down pouring and everyone moved to the bottom deck of the boat. Soon, grape sized hailstones were falling to the bottom deck via the stairwells. The last hour of the trip was spent a bit scared and awed by Mother Nature. We saw lightning and heard loud thunder claps. There was a tornado watch for the area (watch is when conditions are right to produce a tornado, warning is when there has been one spotted).

The rain let up to a drizzle by the time we were back at the dock. Ann and Sherry were very nice and offered me a lift back to my car. While I know I should never accept a ride from strangers, I did accept. Another man joined us so that he could bring his vehicle back to his party. I was grateful for the lift and thanked the two women. I really enjoyed their company on the boat.

With the weather, I decided it was time to head home. In about 30 minutes, I was ahead of the storm and kept on going. James asked at karaoke why I didn't stop at a great little unknown restaurant on the way home and the answer was simple. I wanted to be back in the Cities before the rain was.

When I got home, I loaded pictures onto the computer and uploaded them to Flickr. Then it was off to karaoke with DM. By the time I got home from karaoke, I was exhausted and crashed.

I'm meeting DM and Keem at the Como Zoo conservatory in a little over an hour. Afterwards, we're going to my mom's for dinner and may see a movie tonight. DM is going to come over and scrapbook tonight and we're going to scrap all day tomorrow. On Sunday, we're going to drive to Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis before karaoke.

Vacation has been nice so far. I was apprehensive about taking a trip by myself, but have really enjoyed it. I've done a lot of thinking and lot of relaxing. I can't remember a time when I felt so at ease.

One picture for you - the headwaters of the Mississippi. The rocks are not naturally there - they were placed by the people who are credited with the discovery of the source.

Travel Journal Day 1.5 & Day 2

2007-06-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Last night, I did drive to Stewartville, Minnesota. It proved its creepiness factor to me by being illuminated excessively. The drive to Stewartville was an adventure in and of itself. The city is only about 12 miles from Rochester, so it should have been a short jaunt. Since there was no fog, the lights didn't send a large beam into the sky and I didn't quite notice the city. My directions indicated to take Hwy 30 East. There was a detour on Hwy 30 East. So I took the detour. Forty miles later, I found the sign for Hwy 30 to Stewartville. Then I drove down that road, which indicated Stewartville to be 19 miles away. About 7 miles into this journey, in the pitch black except for my car headlights, the road ended.

Then I got the fun experience of turning around and going back to where I started! Along the way, I saw a larger animal scurry across the road, its eyes glaring green back at me. It was a bit ahead of me, but I thought it was a fox or badger. I hope it was a fox and I got to see it. It could have been a large raccoon, but I don't want to believe that. So there.

Speaking of raccoons, I look like one. Sort of. Even though today's activities did not include sitting in the sun, I managed to pick up some more rays while driving. There's a healthy line where my sunglasses covered my eyes. Oops. It is not a bad burn though. That's nice. Just a bit pink, which happens if I go into the sun for 5 minutes.

None of the pictures of Stewartville are all that impressive or exciting. There's about five blocks of mainstreet with lamposts all over the place. Eh. Whatever. The drive was nice and relaxing though.

This morning, I awoke to the sound of housekeeping tapping on the metal plate on the door. They wanted to clean the room 2 hours before checkout. I was still there so they went to another room. Check out was easy and I headed out in a packed car again. This time, I drove south for about an hour. That's when I arrived in Preston, Minnesota and tried to find Mystery Cave. My directions were not great (again - thanks Mapquest) and for some reason took me past the road I needed. I followed the directions for awhile and did manage to pass an abandoned home. I thought about exploring it, but it was across the street from a family out in their yard. It might have been theirs for all I knew.

Back to Preston, I found a gas station and asked for directions (and bought a map of Minnesota - I have one of the Twin Cities, but not one for the whole state). The woman gave me easy directions to the cave. A half hour later, I was there! (Although, if you had judged the time by my watch, I time warped and arrived there in -58 minutes. Because the second hand got stuck and the watch stopped working for an hour.)

The next tour wouldn't start for another 40 minutes, so the nice gentleman showed me a room with fossils that I could touch and I looked around another room with details about the cave. Then it was time for the tour. Well, after I bought a sweatshirt. I meant to bring one. I swear. I can actually see it from where I'm sitting. It was placed near my bags before I left and it stayed there.

As it turned out, no one else was on the tour! The gentleman, Alex, led me around the cave. He pointed out more details than he normally could for a larger group and I was able to take pictures. It was extremely cool. I would recommend this cave tour to anyone. The rock formations are just stunning and it is a different experience.

After the tour, I drove for an hour east on the Historic Bluffs Scenic Byway. There were beautiful landscapes, but I didn't get any great pictures. I don't know. I'll have to look more in depth later. I headed back towards Rochester eventually, stopping in the city for food and to fill up the car. Then I drove home.

I arrived at home around 7:30. I'm going out later tonight with a friend and Sarah is going to stop over soon. Tomorrow morning I'm off to Park Rapids to see the headwaters of the Mississippi!

*About the picture pool, if you want to join, you're still free to do so. Here's a hint (or fact about me): While in Portugal for 9 days, DM and I took a total of 4,000 pictures. We took over 1,000 on our one day trip to Canada. Just an FYI.

I will leave you with one picture - no editing. This is a formation at Mystery Cave called the Waterfall. I thought it was awesome.

Travel Journal Day 1

2007-06-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

Think of a number. Wait, I should probably give some information first. There's a pool going on. The only true question about my vacation that most people have is the number of pictures I will end up taking. DM, Char, Steve, Liz, Bryan, and James have all given their figures for the pool. My question to you (as in "pick a number,") is simply, "What's your estimate?" If I can think of a good prize, there may be a fun present to who ever is closest.

Back to Day 1. When I originally looked at the website for boat tours in Taylors Falls, there was a 3:30 launch listed. This is only the case starting next week. Today, the outfit had one tour, launching at 1:30. Luckily, I realized this last night when I did further research (directions and trying to find the price). So I set the alarm clock a little earlier.

Unfortunately, I overslept by an hour. Fortunately, I'm a bit OCD so I had set the alarm for an hour and a half earlier than I really needed.

I grabbed all the bags I had packed the night before (okay, I know I'm only gone for a few days and I didn't bring a ton of clothes. Bags indicates one overnight bag, my camera bag, a cooler, my laptop, and my purse. All necessities.) I ran out the door to the car, or walked as quickly as I could while carrying all said junk.

The drive to Taylors Falls was pleasant, no rain but a few fluffy clouds in the skies. Once I got north of the cities, I exited onto a country highway that has frequent speed reduction areas, but I made it to the launch site with about 20 minutes to spare. And I didn't speed. The drive took me through a few towns (one was Chisago City) that had signs boasting ties to Sweden. That was pretty cool.

The boat tour was $14 for an adult, not too bad. It is narated and was 80 minutes long. The vessel was the "Taylors Falls Princess" and is one of two boats that give tours on this part of the St. Croix River. A family run business that has been in operation for over 100 years, it was lovely. I enjoyed relaxing and looking at the white fluffy clouds, the tall green pines and other trees, and trying to imagine the figures in the different rock formations. The St. Croix is known for these rock formations, left behind when the glaciers melted. I was able to see the "Holy Cross," the formation that gave the river its name. I also saw the "Old Man of the St. Croix," an elephant, another man's profile, and a lion. I didn't see the witch in the one formation and the Turkish man with a turban was difficult. I don't think I was looking in the right place.

There were few passengers on the ride. I sat on the upper deck with about 5 elderly couples and two families. Family with 'pudgy man who really shouldn't wear a neon orange shirt' dad had two little girls who spent most of the ride making each other hit themselves. That was fairly annoying. Especially since the girl who started it was the first to start screaming, "Stop! Stop! Don't do that!" The other family, the one with 'holy crap is that an attractive man' dad, had two cute little boys who shared snacks with each other and pointed out neat sites to each other. Hmmm. The boys were younger too. The one was pretty cute when he said to his brother, "I want to write a note to Mom and Dad. Can you help me spell?"

I found out that the St. Croix is one of the ten cleanest rivers in the United States and the reddish brown coloring has nothing to do with pollution or iron ore. It was a neat fact to know that the coloring comes from Tamarack (spelling?) trees that grow at the source of the river. Since everyone always asks about the coloring of water in pictures, I'm glad I know.

After the boat ride, I drove across the state border to the Wisconsin side of Interstate Park. The Minnesota side's state park is the 2nd oldest in Minnesota and the Wisconsin side is the first state park for Wisconsin. Together, they make the first interstate park in the United States. That was kind of interesting.

In Wisconsin, I purchased a day pass to explore the potholes/sinkholes that were formed by the glaciers melting. There is a short hike (.4 miles) that loops where you can see a few of these holes. I took off to do this and was surprised that my loafers didn't kill me while walking. I was able to also find a good vantage point to see the boat I had just departed and a few more scenes of the river. I only passed one set of people on the hike, a couple walking the loop the opposite direction. They didn't talk to me or each other. That was the quietest couple I've seen in awhile. Neither looked all that happy.

Leaving Interstate Park, I headed into the "downtown" portion of Taylors Falls and did find an ice cream shop. I think it is the one that two separate people mentioned to me. Teri was one of them. For a snack, I sampled a cone (one scoop only - but their definition of one scoop was a lot larger than mine - he scooped twice. That is no longer one scoop. But hey, more ice cream for me!) of Rum Black Cherry. I sat outside the shop at a table covered in old newspaper advertisements (100 year old ads) and watched people go to-and-fro. There's a dentist office right next to the ice cream place.

With a snack in my belly, I started driving south towards Rochester. The drive took about 3 and a half hours. It started raining off and on during the drive and only once (about 50 miles outside of Rochester) did I have to change my speed for the weather. There was about a 10 minute downpour that caused me to clench my fists and drive very slowly for a highway.

The rain passed and I entered Rochester. The hotel was easy to find and I took care of uploading pictures from both cameras. But no hints on the number yet! In my hotel room, I noticed that I definitely spent more time in the sun than I'm used to today. My arms are light pink and I may have a slight red line on my face. Okay, slight red everywhere except where my sunglasses were. Whoops. I'll grab some sunscreen before I go on the next boat ride on Thursday. The other adventures are mostly evening or dark places.

