At the last camping trip is was noticed that I needed a new pair of Crocs. I have had this pair for well over three years now and they are wearing a bit thin. OK, very thin as the rocks now hurt my feet when I walked.
So I went to the Crocs website and browsed around. I ordered a pair of Wisconsin Badger Caymans and a pair of Cleo's.
They came in the mail yesterday. I eagerly opened the box and tried them one. They did not fit. The Badger ones were too big and the Cleo's were too small. CRAP!!! I had ordered them the size that I normally wear, 8's. The Badger ones came in a size 8-9. I figured that would be ok. Nope, way too big. It looks like I have clown shoes on. The Cleo's same thing. Size 8. My toes hang over the top.
So, I now have to send them back and get different sizes. I was hoping that I would have them in time for camping next weekend. I may have to head over to the sporting good store and pick up a pair. Oh well.....
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Beliot College Mindset List
This is the 11th year that Beloit College has assembled these observations that help to identify the experiences that have shaped the lives–and formed the mindset—of students starting their post-secondary education this fall.
The Mindset List is not a chronological listing of things that happened in 1990, the year they were born. It is instead an effort to identify the worldview of 18 year-olds in the fall of 2008. Of course, our students come from many backgrounds and different traditions and these generalizations may not apply to all. The list identifies the experiences and event horizons of students and is not meant to reflect on their preparatory education.
It is also not deliberately designed to make readers feel really old! (yeah right!!)
Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.
For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.
The Mindset List is not a chronological listing of things that happened in 1990, the year they were born. It is instead an effort to identify the worldview of 18 year-olds in the fall of 2008. Of course, our students come from many backgrounds and different traditions and these generalizations may not apply to all. The list identifies the experiences and event horizons of students and is not meant to reflect on their preparatory education.
It is also not deliberately designed to make readers feel really old! (yeah right!!)
Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.
For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.
- Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
- Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
- They have always been looking for Carmen San Diego.
- GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
- Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
- Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
- Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
- Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
- Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
- Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
- All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who died comfortably at home with Hospice.
- As a precursor to “whatever,” they have recognized that some people “just don’t get it.”
- Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
- Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
- Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
- Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
- Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
- WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
- Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
- The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
- Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”
- Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
- We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
- There have always been gay rabbis.
- Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
- College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
- IBM has never made typewriters.
- Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
- McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
- They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
- There has always been Pearl Jam.
- The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
- Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
- They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
- They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with, in the crib.
- Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
- Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
- Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
- Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
- Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
- Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
- Personal privacy has always been threatened.
- Caller ID has always been available on phones.
- Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
- The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
- They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the hood?”
- Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
- Soft drink refills have always been free.
- They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”
- Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
- Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
- The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
- The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
- 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
- Michael Millken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
- Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
- Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
- There have always been charter schools.
- Students always had Goosebumps.
Friday, August 22, 2008
I Smell Bacon
It has been a few weeks since my last post. Lack of motivation and just no time.
I spent most of this week in another workshop. Once again it was interesting and I learned alot. I am hoping that I can go to at least one, if not both of the remaining ones coming up in the next few weeks. The new tool that we are moving to over the next year will be really cool. I can't wait to get into it more. (yeah, that is my inner geek talking)
I just came back in from taking the boys out to whiz. The air smelled wonderful. I live about mile from Patrick Cudahy. They make meat, more specifically, pork products. They must be smoking the meat as it smells like breakfast outside. The warm smell of ham.... mmmmm... too bad I went to a fish fry only a few hours ago and am not hungry.
Went to the dentist to have a crown put on. The dentist got all the prep work done and now I have a temporary one on. It feels weird. My gums are a bit swollen and my jaw still aches a bit. I go back in a couple of weeks to have the permanent one put in.
Found out last week that my dad has cancer. This sucks. It is in his mouth. He had, what he thought were just some canker sores that weren't healing. He went to the doctor and they did a biopsy and found the cancer. He went for some tests earlier this week and we should know more about what is happening and his options sometime next week. My dad is surprisingly taking this well. Now if my sister would get her head out of her ass.....
