Homework's done!

All of my work for the semester that has to be turned in ... is done! All I've got left to do is study for a final exam on Wednesday. I found some time to scrapbook tonight... here's Dusty. The scan's not great, because of all the texture, but I can't take a straight photo of a sqaure without it turning in to a trapezoid.


Other than that, not much to report. Went to the gym again. It was Taco Night here at our house. I watched 24, and am looking forward to heading to bed.

Tuesday night is my presentation for my EVIL class. Wish me luck!

Better than expected

Today wasn't nearly as stressful as I thought it was going to be, which was a relief considering how stressed out I've been lately. I put the finishing touches on two projects for class this morning. I was much further along than I thought I was, probably because I did an awful lot of work during the week. I still have a couple of things to wrap up tomorrow, but at least I had some time to relax this weekend, too.

I mentioned sometime earlier that Dusty and Lefty love to get on top of the dresser that's right next to the window, and put their front paws on the top of the window and just look out. Normally, when you catch them, they take off running. I managed to get some pictures of them today, though. The one of Lefty hanging from the window indicates why we've been having to keep that window cracked only a little bit. It also draws attention to how long and skinny she is!


Not a whole lot going on. Just counting down the 72 hrs I've got until this stupid semester is over. I made it to the gym again this afternoon, and we just had a quick dinner. Caught the Amazing Race, did a little scrapbooking, caught up with my friend Rachael, talked to Jeff for a little while.

Homework Successfully Avoided

I did get some work done last night -- a bunch, actually. I've still got a lot to do, but I really needed a break from the stress today, so I chose procrastination.

In honor of procrastinating, we went to Costco and bought lots of stuff. We brought more coolers this time, and more ice. The one closer to the house is supposed to open this summer-- it can't come soon enough! We got everything from printer ink to green beans (they have the best french green beans!). We also treated ourselves to an itunes giftcard -- see if we can't give this digital music thing a shot and cut down on cds. ;)

Did I accidentally forget to mention that we stopped at the scrapbook store first? Greg's such a good sport, even if he did leave to go look at shoes. And then go sit in the car to work on his thesis. In fact, I *deserved* to stop at the scrapbook store, since he made me drive both ways, so he could "revise" his thesis, but every time I looked over, his eyes were closed. It sure is a good thing I love him.

We had Costco crabcakes for dinner, and then I made some blueberry muffins and banana oatmeal bread. I've been taking granola bars into work for breakfast, and I'm so sick of them! I've got a new recipe I want to try for some sweet corn muffins, and maybe next weekend I'll make more pumpkin-chocolate chip bread.


The cats were annoying Greg while he was trying to work tonight. They like to get up right in front of the monitor when you're working, and they mostly love to sit and watch the little arrow cursor and follow it around. They also enjoy walking across the keyboard, or just sitting on it. (I got lots of love notes from the kittens while I was in Europe that said jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjvvvvvdsaaaaaaa). Anyhow, to distract them, Greg filled the bathroom sink with water and put some ice cubes around the edges. They loved it! Ice is still one of their favorite toys -- they still come running from the far reaches of the house when they hear an ice cube tray. Sometimes all it takes is opening the freezer. Greg got some pictures of them. (I love the look on Dusty's face in the 2nd one.)


Some more flowers are coming out. The azaleas out front are finally in full bloom, and one of the rhododendron is flowering. It's the one that had to be replanted last fall, so at least is survived the curse of the last plant that was there. Apparently, though, we weren't lucky enough to get a rhododendron that will bloom at the same time as the other one, so we will permanently be reminded of our plant issues. At least until we move. :) On a positive note, the tomatoes are doing fine, and I saw today that one of the plants has a tiny green tomato on it! Nothing yet on the herbs.

Thursday... the start of my fabulous herb garden

Today was just another day. I did drag myself to the gym. By the time I got home, had dinner, did laundry, cleaned up, well... now it's pretty much 11:30.

One thing I did manage to do today was to start my herb garden. I got some seeds and little plastic "greenhouses" last weekend. Tonight I made a big dirty mess, and got them planted. We're hoping for parsley, oregano, cilantro, basil, and dill.

So far, I've managed to remember to water the tomatoes... mostly. Didn't feel like running in and out 5 times last night (I know, I know, get a bigger watering can) because we were already starting to find little bugs in the house (that Dusty and Lefty clearly weren't amused enough by to try to catch... darn, and that was why we got kittens...). That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Tonight it rained a little, but I did manage to water them anyway.