Right now, I'm waiting for it to get a little darker before I head off to Stewartville, the creepiest town I've ever known. I want the full effect of the streetlamps for the pictures I plan on taking, so I have about another 45 minutes to wait until I leave. I'll probably leave in a few minutes though and just find a place to eat. That's the part of my trip I didn't quite plan. And my stomach is not so happy about that. Ice cream and a few Bugles (car snack that my mom gave me) do not a full day meal make. I was going to eat in Taylors Falls, but I didn't find any food other than ice cream that sounded appealing. That's Day 1 so far.

Remember Me?

2007-05-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

May is half over and this is my first post. What is happening? Ugh.

Sorry for being M.I.A. Nothing too exciting has been happening and there is really no reason for my absence. School is over - I did end up with an A even though my group members didn't deserve the massive amount of work I did on our projects. Someday I'll find a group where everyone contributes equally and can actually produce a good piece of work. I don't really want to rant about this anymore. I'll leave it at the fact my teacher said he'd change others grades if he saw fit and our final project received 100% for me. I'm hoping the other members didn't get that. Especially since it wasn't a 100% deserving paper.

In family life, all is good. Mom's walking around and back at work. I think she likes being out of the house again. Grandpa is getting stronger and instead of talking about hospice, he now is practicing walking back and forth across the living room and practicing getting in and out of the car. Dad likes this. I do too.

Work is, well, work. That might be part of the reason I've been missing. My stress level fluctuates at work quite a bit. I need a vacation and I have one approaching quickly. I decided to take the first full week of June off and if I can actually get someone to cover the Friday and Saturday night, I might get to. My team is on the path back to #1, but we're struggling in a couple of areas. There's just a lot of work to do each day. This is good because it keeps me busy, but the days of being able to sit back and watch all the efforts pay off are a ways away.

We had an off-site meeting last week. Actually, all the supervisors/managers went to a Twins baseball game. I took a few pictures that I liked.

I liked this one because you can see the ball.

This is outside the stadium.

This one was cool because the guy leading the wave (one of my peers) is the only object in focus.

In the office, I've been dealing with a leave of absence, two terminations, and numerous warnings. And that's only 1/4 of the team. The other 3/4 are performing great. That's where the struggle lies. We actually have a great team, but there are a couple of people who end up taking up all my time. It gets stressful. I still love what I do and I love my team. This is just normal frustration.

In response to a few comments from the last post. I know I wrote it a few weeks ago. Some readers feel sorry for the girl I went to high school with and I guess I can't blame you. What I left out was a time I was at Perkins with my former roommate. She was there with a flamboyant guy (to which I have no problems. I was there with a flamboyant guy myself.) As they were leaving, another table made a comment about her behind. Her friend came over and accused me of making fun of her. If she was so willing to blame me for a rude remark, I have no sympathy for her now. She knows we were never friends. I never did anything to her and I just want nothing to do with her now. And each time I run into her, she hugs me. I don't understand the leap between 'we were never friends' to 'buddy-buddy.' She's living in a different reality than I.

I recently purchased an upgraded version of Photoshop Elements. One of the things I've been doing with it is creating scrapbook layouts/plans. It's a way to 'not think.' Below is an example of what I've been doing. I have over 30 of them in the computer and at least 15 more drawn out on paper. Makes me think I really should develop pictures soon so I can scrapbook them.

Karaoke has been enjoyable. DM is back and that is nice. I missed her. It has also been nice that Craig is in another country. The Sunday that DM was gone was an interesting one. Amy, Sara, and Shannon were there. Char showed up later too. There were also prostitutes that were thrown out the bar for soliciting this table of Eastern European men. It's a neighborhood bar in a varied neighborhood. Some of the adventures we've had from karaoke make the bar sound like this terrible place, but it really isn't. Just weird, random things occasionally happen there.

I keep thinking about my vacation. I have some tentative plans for the time off. I'm going to be house sitting for my mom while she and Scott go camping the weekend before the time off. I figure I can plan a few day trips around Minnesota for photographic opportunities (and play with my newest toy - a Sony digital SLR). I have three places in the state in mind and also found something cool to do in Minneapolis. The last weekend of the time off will be good for scrapbooking and hanging out with DM, Keem, and Sarah.

Again, my apologies for not being around. I know there are over 90 posts to read. This is what happens when you get behind. To think, I used to read and post daily. To get there again. It shall happen.

Oh, and I now know my final classes schedule. I have another class at the end of June, one in the late summer, and then three in 2008. My last day of school will be June 9, 2008. Just in time for my 11 year anniversary with the company that pays for my tuition.

Cold-Hearted

2007-04-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. I haven't been around for awhile. There is no real excuse other than after reading a whole bunch of posts for school, my desire to write and read for fun tends to diminish. School is going fine. My teacher really likes it if we put graphics in our papers. A little odd, but it is a marketing class so I guess I see his logic.

On Tuesday night, I got home to find a woman standing in the entryway of my apartment building. I know this woman, unfortunately. I wrote about her once before, maybe a year/year and a half ago. She used to live in my apartment complex and I went to high school with her. I've known her since first grade and have never liked her. Besides the fact she has never had a concept of personal space (and my personal space is valued highly by me), she tends to rub against people and leeches onto people. In school, she was never really my friend, but attached herself to people who were my friends.

When I ran into her last time, she told me the negative things in her life - being evicted and working as a bagger at a grocery store. She also hugged me which is annoying if you don't like the person.

When I saw her on Tuesday night, it was a repeat of the hug and telling me all her problems. Apparently, her father lives in my building so she was staying with him. But she was staying with him because her roommate tried to kill her. She told me how nice it was to see an old friend, hugged me again, and told me how she got her clothes out of her apartment.

And all I could think of was, "I don't like you. If you keep touching me, I might want to kill you." Which prbably makes me somewhat cold-hearted. I didn't say this to her; I just tried to get away as quickly as possible.

So, that's one of the random things that have happened to me as of late. I still like everyone in the blogging world and I'm sorry I haven't been around. I'll try to get around soon, I promise.

For a Title, I'd Like to Quote Lyrics to a Song in the Easter Karaoke Fashion, But Tact Prevents Me

2007-04-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

Solo tonight, I headed to the Chalet and arrived just as my watch signalled 9:30 PM. The infamous DM is MIA, claiming the sickness has won tonight. In telling Bryan, our minister and leader at this church of song, that she had to leave a wedding early on Saturday due to this illness, he is surprised by the notion. "I never remember that you can just leave." But then the thought of an "Uncle Joey" sampling an open (or cash) bar always keeps him present for the after festivities.

With this holiday (Easter) being an early morning event, the size of the crowd tonight will be a wild card. I hope the Angie Ang & Amy group shows up and it would be nice to visit with Jason & his crew. James is back in town so he should be up with Liz towards the end of the night. An absence of a certain phony Scottsman would be appreciated. Unlikey, but hey, a girl can wish.

Last year, we had an Easter karaoke worthy of our eternal destinations. Much enjoyment can be found in replacing each "baby" as "Jesus" in the songs. Some songs end up with a good Christian connotation; some do not.

Amy text messaged me to let me know she will not be up tonight. I hoped for Angie and Amy to be there, especially since Angie was part of the "celebration" last year and mentioned this upcoming Sunday last week, but no such luck.

There are two doors to enter the Chalet, one on each end of the bar leading from the parking lot. Both entrances are actually two doors. The entrance by the karaoke machine is close to airtight so when someone opens the outer door, the inner door moves slightly. This signal a new patron entering and is my secret to my "psychic" abilities. I am noticing that each time someone enters tonight, I am afraid it will be Craig and that I'll be stuckalone with him. This is not good. I do not like the feeling of worry I get over the fact I will most likely be stuck talking to him alone.

There is a post I have been postponing to write about this problem. File it under "unwanted advances." I suppose this post will be the one where I explain this problem. The issue is an overly friendly and obvious obnoxious man who is too closely intermingled in my circle of friends. I do not want to be rude tohim because he is a friend of a friend, but it comes down to the fact he creeps me out. He always tries to sit next to me, his mood turns sour when another man (interesting or not) sits by me, and feels the need to wear enough cologne to cause a medium sized community run for gas masks. His most recent attempt at flirting has been to introduce baby talk into his fake accent. "Gooseys" is not impressive. And there have been few in my life who have gotten away with their lives after calling me, "Bethy." My godmother is allowed that pet name; not him. It is a simple way to aggrevate me instantly. The metal baton and consistent 'I hate the bloody world' attitude he carries are also turn-offs. And forcing me to listen to an obscene song about a woman demanding oral sex is not going to make me want to go near you (or your Listerine infested crotch (side note: James and Dean shared a story about Craig's attempt at dating that involved washing himself in a certain area in the hopes of getting some action on a first date. This is also not a turn-on.)) Telling me that when "I take you out to dinner" (NEVER happening) that you'll bring me to a vegetarian establishment and we'll share tofu (I'm a carnivore ID-10-T) does not increase your chances.

I've been tempted to say to him, "Very few people are allowed in my bubble. You're not on the list and you never will be."

Bryan has not decided what our church is yet this year but has told me the disappearance of honey bees is the sign to prove we're right in our beliefs. It is good to be friends with such a creative and humorous man.

Andrew has arrived, receiving hoots and hollars of "I love you!" from the bar patrons (okay, mostly Donnie). Andrew is a fixture at the Chalet. He tends to follow Bryan around and they create mischief. They are the reason pick up baseball games are commonly held in the bar.

While trying to kil time on this slow Easter karaoke Sunday, I turn back in my notebook for random notes of unpublished posts. I bring you some of these now. Well, those that are Chalet related.

In January, I was practically mauled in the bathroom by a woman too highly hopped up on Woman's Lib. While I am an advocate for equality between the sexes, I ould choose another avenue to express this value. Yelling in pride at another woman that you don't know in a public restroom, "We just need a voice! We are women! We need toilet paper!!!" seems a bit extreme.

