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June 30, 2005
Can It
After we get back from our long awaited vacation, I am taking on a grand new project. Canning jam. I mean it! I decided that homemade jam would be a great item to give away at our wedding next May. In order to save money and develope a new skill, I am going to attempt to make the "homemade jam" my own kitchen.
Am I a little bit crazy for trying this? Probably yeah.
I am going to start with a single batch of blueberry jam, primarily because blueberries are in season. If this experiment goes well, I will do several other varieties through out the year in order to have enough jars to give as gifts at the wedding. If it goes poorly, or is REALLY boring, I will start shopping for someone elses homemade jam.
Quote of the Day:
I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
Duke Ellington (1899 - 1974)
June 29, 2005
From The Onion
Dead iPod Remembered As Expensive
VENTURA, CA—A third-generation, 30-GB iPod, serial number AP356372, died early Monday morning at age 2. "I'll never forget all the great music it used to play during my workouts," said the late iPod's owner Sarah Zartman at a brief memorial held over the junk drawer. "It was convenient, portable, and really pricey—almost $500." Zartman said that, had she known the iPod's lithium-ion battery would have such a short lifespan, she might have spent more time listening to it. AP356372 is survived by a BlackBerry.
Read the rest of this issue of The Onion.
Posted by La at 8:56 AM | Comments (1)June 27, 2005
Terrible, Horrible, No Good...
My day started with major hair malfunctioning. Why won't it cooperate? Bah!
Next I was shat upon. Not for the first time this year mind you. But certainly for the first time directly outside my front door. Damn the birds that decided to raise their brood in our powder room fan vent. I hates them.
I got cleaned up and headed into work. Am I being irrational to think that the rest of this day may not be peachy keen?
Looking back to happier times...my weekend was rather nice. Flounder and I spent a few hours on Saturday shredding old files and useless paper we had shlepped from out former homes and left in the basement for the last year. It was a rather cathartic experience actually. I reflected back on a time (not too long ago) when I was seriously in debt and afraid to open my mail. It's nice to think about how far you have come. We now have several yard-waste sized craft paper bags filled with shredded paper bits. The recycling guys are going to love us tomorrow. We also took our first swim of the season Saturday which was lots of fun.
Sunday was the cake tasting and I have to say most of the flavors at Creative Cakes were delightful -- or so Mi Mama, Flounder and Mi Mama's best friend tell me. I had but a few morsels, but they were delish! I need to ask the folks at CC a few questions today. Maybe this will be the only tasting we go to?
Next week we are going on vacation and I couldn't be more excited. I need a break! F and I are headed down to North Carolina for GRP's wedding, but we will be spending a few days at the shore first. Ah, I can almost hear the waves now. V. Excited.
Quote of the Day:
The summer night is like a perfection of thought.
Wallace Stevens (1879 - 1955)
June 26, 2005
Low Down
4 more pounds this week. That's now 45. So close to 50!
Posted by La at 7:42 AM | Comments (1)June 23, 2005
Splish
Flounder and I went for a walk this evening. The weather was so beautiful we just couldn't stay in. Our path took us to the community pool. There we picked up our season passes and learned that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights the pool is open until 9:00 pm! I think I see some post-work laps in our future.
Quote of the Day:
Believing that I was born for the service of mankind, and regarding the care of the commonwealth as a kind of common property which, like the air and the water, belongs to everybody, I set myself to consider in what way mankind might be best served, and what service I was myself best fitted by nature to perform.
-Francis Bacon, 1603
June 22, 2005
In Coming
I spent far too much time yesterday adjusting my top so that the front of my bra wasn't hanging out. Of course this is my favorite top that I bought right before I started the program. Now it must be retired. Oh and did I mention that all of the big-wigs in my department decended out our office yesterday almost entirely with out warning?
I love it when they do that.
Posted by La at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)June 21, 2005
Reap What You Sow (Or Not)
On Sunday Flounder tackled the burgeoning jungle that was threatening to take over our back yard. We never spend any time back there (mostly because it is so unsightly) and I hadn't given the space much thought until I looked out the window a week or so ago and saw these giant milkweed-like mutant plant towering over the forgotten flower beds. Neglect can be ugly. Last night we packed up all of the now "yard waste" to be picked up by the trash men this morning. All if this trouble (most of it Flounder's) has reminded my that I never really liked yard work. How much do landscapers cost?
Quote of the Day:
The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.
Barbara Hall, Northern Exposure, Rosebud, 1993
June 19, 2005
We Fall Down
Another 4 pounds this week. Who knew? Not me. A new total of 41 pounds lost.
Perusing the selection of Father's Day cards today I wondered, where are the cards for the mediocer-to-poor fathers? I can't say I have a father figure in my life that deserve all of the praise heaped by the cards I found. Hero? Confidant? Wise Teacher? Yeah, not so much. I settled on one of the goofy funny cards and called it a day. I don't think I should have to celebrate Father's Day, when my fathers have been so very lacking.
