How hard is it to move a heating duct to a new spot??
Can't you just cut the old metal door jamb out and put in a new wood one??
The heating ducts are in the middle of the walls in my bedroom and the spare bedroom and it makes it hard to put furniture in the room without covering it up.
He hemmed and hawed a bit and said no. Darn.
I am finally getting the floors in the house refinished in the next couple of weeks. That means that I have to rip up carpeting in the spare bedroom and get the furniture moved around enough for them to do the floors. Anyone want to help??
The sucky thing is that I can't walk on it for like 3 days and can't put furniture on it for 10 days. Not so bad for the bedrooms but the living room will be hard. Not sure what I will do with the tv and stuff. I just can't wait until it is done. I am going to put new baseboards on and paint the walls.
I would like to put new solid 6 panel doors in. The current doors are set into metal door frames. Why?? Who knows... usually you see metal in commercial buildings not homes. Which means that you have to paint them. First you actually have to sand them and then paint them. That sucks and they look crappy.
Ahhh... the joys of home ownership.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Still Winter
It started late yesterday afternoon.
I went by my cousin's home for my great-aunt's 85th birthday. We have always been pretty close and she has been more like my grandma since my aunt lives down here and my grandma died when I was 17. My aunt was surprised to see me there. It made her day she said.
We spent the afternoon looking thru a bunch of old pictures. Most of them did say who the people were so we went and label alot of them. A few I will be using for blackmail (not really) on Facebook. It was really neat to see pictures of my great-great grandparents.
By about 5:00 pm or so it started to rain. By time I left at 8:30 pm it had turned to sleet/snow mess. I had to scrap a half in of inch of my windshield before I could drive. Thanks goodness for 4-wheel drive on the truck.
When I got up this morning I had about 3-4 inches of wet heavy snow. I shoveled a bit, just enough to take the dogs out. My plan is to do just enough shoveling so that the sidewalk is clear and the mail lady/paper guy can deliver my stuff in the driveway. I am hoping that the rest will just melt in the next day or so.
Isn't March supposed to come in like a lion and out like a lamb?? Some days I really wonder why I live here, especially during the winter. There is nothing good about winter in Wisconsin.
When I took the dogs out last night I had to reign them in and keep them in the back yard as the coyotes were back running around. I have not seen them in a couple of months and was not happy to see them now. The mom coyote should be just about ready to give birth in the next few weeks as it is that time of year. She will be hunting and looking for food for the pups.
Welcome to winter in Wisconsin. Have a good week all.
I went by my cousin's home for my great-aunt's 85th birthday. We have always been pretty close and she has been more like my grandma since my aunt lives down here and my grandma died when I was 17. My aunt was surprised to see me there. It made her day she said.
We spent the afternoon looking thru a bunch of old pictures. Most of them did say who the people were so we went and label alot of them. A few I will be using for blackmail (not really) on Facebook. It was really neat to see pictures of my great-great grandparents.
By about 5:00 pm or so it started to rain. By time I left at 8:30 pm it had turned to sleet/snow mess. I had to scrap a half in of inch of my windshield before I could drive. Thanks goodness for 4-wheel drive on the truck.
When I got up this morning I had about 3-4 inches of wet heavy snow. I shoveled a bit, just enough to take the dogs out. My plan is to do just enough shoveling so that the sidewalk is clear and the mail lady/paper guy can deliver my stuff in the driveway. I am hoping that the rest will just melt in the next day or so.
Isn't March supposed to come in like a lion and out like a lamb?? Some days I really wonder why I live here, especially during the winter. There is nothing good about winter in Wisconsin.
When I took the dogs out last night I had to reign them in and keep them in the back yard as the coyotes were back running around. I have not seen them in a couple of months and was not happy to see them now. The mom coyote should be just about ready to give birth in the next few weeks as it is that time of year. She will be hunting and looking for food for the pups.
Welcome to winter in Wisconsin. Have a good week all.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Back in The Saddle Again
It has been a few weeks since my last post. I can attribute some of it to being on vacation. the rest.... being lazy.
I was in Orlando on vacation a week ago. Had a great time. Even with the quasi-tralier trash I had to room with. I went with hubby's brother (BIL), his wife (SIL), their son and his girlfriend and the wife's sister and her husband (now known as TT Wife (TTW) and TT Husband (TTH)).
I got into town on Sunday late afternoon. Got to see the space shuttle taking off. It was very cool even from 90 miles away. BIL, SIL and kids picked me up. We went to Downtown Disney and ate at Planet Hollywood.
Monday was spent relaxing. Since we had two condos we had a kitchen and we went shopping for some food. Things were a bit pricey compared to Wisconsin. A 12 pack of Miller Lite was 13.59. Hung out at the pool in the afternoon and went to downtown Disney for dinner. Ate a a nice Italian place. Here is the pool at the condo.