From sometime in February, I have this written in the notebook: Only at the Chalet can you observe an obnoxious, intoxicated woman screaming, "I need balls!" while trying to master the art of juggling, using her words and not mine, "weiners."

A conversation between DM and I while playing Trivial Pursuit in March:
B: What dictatorship was the only South American nation to support the British in its war over the Falkland Islands?
D: Iraq
B: What South American nation...
D: Oh! China?
B: [pause] [groan]
D: Chile?
B: Now you got it.

Ten thirty has arrived and Bryan has started a rotation. A guy just sang a great rendition of "The Lady is a Tramp," and now DM's fan is singing, "Love Me Tender." I lke the mood being established.

Okay, back to my notes. Speaking of fans of DM, a few weeks ago we met Tommy. Describing Tommy is important. Bryan allowd a cross between a pirate, Freddy Krueger, the Wicked Witch of the West, and David Bowie from the "China Girl" video. Aptly put.

DM was wearing her purple top that sparkles. It was a beacon for Tommy. He was inspired by her blouse to sing a song, or in better words, croon some Andy Williams while gazing at DM. He told her, while grabbing a seat next to her, "I love your shirt, your beautiful shirt. Did you make it?"

She replied in the negative and he continued. "Has anyone told you they like that shirt? Help me because I can't see [he was trying to read the karaoke book] - I love your beautiful shirt."

At the end of that evening, he stopped by the table again to compliment the shirt again. "I'm so absolutely in love with that blouse. I think it is the best ever." DM was ready to give him the shirt off her back just to satisfy him.

Two weeks ago, Bryan suggested a visit to plasticgrocerybag.com. Supposedly, this is a site that suggests fun activities to use those leftovers from shopping. And most of the ideads are terrible and involve young children. I keep meaning to check it out - Bryan mentioned it is good for one of those uncomfortable laughs.

Eleven PM is here now. So is Craig. His first words to me involved a story about a stripper and pasties. Great. During the rest of the evening, he mentioned bowel movements (in not so nice of terms) that resembled egg rolls and used more English slang than normal. I swear, Craig arrives and the stage direction should read, "Enter Uncomfortable Silence stage right."

Jason, Kenny, and Ryan did all appear after only 30 minutes of my torture with Craig. The bar filled up around midnight and karaoke was going strong. Around 1, Liz, James, and little Matt arrived. Liz and I had a great conversation about management frustrations (one of the reasons I love talking to Liz and James is the fact we're all managers in different fields so we can discuss the pros and cons without being industry specific).

I had a good time tonight, even with the creepy fake Scottsman (okay, he is from Scotland. But he has lived here for many, many years. His accent is only used on women) present. I'm happy to know that he will be out of the country for a few weeks starting in 9 days (yippie!!! Oh, sorry Europe) and the uncomfortable moments will subside for a bit. Everyone missed DM tonight and Easter Sunday was a little lower key than last year, but still a lot of fun.

Surprise!

2007-04-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I hate it when I forget something rather important and it arrives unexpected. As I was checking my email tonight (hopeful for a response from a certain someone who is really getting on my nerves due to his busy schedule), I found an email from a woman I don't know. But that email held important information. Important information such as, "School starts at midnight." And guess what? It's already 3 am.

You know, I realized I would start classes back up in April, but I didn't realize it would be April 3. This class is Marketing and I hope I'll do okay. I printed up the syllabus, downloaded the text, and posted my autobiography in the chat room. I'm hoping that my learning group will not drive me batty and that I figure out a schedule quickly to accomplish random tasks and assignments.

Yikes!

Fun with Photoshop

2007-04-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

When DM and I went to Wisconsin to visit with Diana, we stopped at a bookstore and I picked up a book about Photoshop Elements. Once in awhile, I read about a new technique and then try it out with some of the pictures from Portugal. I keep thinking that I need to go on vacation again to a new place. The newer camera and things I've learned just makes me wonder what I could come up with for pictures. But that's beside the point.

I just wanted to share a few of the newer pictures I've put together.

Sitting in a Cafe in Europe.

This picture was originally taken with no purpose in mind. The original picture has received quite a few comments from those viewing it and most remark how it is typical of a European outdoor cafe. In the editing, I made a few layers for the image. In one, I defined the lines. Another layer was adjusted for colors - brightening the image quite a bit. I do enjoy the framing of this shot with the tree.

Angel in Evora.

I just liked the way the colors of the marble were brought out when I edited this picture. The original is mostly neutral in color.

Along the Street.

This was taken as DM and I left the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. It's not much for a subject, but I am quite proud of the editing I did. First, I blurred the background right behind the statue and sharpened the statue itself so it popped out more. I also converged the vertical lines by distoring the picture (using the perspective option). In creating another layer, I was able to enhance the color of the wall, making it a deeper shade of red and more vibrant. The clone function allowed me to remove a chip in the wall. I erased the entire frame of the statue in this layer and then flattened the image. I cropped it too. I like it more than the original:

Praca de Espanha.

Run Away and Never Look Back

2007-03-31T01:20:00.000-07:00

*This is written pretty much in real time. If my verb tenses change throughout, I apologize.

I had just finished watching this week’s newest episode of CSI when I heard a loud male scream and a crash above me. The couple who lives upstairs were not yelling in rapture tonight. This man, whom I’ve never met, screamed a profanity and then, I assume, threw something hard. Since I didn’t know what was going on, I went to my room to listen if this was just an accident (like stubbing your toe or something) and it was quiet for about a minute. Then the man started screaming again and there were more crashes. He was screaming THE profanity over and over, crying about how “you don’t know” or something. After much screaming, I heard her yelling back about how she didn’t do something and he kept telling her to, “Get out, get out of my apartment!” Insert colorful language here. There may have been a few phrases about not knowing how it feels from the man.

Afraid, I called the police. I couldn’t let this go. The operator let me go and signaled a squad car to come out. There was more screaming on his part. Before they arrived, I could hear her sobbing. I hope to God she locked herself in the bathroom.

The police have arrived and I don’t know what is going on. I don’t really want to know. I just want her to be safe. I hope she does get out and never comes back.

I’m sure I made an enemy tonight. I asked for anonymity and there are others in the apartment building who may have heard. I probably had the geographical advantage of hearing the fight – my apartment is directly below theirs.

My heart is racing and I’m scared for her. There is still walking around upstairs; creak, creak, creak. There are muffled voices from above now. It sounds like two males talking – I assume the officer is checking out the scene. Just make her safe.

I can hear doors opening and closing in the building. One of those doors needs a little oil; it squeaks.

My nerves are shot. I think it is quite possible I’ll start chewing my nails off here.

The stomping has dissipated at least. Either the man calmed down quite a bit or he’s no longer in the apartment above. I’m worried that he may be vengeful because the police arrived but I feel better knowing someone could protect her. I don’t know what happened between the two. I don’t care.

I hope she leaves him. I hope she never returns to him.

It has quieted completely upstairs. I keep expecting a knock on the door or my phone to ring. An officer called once they arrived at the apartment complex to have me open the door. I can’t tell anymore if the police are still here. From start to now, I’d say it’s been less than 25 minutes. Looking at my phone, it was 9 minutes between the time I dialed 9-1-1 and the time the officer called me to open the door. And it’s been 27 minutes since the officer called me.

The only sounds now are those of rain lightly hitting the window, the hum of my refrigerator, the tick-tick-tick of my wall clock, and the tapping of keys as I type. I think there is still someone upstairs, but the talking has ceased. My nerves are returning to normal.

And to think, I was going to write a post about the phrase of the week (which is “He’s always tooken cares of cars anyways,” if you were wondering). Or write about my problem at karaoke – the man with the phony Scottish accent invading my personal space and bathing in cologne. Seems insignificant right now.

Entertaining

2007-03-25T04:13:00.000-07:00

My favorite overheard quote from an evening at the pool hall with Char was said by a tiny woman wearing a pink tank top and a lei with flashing red lights embedded in it:

"She's way more drunk than I am. Look at my toes!"

If a Picture is Worth 1,000 Words, This is a Really Long Post

2007-03-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

Ah, DM's birthday. She's 40 now you know. To celebrate my best friend's special day, we each took a few days off work and made a long weekend out of the event. DM wrote a post about her weekend and I don't have much to add. Mainly, I'll provide the pictures.

I hope you enjoy!

On Friday night, we went to a goodbye party for one of my favorite co-workers. This is a picture of Mary (said co-worker) and me.

At Manny's after the opera

Forty and still able to rock. This picture has gotten the response, "Awesome," more than once.

There are more pictures on Flickr and DM has access to post some of the ones I marked private (friends and/or family only able to see). She may post a few more. I'm going to leave this post as just a few.

It was a great weekend, filled with laughter, friends, happy times, and well-wishes. Even crazy moments (such as surprise visitors at karaoke, getting lost, random Trivial Pursuit answers, and conversations about my ability to flip people off while driving) made the weekend that much more special. Best wishes and happy birthday to a wonderful woman! Dana - You Absolutely Rock. I can't think of a better friend.

Just Another Saturday Night at the Pool Hall

2007-03-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

After work, Char and I headed to the pool hall. This has become a semi-normal Saturday night for us. The pool hall gives us a place to walk around some, take out a little aggression (on the pool balls), relax, and unwind. We can chat a little about work (those bits of conversation that may be better stated out of the office) and get our fill of assorted personalities. There is a crowd that pool halls typically attract and I'll be the first to admit it is not always the classiest of crowds.

We were hit on tonight. Well, if you call it that. A drunk man stumbled towards us on his way out the door (someone else was driving him) and commented on our "chins". I don't think the word chin was what he meant, especially considering the comment of, "That's not what I meant," slurred after saying chin, but whatever.

Nature called and I had to use the rest room of the establishment. This is when I realized some of the oddest situations occur in rest rooms. I was in one stall. The larger stall was empty and two women (a little buzzed, but no where near drunk) come in. I expect one to enter the other stall while her companion/friend waits.

When I return to the table, the following conversation with Char occurs:

B (me): We're friends, right?
C (Char): Of course.
B: And we've known each other for quite awhile now.
C: Yes.
B: I just want to make something clear. We would never share a stall taking turns at peeing, right?
C: That would be correct.
B: And we would not do this while talking about how we just met this very night, right?
C: That would also be correct.