I spent most of this week in another workshop. Once again it was interesting and I learned alot. I am hoping that I can go to at least one, if not both of the remaining ones coming up in the next few weeks. The new tool that we are moving to over the next year will be really cool. I can't wait to get into it more. (yeah, that is my inner geek talking)
I just came back in from taking the boys out to whiz. The air smelled wonderful. I live about mile from Patrick Cudahy. They make meat, more specifically, pork products. They must be smoking the meat as it smells like breakfast outside. The warm smell of ham.... mmmmm... too bad I went to a fish fry only a few hours ago and am not hungry.
Went to the dentist to have a crown put on. The dentist got all the prep work done and now I have a temporary one on. It feels weird. My gums are a bit swollen and my jaw still aches a bit. I go back in a couple of weeks to have the permanent one put in.
Found out last week that my dad has cancer. This sucks. It is in his mouth. He had, what he thought were just some canker sores that weren't healing. He went to the doctor and they did a biopsy and found the cancer. He went for some tests earlier this week and we should know more about what is happening and his options sometime next week. My dad is surprisingly taking this well. Now if my sister would get her head out of her ass.....
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
MN Day 3
Since Blogger is unavailable right now, I have to type this up in Word and then copy it later.
Back at the hotel and having a cocktail (vodka/tonic#1).
Sitting in the atrium along with a variety of people. I find it very interesting the group of priests. There have to be about 15-20 of them soaking up the free cocktails. If you were having a priest convention don’t you think they would get to wear street clothes. Not their collars and smocky things. They are too far away for me to hear what they are talking about but they are quite jovial.
Another large group is also bank people. This hotel is a preferred place for the bank to stay when traveling here. It is about 10 minutes away from our business center and 20 from the operations center. Not sure who they are as most of them have southern accents. My guess is retail or student banking as there are major pods of people in Cincy in those divisions. No clue as to who any of them are.
Lots of business people as well. Since the airport is literally across the street it is easy access for them. Most of them look like me. Sitting alone with a drink and some pretzels with their laptops working away. Me I’m not working as my VPN is not compatible with the wireless service here or something crazy like that. Whatever it is, I don’t care. I’m not doing any kind of work. There are a couple people who are in my workshop who spent all day in that and are going right back to the room to work another 5-6 hours. Not me. I refuse to do that. First of all it will force the rest of my team to live without me for a week. Heaven forbid they have to think on their own for a change. We had some issues later this afternoon that I got on call pages for. Why, not a clue as I wasn't supposed to be on call this week.
(vodka/tonic#2-4)
Went for drink two at the bar and met a guy from my office here. I had seen him earlier in the day at our ops center and said hi. Didn't realize that he was staying here. He taught me the trick that you can get two drinks at a time so I did. Then you don't have to go back so often. We sat and chatted for about an hour. It is nice to get people away from the work setting and talk to them. I learned that he likes to hunt and makes his own venison sausage. I shared with him that my dad make alot of sausage as well. Will have to remember to bring him some to taste.
My battery died on the laptop. I went back up and ordered dinner. Not bad.
I turned on the TV. There was some stupid show with people dancing with their dogs. DUMB!!!!! I love my dogs and will, at times, pick them up and carry them around but never do I dance with them.
I'm now watching Super Nanny. WTF?!?! These parents are crazy. This is the reason we do not have kids. I can't even comment on this any more, it is that bad.
On another TV note. The Olympics are starting on Friday. I love this!! I am totally addicted to watching everything I can. For the winter games I had 2 DVRs going so I could record more stuff. It took me awhile to watch but it is so much fun to watch these people compete.
Well, heading back home tomorrow evening after the workshop wraps up. Not nuts about having to drive back but, I figure I should make it to the Dells before dark if I can get out right away. We are then leaving for camping on Friday morning. Can't wait. The weather looks good and the company is without question, fantastic.
Peace Out!!
Back at the hotel and having a cocktail (vodka/tonic#1).
Sitting in the atrium along with a variety of people. I find it very interesting the group of priests. There have to be about 15-20 of them soaking up the free cocktails. If you were having a priest convention don’t you think they would get to wear street clothes. Not their collars and smocky things. They are too far away for me to hear what they are talking about but they are quite jovial.