Flounder and I realized that we have become something akin to lumps mascarading as young vital 20-somethings. When did we become an old couple that never leaves the house (well nearly, work doesn't count)? We aren't married yet, shouldn't we be dating?!? Yes we should. So with that in mind we went to see Batman Begins Friday night, and went bowling Saturday night.
Batman Begins was really terrific. It made all of the odd mysteries surrounding Batman make sense. Things like: How DID he build the Bat Cave? Where dose he get all those cool gadgets? You know. The movie even had an important message to impart. "We fall down so we can learn to pick ourselves back up". Not bad for an action/comic book film!
Bowling was fun. The two of use a truely awful. Flounder bowls his ball like he has a serious hate on for the bowling lane. I can never find a ball my fingers fit in comfortably, plus Iam left handed, so I walked away with rather sore fingers. But the suckage was kind of funny -- especially since we were both so very very bad. Like my personal high score for the evening was 48. Let me remind you that a 300 is a perfect game. Getting the picture?
Today Flounder and I went back to St. Mark's. We both enjoyed the service and the preaching of the church's pastor who was traveling the last time we visited. We haven't decided to join just yet, but I think we are both still getting very positive feelings about the place.
The reason I love the sea I cannot explain -- it's physical. When you dive you begin to feel like an angel. It's a liberation of your weight.
-Jacques-Yves Cousteau
June 17, 2005
Baggage Claim
I could complain about work right now. I have a lot to kvetch about. But instead of whining I will share the insight I have derived from my job-related hardship.
I want a fresh start.
I want to shake off the baggage of this place and try out a new environment, even if the work is similar. There is no way it would be exactly the same. Different letterhead, different personalities, different challanges.
I need to call my Recruiter.
Posted by La at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)June 16, 2005
Good Things
Hot Summer Days Turning into Warm Summer Nights
Great Music
Better Company
Breathing Space
Fireflies
Time to Laugh
The Sing-along
Room to Stretch Out
June 14, 2005
Flower Power
Today feels like a day to set things right. The office has devolved into chaos since M left. I don't mean people have lost their heads and productivity has grinded to a halt. The office space itself is a mess. There are boxes everywhere in preperation for an event next week. I can hardly think with all the clutter. Not something you ever expected me to say is it? Little Miss Clutter herself. I know, but I am slowly changing my ways. Maybe. Eitherway it's driving me nuts and I have to do something about it.
I am excited about my meeting with the florist tonight. I am sure I will meet with others, but being the first one, I am rather jazzed. I have even written a Floral Brief to give her. Perhaps it's a bit over the top, but I want to give the florist some creative licence, within limits of course. So I will be showing up with a list of flowers I like, the ones I absolutely don't want, the general feeling I want and the number of pieces I expect to need. That's not unreasonable is it?
Quote of the Day:
If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
June 13, 2005
Getting Out
I have gotten my first weight-loss related compliment today from people who didn't know I was working a program. Two co-workers today had positive things to say about my appearance and wanted to know what I had been doing. It was a really nice feeling. I have been very fortunate that everyone (from my closer co-workers to my extended family) has been amazingly supportive. I really want to hit the 40 pound mark this coming Saturday -- so most likely I will miss it by a pound or something silly like that. Life is spiteful like that.
This week is looking rather eventful. I just realized that I have been laying a bit low recently, so all the planned activity seems out of place. Tomorrow I am meeting with a florist I am really excited about. I am hoping they will be as great as I have heard. I have writen up a "Flora Brief" to take with me and everything. Wednesday will bring a dental appointment and a concert in the evening. Thursday I have a hair cut. OK looking at this schedule listed out, it doesn't look like such a big deal, but it feels like a lot for some reason. Maybe I need to get out more.
Quote of the Day:
There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.
Oscar Wilde
June 11, 2005
Blinvisible
By some miracle I lost another 3 pounds that's 37 pounds down. I totally munched my way though this week while Flounder was gone. I am not convinced that my choices won't bite me next week at weigh-in time. We shall see.
Yay! My Baby comes home today! Also I am not picking him up until much later today than I originally thought, which means what, boys and girls? That's right. More time to clean. Inbetween Buffy episodes that is.
Quote of the Day:
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."
-Albert Einstein
June 10, 2005
Bedlam
Oh, so this is what it feels like to be busy at work. Yeah, I don't like to so much. All hell has broken loose here now that M is gone. I hope to have some hair left when this day is out. I have made "lunch" plans with M for a couple weeks from now. I hope at the end of the month I find her happy and settling in well.
In the "Excellent News" catagory, we were able to secure the new site we wanted for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend 2006. Yay for being able to be married on a Saturday. It's the little things, isn't it?
I am very glad Flounder is coming home tomorrow. I have been living like a bachlorette in a pig pen all this week and it's time to turn back into the thoughtful fiance who doesn't neglect housework. And I have to do it quick before tomorrow morning. It's going to be a long night.