It's not like there was a history of friendship between these two women. They were discussing how they just met tonight. Now, I have friends who I adore and trust and can be comfortable around. Peeing with them has never crossed my mind.

This is not an option.

Snow Day

2007-03-01T23:48:00.000-08:00

Finally! Living in Minnesota, you expect to get snow days once in awhile. In high school, I had a couple of days where the schools were closed because it was too cold to leave the house, but I don't remember a snow day since elementary school and I don't even remember those. My mom does say they happened though. Even the Halloween blizzard of 1991 didn't result in a snow day for me (only because my school was already closed the next day for something else).

But! After receiving a foot of snow last Saturday night/Sunday morning and having another storm arrive today, our call center closed! By the time I had left for work, the snow was up to my ankles. I was at work for two hours before we closed and in that time I had two meetings and was able to call the members of my team not there yet and tell them to stay home.

Once we closed, I went out and brushed at least 2 inches of snow off my car. Then I headed to my dad's after returning a call to James (karaoke was cancelled). I was at my dad's for four hours and at least another 4 inches of snow fell.

I'm at home now and messing with photographs (seeing what to develop for the last year) and looking out the window, I see the snow half way up the tires of the cars in the parking lot. But some of those cars were not there when the snow started. I'd imagine we're up to 8 inches or so of snow by now. Pretty cool.

Snow! I'm excited. I'm pretty sure I'll have to work Friday night. The roads will be cleared by then, but a girl can hope!

**I've been locked out of Blogger. Blast! Something about being flagged as a spam blog. This is annoying. It's probably because I used electronical terms too much. Dumb.

***In regards to my previous post, I have figured out the problem. There is no signal into the VCR. This can be resolved by changing the order of the connections and adding a cable - so at least there is that.

Comedians of the Late 80's Could Have Done a Routine About Grandparents Having This Problem

2007-02-28T02:43:00.000-08:00

I used to think I was technically savvy. At least a little. I could program any device I bought and the end result would be pretty. Well, not pretty, but at least functional.

For example, being able to set up my television from the early 80's (it is cable ready but has no other input/output jacks) to two gaming systems, a DVD player (with surround sound), and a VCR proved to myself that I could understand the electronics that have taken over our world. Sure, it takes two adapters and the cables behind the entertainment system seem to snake out more than Medusa's head, but hey, it worked.

Or so I thought. The gaming systems work. The DVD player works. The surround sound is good (although kept quiet due to the fact I live in an apartment building and unlike my upstairs neighbors I have some respect for others). The television shows all the channels, including those I didn't realize I had. The VCR even plays old tapes. Or did the last time I actually tried to watch a VHS movie.

This setup seems absolutely ridiculous if you knew my personal habits. I rarely watch TV. I don't play many games. My addiction to watching movies has declined. Now that I live alone, I find myself a larger fan of music than of television and have gotten into the habit of listening to iTunes shuffle. The television shows I do watch are typically shown through the computer. Heck, the picture is usually better on the laptop screen. The TV is that old. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure it was a gift for my 8th birthday. That was over 20 years ago. The remote stopped working at least 5 years ago. I might still have it somewhere (because it is for the TV and it would feel odd to my pack rat personality to make it part with its master) and I've vaguely considered having the remote looked at. Maybe the bulb just failed in it. Who knows? Not I.

But back to the subject. I used to think I was technically savvy. That was until I decided to try and record something. That something would be LOST, one of three television shows I actually watch. Since my season pass for the show on iTunes has been allowing me to download episodes only after I leave for work on Thursdays and since the conversations about the show happen at karaoke Thursday nights, I thought it might be nice to be able to watch the show on Wednesday evening after work.

My VCR will play movies. But record? I cannot figure this thing out. The more I mess around with it, the more I'm coming to believe it is impossible. But I'm pretty sure a child of 6 could figure it out.

Which makes me feel incredibly old. At least I was able to set the clock on the VCR.

An Actual Snowstorm

2007-02-25T01:16:00.000-08:00

As we left the building at the end of a Saturday night at work, we were amazed to see that the snow was actually accumulating and still arriving.

I love snow. I really do. That's one of the reasons I live in Minnesota. Flakes caught in eye lashes of cute boys, catching flakes on your tongue, the feeling of softness on the ground, it is all wonderful. Since I live close to work, driving in snow doesn't bother me all that often and I'm actually hoping for a bit more snow to arrive and shut down the city for once.

The problem is that our snow removal system is efficient. It is pretty good. Usually the roads are cleared up within 3 hours of the end of the snow. I saw 5 plows alone circling our parking lot at work before we left. Keeping pace with the flurries I guess.

There was lightning and thunder. It's a thunder-blizzard! That's just fun. The snow is still coming now, but it has lightened up a little. The weather report says we should get some more tomorrow. Either way it will be an adventure to dig the car out. I had enough trouble getting out of a spot at work having only been parked there for 5 hours.

To prove my love of snow and how insane Char and I can be, I bring you pictures of the snow angels we made. We were almost frozen by the time we were finished, but it was fun.

Sea of White

Yes, We are Crazy Minnesotans (Char making an angel)

Finding the Perfect Place to Drop (Me)

My Fingers Were Pretty Numb By This Point

When is the Last Time You Made a Snow Angel?

Halo Effect (Fun with Photoshop)

Both of the angels shown here are from Char's angel. The pictures of my angel didn't turn out too well - frozen fingers by that point!

The Door is Ajar

2007-02-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

13 days and counting now, I've been driving a different vehicle than my wonderful silver Toyota. Parked in my assigned spot is a vehicle that I have come to despise. The eyesore is a PT Cruiser. I keep thinking the vehicle is a cross between a station wagon (loser car of the 70s & 80s) and a minivan (the replacement of the station wagon). I hope not to offend anyone who has purchased this type of vehicle, but jeez. It's awful.

When the station wagon met the minivan, they decided to sire a child that has no horsepower whatsoever. It is your basic model vehicle, no frills. The dash does give the temperature and direction. Besides the clock, which looks like it would be in place only on a yacht, the direction indicator is the only cool part of the vehicle.

There is a towel bar above the glove box. A towel bar! What is that for? I suppose it is a variation of the hand grips above the doors, but can't help but wonder if it was placed in the car to service those who just feel the need to dry out their clothes after a day at the beach. Or for those who live in their cars and may try to put a shower in the backseat that is 20 feet (exaggeration) long and has absolutely no leg room (not an exaggeration).

Enough about the Perfectly Terrible Cruiser* and just about time. I spoke to the body shop today and it seems my Toyota will return to me tomorrow afternoon. I miss it.

You be asking, "But why is the Toyota in the shop?" or "What is the reason for the rental?" Two weeks ago, while on lunch break at work, there was this ice patch that my Toyota found as I rounded a curve. The resulting accident was definitely recorded as my fault and I don't deny that. I was not driving excessively though. I was going 15-20 miles in a 30 zone and trying to be cautious of the weather conditions. The back tire just found that patch of packed snow and black ice and the back end fish tailed. There was another car coming from the opposite direction and my back end found that vehicle's door.

That's why we have insurance.

My car had about $3,000 worth of damage. And was still operable. I don't understand how they determine the price of damage. It does stun me how the pieces of the car can equal more than the value of the vehicle, but that's the way it is. From the pictures, you'll see the bumper cover is cracked - no damage to the actual insulator though. There are dents in the panel (the expensive panel - the one that goes from the hood to the trunk), and the glass around the tail light shattered. The light still worked fine.

No one was hurt. Steve and I just ended up returning to work later than we had planned.

*The PT in the PT Cruiser has sparked some jokes between DM and I. I have bonded with the car, agreeing with it that it is a terrible excuse for motorized transportation. I speak to it and tell it often how awful it is. DM finds this funny.

All is Well in the Land of Nod

2007-02-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

It seems my ability to post each night has slipped. Taken a holiday, you might say. Nothing is wrong. There are a couple of noteworthy things to write about. In fact, there are notes for a couple of posts in my little notebook that holds a place in my purse. I do feel a bit like I've been asleep when it comes to blogging as of late, but we all need our rest.

The most important news is the fact my mom is out of the hospital, on the road to recovery. Her hip replacement surgery went well and without a problem last Friday. She moved from the hospital to a nursing home today. She hates the home, but with two dogs and two cats who love to be around her, she needs a bit of time to recover without worrying about them getting under foot. Scott says the animals are all like zombies, sad that she is not home. Sure, they still get their meals, but they do love her more than anything else.

I visited my mom tonight at the home. She hates it there. I don't blame her. It is quite the experience to walk into a nursing home. We spoke about her time off from work to recover. Since I work nights and she doesn't need to go to work, I may go over to her place after work to spend some time in the next few weeks. That would be nice.

Sorry for missing many posts as of late. I'll be around to visit on Tuesday or Wednesday night. I hope all is well!

While Jim Morrison was a Rock God, His Lyrics Leave Much to Be Desired*

2007-02-09T21:51:00.000-08:00

Is this a coincidence? A case of bad luck? Do the planets align in a certain way to make this happen? Is there an aura that attracts a certain type of person to me? Or is it some weird form of magnetism that doesn't involve metal? Whatever the case may be, I have a way of attracting freaks. Not everyone I know, thankfully, but enough random strangers that make me believe the word stranger is perfect. "People are strange, when you're a stranger," as the old Doors song goes.

Shrunken head man. Farty old guy. El stalkerino. Mouse. Uncle Ga-Ga. Birchwood. Man-booby caretaker. Pete and Guru. The list goes on and on.

In the same fashion, I have found a new person to add to the list. Last April, my computer died. It was a heart attack. Quick, painful, and expensive. I purchased the laptop (which I adore) at Mega Electronics Retail (MER for short) and had to have the deceased machine poked and prodded. My hopes were that an autopsy could recover some of the lost data. My hopes were crushed. Luckily, my anal retentive personality allowed a minimal amount of lost files due to back-ups and uploads (Flickr is wonderful!). While at MER, I dealt with a man working behind the computer counter. I think I meant to write about that odd experience, yet never quite did.