Another large group is also bank people. This hotel is a preferred place for the bank to stay when traveling here. It is about 10 minutes away from our business center and 20 from the operations center. Not sure who they are as most of them have southern accents. My guess is retail or student banking as there are major pods of people in Cincy in those divisions. No clue as to who any of them are.
Lots of business people as well. Since the airport is literally across the street it is easy access for them. Most of them look like me. Sitting alone with a drink and some pretzels with their laptops working away. Me I’m not working as my VPN is not compatible with the wireless service here or something crazy like that. Whatever it is, I don’t care. I’m not doing any kind of work. There are a couple people who are in my workshop who spent all day in that and are going right back to the room to work another 5-6 hours. Not me. I refuse to do that. First of all it will force the rest of my team to live without me for a week. Heaven forbid they have to think on their own for a change. We had some issues later this afternoon that I got on call pages for. Why, not a clue as I wasn't supposed to be on call this week.
(vodka/tonic#2-4)
Went for drink two at the bar and met a guy from my office here. I had seen him earlier in the day at our ops center and said hi. Didn't realize that he was staying here. He taught me the trick that you can get two drinks at a time so I did. Then you don't have to go back so often. We sat and chatted for about an hour. It is nice to get people away from the work setting and talk to them. I learned that he likes to hunt and makes his own venison sausage. I shared with him that my dad make alot of sausage as well. Will have to remember to bring him some to taste.
My battery died on the laptop. I went back up and ordered dinner. Not bad.
I turned on the TV. There was some stupid show with people dancing with their dogs. DUMB!!!!! I love my dogs and will, at times, pick them up and carry them around but never do I dance with them.
I'm now watching Super Nanny. WTF?!?! These parents are crazy. This is the reason we do not have kids. I can't even comment on this any more, it is that bad.
On another TV note. The Olympics are starting on Friday. I love this!! I am totally addicted to watching everything I can. For the winter games I had 2 DVRs going so I could record more stuff. It took me awhile to watch but it is so much fun to watch these people compete.
Well, heading back home tomorrow evening after the workshop wraps up. Not nuts about having to drive back but, I figure I should make it to the Dells before dark if I can get out right away. We are then leaving for camping on Friday morning. Can't wait. The weather looks good and the company is without question, fantastic.
Peace Out!!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
MN Day 2
So another day dawns warm and sunny in St. Paul.
Our workshop today was very productive. We are setting the policies and process for how the entire organization will be using a new tool. This will impact about 8000 users. It gives me a good feeling to know that my boss and his boss think enough of me and my work that they feel I should be included in these decisions. There will be 4 more of these week long sessions over the next month or so. I hope to be included in those as well.
Went to dinner at a place call Salut Bar Americain. My boss's boss called it the Applebee's for the rich. It was pricey. Dinners were about 30 bucks a piece. Atmosphere was very fun. We sat outside on the patio. Tonight's group was just fur women. I really only knew one of them prior to being here. It was nice to sit, relax and get to know them better. We don't do that enough.
It looks like the Brett Favre saga may be almost over. I am so tired of it. I was surprised to see what a big deal this is in MN as well. I really almost don't care what happens anymore.
Well, time to head to bed. Another busy day on tap for tomorrow.
Have a good day.
Peace Out!!
Our workshop today was very productive. We are setting the policies and process for how the entire organization will be using a new tool. This will impact about 8000 users. It gives me a good feeling to know that my boss and his boss think enough of me and my work that they feel I should be included in these decisions. There will be 4 more of these week long sessions over the next month or so. I hope to be included in those as well.
Went to dinner at a place call Salut Bar Americain. My boss's boss called it the Applebee's for the rich. It was pricey. Dinners were about 30 bucks a piece. Atmosphere was very fun. We sat outside on the patio. Tonight's group was just fur women. I really only knew one of them prior to being here. It was nice to sit, relax and get to know them better. We don't do that enough.
It looks like the Brett Favre saga may be almost over. I am so tired of it. I was surprised to see what a big deal this is in MN as well. I really almost don't care what happens anymore.