On Tuesday, SIL, TTW, TTH and I went to Sea World. TTH kept referring to Shamu as Orca. The Shamu furry did not think this was funny. Here is a pic of SIL and I with Shamu.
TTW and TTH are basically drunks. Most of the time they were drinking or talking about drinking. TTH had his first drink at 7:14 am on Tues. He was mad that Sea World did not sell beer until 11:00 am. He wanted a drink about 8:30 or so. They were so exhausting to be around. I have never met more negative people in my life.
Here is a cute pic of a sea lion sleeping.
Wednesday was spent at Universal Studios. We left TTW and TTH as they went to Animal Kingdom. I would have liked to go there but not with them.
Here I am with Shrek and Fiona (with SIL) and also with Marge and Homer. The Simpson's ride was awesome.
Thursday was the highlight of the trip. SIL, TTW, TTH and I went to Discovery Cove. This is a park where there only allow 1000 people in the park each day. You never feel crowded. We got to swim with the dolphins. Our dolphin was Natalie. She was great. I got to give her a kiss, a hug and the finale was where we got to hold on to her fins and she pulled us thru the water. It was SO FREAKIN' COOL. If you ever get the chance to do it, do it. It was well worth the cost. Here are pics of me and Natalie.
Friday had BIL, SIL, the kids and I at Islands of Adventure. We left the TTW and TTH back at the condo as they were out of money. Had a great time riding the Dueling Dragons and the Hulk roller coasters. I was there about 10 minutes when the kids went to go fill up there soda cups. I sat down under a tree in the shade. I left what I thought was a leaf drop on me. Turns out it was a bird pooping. I had bird poo in my hair and on the front of my shirt. Oh well....
All in all it was a great time. I am hoping to convince BIL and SIL that they want to take their next vacation in Hawaii in Dec. The Badgers are playing a football game there and a few days later the men play in basket ball tourney. They are thinking about it.
See ya'll soon.
I was in Orlando on vacation a week ago. Had a great time. Even with the quasi-tralier trash I had to room with. I went with hubby's brother (BIL), his wife (SIL), their son and his girlfriend and the wife's sister and her husband (now known as TT Wife (TTW) and TT Husband (TTH)).
I got into town on Sunday late afternoon. Got to see the space shuttle taking off. It was very cool even from 90 miles away. BIL, SIL and kids picked me up. We went to Downtown Disney and ate at Planet Hollywood.
Monday was spent relaxing. Since we had two condos we had a kitchen and we went shopping for some food. Things were a bit pricey compared to Wisconsin. A 12 pack of Miller Lite was 13.59. Hung out at the pool in the afternoon and went to downtown Disney for dinner. Ate a a nice Italian place. Here is the pool at the condo.
On Tuesday, SIL, TTW, TTH and I went to Sea World. TTH kept referring to Shamu as Orca. The Shamu furry did not think this was funny. Here is a pic of SIL and I with Shamu.
TTW and TTH are basically drunks. Most of the time they were drinking or talking about drinking. TTH had his first drink at 7:14 am on Tues. He was mad that Sea World did not sell beer until 11:00 am. He wanted a drink about 8:30 or so. They were so exhausting to be around. I have never met more negative people in my life.
Here is a cute pic of a sea lion sleeping.
Wednesday was spent at Universal Studios. We left TTW and TTH as they went to Animal Kingdom. I would have liked to go there but not with them.
Here I am with Shrek and Fiona (with SIL) and also with Marge and Homer. The Simpson's ride was awesome.
Thursday was the highlight of the trip. SIL, TTW, TTH and I went to Discovery Cove. This is a park where there only allow 1000 people in the park each day. You never feel crowded. We got to swim with the dolphins. Our dolphin was Natalie. She was great. I got to give her a kiss, a hug and the finale was where we got to hold on to her fins and she pulled us thru the water. It was SO FREAKIN' COOL. If you ever get the chance to do it, do it. It was well worth the cost. Here are pics of me and Natalie.
Friday had BIL, SIL, the kids and I at Islands of Adventure. We left the TTW and TTH back at the condo as they were out of money. Had a great time riding the Dueling Dragons and the Hulk roller coasters. I was there about 10 minutes when the kids went to go fill up there soda cups. I sat down under a tree in the shade. I left what I thought was a leaf drop on me. Turns out it was a bird pooping. I had bird poo in my hair and on the front of my shirt. Oh well....
All in all it was a great time. I am hoping to convince BIL and SIL that they want to take their next vacation in Hawaii in Dec. The Badgers are playing a football game there and a few days later the men play in basket ball tourney. They are thinking about it.
See ya'll soon.