The man worked for the Nerd Brigade. And he took the title seriously. Do you ever have those interactions with someone who is not quite flirting but you can see hidden intentions and those intentions are the creepy variety? That's what it was like talking to him. He was too familiar. He acted like he knew me more than he should have.

This is a man whom I instantly stereotyped into the group of men who would never move out of his mom's basement until she either kicked him out or kicked the bucket. Nerd Brigade, remember. Not cool, intelligent tech guy. No. Nerd Brigade. He looked over my paperwork, noting my name a little too much and I squirmed as he made it clear he now knew my address. One of the questions on the paperwork was whether or not I thought the Nerd Brigade should wear capes. I indicated in the negative. His remark, "I have a cape."

Once out of the store, complete with the laptop, I thought I was cleansed of him. I held this belief until a month ago when Steve and I visited the local fast sub shop. Walking in and seeing him behind the counter, I instantly recognized him. And he recognized me, but not enough to remember where we had last met. As he told me that he knew me, I played it off and pretended that I did not know him. The uncomfortable, searching gaze continued from his face and I ordered my food, hoping to be back at work as quickly as possible and away from him. We got our food and left without incident.

A week ago, Steve craved subs again. I realized at that point, I'd been avoiding returning to the sub shop in fears this individual would recognize me and try to start a conversation.

When we walked in, my stomach dropped and I wanted to groan aloud because he was there again, behind the counter. Again, he told me that he knew me and made a point of looking at my debit card, searching his mind for my name. I don't want to be on any list in his head. He tells me that he has a thing for faces and mine is familiar. This time, I try to play it off as a frequent visitor of the sub shop, but he is not satisfied.

In these interactions, I am comforted by the fact Steve is with me. While a co-worker, Steve is also a friend and someone that will help direct attention away. We get our subs and eat and notice other patrons doing the same. No one draws attention to the out-of-place item in the store. Acknowledgement never happens. It is as if there is an unvoiced agreement in society to ignore strangeness in the group hope that by ignoring it, it will disappear.

We finish our subs and get back in the car. Once clear of earshot, we can no longer hold it in. "He was wearing a CAPE!" I exclaim and Steve dissolves into giggles.

Steve, ever so cleaver, nicknames him, "Captain BLT," and creates a comic story around him. It is his secret identity and his sidekick would be named, "Pickles."

Who? Why? What? He was wearing a cape, a legitimate cape - not the bath towel variety that you'd find on little children trying to play Superman, but a silk cape with some secret symbol on the back. He was working at a place that does not have capes as part of the dress code. It was not required. Why? I don't understand.

Scary. Just plain scary.

*Check the lyrics to "People Are Strange." There is only one verse, repeated three times. There is a chorus that repeats part of the verse. Yeah, stick with what you know.

Any Given Sunday

2007-01-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

Written at karaoke, Sunday, January 21, 2007

There is a couple at the Chalet tonight I've never seen before but already I hope they return. They are mature adults, sitting close to the stage, and they are enhusiastic about karaoke. The woman is graying but not letting her youth slip away without a fight. Streaks of bright red peak out of her bob. The man reads a local paper as she sings, "Oh, What a Night!" in his direction. When she is done, he smiles and applauds before it is his turn to sing. The time comes when neither are on the stage but they sit holding hands, politley listening to each singer and encouraging other patrons. In thirty minutes and with no conversation between their table and ours, I know these are decent people.

Anthony, a regular who we both gave nary a second glance until he sang, has arrived with a group of twenty-somethings, giving proof that there is hope for the world that there are courteous and fun-loving youth out there that do not just exist to cause trouble.

It is a nice offset for the group in the corner. Amanda is there with two others, a woman who is sitting prim and proper with a man who is not the ROCK ON guy. Mary is also here at a table with some non-interested blonde. Mary is, well, almost annoying. She is nice enough, but aggressive. Alcohol does not help her demeanor. With the arrival of Amanda and Mary, it is even money on whether or not Stubes will show. And, as if on cue, the door opens and he is here. Amanda starts singing, Mary and Stubes start talking and instantly the bar is no longer quaint, but bursting with loud, obnoixious yelling. Where, oh where, can my Advil be?

I uncover my purse (hidden by my coat) to find the small bottle of headache relief and my eyes manage to spy another couple at the bar. The problem with being observant is the fact you see what you don't want to observe. This couple is a foot apart and their tongues are alreadying hanging out of their mouths like dogs on a hot summer day. As they lean in, they start French kissing, which in their case resembles tigers devouring a fresh kill. Class starts emulating from the building.

Anthony sings, DM and I both hope for, "Like a Stone," and he strays towards country. I never realized that "Two of a Kind," by Garth Brooks could be so hot.

Bryan calls up the next singer, reading the thoughts of most of the bar. "Oh, no! Stubes." He manages, "Honky-Tonk-Ba-Donka-I-Don't-Even-Care-If-This-Is-Close-To-Accurate-Titling-Of-This-Country-Equivalent-Of-Objectifying-Women-Based-On-The-Size-Of-Their-Ass," as always, with zero emotion. At least no women got up to shake their backsides in his direction this time. Thank God for small favors.

Oh my! What in the world is Ms. Prim-and-Proper not wearing? In a moment's notice costume change, she has transformed into a courtesan on leave from the bordello. While eye catching, the skin tight hot pink pants are not the scary bit of her outfit. It is coupled with a black corset. But she's got religion. The cross on the leather strap seems foreign with the outfit. We all get the sight of this ensemble as she joins Amanda on the stage for a rendition of some country song that the high notes feel like a saw scraping our spines.

The evening is moving along and we are surprised by James and Liz arriving. As they wave and get their beers, I make the decision to put away my notebook, ready for conversation rather than observation. Yes, just another night at the Chalet.

"Under Your Skin I'm Playing in Your Head"

2007-01-05T23:09:00.000-08:00

As a man gathers his belongings to go home for the evening, I see him meticulously put his iPod into his shirt pocket, lace the earbuds cord up through his collar, put on his jacket, dig for his keys in one pocket while getting his gloves out of the other, and then grab his lunch bag. Little gestures and movements, routine at the end of a long work day, and these motions are performed without thought. He is just getting ready to go home. He is most likely thinking of his drive, hoping traffic is not bad, or thinking of his family. The man is probably planning, or reviewing existing plans, for the evening. He doesn't know that in an instant, he reminded me of an entire evening out from eight and a half years ago.

This happens to me often. A small thing will trigger a memory long put away. I do not say forgotten, because it is there, but put away as if it were a file in an office building designed to store data. It wasn't needed at the time and so it is resting neatly in its cabinet, waiting to be referenced again.

It was a summer evening when my parents had the idea to take our guests and me to a piano concert. Our family had never attended a piano concert before, besides the recital I had to perform in when I thought learning to play sounded like a good idea. The pianists in this concert were much better players than I was, no pecking out the melody to "Beauty and the Beast," for them. The pianists were twin Russian women and they played depressing melodies and harmonies together on stage for about an hour. What I remember the most about their performance is the fact that at least one of them rocked back and forth on her bench and I waiting for the moment when she swayed hard enough to fall off the seat onto the hardwood floor. The urge to giggle was suppressed because the woman looked mentally challenged and I would be appalled with myself to laugh at the sight of a disabled person getting hurt, but this woman was not disabled. She just flailed wildly at a piano while her fingers played parts of the most miserable and gloomy pieces of music ever written. Her actions seemed so out of place with the tune that I filed this detail away.

At this point, you may wonder why a man leaving work at the end of a long day reminded me of this experience. Without someone connecting the dots, I would see the two events as unrelated as they truly are. The man getting ready to leave was not Russian. He didn't play piano. The twins didn't wear jackets or gloves; it was June in Minnesota. He picked up keys and they played keys, but that is not the connection.

No, it was how he pulled his earbuds cord through his jacket. As I mentioned, there were others at the concert with my parents and myself. One of those others was Andriy. If you've been paying attention to my life through this blog enough over the past few months, you'll know he's never far from being the center of my thoughts.

During Andriy's stay, he was lent my portable CD player. This came in handy to him during rides to his internship on the city bus, during his hospital stay, and during this particular piano recital. As the women pounded notes out on the keys, he sat slightly slouched to the right, resting his head on his hand. To the causal observer, he was enthralled by the music coming from the small stage.

In the inside pocket of his sports coat, the CD-player spun. He had laced the cord up through his sleeve and listened to rock and roll, much to my envy. Each time he saw the boredom on my face from this concert, he would smile mischievously and his eyes shone.

A filed memory, one not recalled at just the thought of him, but one that surfaced through a simple observation was able to let me remember the feeling of being there beside him. I miss him terribly. I read somewhere recently that missing someone has nothing to do with possession but with wanting to share experiences with that person. I miss him and wish each day that he could be here (or me there) to share more moments together. One month was not enough.

*Post-note: The title of this post caused me quite a bit of trouble. Titles should be created at the end of writing, not the beginning. At least that is my opinion. The title should describe the writing or song without giving away the story. I finally resorted to using a search engine (Google - but of course!) to find lyrics to a song. The song that came to mind was an odd one by an equally odd artist. There is a song called, "Headphones," by Bjork that I heard and it stuck in my head. It scared me. But headphones seemed an apt topic for the title. With a bit of help from Google, I found the lyrics to that song. They didn't fit the post at all. The lyrics, "Under your skin I'm playing in your head," are from a song I've never heard. It is by LeAnn Rimes and the song is called, "Headphones." The lyrics are actually kind of cute and I also enjoyed the line, "I wanna be that song comin' through your headphones." Well, enjoyed to the point that I could with the word, "Wanna," in there. Don't even get me started on, "Comin'."

Back to Haloscan!

2007-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Checking in with Haloscan, I see they have finally been able to update the program to be compatible with the new Blogger. So, I'm back to Haloscan comments!

I'm awake way earlier than normal today. Well, I just got out of bed right away today. The caretaker of the building was shoveling the street outside my window. This is pointless considering that the snow has pretty much all but melted and he wasn't really doing anything. The man scares me. He walks around without a shirt sometimes and he has man-boobies. It's scary.