Well, time to head to bed. Another busy day on tap for tomorrow.
Have a good day.
Peace Out!!
Monday, August 04, 2008
Anyone Still There??
It has been a few weeks since I have posted. Lack of time being the biggest reason. There has been alot going on lately.
I figured that since I am sitting in a hotel in St. Paul, now is a good as time as any to post. Being that it is free cocktails, even better. Unfortunately the beer is Bud, but the vodka tonics are going down well.
Work calls me to MN for the week. I drove up this morning. Not a bad drive, just long. It was a little over 5 hours. Traffic was good. Car even better. I went to pick up the rental yesterday at the airport. I got my choice of car. PT Cruiser or Mustang. Sweet!! I took the Mustang. Black, fairly tricked out for a rental. It was weird driving a car. I normally drive an SUV, so sitting low to the ground feels weird. It was very easy to speed in that car, thank goodness for cruise that was set about 80.
Where did I last leave off from here??
Trivia playoffs. Finished 6th out of 28 or 29 teams. The half time question killed us. It was to put the state capitals in alphabetical order. We missed the 2nd one so they were all screwed up. A couple of sports questions and down we went. I was still happy how we did. Our group sure knows a bunch of useless (sorta) shit.
(vodka tonic #2)
Sister is still in jail. Hopefully she will be for awhile. I knew she was desperate when she called me to post her bail. I hung up on the collect call. My parents are working on getting custody of the kids. I try to help when I can. Which I wish was more often. Those kids really need a stable environment.
Camping at Lake Yellowstone. Always a blast. It was good to see that E could come with us and get away and relax. It was also nice cuz there are no mosquitoes. This is due to the 4000+ bats in the park. I was sad that we never made it to the area where they come out in the evenings. Went to the casino on Friday. Played in a poker tourney. It payed out the top 4. I finished 5th. I feel like I played really well. I wish I had the chance to play more often.
(vodka tonic #3)
Hubby and I are doing better. He has moved in with me. Altho', when he snores alot I wish he would go back home. It is taking some getting used to living with someone again. I have been alone for the past 6 months. I know that after almost 17 years, 6 months is nothing but, I like not having to worry about anyone else besides me and the dogs. It will just take some time. I do like him being there tho.
Brewers have been doing fairly well. They win 9 on the road and then lose four to the Cubs at home. I have made a few games this year. It sucks that you can't just decide to go on a Sunday morning, head to the stadium and expect to get good tickets and in some cases any tickets. That is the4 price that you pay when the team is doing well.
Coming up...
More camping. I head home Thursday after work and head out Friday for more camping. I love going to this park. Now that there is electricity, even better. I have to remember to go and get my fishing license on Friday morning. Now if we had a boat.........
Well, time for me to go get another drink (last call for free drinks) and head to the sports bar and grab dinner. Liquid meals are not good when I have to have a clear head for some of the training that I am doing this week.
(vodka tonic #4)
I promise to try and post more often. I do read everyone's blogs, occasionally post a comment or two jut too lazy to publish.
Peace Out!!
I figured that since I am sitting in a hotel in St. Paul, now is a good as time as any to post. Being that it is free cocktails, even better. Unfortunately the beer is Bud, but the vodka tonics are going down well.
Work calls me to MN for the week. I drove up this morning. Not a bad drive, just long. It was a little over 5 hours. Traffic was good. Car even better. I went to pick up the rental yesterday at the airport. I got my choice of car. PT Cruiser or Mustang. Sweet!! I took the Mustang. Black, fairly tricked out for a rental. It was weird driving a car. I normally drive an SUV, so sitting low to the ground feels weird. It was very easy to speed in that car, thank goodness for cruise that was set about 80.
Where did I last leave off from here??
Trivia playoffs. Finished 6th out of 28 or 29 teams. The half time question killed us. It was to put the state capitals in alphabetical order. We missed the 2nd one so they were all screwed up. A couple of sports questions and down we went. I was still happy how we did. Our group sure knows a bunch of useless (sorta) shit.