And I did get to watch The Office tonight, which is my favorite tv show.

That's really about it. I've been swamped with school work lately. I actually feel like I have made some progress this week, and have a plan to get it all done (or, done enough.) I saw an email earlier that teacher evaluations are available online now. I'll have to save the one for my AWFUL class for this weekend when I have plenty of time to take out my frustrations. Hm, maybe I'll even post it.

My list:
807 project and write up
808 project and write up
808 - 2 extra credits
Study for 808 exam

It'll all be over in less than a week, and I'll have two whole weeks to myself! I absolutely cannot wait.

The Wonder Spot

by Melissa Bank. I finished this up a week or so ago, but am trying to remember now what it was about. From what I can remember, it was a bunch of stories about growing up and trying to find your place. Who can't relate?
One of the things that really hit home for me was the way the main character was trying to find her "calling" in a job, and never really found anything that fit in a way to fulfill her. I don't really feel like my job is a "calling," just a job. Sometimes I wonder if I have the drive to have a "career" and not just a job.

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend was pretty much nonstop. It's been gorgeous out, though -- sunny and 75 or so. We've had the windows open since last week. It's nice to not need the air conditioning ... yet.

Greg had a meeting with his thesis advisor on Friday night, and I ran to Target and went to the gym. I'm still trying to get 'going to the gym' back into the routine. I haven't been good about it at all lately. Had to work on homework on Friday night, too.

On Saturday, I was up early and back at the gym. I ran a bunch of errands that shouldn't have taken as long as they did. When I got home, I cleaned the brake dust out of the wheels of both of our cars, because the car wash just doesn't get it out. I also realized how much damage Sam's Club did to the wheels when they changed my tires. There are deep gashes in the rims -- all of them. I'm so aggravated. I'm putting them on notice (Stephen Colbert, anyone?). Actually, I am really mad about it, and I don't plan on shopping there again.

I also potted some tomato plants. We had an "Earth Day" 'thing' at work on Thursday, and they gave us 2 free tomato plants. The announcement said "free plants," and I wasn't planning on going, because I thought they were just going to be little things that wouldn't survive. But then I saw people coming back with these 2 ft tall tomato plants, so I decided to go. So there's in pots now, out on the deck. I hope they're going to get enough sun... and I hope I remember to water them. It also inspired me to finally start my own herb garden. I've been meaning to forever. So I got seeds and am all ready to go.

We went out for my birthday last night with Lisa and John and Holly and their 2 yr old son, Andrew. It was lots of fun - we went to the Brick Street Cafe for a nice long dinner. Lisa brought me a present (even though she shouldn't have!) -- it's a box in a box in a box! :) Target has started selling wine in a box, so it's a box of wine in a box-shaped wine 'cozy' in a super cool gift box. (The 'smile' is where the spout is.) During May, they show old movies downtown behind the Peace Center. I've never been, but the wine cozy is for future picnics at the movies. Hopefully my school schedule will allow.

I had more homework on Saturday night, and again today. What I hate most about all of this is that I feel like I have very little time that is MINE, where I'm doing what I want to do. I feel like I'm always doing what someone else wants me to do. It really gets to me. It was so gorgeous out this afternoon, especially since Greg cleaned off all the patio furniture yesterday. I would have liked nothing more than to sit outside and read for even just an hour or so. Sigh.

Some other random pictures...
Our azaleas out front are finall blooming. I was starting to worry about them, since most azaleas have flowered already, and most of them didn't survive the cold snaps. We had some that were flowering out back, and they died in the frost. But the ones in the front, and the ones right outside the back window of the kitchen, seem to have survived, and are getting around to flowering now.




The kitties! Lefty napping on the chair in our bedroom. Dusty napping on the floor nearby. They seem to love having the windows open, too. There's one next to a dresser that we have to keep only cracked, because they get up on the dresser and put their paws on the top of the window, and I'm afraid they're going to get up there and loose their balance, and those screens are not load bearing screens (the Simpsons? the load bearing poster?). But they love to look out at the birds and the dog next door. They also love to leave their little nose prints on the windows.

Sigh. You know you're married to an engineer when he breaks the corners off of his cheese before he puts it on his english muffin.

That's about it. I managed to get a chicken in the oven a little while ago, so we're going to have that for dinner. The Amazing Race is on tonight, so I'm hoping I'll get to watch that while cleaning up some of my scrapbooking stuff (and making room for the stuff I just ordered...).