Friday, March 13, 2009
A Milestone
Today is my birthday.
I'm 40. I certainly do not feel that old. Ok, maybe tomorrow morning after a few cocktails this evening....
I am sure not where I thought I would be in my life by this time. Life sure has a way of throwing you curveballs when you least expect them.
I'm 40. I certainly do not feel that old. Ok, maybe tomorrow morning after a few cocktails this evening....
I am sure not where I thought I would be in my life by this time. Life sure has a way of throwing you curveballs when you least expect them.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Massage Envy
I went for a day of pampering this afternoon. My neighbor works at a salon and invited me to try them out.
So today, I went for a massage and a pedicure. Talk about heaven. I have never had a massage before so I splurged and went for the full hour. Well worth the money. Adrianna was fabulous. She started at the top of my head and worked her way down to my feet. Then I flipped over and she worked her way back up. She ended it with a hot towel on my back. WOW!! I layed there for a bit and so could have fallen asleep.
I may have to get a second job so I can get a massage every week. That felt so good.
I think I will sleep very well tonight.
So today, I went for a massage and a pedicure. Talk about heaven. I have never had a massage before so I splurged and went for the full hour. Well worth the money. Adrianna was fabulous. She started at the top of my head and worked her way down to my feet. Then I flipped over and she worked her way back up. She ended it with a hot towel on my back. WOW!! I layed there for a bit and so could have fallen asleep.
I may have to get a second job so I can get a massage every week. That felt so good.
I think I will sleep very well tonight.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Ax Has Fallen
Today was the day I knew was coming last week. It is always nice to have a heads up for these kinds of days. It is never nice to know that people you have worked with for the past nine years no longer have a job.
We lost one guy from our team. That was no surprise. If you have read previous posts, you will see my crabbing about him. He wasn't happy with the job and we were not happy with his work. Sucky thing is that I spent Friday doing the on-call schedule for next quarter. I now have to re-do it and take him out.
Overall, I think about 150 people were let go across the country. There were several people who I really like that were let go. Three of them from my building had more than 25 years each with the bank. That is a hard thing to take. One woman who I was close to, kept asking "why, why her?" I talked to her manager after work and she said that was the hardest thing she has ever done. How do you tell someone who has been there for 28 years (and this was her only job, ever) that they no longer have a job?!?
Our team gets the terminations when they come out. Tomorrow I should get a more comprehensive list of who was let go. I'm afraid to see it.
I'm glad that I did not buy bagels on my way in this morning to celebrate my birthday (which is Friday!). Not a day to celebrate.
We lost one guy from our team. That was no surprise. If you have read previous posts, you will see my crabbing about him. He wasn't happy with the job and we were not happy with his work. Sucky thing is that I spent Friday doing the on-call schedule for next quarter. I now have to re-do it and take him out.
Overall, I think about 150 people were let go across the country. There were several people who I really like that were let go. Three of them from my building had more than 25 years each with the bank. That is a hard thing to take. One woman who I was close to, kept asking "why, why her?" I talked to her manager after work and she said that was the hardest thing she has ever done. How do you tell someone who has been there for 28 years (and this was her only job, ever) that they no longer have a job?!?
Our team gets the terminations when they come out. Tomorrow I should get a more comprehensive list of who was let go. I'm afraid to see it.
I'm glad that I did not buy bagels on my way in this morning to celebrate my birthday (which is Friday!). Not a day to celebrate.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Playing Catch Up
Not a bad weekend if you don't count the weather. It started out being a really nice Friday. Warm, in the mid-50's, sunny. The kind of day that just puts you in a good mood. I went to lunch with a friend and had a good time. It had been several months since we talked and it was nice to catch up.
Hit happy hour. Once again spent the evening talking with a friend who I have not seen in quite awhile. It was a good time. I miss sitting around with friends and just shooting the shit, laughing and drinking beer. I need to do that more often.
Saturday, the weather turned cooler. I spent the afternoon trying to get caught up on my dvr watching. I swear it does not take long for it to fill up. I want to make sure that it is empty before I leave for Florida next week. I only have a few shows left to watch.
Went to another friend's for dinner on Sat nite. She grilled a pork tenderloin and it was yummy. We sat around drinking wine and once again just shooting the shit.
Today, it was rainy, snowy, cold and windy outside. Went and ran a few errands in the morning but spent the day playing poker. Ended up only down about 3 bucks so not too bad. I just could not get cards. When I would have big starting hands the flop would totally miss me. I would try to bluff and get called on it. It seemed like the crappy hands were hitting the flop. I swear I'm going to start playing the 3 9 o. Have to review my strategy and figure out what I need to tweak.