I'm off to put the comments from the few posts that were done with Blogger into the original posts! Have a great day! Tonight is karaoke!

iPod, iPod in My Hand, I Hope the New Year is Not Bland

2007-01-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

As the old man turned in and the world welcomed the New Year's baby, DM and I got together to watch the clock turn to tomorrow and celebrated the passing of 2006 and looked forward to 2007. Instead of karaoke, we decided to spend the evening with our cameras and relaxing at one of our old hangouts. The sky opened on Sunday, bringing the longed for "White Christmas" a week late. Snow flurries fell all day long, changing the brown lawns into winter wonderlands, dusting the treetops, and creating halos around streetlamps. There is something about snow that is magical and truly beautiful.

Before treking out in the snow, I spent the afternoon at my dad's. The view from his front lawn was charming, no people on the street and just a few rooms lit up in houses along the way. Beacons telling stories of families gathered together. That's what I imagine at least.

My father and I enjoyed a spicy spaghetti meal while watching "Rear Window." I had never seen the show before and was impressed with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly's performances. Truly a classic. Suspense, humor, and stunning cinematography really did make this film quite stunning.

By the time I went to pick up DM, there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. This would make most places shut down, but not in the Twin Cities. I would not be surprised if readers in Wisconsin understand the minor inconvenience that snow causes. I say, "Minor," because I do mean, "Minor." In states where snow is common, the plows are ready and waiting. The cities spend millions of dollars each year to have the proper equipment on hand to clear the roads efficiently. The three inches of snow on the ground only slowed the traffic down about 10 miles an hour on the freeways. You learn to drive carefully, but you still drive. That's what it was like picking DM up. Give yourself plenty of room on the road, stay alert, drive passively, be careful, and don't hurry to where you're going are good ways to handle driving in snow. I was impressed, not surprised, by how quickly the streets were cleared. Since the driving conditions were not too bad, DM and I ended up driving through some city streets (which were not as plowed but you drive much, much slower) to take some night photographs of the scenery.

After a few pictures, we headed to Perkins for our third New Year's Eve in a row (which sounds a bit lame, but is safe, fun, and relaxing) and as we pulled up, we saw the flag flying at half-mast to honor President Gerald Ford, the man whose death affected most Americans current lives by shutting down mail service for another day and becoming bigger news than the execution of Sadam Hussein. With the wind whipping our iconic of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness around, I had to take another picture or two. I liked this one.

Once inside the restaurant, DM and I turned to another tradition which we named the previous year as, "Ask the iPod." It is a bit silly and only proves our guillible natures, but we have made a game of asking questions about life to the device and using the song titles to give meaning to the questions. We managed to never actually post the answers the iPod gave us last year, but a few from this year we ones we found mentionable. Truth or fiction, you decide. Personally, it is fun, but I do not take too much stock in the responses. It is good, clean fun. Well, not always clean.

Some of the highlights are listed below. The questions have a B or D in front of them, designating if I asked the question or if it was the Queen of the Universe herself. You'll notice themes in our questions (can you imagine the men who are on our minds?). The iPod's responses are in italics (and italicizing the word italics is just silly but I enjoyed it).

D: Will I fall in love with someone else in 2007 (after questions leading her to believe there is a different person)? Maybe Katie

D: Am I going to become a lesbian? Whenever, Whereever

B: iPod, are you saying DM is going to date women? Testing 1, 2, 3

B: (After a question leading us to believe zombies are going to arise from the dead) Why are zombies going to arise in 2007? Addicted to Love (which is the best reason to come back to life)

D: Will I finish my Portugal scrapbook(s) this year? Laughable

D: Is Beth going to make a travel book to make money? Wish You Were Here (which sounds like a good title)

B: What should I do wild and crazy this year? Truth of the Heart

D: Will Beth ever appreciate the comic stylings of Adam Sandler? Too Little Too Late (by the way, I hate him. He irritates every bit of my soul. It offends me that he has made money by being an idiot and that there are people out there who pay for the immature humor - this type of humor annoyed me when I was 5 and it still does.)

B: When (and if) I see Andriy, what will happen? Moody's Mood for Love

B: What song should always remind me of Andriy? The Weakness of Me

D: What song should always remind me of James? Dying to Live (which, by the way, is a great song by Jonny Lang - "Are you living to die or dying to live?")

D: What song should remind us of Sarah? Just the Way You Are (which is sweet)

D: Will I have wonderful sex this year? Dance Without Sleeping

B: Is Andriy the one for me? Everyone is Waiting

D: What is my song fr 2007? Lovers in a Dangerous Time

B: What is my song for 2007? Learning to Fly

D: Who is the one? Do I know the one? I'm Afraid of Americans

D: Is my one male? It's Not Unusual and Piece of My Heart clarify: Mr. Jones

We did have some fun and asked silly questions and got worked up over concidental answers. All-in-all, I got to ring in the new year with my best friend and had a great time.

CarpeDM said: Hey! You forgot the corresponding answer to "I'm afraid of Americans "which was an Englishman in New York, leading us to believe we'll have to take a road trip to New York this year so I can meet an Englishman (or you know, an English woman since iPod hates me and thinks I'm a lesbian). I had so much fun with you. As always. Dude. You so rock. zsqrkw - when I try to say this in my head it sounds oddly like kurka. Dang it.

Frustrated Writer said: Great pictures, great post, and I love the answers the Ipod gave. Glad you were with each other on NYE and I am inspired by your wonderful friendship with each other.

Teri said: I hate Adam Sandler, too...

Mother of Invention said: Finally! Took me 3 tries to get this box to open! I'm envious of your snow! Send a few flakes our way! You had such a great NY's Eve...sounds perfect! And some of those i-pod answers seem unwittingly prophetic! (I've never seen an i-pod close up so I have no clue what you're doing with it!) Cool pics! If we EVER get snow, I'll post some!

Year in Review

2006-12-30T21:57:00.000-08:00

(A meme discovered via DM)

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
I went to Canada. I'd visited Mexico, Germany, and Portugal before, but I had yet to visit the great land just north of my state. I really enjoyed the trip with DM.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
The closest I came to having a resolution was to promise myself that I would embrace my feelings towards men I meet. I didn't do as well with this one, especially since I'm still playing Devil's Advocate about the entire Andriy dilemma. This year? I want to resolve to resolve an issue that is hindering my ability to jump on a plane and visit Andriy. This will not happen overnight, but could be resolved by the end of the year if I buckle down.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth or adopt?
No. Unless you count a bartender at the Chalet and I'll admit, I don't even know the baby's name. Oops. Oh, one of my bankers just had a child. Or his wife did but he is the father, so it counts.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No. I had an uncle pass away that I'd never met.

5. What countries did you visit?
Canada!

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
That's tough. I don't really feel like I'm lacking anything, except that one issue. Unlimited spending power? Without repayment? That's not really possible.

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 15 (drunk at karaoke); October 26 (hearing from Andriy); March 11 (DM's Birthday); May something or another (Road trip to Canada)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Proving at work that my team could be #1 in sales

9. What was your biggest failure?
I still have yet to graduate college. That will take place in 2008.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing too severe. I think I got sick early in the year. Maybe.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Scrapbooking stuff - this year wasn't a big one for buying cool electronics.
Note - oops! I realized that I bought a laptop this year. That was cool.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
DM, Sarah, my mom, my dad, and quite a few of my bankers. I surround myself with good people. It helps. Always.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
There was a situation at work that I dealt with early in the year that was highly stressful, disappointing, and angering. The behaviors of a certain individual went against my trust and I was saddened to realize what was being done by that individual.

14. Where did most of your money go?
iTunes. Debt. School.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Canada with DM. Hearing from Andriy. My team's performance.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
I don't know if there is a specific song for the year, but two songs that come to mind are, "Mess," by Ben Folds Five and "Maybe You're Right," by BNL. Both just move me.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Probably happier. About the same.
b) thinner or fatter?
Unfortunately, fatter. That's what happens when you start going to lunch every day.
c) richer or poorer?
Richer, but still poor.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Traveling. Scrapbooking. There's always a wish to spend more time with friends and family.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Going to the dentist?

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
It's past. I spent it with my parents and my mom's boyfriend.

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
Love was reawakened in 2006. How does that sound?

22. How man one-night stands?
Dude. He lives in a foreign country. A little difficult. None to be exact.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
I like LOST. I also watch Heroes and CSI (Vegas).

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I hate the actions of a few people, but nothing enough to wish badly upon anyone.

25. What was the best book you read?
I don't read enough. I guess I'd say, "Eyes of the Dragon." One, I love the story. Two, I don't remember reading anything else.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I got into Ben Folds and Death Cab for Cutie this year, thanks to Steve. KT Tunstall also.

27. What did you want and get?
A top performing team.

28. What did you want and not get?
I really should not write, "Laid," here.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't see many movies this year. I liked "Stranger Than Fiction," surprisingly.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Well, I'm still 28 (because that hasn't changed yet), and I went to Olive Garden with my mom and her boyfriend. I went to karaoke that night with DM. Sarah, Steve, Katie, Char, and Tom were all there. The next night, I went toManny's with DM, Char, Tom, Bryan, Liz, and James.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having Portugal and Ukraine a whole lot closer.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Understated. The only real thing I can think of getting any notice was the fact people could see m colored socks. There were a lot of days of blue jeans and long sleeved shirts.

33. What kept you sane?
My parents. DM. Sarah. Steve.

34. What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hmmm. I will always adore David Duchovny, Kevin Spacey, Hugh Grant, and Clint Eastwood. But for 2006? I guess Josh Holloway is pretty.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The hindering of gay-rights, the war in Iraq, and I guess the execution of Sadaam Hussein recently has got me checking the news. Not sure what I think of that yet, still catching up on the details.

36. Who did you miss?
Johnny. Andriy. Taco.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Meeting Diana was cool. There are a few bankers who also rank up there.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
Just when you think things are hopeless, something can come around and change your life. You could give up on a dream to find in an instant that the dream is all you can imagine. And delegating does help reduce stress. It is okay to ask for help.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"There is nothing in this world quite as beautiful as your shiver." Or, "All alone, as I've learned to be, in this mess, I have made." The first is from a Fred LeBlanc song, "Shiver." The second is from, "Mess," by Ben Folds. "It was often talked about, it was often raised, but nothing was ever done about it." This one is from, "Maybe You're Right," by BNL.