Posted by La at 1:48 PM | Comments (0)June 9, 2005
The Whites
Posted by La at 2:47 PM | Comments (0)June 8, 2005
Let's Stay Together
As I have mentioned before, my boss is moving on to another company. Her last day is tomorrow. I have often pondered the relationships people develope in the workplace. They can be intense, built on mutual goals and struggles. They can also get very personal, simply because you spend so much time with the people you work with. I have spent 5 out of 7 days per week with my co-workers for the last three years. It's true that many people have a "work" persona that is different from the one they exhibit in the rest of their life. Personally I haven't encountered much of that in my worklife. I guess it depends on where you work and what kind of work you do.
I have learned a lot from the people I have worked with over the years. Especially since I started working in an office at 18 years old, I have been molded in someways by those relationships. I still have a longing now and then for the interactions I used to have with co-workers of the past, and wonder what they would think if they saw where my life was now. I have let most of those relationships laps. It is far to easy to do. Out of sight, out of mind.
This time, with this co-worker I am going to work hard to keep the friendship going, even if it is bound to change. I expect that by taking the boss/employee dynamic out of the mix, it could be even better down the road.
In general I don't think I have worked very hard to maintain my friendships. But I am working on it. Really I am.
Posted by La at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)June 7, 2005
On The Mend
I am feeling better today. Walking more steadily and in less pain. And I am back in the office.
Yesterday I watched a whole lot of Buffy session 6, including Once More With Feeling and Tabla Rasa. Both classics.
No forward motion on the job front.
Sorry for the most boring post ever -- life has hit a lull.
Posted by La at 12:52 PM | Comments (1)June 6, 2005
Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head
There are lots of things I don't like about summer. The heat, the humidity, the sweating and the sunburns. I do really like the fierce thunderstoms the crop up sometimes.
Sometimes like right now.
All hell is breaking loose on the rain department and I am lovin' it. Most of the time I don't give two thoughts to the rain. Usually I only consider how to stay dry. Right now though, this saturating, violent rain feels like a great release. All the worry and wonder and fear that I have wallowed in over the last couple months is washing away. Drop by torrential drop.
Quote of the Day:
'Occasionally, I'm callous and strange.'
Willow, The Zeppo, BtVS
June 5, 2005
The Twist
Flounder is off and has safely touched down in San Francisco. After dropping him off at the airport this morning I headed to church. I thought they started their new summer hours today, but when I arrived I found that church was in session and I realized I had gotten the time wrong. I had to wait until the later service. Turning to go back to my car I somehow tripped and totally wipped out on the sidewalk, twisting my left ankle and scratching the life out of my right shin. 8 hours after impact the whelt on my shin is the size of my hand (flat not in a fist). I have iced my injuries, taken pain meds and am now icing again. No permenant damage, but there is a WHOLE lot of bruising in my future!
Saturday I learned I lost another 3 pounds for a total of 34 pounds which pleases me greatly.
After cleaning myself up from my wipe-out with a little help from Mi Mama, we went to see Crash. I haven't seen a more racially charged or moving film...well maybe ever. It should go on everyone's "Films One Must See In Life List" along with Schindler's List, Glory and some other amazing films.
Quote of the Day:
"Habit and routine have an unbelievable power to waste and destroy."
-Henri de Lubac, Paradoxes
June 2, 2005
Lucky Suit
I had a really great interview today with the placement agency. The positive feeling I left with totally made up for the less-than-stellar interview a couple weeks ago and the awful sinking feeling I was starting to get when trolling for job postings. I felt like I left their office this morning with my very own cheering section.
And it gets better. I forgot my cell at home today. Of course my cell was contact number I left with the agency. So I get home, check my voicemail and they have already identified an opportunity for me and want me to interview. Now that's service! I can't wait to hear the details tomorrow.
Looks like my lucky suit is doing the trick. Even if this first position doesn't pan out, I feel so much better about this whole process.
My current boss is leaving 1 week from today. I am really going to miss spending 5 out of 7 days a week with her. I can only hope we really do stay in touch.
Posted by La at 9:22 PM | Comments (0)Store Wars
This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
www.storewars.com
Posted by La at 8:57 PM | Comments (1)June 1, 2005
Battle of the Buldge
I have further evidence of my on-going weightloss. If you recall, I am now wearing my engagement ring on my middle finger, since it is too large for my ring finger. Yes, I do plan to get it resized. Yesterday I discovered that I could remove my largest pants without unbuttoning or unzipping them. These were the pants that I wore at least once or twice a week and were a perfect fit when I started the program 7 weeks ago. Whoo Hoo! Anyway I think this is a good sign that I need some new pants. I do have two pair of slacks that fit well, and my jeans are still going strong. I can't wait until I can pull those off too!
Snapple Cap "Real Fact" -- Dragonflies have six legs but cannot walk.
Quote of the Day:
Any change, any loss, does not make us victims. Others can shake you, surprise you, disappoint you, but they can't prevent you from acting, from taking the situation you're presented with and moving on. No matter where you are in life, no matter what your situation, you can always do something. You always have a choice and the choice can be power.
-Blaine Lee, The Power Principle