The house next to me finally has an accepted offer. It has been on the market since before I moved in over a year ago. They started out trying to sell on their own but went with a realtor last summer. I am curious to see what it went for. My guess is about mid 150's. It started off at 200. I will now have to remember to close the drapes on that side of the house as the office window and my bedroom window is directly across from windows on their house. Also can't blow my snow on their yard anymore. I would blow all the snow from my driveway on to theirs. Didn't matter as no one ever shoveled it. Except the realtor. If I were him, I'd be pissed as he had to pretty much shovel the walk and driveway before every open house.
Only have two days this week for work. You know darn well they will go by very slowly. Hopefully, people will leave me alone so I can get my work done and not pile more crap on my plate.
Have a good week. Peace Out!
Hit happy hour. Once again spent the evening talking with a friend who I have not seen in quite awhile. It was a good time. I miss sitting around with friends and just shooting the shit, laughing and drinking beer. I need to do that more often.
Saturday, the weather turned cooler. I spent the afternoon trying to get caught up on my dvr watching. I swear it does not take long for it to fill up. I want to make sure that it is empty before I leave for Florida next week. I only have a few shows left to watch.
Went to another friend's for dinner on Sat nite. She grilled a pork tenderloin and it was yummy. We sat around drinking wine and once again just shooting the shit.
Today, it was rainy, snowy, cold and windy outside. Went and ran a few errands in the morning but spent the day playing poker. Ended up only down about 3 bucks so not too bad. I just could not get cards. When I would have big starting hands the flop would totally miss me. I would try to bluff and get called on it. It seemed like the crappy hands were hitting the flop. I swear I'm going to start playing the 3 9 o. Have to review my strategy and figure out what I need to tweak.
The house next to me finally has an accepted offer. It has been on the market since before I moved in over a year ago. They started out trying to sell on their own but went with a realtor last summer. I am curious to see what it went for. My guess is about mid 150's. It started off at 200. I will now have to remember to close the drapes on that side of the house as the office window and my bedroom window is directly across from windows on their house. Also can't blow my snow on their yard anymore. I would blow all the snow from my driveway on to theirs. Didn't matter as no one ever shoveled it. Except the realtor. If I were him, I'd be pissed as he had to pretty much shovel the walk and driveway before every open house.
Only have two days this week for work. You know darn well they will go by very slowly. Hopefully, people will leave me alone so I can get my work done and not pile more crap on my plate.
Have a good week. Peace Out!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Got That One Wrong
It is a good thing that I don't dress according to John Malan.
Wait, I did.
When I watched the news last nite at 10:18 pm, they said that a light dusting of snow by the lake. Maybe an inch or so. When I got up at 5:50 am, I seen something different. Like 7 inches of snow. I was pissed. I now had to change the clothes that I was wearing as I had to wear shoes that I could wear socks with. Going sockless not a good option when you have to trudge thru snow to get to the garage. (damn, I wish my garage was attached. I really miss that).
I turned on the tv to see what traffic was like. It didn't look too bad once I got on the other side of downtown. So off to work I left. Going over the Hoan was slow but not bad. Once I got to the other side of downtown the roads were wet. By time I got to the Zoo interchange. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I took the truck out of 4 wheel drive. The sun was shining when I got to work.
I kept an eye on the weather from work. I didn't want to get caught in a mess driving home. So I left at noon and went home. The roads were fine until I got to my street which was not yet plowed. I worked most of the afternoon and after the plows went thru snowblowed. Went quick. I had thought of using the leaf blower. The snow was light, and the leaf blower would be easier to direct the snow with. If I could have gotten to the 100 ft. extension cord I just may have done that.
Let's see what happens tomorrow night. They called for a chance of snow showers Tuesday nite/Wednesday morning.
Wait, I did.
When I watched the news last nite at 10:18 pm, they said that a light dusting of snow by the lake. Maybe an inch or so. When I got up at 5:50 am, I seen something different. Like 7 inches of snow. I was pissed. I now had to change the clothes that I was wearing as I had to wear shoes that I could wear socks with. Going sockless not a good option when you have to trudge thru snow to get to the garage. (damn, I wish my garage was attached. I really miss that).
I turned on the tv to see what traffic was like. It didn't look too bad once I got on the other side of downtown. So off to work I left. Going over the Hoan was slow but not bad. Once I got to the other side of downtown the roads were wet. By time I got to the Zoo interchange. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I took the truck out of 4 wheel drive. The sun was shining when I got to work.
I kept an eye on the weather from work. I didn't want to get caught in a mess driving home. So I left at noon and went home. The roads were fine until I got to my street which was not yet plowed. I worked most of the afternoon and after the plows went thru snowblowed. Went quick. I had thought of using the leaf blower. The snow was light, and the leaf blower would be easier to direct the snow with. If I could have gotten to the 100 ft. extension cord I just may have done that.