We're so mean

This is a picture of Dusty (right) and Lefty (well, left) sitting at the front door, wanting desperately to come out and play. I think Greg and I were outside doing yard work. They are still too small to wear their collars, though.

Working (trust me) ...

Trust me? That was my feedback from Unix at work today. I was transferring a bunch of files from Europe. It's a good thing I trusted it, because it took *forever*. And if it hadn't said "trust me," I surely would have killed the operation.

Another digital layout!

So, we are supposed to be creating a scrapbook of "our digital lives," but I don't really have a whole lot of interest in that right now. So I decided to use pictures I've already got on my computer. The design is all straight from class, but I'm pretty proud of it.

What do you think she's thinking?

-WHAT is going on here?
-And which of these buttons will scan my butt?

Destruction

When I came home sick from work on Friday, I found out that Dusty and Lefty had been up to no good. Behind the couch are 3 windows which used to have double hung curtains. Now, I'll admit, they were never really structurally sound, and I think the curtain rods were sagging in the middle since I hung them up. But the sheer panels in the back were pulled down on Friday. The curtain rod had a real 90 degree bend in the middle, and I'm not sure how they managed to pull that off. It's an excuse to go look for a sturdier curtain rod tomorrow.

We got them a 2-level kitty "condo" that they used to love to climb on top of. Now, they also like to run and bounce off of it, and have the weight now to knock it over and roll it around on the ground. (Greg once saw Lefty get trapped in one of the holes as it rolled over her. Surely she would have gotten out eventually.) Anyhow, Greg went to Lowe's and got a 2' X 2' piece of wood to attach to the bottom so it's harder to tip over now. Not impossible, just harder.

Pink Tulips

These are some of my favorites! Only 2 came up in the entire yard. I *know* I planted more than 2. Like, at least 8 or 10. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Looks like the hyndragea are sprouting some new leaves, so they aren't a total loss after last weekend's freeze. But I don't know what shape the flowers will be in.

Sick Weekend

I'm so upset. We had plans to go to the beach this weekend to see Greg's parents. And sure enough, I got sick. It started Friday morning, and by lunch time I was pretty miserable. I had some things I had to get done, so I stuck it out until 3, and then Greg drove me home (as my car is still in the shop.) So we skipped the MBA dinner on Friday night, but I was still feeling bad on Saturday morning. I finally convinced Greg that he should go see his parents, so he drove out there on Saturday afternoon by himself.

I'm feeling better today, but just feeling kind of blah lately. Feeling buried under work and school and a house that is never in order. The chaos wears me down.

I did get to do some scrapbooking this weekend.

David Sedaris...

...was absolutely hysterical. We laughed so hard we were gasping for breath. He read one of the stories from the book I just read (Dress Your Family in Coduroy and Denim), but Greg hadn't read yet. If you've read that book, it was the story about the birth of his brother's first child. He also read another story he had written for the New Yorker called "All the Beauty You'll Ever Need," partially about living in Normandy and the water always getting cut off and what he'd use to make coffee. He read a bit of his jounal entries, including a bunch about the 3 months he spent in Japan at the beginning of the year. So funny.

We went downtown for dinner beforehand, and went to the Thai restaurant, partly to try to make up for the damage done to my tongue on Saturday. This one was much better.

We're going to the beach this weekend to see Greg's parents, but I'm kind of stressed about all the work I've got to take with me. Sigh.

Plans:

Thursday: Dinner downtown, and then David Sedaris!
Friday: MBA dinner at a fancy restaurant downtown
Saturday: Head for the beach!

Please tell me I'm over reacting

So, the Jetta went in last Thursday night after the battery totally died. It was so dead that we had to pull the windows back up after the guy loaded it onto the tow truck. In addition to the battery problem and the idling, we called back on Friday and asked them to take a look at the suspension as well. So yes, we added more work after what we originally asked for, so I didn't make a big deal out of it when they called and said they wouldn't be able to finish everything on Friday.

But I started to get angry when they called on Saturday, 20 minutes before closing, to say it was done, and I could come get it if I could be there in less than 20 minutes. Of course I was in the middle of something and Greg was out in the yard. Now, if he had called at noon and said it would be ready at 4:30, I could have been there. But with Easter on Sunday, it was Monday night before I picked up my car.

And paid a $940 bill.