(vodka tonic #2)
Sister is still in jail. Hopefully she will be for awhile. I knew she was desperate when she called me to post her bail. I hung up on the collect call. My parents are working on getting custody of the kids. I try to help when I can. Which I wish was more often. Those kids really need a stable environment.
Camping at Lake Yellowstone. Always a blast. It was good to see that E could come with us and get away and relax. It was also nice cuz there are no mosquitoes. This is due to the 4000+ bats in the park. I was sad that we never made it to the area where they come out in the evenings. Went to the casino on Friday. Played in a poker tourney. It payed out the top 4. I finished 5th. I feel like I played really well. I wish I had the chance to play more often.
(vodka tonic #3)
Hubby and I are doing better. He has moved in with me. Altho', when he snores alot I wish he would go back home. It is taking some getting used to living with someone again. I have been alone for the past 6 months. I know that after almost 17 years, 6 months is nothing but, I like not having to worry about anyone else besides me and the dogs. It will just take some time. I do like him being there tho.
Brewers have been doing fairly well. They win 9 on the road and then lose four to the Cubs at home. I have made a few games this year. It sucks that you can't just decide to go on a Sunday morning, head to the stadium and expect to get good tickets and in some cases any tickets. That is the4 price that you pay when the team is doing well.
Coming up...
More camping. I head home Thursday after work and head out Friday for more camping. I love going to this park. Now that there is electricity, even better. I have to remember to go and get my fishing license on Friday morning. Now if we had a boat.........
Well, time for me to go get another drink (last call for free drinks) and head to the sports bar and grab dinner. Liquid meals are not good when I have to have a clear head for some of the training that I am doing this week.
(vodka tonic #4)
I promise to try and post more often. I do read everyone's blogs, occasionally post a comment or two jut too lazy to publish.
Peace Out!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Corey Hart, All Star
Well done, Brewer fans!!
It was announced a little bit ago that Corey Hart was NL selection in the 2008 All Star Game Final Vote.
Way to go!
It was announced a little bit ago that Corey Hart was NL selection in the 2008 All Star Game Final Vote.
Way to go!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Making Toast
So, I get an email from hubby about 10 am wanting to know if I a.) wanted the old toaster back or b.) a new toaster oven. A, you were close in your comment.
I told him that if he brought me the old toaster back I would make BLTs for dinner tonight, if he wanted to come over.
He was running late and wanted to get home before the Brewers game so he stopped off and bought me a new toaster.
Here it is folks....
By the way, the BLTs were yummy. I still have some bacon so I make them for dinner tomorrow night as well.
I told him that if he brought me the old toaster back I would make BLTs for dinner tonight, if he wanted to come over.
He was running late and wanted to get home before the Brewers game so he stopped off and bought me a new toaster.
Here it is folks....
By the way, the BLTs were yummy. I still have some bacon so I make them for dinner tomorrow night as well.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Lunch or Lack of One
I went to the grocery store this morning to do my weekly shopping. I have had a craving for BLT sandwich for the past week now. I pick up all the fixings, get home, unpack everything and realize that I don't have a toaster. Hubby took it with him.
I guess I'll have to head out to get one.... sigh.....
Damn, I was soo looking forward to that BLT for lunch today.
I guess I'll have to head out to get one.... sigh.....
Damn, I was soo looking forward to that BLT for lunch today.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Vote Now
Click here to vote for Corey "I wear my Sunglasses at Night" Hart to be the final man on the National League All Star team.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
I'm Still Here
The last couple of weeks have been busy and just really did not have the time to post much.
We went to our family reunion a couple of weeks ago. Hubby and I took my two oldest nieces. For being 13 and 7, I cannot believe how good they were in the car for 3 .5 hours. They both pulled out books and read the whole time. No fighting or bickering. Same thing for the way home. I was amazed. Only once did S, ask how much longer. I showed her the GPS and pointed out where she could see the time remaining. So every so often she would lean forward and look.
Here are my nieces (outside) and my cousin's daughter (middle).
Yea, the sign is outdated but we bring it every year. The picture is of my great grandparents, my grandma and her siblings. We think the picture is dated from about 1930-ish.