Let's see what happens tomorrow night. They called for a chance of snow showers Tuesday nite/Wednesday morning.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
The Good Mail
These are the kinds of things you like to get in the mail.
Dear Ms. W,
We are pleased to inform you that the results of your recent mammography examination are benign (not cancer).
Dear Ms. W,
We are pleased to inform you that the results of your recent mammography examination are benign (not cancer).
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Jumping for Your Heart
This is a shameless plug and a flat out request for donations.
As most of you already know, my husband passed away on Dec 6, 2008 from a massive heart attack at the very young age of 45. On Christmas morning, my mom was in the hospital having a heart attack. (yeah, it was a sucky Christmas this year).
Heart disease is something that runs in my mom's side of the family. Both of my uncles have had heart attacks and bypass surgery. I have had many a relative pass away from heart disease. Too many.
So... m nieces (ages 6 and 8) are doing a Jump Rope-a-thon for the American Heart Association.
This is a request to help support them in their quest.
To donate to Jayanna (age 6) click here.
To donate to Skylinn (age 8) click here.
Thanks in advance for your support!!!
The American Heart Association is a 501(c)3 organization which all donations to Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart are tax deductible. Everyone that makes an on-line contribution will instantly receive a confirmation e-mail that includes the amount donated along with the American Heart Association's Federal Tax ID #. Thanks for your support of the American Heart Association.
As most of you already know, my husband passed away on Dec 6, 2008 from a massive heart attack at the very young age of 45. On Christmas morning, my mom was in the hospital having a heart attack. (yeah, it was a sucky Christmas this year).
Heart disease is something that runs in my mom's side of the family. Both of my uncles have had heart attacks and bypass surgery. I have had many a relative pass away from heart disease. Too many.
So... m nieces (ages 6 and 8) are doing a Jump Rope-a-thon for the American Heart Association.
This is a request to help support them in their quest.
To donate to Jayanna (age 6) click here.
To donate to Skylinn (age 8) click here.
Thanks in advance for your support!!!
The American Heart Association is a 501(c)3 organization which all donations to Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart are tax deductible. Everyone that makes an on-line contribution will instantly receive a confirmation e-mail that includes the amount donated along with the American Heart Association's Federal Tax ID #. Thanks for your support of the American Heart Association.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Not A Winner
I got the email today.... I was optimistic when I seen the subject line "Thank you for entering the Opening Day ticket lottery" Then I read it...
Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day game, scheduled for April 10, 2009. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected for this ticket purchase opportunity.
I had also signed up with my 3 other email addresses as well as one of hubby's. None were a winner.
I guess that I have to hope that one of the other girls were winners so we can go to the game.
Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day game, scheduled for April 10, 2009. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected for this ticket purchase opportunity.
I had also signed up with my 3 other email addresses as well as one of hubby's. None were a winner.
I guess that I have to hope that one of the other girls were winners so we can go to the game.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Concerts Galore
There are several groups coming to town in the next few months that I would like to see.
The best one is Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave. I first started liking him when I seen the Audioslave in Cuba concert dvd. He is hot and just rocks hard.
The Gsslight Anthem is here in early April as well. I love their song The '59 sound. They kinda remind me of the '80's group The Hooters.
At the end of April is Franz Ferdinad and the day after that is the Killers. Phish and Coldplay at Alpine Valley round out the list. And this is before Summerfest hits.
Anyone up for some music??
The best one is Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave. I first started liking him when I seen the Audioslave in Cuba concert dvd. He is hot and just rocks hard.
The Gsslight Anthem is here in early April as well. I love their song The '59 sound. They kinda remind me of the '80's group The Hooters.
At the end of April is Franz Ferdinad and the day after that is the Killers. Phish and Coldplay at Alpine Valley round out the list. And this is before Summerfest hits.
Anyone up for some music??
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Simply Amazing
Tonight was the premiere of the new season of Amazing Race. It looks like once again it should be a great season.
I think my favorite team may be the mom and her deaf son. They are going to prove that you don't need to hear to do well.
The roadblock proved to be a doozy to start the season out. The teams had to bungee jump more than 700 feet from the second highest bungee in the world. Not sure I could have done it. It seems like the older I get the more freaked out over heights I get. I hate the upper deck in Camp Randall and the Bradley Center. When I was younger I thought nothing of doing back flips off the high dive in the pool or jumping off the roof of the chicken coop into the snow banks.
After that the teams had to move 200 lbs of cheese from the top of the hill to a rack at the bottom. I was busting a gut laughing at the teams who's carrier things broke and the cheese goes flying down the hill. Seems to me that would have been easier to do than hauling it down. The best was Linda and Steve from VA. They came up with a way to only make one trip and it worked out for them. They may prove to be annoying as Linda is not in very good shape. She can't run. You keep hearing Steve tell her to go faster. I was glad that they didn't finish last and will survive another week.