Teri said: "May something or another (Road trip to Canada)" The date is etched in your memory, huh? Happy New Year!

Mother of Invention said: Wow, what a lot of thought you put into this! I like your positive nature about dreams being reawakened, and how you have such supportive and loving friends/family. You have good aspirations. I hope your dreams come true in 2007! Maybe you'll get up to Canada again and overseas before year's end! Happy New year, Beth. Thanks for being such a regular faithful visitor to my blog!

CarpeDM said: Yeah, we're real good with the date thing, aren't we? I am looking forward to the little trips we take to get away this year. They may not be very far, they may not be very expensive but as long as I have a camera and you, it'll be the best road trip ever. You know, until the next one.

Lioness said: Oh I loved this meme, and your 28 made me laugh out loud! I too wish Portugal were closer but never fear, what w the continental drift, some day we'll be crashing into each other. I'll then wave madly, so you can spot me. Happy 2007!

Frustrated Writer said: great meme! will use it on my blog. glad 2006 brought you some fantastic blessings including a reawakened love, top performing team, and satisfaction. Here's hoping 2007 is a banner year for you too!

Work-a-Holics

2006-12-28T11:56:00.000-08:00

The week between Christmas and New Year's always arrives with an odd feeling. It is a time of everyone reflecting on the end of the year, shopping and gift giving is pretty much over, recovery from the BIG holiday is done, and only those last minute things of the year seem important enough to tackle immediately.

I've been accomplishing quite a bit at work this week - coaching and coaching and then, yes, some more coaching! Sadly, I've gotten to a point where coaching is being used to avoid writing reviews because I just don't want to write them (plus, I find it hard to write them when the entire team is there asking for attention). I should probably hole up in an empty office with my iPod and crank the four reviews out, but I don't. Ah, I'll do it Saturday. Nothing like the absolute last minute.

We're running on bare bones staffing this week when it comes to management. If I counted correctly, there were four supervisors out of twelve in the building yesterday. It gets to be a bit of free reign for all of us, doing whatever we need to do without approval.

I did an interview last night and hired the applicant on the spot. It is nice to actually have good candidates. It does also sound like we're going to try the evening training program again, which means my January and February will be hectic work months.

I wrote the other night, after Christmas at my parents, that there was something nice when I got home. I meant to write this out on Tuesday evening, but never got around to it. Finally, after a month, I opened my email to find a letter from Andriy. It is a nice letter, simple in parts and completely proper in others. It is really cute. I had asked him in my previous emails to explain his job and he did. Now, while I love my job and I am passionate about my team at work, I realize that in perspective, he works harder, longer, and deals with more life affecting issues.

My inquiries about his position focused on whether or not he held an elected position or if he was part of a team that was elected. As it turns out, he is appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister to assist the Governor. The Governor is not elected as we would elect Governors, but is appointed by the President. Andriy is responsible for all duties the Governor would do when the Governor is not present. He is kept very busy at work, dealing with political and law related issues of the oblast (similiar to American states), regulartory matters, coordinating actions when disasters strike, land issues, forest-and-wood issues, internal affair body issues, and dealing with judicial institutions. Busy, busy, busy! Steve read the letter and I commented, "It makes our jobs look a bit easy, doesn't it?" He agreed.

One of the perks of his job that I would adore is the ability to travel. In one year, he's visited five countries plus traveled his country quite a bit. He went to Ireland. I want to go to Ireland. Very much so. As he describes all of his duties and responsibilities, he is factual and detailed. Then he follows up the description of his travels with a simple statement, "I like trips."

In typical form, Andriy tells me about his work mostly. It is where his passion lies and that is what he shares easily. He does mention, "In general, everything is ok." There are holiday greetings, well wishes for my family and myself, and a request to hear from me again soon. There is also a promise of another letter after the holidays (Ukraine starts celebration on New Year's and has Christmas in January). He mentions taking a trip to the mountains to get away for a few days. I would love to escape to the mountains for a few days. Minnesota doesn't have mountains.

It was a nice letter to read on Christmas and of course, in my typical fashion, it just creates more excitement for me. A trip to see him is a goal of mine and could be a possibility in 2008.

Lioness said: No no no, 2007, seven, SEVEN! It must be next year! I will keep my fingers permanently crossed for you, believe me, all crossed and twisted and fused together. It must come to be.

Teri said: 2008 is too far away, I agree.

CarpeDM said: Hmm. 2007. Is it doable? That would be awesome but I can also see why it would be difficult to manage. I got to see the email, nyah, nyah, nyah. I am not sure why I have decided to gloat over that but there you have it - proof positive that I am a dork. Hey, so when are you going to do some coaching? See you chica-chee!

Joe in Vegas said: The trip could be sooner, after all you only need to buy a ONE WAY TICKET.

Mother of Invention said: Nice to see that at Christmas! You never know...your trip may come sooner than you think!

Udge said: Definitely 2007. Carpe Diem and all that.

CarpeDM said: No, no, no, Udge, she's suppose to Carpe Andriy, not the Dana Marie!

Frustrated Writer said: Wow, that seems like a long wait. Go sooner.

Happy Moments

2006-12-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

As predicted, Christmas at my mom's was pleasant, fun, and to put it plainly, great. My dad and I both arrived a little after 4. Sitting in the family room, recently redone (quite the project for my mom and Scott), we watched the "Yule Log," on TV and conversed for a bit before opening gifts. The pets are getting older and all sat back, monitoring quietly.

I gave my mom a book, some cooking pans she wanted, coffee, and a movie she enjoyed. Scott received a CD and an iTunes gift card. I got my dad a DVD TV set and a golf store gift certificate. The gifts all matched the person and everyone enjoyd what they got. I received money from both parents, plus a care package (toilet paper and Kleenex), a bunch of miniture liquor bottles (I collect them like my father does - they are never opened and never drank), one of those memory foam pillows (yea!), and a digital picture frame complete with an extra memory card for my camera. There was the typical random gifts from mom, the things she picked up for me that she just decided to wrap. One year I got a jar of mayo. This year I got two cans of De-Icer for the car.

After presents, we talked some more. Then we headed upstairs for an excellent meal. The Swedish Pancakes, an old family recipe passed on since at least my great-grandmother, were perfect and I remember how much I love them. Once the meal was cleared, my dad hung around for a little bit and then went home. My mom and I ended up playing Trivial Pursuit, a game neither of us has ever really played before (except for Saturday night when I played it with Char). We were terrible at the game, but had a lot of fun. We both ended up laughing hysterically over a question about who was greeted in Japan by a robot dog singing the Russian national anthem. The answer was Vladimer Putin but my mom missed the fact it was the Russian national anthem and answered, "Walter Mondale!" Which was very wrong.

I took pictures, of course.

Pepper was Santa:

The new additions to my collection:

My dad with a bow on his head. He wouldn't let me take a picture of him when the bow was on his forehead.

On Thursday, DM, Sarah, and I went to karaoke. We haven't exchanged gifts with each other yet, but we did bring up the gifts for Bryan, Liz, and James.
Liz, James, and bryan:

Now I'm back home, relaxing before the next work week starts. I have a few reviews I need to get written this week plus a couple of interviews (which could turn into evening training again).

There was also something nice tonight when I got home. More on that tomorrow. I hope everyone had a lovely day, filled with love and happiness.

CarpeDM said: Glad you had a great time. I love the fact that your mom wraps up mayo and De-icer. She rocks. My standard answer for Trivial Pursuit political questions is James Van Buren. No clue why. Why does James always look a tiny bit psychotic? It must be part of his charm.

Diana said: Glad your Christmas was lovely. I get a giggle out of your mom wrapping up mayo.

Mother of Invention said: susdxqivTrivial Pursuit gets easier as you recognize answers from previous questions...or not! I think it's great that your mom and dad get together so you can see them both. Perhaps it was never awkward for them. Sounds like everyone enjoyed all the gifting you did. I can't wait to see your next post! I'm already guessing what it might be about! Won't let me comment as Mother of Invention!

Ellen said: Love how your dad is decked out in a tropical polo for Christmas day, lol. Brad and I went over to Jeff's and he made prime rib for Christmas. It was nice. I should get the pancake recipe from your mom some day. I know it takes a lot of work to make them, though. Hope you have an equally awesome New Year's Eve/Day!

Lioness said: I'm so happy you had a lovely Christmas, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I wish we could meet again.

Frustrated Writer said: I am glad you had a wonderful Christmas! I am glad I can post comments on your blog again!

What Christmas Means To Me

2006-12-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

As Christmas Eve is upon us and the presents are all wrapped, ready to deliver to my mom's tomorrow, I sit and reflect upon the day. Subtract all the hectic shopping, the crass over decorating, and the politically correct way of saying, "Happy Holidays," because we're all afraid of offending another's religion, I do love the holiday. Christmas is not a religious holiday for my family, we have never been devout anything, church/mass is not a tradition we will participate in. But it is a time of family, friends, and being with those we love. Tonight, I will visit my dad and enjoy a quiet evening with him. Later, I will most likely hook up with Char and Tom to give gifts. Tomorrow will be simple; a visit to my mom's where my dad will join her, her boyfriend, and I for gift giving. She is making Swedish pancakes for dinner (a crepe style pancake that we put butter and jelly on, then roll and cover with syrup), one of my favorite dishes ever. The pets will sniff all the presents and run around as everyone opens them.

My parents are divorced but still friends. They still get together for this holiday and we have an easy afternoon of conversation. Talking with my parents tomorrow afternoon will remind me of their intellects and I know I'll learn something new again. Maybe we'll play cards after the presents and food are done. My camera will get a work out (must remember to put spare batteries in my purse). We'll listen to Christmas music, most likely the CD I made last year that holds the songs that our family remembers from years ago. We'll talk about extended family, catching up on all the news that arrived via Christmas cards.