The reunion itself was a good time. There were about 80 people from all over the country who attended. We have these every two years and are hosted by a different family each time. Hubby played ladder golf with one of my cousins who is slow (she was run over by a farm tractor when she about 7 and now has permanent brain damage). She almost nailed him in the nuts once when she flung the golf balls. It was kinda funny. It is always good to see everyone.
It is Summerfest time in Milwaukee. That means 11 days of music, beer and food. If you have never been to Summerfest, I suggest that you plan a visit sometime. Where else can you have 11 stages of music for 11 days and more than 700 bands
Went to John Mellencamp. For those of you who know me. I am a huge John Mellencamp fan. It started many years ago with my cousin, Linda. Since then we have been to more than 10 of his concerts all over the state. We had 8th row seats right of the aisle. It actually turned out to be about 5th row as there were no rows A-C. The concert rocked.
This picture was snapped without zooming. Yes, that is how close we were.
With it being the holiday week, work was fairly quiet. Until Thursday night. I went to bed around 11 or so. My pager went off at midnight. I join the conference call already in place. It seems that our application is creating new tickets for a group every 3-4 seconds. This had been going on since about 6:50 pm. It is now after midnight. There were over 5000 tickets. Not sure why it took so freaking long to call people in on this. After looking at things, I said that it was not on our end but that it was the automation side of things. I asked them to call in a person who handled that system about 12:15 am. By time someone finally got it thru their thick heads to call her, it was an hour later. She looked at things and said 'yep, it is because the person who set up the alerts was using special characters (@#$%^&*) in one of the fields.'. It was trying to read the info and read the special characters and got itself all locked up in a big loop. Now we have told people that they cannot do this but yet they continue to do so. By time all was said and done the group now had to close almost 7000 tickets manually, one at a freaking time. HAHAHA!!!! That'll teach them.
Yesterday, hubby helped me rip the carpet out of my office. The floors underneath look pretty good. The only room left to get the carpet out of is the spare bedroom. That one can wait for awhile. We grilled out steaks for dinner.
We met a bunch of the gang at the parking lot of the high school to watch the fireworks. It was fun as we could see both Cudahy's and St. Francis's shows. As G said, Cudahy had length but St. Francis had girth. We hung around in the parking lot until after 11, I think. A good time was had by all.
Well, time to go take the dogs for a walk. They are getting restless.
Have a good weekend and Peace Out!
We went to our family reunion a couple of weeks ago. Hubby and I took my two oldest nieces. For being 13 and 7, I cannot believe how good they were in the car for 3 .5 hours. They both pulled out books and read the whole time. No fighting or bickering. Same thing for the way home. I was amazed. Only once did S, ask how much longer. I showed her the GPS and pointed out where she could see the time remaining. So every so often she would lean forward and look.
Here are my nieces (outside) and my cousin's daughter (middle).
Yea, the sign is outdated but we bring it every year. The picture is of my great grandparents, my grandma and her siblings. We think the picture is dated from about 1930-ish.
The reunion itself was a good time. There were about 80 people from all over the country who attended. We have these every two years and are hosted by a different family each time. Hubby played ladder golf with one of my cousins who is slow (she was run over by a farm tractor when she about 7 and now has permanent brain damage). She almost nailed him in the nuts once when she flung the golf balls. It was kinda funny. It is always good to see everyone.
It is Summerfest time in Milwaukee. That means 11 days of music, beer and food. If you have never been to Summerfest, I suggest that you plan a visit sometime. Where else can you have 11 stages of music for 11 days and more than 700 bands
Went to John Mellencamp. For those of you who know me. I am a huge John Mellencamp fan. It started many years ago with my cousin, Linda. Since then we have been to more than 10 of his concerts all over the state. We had 8th row seats right of the aisle. It actually turned out to be about 5th row as there were no rows A-C. The concert rocked.
This picture was snapped without zooming. Yes, that is how close we were.