I spent most of the day (can you say almost 6 hours) cleaning out the basement. Heck I even vacuumed all the cobwebs from the rafters. I wanted to get rid of some of hubby's things and organize it better. When he moved back in we just kinda dumped it all in piles. I have 3 boxes and one bag of stuff for Goodwill. Now just have to figure out what to so with the extra set of pots and pans, silverware, toaster oven and the pizza oven. I will probably try to sell it on Craigslist. If you know of anyone who wants or needs them, let me know.
Have the day off tomorrow for President's Day. Gotta love those bank holidays. Since I now have another 10 vacation days to use (unfortunately, they are unpaid) I will try to take some random days off. Probably Mondays or Fridays. Heck, I could not work a full week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I have the annual girl exam and am going to lunch with a friend. I also want hit Kohl's up. I have some bonus bucks to use and want to get some stuff for my trip to Florida next month.
Well, that's about all for now. Have a good week everyone.
I think my favorite team may be the mom and her deaf son. They are going to prove that you don't need to hear to do well.
The roadblock proved to be a doozy to start the season out. The teams had to bungee jump more than 700 feet from the second highest bungee in the world. Not sure I could have done it. It seems like the older I get the more freaked out over heights I get. I hate the upper deck in Camp Randall and the Bradley Center. When I was younger I thought nothing of doing back flips off the high dive in the pool or jumping off the roof of the chicken coop into the snow banks.
After that the teams had to move 200 lbs of cheese from the top of the hill to a rack at the bottom. I was busting a gut laughing at the teams who's carrier things broke and the cheese goes flying down the hill. Seems to me that would have been easier to do than hauling it down. The best was Linda and Steve from VA. They came up with a way to only make one trip and it worked out for them. They may prove to be annoying as Linda is not in very good shape. She can't run. You keep hearing Steve tell her to go faster. I was glad that they didn't finish last and will survive another week.
I spent most of the day (can you say almost 6 hours) cleaning out the basement. Heck I even vacuumed all the cobwebs from the rafters. I wanted to get rid of some of hubby's things and organize it better. When he moved back in we just kinda dumped it all in piles. I have 3 boxes and one bag of stuff for Goodwill. Now just have to figure out what to so with the extra set of pots and pans, silverware, toaster oven and the pizza oven. I will probably try to sell it on Craigslist. If you know of anyone who wants or needs them, let me know.
Have the day off tomorrow for President's Day. Gotta love those bank holidays. Since I now have another 10 vacation days to use (unfortunately, they are unpaid) I will try to take some random days off. Probably Mondays or Fridays. Heck, I could not work a full week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I have the annual girl exam and am going to lunch with a friend. I also want hit Kohl's up. I have some bonus bucks to use and want to get some stuff for my trip to Florida next month.
Well, that's about all for now. Have a good week everyone.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
MN Recap
The last couple of days have been busy.
Work has been nuts the past few days. Being in the same location as most other people I work with is good because you get to sit down face to face with people and work things out. I am not convinced that this project I'm working on is headed in the right direction. There are ALOT of things that were 'lost' in the original requirements and the statement of work that we are now working from. One bomb shell was dropped yesterday that I consider a show stopper. All I can do is express my concerns and if others choose to ignore them... oh well...
Got my review yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up with a 4.55% raise and my bonus was actually doubled from last year. It is good to know that my hard work over the last year has been appreciated. This has made me a happy camper.
Bad news is that today they announce that everyone will take two weeks off unpaid as a cost savings measure. I think that they will implement this by taking a portion of the time off out of each paycheck. You then don't miss an entire paycheck. You are shorted about 2 hours a week. I only had one vacation day left that was not planned for. I now have at least another 5 and maybe another 10. Can't complain that I will end up with 6 weeks of vacation. Bottom line the raise I got will probably not be actually seen on my check. Oh well.... at least I still have a job.
Hit the Mall of America again the past two evenings for dinner. Last night, was Tiger Sushi. YUMMY!!! Hubby never cared for sushi so we never went to places like that to eat. I had the number 10zen maki roll. It was shrimp tempura, garlic chile mayo and mango on the inside. Outside was smoked salmon, unagi (which is eel), avocado, sushi rice, spicy mango sauce, unago sauce and toasted sesame seeds. It was soooo good.
Tonight was Ruby Tuesday's. Also good but nothing special.
After dinner we went to the Underwater Aquarium. Very cool. I took a bunch of pictures with my BlackBerry. You will have to wait until I get home to take them off my phone. You walked thru this tunnel so that you can see all around you. The sharks were really neat. They swam only a few inches from you
Survivor started its new season. I have Debbie Beebe from Timbira and Sandy Burgin from Jalapao. I was sure that Sandy was going home. Didn't happen, so I was happy. I hate it when my people are the first to go.