Needless to say, I was fuming when I drove to dinner before class on Tuesday night, and 2 blocks from where I was going to eat, the battery light started flashing. Luckily, Greg was meeting me for dinner, so we switched cars. He made it home, and we got the car back to the dealership on Tuesday night.

So I'm already angry when they call this morning to say that something with the fuse box caused the battery problem, and also killed the alternator. And it will be another $848. Oh, and the alternator isn't in stock and won't be available until Friday.

And, would I like for them to arrange for a rental car? I said, "you mean, like I pay for a rental car?" "Yes." "Absolutely not." "Well, let me check with the service manager to see if we have a loaner car." He calls me back. "We don't have a loaner car. But we will pay for a rental car."

So, first, they tried to get ME to pay for the rental car, because THEY failed to check the charging system when the battery died.

Honestly, I don't have time to get the rental car. We went through this when they couldn't figure out the seat heater in Greg's car. They don't call for a rental car until you get there, and it takes about an hour. But they tried to get ME to pay for it.

So, they'll have had my car for a week, at least.

My brother Dan is a mechanic, and he said any mechanic worth anything would have checked the charging system.

This wouldn't be quite AS bad, if the last time I had major work done, it had been done right the first time. But that had to be taken back in a week later.

I think Customer Service will be hearing from me.

Monday

Sadly, I don't think the hyndrageas did too well with the freeze over the weekend. They were looking so good, too! I did this in honor of them tonight. :)

We had a quiet Easter. I actually was sick last night. My allergies have been out of control lately, and after being gone for 3.5 weeks, it's like I'm allergic to the cats again. After I came home from the gym yesterday, I decided to use the inhaler, and about 30 minutes later, my throat was in pain and it hurt to swallow. Then my whole neck gets sore, my ears hurt, and the back of my head (starting at my neck) starts to hurt. I eventually crashed in bed, and am much better tonight. Still a bit of a sore throat and my neck is a little sore. I'm not sure why I would all of a sudden be having a reaction to this inhaler. Planning to call the dr tomorrow.

Venturing into the digital world...

I finally finished the first 3 pages of my digital scrapbooking class! It was a real challenge for me, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Here's what I've got so far:

Happy Easter

Five Years

Five years ago yesterday was our first date. (Well, our second first date, but that's a story for another day.) It was a Sunday afternoon, and I called Greg and asked if he wanted to go for a walk in the park. We drove downtown and walked through the park, and sat down on a blanket in front of the waterfall. We talked and talked and talked, and when we were walking, Greg asked me if I knew why fire trucks had dalmations. And with that, I was hooked. I'd just heard the joke that very morning on the Prairie Home Companion joke show, and I know it takes a special breed to listen to the show. So, when I told him the answer, "to find the fire hydrants," I think he knew, too.

Yesterday, we went back to the park to sit for a while, but it was really really cold! We only lasted about half an hour. The park wasn't nearly as pretty 5 years ago. They've done so much work and it's just gorgeous now. Where the pedestrian bridge is now, there used to be a road, and the road bridge pretty much obscured the falls. Plus, it was really dark and kind of creepy. So much nicer now.

After the park, we came back home and Greg did some yard work - mowing the lawn, raking, trimming the tree branches - while I hung out inside cleaning up. 3 of my 4 packages from France arrived yesterday (3 weeks!), but unfortunately, the one with all of my notes from work was the 1 that was missing. I'm sure I'll still be 100% busy this week, and wouldn't have much time to get into them if they had arrived, but I'm starting to worry.

We went to dinner at one of our favorite Thai restaurants last night, and were disappointed to find out that it had changed names and gotten a new menu since the last time we were there. A few of my favorites were gone, and what I did order was much too spicy for my taste. I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy food, I know, but my tongue was in pain while I was eating (and even after I stopped). I was still kind of hungry, but it hurt too much to eat anymore. We stopped at Starbucks on the way home for a latte -- you know, because the milk is supposed to be good for calming spicy food. Yeah, that's why.

It was so cold last night! We've already had the air conditioning on last week, but had to switch back to heat because it's been 58 degrees downstairs in the morning. The poor kittens must be cold, too. Once we turned the heat up a bit when we got home last night, the emergency (hot air) heat came on, and once the kittens realized it, they assumed their positions sitting on the air vents.

Worked on some homework this morning, and am headed to the gym in a few minutes. I've got another group meeting for my other class later this afternoon. I'm also hoping to get started on my digital scrapbook album for the online class I'm taking, trying to learn how to do more with photoshop.