With it being the holiday week, work was fairly quiet. Until Thursday night. I went to bed around 11 or so. My pager went off at midnight. I join the conference call already in place. It seems that our application is creating new tickets for a group every 3-4 seconds. This had been going on since about 6:50 pm. It is now after midnight. There were over 5000 tickets. Not sure why it took so freaking long to call people in on this. After looking at things, I said that it was not on our end but that it was the automation side of things. I asked them to call in a person who handled that system about 12:15 am. By time someone finally got it thru their thick heads to call her, it was an hour later. She looked at things and said 'yep, it is because the person who set up the alerts was using special characters (@#$%^&*) in one of the fields.'. It was trying to read the info and read the special characters and got itself all locked up in a big loop. Now we have told people that they cannot do this but yet they continue to do so. By time all was said and done the group now had to close almost 7000 tickets manually, one at a freaking time. HAHAHA!!!! That'll teach them.
Yesterday, hubby helped me rip the carpet out of my office. The floors underneath look pretty good. The only room left to get the carpet out of is the spare bedroom. That one can wait for awhile. We grilled out steaks for dinner.
We met a bunch of the gang at the parking lot of the high school to watch the fireworks. It was fun as we could see both Cudahy's and St. Francis's shows. As G said, Cudahy had length but St. Francis had girth. We hung around in the parking lot until after 11, I think. A good time was had by all.
Well, time to go take the dogs for a walk. They are getting restless.
Have a good weekend and Peace Out!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Crime Doesn't Pay
Just ask former Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee.
He was just found guilty of bribery, extortion, attempted extortion and wire transfer fraud. I think that justice has been served.
He spent most of his term as alderman shaking down store owners in exchange for the owners keeping their liquor license. One store owner got tired of it and became an FBI witness. Good for you for standing up to him. That took alot of guts. I wish there were more people like that.
I can't wait to see what kind of sentence he receives.
He was just found guilty of bribery, extortion, attempted extortion and wire transfer fraud. I think that justice has been served.
He spent most of his term as alderman shaking down store owners in exchange for the owners keeping their liquor license. One store owner got tired of it and became an FBI witness. Good for you for standing up to him. That took alot of guts. I wish there were more people like that.
I can't wait to see what kind of sentence he receives.
Monday, June 16, 2008
What Comes Around....
You all have heard the stories of my boss and what an idiot she is.
Got the news last week that she is no longer our boss and we now report to her boss. That is good for us. I like T, our new boss. He actually listens to what we have to say and trusts our judgement. She has now been moved to "special projects". This means that you are out the door in a couple of months. We see this happen every so often.
When we went to T about a month ago, he took our issues seriously and it turns out that they had to get their ducks in a row before they made any moves. It turns out that in April out of 24 business days she was only in the office 4 of them. Now she has the ability to work from home and that is fine on occasion but to only be in the office 4 days out of the month is crazy. That is the trouble when you have teams that are scattered around the country. No one really knows when you come or go.
Now we could have told T that this has been going on for a long time but I think that after they pulled her badge records they found this out for themselves. She did not take the news so well and is pissed at me since she thinks that I led the charge. I sorta did but it was her arrogance that got her into trouble in the first place.
We also discovered her online dating profile. Now I won't post a link of it on here but I sent it to a few of you. It was scary funny. Talking about how she loves her job and how good at it she was. Also saying that she is so religious and such. What a crock of shit. I told L and J that we should create a fake person and pretend that we are interested in her. While they thought that would be funny, they weren't so keen on the idea. Oh well.
Got the news last week that she is no longer our boss and we now report to her boss. That is good for us. I like T, our new boss. He actually listens to what we have to say and trusts our judgement. She has now been moved to "special projects". This means that you are out the door in a couple of months. We see this happen every so often.
When we went to T about a month ago, he took our issues seriously and it turns out that they had to get their ducks in a row before they made any moves. It turns out that in April out of 24 business days she was only in the office 4 of them. Now she has the ability to work from home and that is fine on occasion but to only be in the office 4 days out of the month is crazy. That is the trouble when you have teams that are scattered around the country. No one really knows when you come or go.
Now we could have told T that this has been going on for a long time but I think that after they pulled her badge records they found this out for themselves. She did not take the news so well and is pissed at me since she thinks that I led the charge. I sorta did but it was her arrogance that got her into trouble in the first place.