I head back home tomorrow. Don't fly out until 5:20 pm. I can't wait to get home. I miss the dogs. It sounds like they have been good.
Hope you all have had a good week.
Work has been nuts the past few days. Being in the same location as most other people I work with is good because you get to sit down face to face with people and work things out. I am not convinced that this project I'm working on is headed in the right direction. There are ALOT of things that were 'lost' in the original requirements and the statement of work that we are now working from. One bomb shell was dropped yesterday that I consider a show stopper. All I can do is express my concerns and if others choose to ignore them... oh well...
Got my review yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up with a 4.55% raise and my bonus was actually doubled from last year. It is good to know that my hard work over the last year has been appreciated. This has made me a happy camper.
Bad news is that today they announce that everyone will take two weeks off unpaid as a cost savings measure. I think that they will implement this by taking a portion of the time off out of each paycheck. You then don't miss an entire paycheck. You are shorted about 2 hours a week. I only had one vacation day left that was not planned for. I now have at least another 5 and maybe another 10. Can't complain that I will end up with 6 weeks of vacation. Bottom line the raise I got will probably not be actually seen on my check. Oh well.... at least I still have a job.
Hit the Mall of America again the past two evenings for dinner. Last night, was Tiger Sushi. YUMMY!!! Hubby never cared for sushi so we never went to places like that to eat. I had the number 10zen maki roll. It was shrimp tempura, garlic chile mayo and mango on the inside. Outside was smoked salmon, unagi (which is eel), avocado, sushi rice, spicy mango sauce, unago sauce and toasted sesame seeds. It was soooo good.
Tonight was Ruby Tuesday's. Also good but nothing special.
After dinner we went to the Underwater Aquarium. Very cool. I took a bunch of pictures with my BlackBerry. You will have to wait until I get home to take them off my phone. You walked thru this tunnel so that you can see all around you. The sharks were really neat. They swam only a few inches from you
Survivor started its new season. I have Debbie Beebe from Timbira and Sandy Burgin from Jalapao. I was sure that Sandy was going home. Didn't happen, so I was happy. I hate it when my people are the first to go.
I head back home tomorrow. Don't fly out until 5:20 pm. I can't wait to get home. I miss the dogs. It sounds like they have been good.
Hope you all have had a good week.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Life in MN Day 1
I'm up in MN this week for work. Thanks to A for getting me to the airport with time to spare. Can there be anything more boring than sitting there waiting for your flight to board?? Nope.
Got up here and settled into the hotel by about 5pm. Unpacked and checked out the local restaurant menus. Decided that I did not feel like driving anywhere so just walked thru the building to the TGI Fridays. Take a seat in the bar and look at the menu and watch the Pro Bowl. I look around and discover another person from work there. He sits like 6 seats away from me in the office. I grab my beer and sit down next to him. We order food and more beers. Blue Moon was the special of the month so there were only 3 bucks. Whoo hoo. I had a nice time getting to know a co-worker that I really never knew before. After about 5 beers I decided that it was time to head back. I wanted to have a clear head for the long day today.
Got into the office about 8 am. Spent the next hour trying to get a pc that could remote into my workstation in the office. I soooo wanted to head off to a coffee shop where I could just use my laptop and be done with it.
The building is home to about 2500 people or so. They have a cafeteria. It is good. Real food not vend-o-matic stuff I have back at the home office. Today I settled on the salad bar. All sorts of yummy stuff.
After lunch we start the training class that I am up here for. After about 15 minutes, the instructor realizes that I am the one who knows what is going on and the other 3 people will have no clue. We spend the next several hours going over the material. This is my element. I am geek and love the geeky stuff like this.
After work headed over to the Mall of America for dinner. My former now demoted boss is here as well so we went together. Ate at Bubba Gumps. Yep that Bubba Gumps. It was fantastic. I highly recommend it if you get to one.
May try to hit trivia at the mall tomorrow nite. Could be fun.
Wandered around the mall a bit more and headed back to the hotel. I did not sleep real well last nite so want to hit the hay early.
Got up here and settled into the hotel by about 5pm. Unpacked and checked out the local restaurant menus. Decided that I did not feel like driving anywhere so just walked thru the building to the TGI Fridays. Take a seat in the bar and look at the menu and watch the Pro Bowl. I look around and discover another person from work there. He sits like 6 seats away from me in the office. I grab my beer and sit down next to him. We order food and more beers. Blue Moon was the special of the month so there were only 3 bucks. Whoo hoo. I had a nice time getting to know a co-worker that I really never knew before. After about 5 beers I decided that it was time to head back. I wanted to have a clear head for the long day today.