Maintenance

The computer systems have been unreliable at work lately, and yesterday was just a mess ... the screen would freeze up, the drives would randomly disappear and reappear, sometimes you couldn't even log in. A bunch of people ended up taking vacation, and I finally got so fed up after lunch that I left around 2.

I had noticed on Thursday morning that my car had been a little hesitant to start. Nothing much, just a hair diferrent than normal. After I left work, I ran to the grocery store, then back home to start some laundry. I left to pick Greg up from work and to go to the gym. The car was a little harder to start this time, but still not enough for me to take Greg's car. Bad enough, though, that once I got Greg, I had him call to schedule an appointment. (She needs her 80,000 mile service. They yelled when I was late on the last one.) When we came out of the gym, it wouldn't start. Just totally dead, with a gradually slowing clicking noise. Sigh. So we tried to call our 3 friends and go no answer anywhere. We were trying to decide if we had enough money for a cab ride home when Greg's friend Scott called and saved us! AAA towed the car back to the dealership.

Work was empty today, although all of the computer systems seemed to be mostly back up and running. It will be late tomorrow before I get my car back, but that's ok. I'm not in any hurry to shell out the $.

Ran a few scrapbooking errands after work, and then worked on some cards (bday, anniversary). I also finally started watching all of the tv shows that Greg taped for me while I was gone. I've got 3 1/2 weeks of My Name is Earl, the Office, 24, and The Amazing Race.

Tulips and Azaleas and Freeze Warnings ... Oh my!

Took these yesterday afternoon. Some of the tulips are opening, as are the rest of the irises. Of course it seems like we planted more tulips than have actually appeared.








The tulip magnolia bush finally had 2 flowers on it. All of the others around bloomed about 2 weeks ago. Not sure why everything in our yard is about 2 weeks behind everyone else. I was worried that the bush wasn't going to make it. Greg's been raking away some leaves out back to put down the fire ant killer, and discovered that the peonies hadn't in fact died -- they are growing back! Hooray! That means that everything we planted back there last year made it. (Except the azalea that lost to the weedwacker. Sorry, did I just mention that again?) That's a new record for us.

The hydrangea really seem to grow well here ... so excited to see those soon. Their leaves are sprouting and we should have flowers by the end of the month, I think.

In the mean time, there's a freeze warning again tonight, and there was some snow up in the mountains tonight.

'Nuff said.

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

I finished this on the way home from France. It was good, but not great. I'll admit I got suckered in by the title. What *IS* marriage supposed to be? Not that I thought it would be a self help book, but maybe would show the good and the bad, and getting between the two. And in a way, it did... via divorce. And still, at some points, it was a little too Nicholas Sparks for my taste. But it did make me look at my own marriage, and really appreciate how compatible Greg and I are, and how well we understand each other. I'm so lucky that he's so kind hearted, generous, and loving.

Irises!

These first three irises opened up last night.

Catching Up

Weekends seem to go by in a blur. On Saturday, we made a pilgrimage to Atlanta to do some shopping. First, we had to appease Greg by going to Fry's, a Radio Shack on steroids. Well, I guess it was better than Radio Shack, because there was some stuff for me to look at: small appliances (who doesn't need a mug warmer?), CDs, the half shelf of Mac software. But at least I got a gauge of how long I'd be able to drag Greg through the scrapbook store.

We stopped at Macy's, because we apparently still had a gift card left over from our wedding nearly 2 years ago that expired at the end of March. We got a fancy stand mixer, and I'm obligated to record this because, in a year, I will be required to go back and count how many times I have used it. But I think it makes dough...

Had to stop at the pet store. The last time we trimmed the kitten's nails, they absolutely just shredded, and I felt so bad. Don't know if the scissors were just getting dull or what, but we got some new ones. And of course a toy. And some catnip. They have us whipped.

Got more than we planned to at Costco, and more than would fit in the cooler on the way home. (The salad had to ride shotgun.) We didn't make the mistake we did last time, though, and got there before all the samples were gone. (It worked -- we came home with potstickers and crab cakes.)

Sunday was blah. The cats woke me up early, and wouldn't stop annoying me, so I came downstairs and slept on the couch for a few hours. Finally got around to pulling some of those weeds before the rain started. I had a group meeting for one of my MBA classes on Sunday afternoon.

It was around dinner time on Sunday before I realized that the weekend had flown by ... again.