I'll remember Christmases past, such as when Taco and Chip sat under the tree begging to open their presents (see picture below), such as when I was little and my great-grandmother was able to come to Christmas in Iowa and we'd all tease her by singing "These Three Kings," her least favorite carol ever. I'll also reflect upon the Christmas Miracle that our family felt years ago. (Update, he has gone back on the list.)

And in my Christmas fashion, I'll sleep late. Ever since I was a small child, I always slept in on Christmas. Unusual, yes, but logic always told me that the presents would still be there later in the afternoon. Usually the kids wake the parents up early on Christmas morning, but not in our home. Mom would usually send Taco in about noon to wake me, saying, "Would you get up already?"

I wish everyone a happy and memorable holiday. For those with kids, I hope that they have a magical Christmas and smiles are shared all day long. I hope everyone takes a moment to enjoy the season and not get wrapped up in the hectic moments. Merry Christmas!

Joe in Vegas said: And a Happy Christmas to you too! May you get things you like tomorrow.

CarpeDM said: Merry Christmas, Beth! I hope you have a great time at your mom's. I'm at Kari's right now, trying to convince her to let me go home (not working very well), watching Josh "help" Mommy put together a shelving unit and play with the drum I got him. Love you!

Mother of Invention said: You have the right idea about Christmas and it means family and friends for me also. it just makes all of us feel so close. I'll check that miracle soon.

Mother of Invention said: Wow! What a story and how brave and positive Chris is. He must really cherish all the times when he's feeling good. Thanks for that.

Lioness said: Oh my God, how cute they look!

W.I.P.

2006-12-23T01:48:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, I have a new template. I wanted to play with Blogger Beta's new features and I'm not overly happy with everything here. Besides losing the banner at the top (which I still want!), I have also discovered a problem with Haloscan and the new Blogger that is being worked on by the people at Haloscan. Until then, it is back to Blogger comments.

Bah! Not overly happy with this template, expect changes. It should, however; work at any screen size. Any suggestions?

*Update - I was able to add a banner - quite simple in fact. All I had to do was put the Flickr link in the box on the template. Very simple.

**Update - Haloscan is back!

Teri said: No suggestions - and rat-bastard blogger won't let me switch, and I am totally josenin' for the ability to do the categories thing! I've long suspected that my customized template was a big reason blogger wouldn't let me switch...

CarpeDM said: I thought about switching but then I panicked when I couldn't get my banner in there. Fortunately it lets you switch back. Thank goodness. Hope you work it out soon, I learn from you! Hee! There's a Q

Lioness said: I like the wave, it always reminds me of our day - er, hours - on the beach. And yes please, once you figure it out, share the lurve!

Frustrated Writer said: I am glad I can comment now. It was so frustrating before when it wouldn't allow comments.

Inside Jokes...

2006-12-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

Little words, phrases, or actions that make those in-the-know smile fill our lives. Out of context, the minute gestures or conversations may seem trivial or those observing two friends laughing hysterically will think those holding their guts and slapping their knees are certifiable.

While DM wrote a post today (Friday) about the letter Q, I could write a post about the letter K. For no reason what-so-ever, the letter K pops up into my favorite phrases regularly. Most of those result in an inside joke.

For example, I am extremely ticklish. It is so bad that I will giggle and laugh and feel like I am being tickled with just someone mentioning the word tickle. Those I work with and those I know from karaoke (another word with K) all torture me with this fact. I cannot tickle someone else without giggling uncontrollably and there is another supervisor at work who gets great pleasure at making me laugh all afternoon long.

Monkey! A few years ago, I was watching "Planet of the Apes," with Keem and DM. To annoy Keem, each time an ape was on the screen, I would say, "Monkey!" Yes, I know apes and monkeys are different. This was done to annoy Keem. I like monkeys, somewhat. They are cute and all, but no where near my favorite animal. But since I said this during the movie, people keep giving me monkeys. I have one that I really like, a stuffed animal that Ellen gave me years ago named, Elwood. She has his brother, Jake. Now Steve, my tem lead, loves monkeys and can do a pretty good impression. It doesn't hurt that he looks a bit like Curious George to begin with. Today, to entertain our HR consultant who was having a bad day, I was pulled into her office to be tickled while Steve acted like a monkey. It did make her smile.

There are other words that have strong K sounds in them that have been picked up as vocab between DM and I. Our trip to Canada helped us learn Kakabeka. A trip to Wisconsin helped us pick up Kinnickinnick (which is totally fun to say).

But the ultimate word that has a K sound in it that I've adopted is Chicken. Thrown randomly into conversation is a great way to watch DM throw up her arms and make the disgusted, "ARGH!" noise. The beauty of chicken is the fact that it is a common topic and references to it are easy to make.

It started simply, when DM would ask a question (such as, "What should I sing?"), I would reply, "Chicken." Then I grabbed the Ukrainian-English dictionary I have (before I had heard from Andriy) and learned the Ukrainian word for chicken is pronounced as "Kour-kah." More K sounds.

Then it has become a great challenge to find new ways to involve the word into conversation or throw a reference to it into DM's life. I'm particularly proud of the greeting card I sent inter-office mail to her, wishing her happy thoughts and CHICKEN! A radio ad helped me quite a bit by stating, "We've asked everyone and the answer keeps coming up CHICKEN." Co-workers (the other supervisor, Steve, and Sarah) have all sent her chicken related emails.

Earlier this week, while Christmas gift shopping with DM, I preprogrammed my cellular phone to say, "CHICKEN!" when closed. She was not expecting that one. Sarah told her last night that she is getting DM chicken for Christmas.

Two weeks ago, my team had a meeting where we watched a movie. The team chose to watch "Chicken Run." When I got to karaoke, I told DM that we watched a movie about chickens. Her reply, "No, no you did not. You're trying to get me. What did you watch?" Then I told her it was "Chicken Run."

The great part is now every time someone brings up the topic of chicken to DM, she thinks I had something to do with it.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy, safe, memorable, and pleasant holiday season. Don't cook the duck. It just tastes like chicken.

Teri said: I think you should learn to say chicken in other languages in order to drive DeeEm totally crazy. Spanish: Pollo (Poy-yo) French: Poulet (Poo-lay) German: Hähnchen (han-chen) Latin: pullus go here to get millions more language options...

CarpeDM said: Stupid thing wouldn't let me comment earlier. Teri, that's just mean. But funny! Beth, I loved this, especially about the monkey and the chicken part. It's always fun when you get goofy! Merry Christmas. I'm going to take a nap now.

Mother of Invention said: A Krafty and Kool post! HA! Have a wonderful Christmas...feast and fest!

Sports and Children

2006-12-21T01:57:00.000-08:00

Life lessons can be learned from movies where children play sports. The lessons are not those you would typically think are important, but the lessons are there, none-the-less. Recently, I had the displeasure of catching one of the sequels to the Mighty Ducks franchise on public television. In watching the movie, which I think I missed when it was originally released, I noticed some of the lessons seeming to mislead innocent children.

#1. No matter how strong your opponent is, they will all be fooled by a "trick" play. Examples include the "Flying V" and figure skating players doing spins on the ice.

#2. The sleaziest of adults will find their hearts of gold only when forced to spend time with underpriveleged children by a judge. I believe this to mean that spending time with children is slightly better punishment than prison. Nice message.

#3. In true sportsmanship, the opposing team will do their darnest to be jerks, play dirty, and their coach will search out ways to ruin the competition showing exactly how to be a poor role model.

#4. Visitors in the stands will be able to sneak onto the practice field/ice and taunt the players when the players are struggling the most. The taunter will turn out to be the team's newest secret weapon in competition, bringing their own ridiculous play into the game. Specific example from the Mighty Ducks (I think it was the second movie) includes a roller blading kid who can hit a puck so it spins out of control.

#5. The player who hits the hardest will not be any good at the game, but in the pivotal moment of the game, they will be able to be spot on in their aim.

#6. Injuries will only cause the best player to be out of the game until the final moment when their skills are the only realistic reason for the team to win.

#7. Junior hockey players will be allowed into fancy Beverly Hills shopping stores because they are junior hockey players. They will first need to lie their way in, but once recognized, the owner of the shop will parade women wearing next-to-nothing in front of the boys, believing their story about needing to buy their mothers fancy cocktail dresses.

Good Night and Good Luck

2006-12-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

Good Night and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, starring David Strathairn, Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and a few other familiar faces was released in 2005. My father saw it in a bin at the grocery store and decided to give it a try.

Yesterday, visiting my dad for our typical Sunday get together, we watched this film depicting the "battle" between Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy. The history books discuss the Senator's use of un-American tactics to find those who were un-American. It's pretty safe to say in this day and age that the witch hunt to find "Communists" is exactly as I wrote, "A witch hunt." Fear was used to create power and individuals backed away from defending those accused because they feared their names would next appear on the list of accused. The use of fear to create power is no different than terrorism and using the fear of terrorism to create false power is just as illogical. But I digress. What I meant to do is to review this movie.

Throughout the film, songs will start playing where the lyrics seem perfect to the storyline. Just about the moment you find yourself thinking, "Wow, they found the best song for this," you see the jazz band and woman singing the tune. Neat way to create a soundtrack. Effective and unique, which is a plus for the movie.

The black and white tonal quality of the film fits well into the memory of the times, Murrow's show and McCarthy's hearings were televised on black and white sets, far from plasma flat screens that may show the movie to many these days.

The acting was good - serious in the right spots, and although I do enjoy David Strathairn (from L.A. Confidential - Pierce Moorehouse Patchett!), he played Murrow in an interesting light. The character was real, serious, loyal, and an intelligent man, yet the eyes seemed to show a quiet motive to bring down the American government. Little odd.

The plot is where I wonder about this movie. The running time is a little under 90 minutes and in that time, there is the "war" waged between Murrow and McCarthy, the death of another broadcaster, a storyline about a married couple working at CBS, and a message about the purpose of television. It is a jumbled mess. Three of the storylines were not needed at all to tell the story and the story of the battle between Murrow and McCarthy should have been stressed more to show the actual impact. Murrow's broadcasts about McCarthy started near the end of the witch hunt and the end of the Congressional Hearings to find Communists is anti-climatic in the film.

Not bad, not good. If you get a chance to see it without paying for it, do. Don't waste money on the film though.