Got into the office about 8 am. Spent the next hour trying to get a pc that could remote into my workstation in the office. I soooo wanted to head off to a coffee shop where I could just use my laptop and be done with it.
The building is home to about 2500 people or so. They have a cafeteria. It is good. Real food not vend-o-matic stuff I have back at the home office. Today I settled on the salad bar. All sorts of yummy stuff.
After lunch we start the training class that I am up here for. After about 15 minutes, the instructor realizes that I am the one who knows what is going on and the other 3 people will have no clue. We spend the next several hours going over the material. This is my element. I am geek and love the geeky stuff like this.
After work headed over to the Mall of America for dinner. My former now demoted boss is here as well so we went together. Ate at Bubba Gumps. Yep that Bubba Gumps. It was fantastic. I highly recommend it if you get to one.
May try to hit trivia at the mall tomorrow nite. Could be fun.
Wandered around the mall a bit more and headed back to the hotel. I did not sleep real well last nite so want to hit the hay early.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Size What??
About two weeks ago, I was heading out to the local mall. I have a ring that I needed to have resized. It is my favorite ring. It is a three stone LeVian piece that had a tanzanite as the center stone and two diamonds on each side. The lady at the store took my information and said that it would be ready today.
Last night, I get home from work and there is a message on my machine to call the jeweler back. They need to 'talk' to me about the ring. My first thought is "Fuck, they lost it."
So I call them back. The girl said that the ring would not be ready to pick up as they have not sized it yet. What?? Why, I ask. When I dropped it off they said that they would size it in house as it is a simple task. Because it is a LeVian piece it come with a lifetime guarantee for any repairs or sizing. It turns out that if the jeweler resizes it the LeVian warranty becomes void.
So, now they have to send it out to LeVian to be resized. It will be back in 4-5 weeks. WTF???
My question is why did they wait almost two weeks to even look at it and then decide the night before I was going to pick it up that they could not do it. When I dropped it off I even asked them if they were sending it out to LeVian to be resized and was specifically told that they weren't.
Maybe I will be lucky enough to get it back before I head to Florida in March. sigh......
Last night, I get home from work and there is a message on my machine to call the jeweler back. They need to 'talk' to me about the ring. My first thought is "Fuck, they lost it."
So I call them back. The girl said that the ring would not be ready to pick up as they have not sized it yet. What?? Why, I ask. When I dropped it off they said that they would size it in house as it is a simple task. Because it is a LeVian piece it come with a lifetime guarantee for any repairs or sizing. It turns out that if the jeweler resizes it the LeVian warranty becomes void.
So, now they have to send it out to LeVian to be resized. It will be back in 4-5 weeks. WTF???
My question is why did they wait almost two weeks to even look at it and then decide the night before I was going to pick it up that they could not do it. When I dropped it off I even asked them if they were sending it out to LeVian to be resized and was specifically told that they weren't.
Maybe I will be lucky enough to get it back before I head to Florida in March. sigh......
Should a Three Year Old Watch Childbirth??
Due to a power outage, only one paramedic responded to the call. The house was very dark so the paramedic asked Kathleen, a 3-yr old girl to hold a flashlight high over her mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby.
Very diligently, Kathleen did as she was asked.
Heidi pushed and pushed and after a little while, Connor was born. The paramedic lifted him by his little feet and spanked him on his bottom. Connor began to cry.
The paramedic then thanked Kathleen for her help and asked the wide-eyed 3-yr old what she thought about what she had just witnessed.
Kathleen quickly responded, 'He shouldn't have crawled in there in the first place ....smack his ass again!'
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Breakin' the Law, Breakin' the Law
I recently got a nasty gram in the mail from the library. Who knew that they even sent these out anymore?!?!
Yes, I know I have had the book now for almost 7 weeks but it was over 600 pages. I did finally finish it up last night. The first three weeks I had it, I wasn't much in the mood for reading anything.
So I returned it Monday morning on my way to work. When I looked online later this afternoon, I owed $2.80. Oops. I guess I have to pay it before I can check out any more books.
Good thing I only have one that I am waiting one book from there. I was 73 of 294 holds. I got a ways to go before I get the book.
Monday, January 26, 2009
To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity
- At Lunch Time, sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
- Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice
- Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask 'Do you want fries with that?'
- Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks . Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.
- In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Marijuana'
- Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.
- Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
- Specify That Your Drive-thru Order Is 'To Go'.
- Sing Along At The Opera.
- Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.
- When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'
- When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'
- Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'
And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity - Pick up a box of condoms at the pharmacy, go to the counter and ask where the fitting room is. (this is even funnier if you are a gal and do this)
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