We also discovered her online dating profile. Now I won't post a link of it on here but I sent it to a few of you. It was scary funny. Talking about how she loves her job and how good at it she was. Also saying that she is so religious and such. What a crock of shit. I told L and J that we should create a fake person and pretend that we are interested in her. While they thought that would be funny, they weren't so keen on the idea. Oh well.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Wii, Wii, Wii All The Way Home
So last week when I came home from walking the dogs, I find a Wii on my kitchen counter. Since my dad was already there that day and no one else had a key, I knew it had to be from hubby.
Funny part was that when I came back into the house I had gone in thru my office and and never went into the kitchen for over an hour. It was then that I noticed it sitting there. I took it out of the box and hooked it up. Gotta love it when they are easy to set up.
Starting off playing some baseball. I swung and missed alot. Did a game of tennis, still swung and missed alot. Next came bowling. That was fun!! I rolled a 172 my first game. Way cool. There is some skill involved with this one. Played a few more games and moved on to boxing. This is way fun!!! I was punching and sorta dodging hits. I had KO's my first two games.
Since it was Wed and almost time for trivia, I put it away for the day.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt like I went 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. My shoulders and back were freaking sore. How can a video game be that stressful on my muscles?? How can I be THAT outta shape.
So today, I go and pick up the Wii Fit from P&K. I hook it up and begin the body test. In the Wii you can create your own little person called a Mii. I made it look like me. Well once I finished my body test my Mii suddenly got fat. It looked even more like me. Pudgy!! WTF?? I don't want to have a fat Mii, I liked the skinny Mii. So that tells me one thing. I need to work out more, eat less and lose weight so my Mii can get skinnier.
I do like the Wii Fit. It has balance games like slalom skiing and ski jumping, they rock, even if I do suck. The yoga is a bit hard. The aerobic ones are kinda fun. I suck at the hula hoop. Steps are cool. They really do get your heart rate up.
Overall, Wii is a cool thing. it gets you moving, which can't be a bad thing. It is addicting. If you have the means to get one, you should.
Funny part was that when I came back into the house I had gone in thru my office and and never went into the kitchen for over an hour. It was then that I noticed it sitting there. I took it out of the box and hooked it up. Gotta love it when they are easy to set up.
Starting off playing some baseball. I swung and missed alot. Did a game of tennis, still swung and missed alot. Next came bowling. That was fun!! I rolled a 172 my first game. Way cool. There is some skill involved with this one. Played a few more games and moved on to boxing. This is way fun!!! I was punching and sorta dodging hits. I had KO's my first two games.
Since it was Wed and almost time for trivia, I put it away for the day.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt like I went 5 rounds with Mike Tyson. My shoulders and back were freaking sore. How can a video game be that stressful on my muscles?? How can I be THAT outta shape.
So today, I go and pick up the Wii Fit from P&K. I hook it up and begin the body test. In the Wii you can create your own little person called a Mii. I made it look like me. Well once I finished my body test my Mii suddenly got fat. It looked even more like me. Pudgy!! WTF?? I don't want to have a fat Mii, I liked the skinny Mii. So that tells me one thing. I need to work out more, eat less and lose weight so my Mii can get skinnier.
I do like the Wii Fit. It has balance games like slalom skiing and ski jumping, they rock, even if I do suck. The yoga is a bit hard. The aerobic ones are kinda fun. I suck at the hula hoop. Steps are cool. They really do get your heart rate up.
Overall, Wii is a cool thing. it gets you moving, which can't be a bad thing. It is addicting. If you have the means to get one, you should.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Coming Home
Every day when I come home to work, I look forward to two things. See the boys and seeing what my dad has done around the house.
On Saturday, I came home from the Trek100 ride to find that my dad had installed the two new lights outside the doors and changed out the light fixture in the ceiling fan in the kitchen.
ZOBMONDO!!
Would you rather....
Lick the tongue of a random dog for 30 seconds
----OR----
steal a bone from a pit bull?
I have to go with the stealing the bone. No one said it was a mean pitbull.
On Saturday, I came home from the Trek100 ride to find that my dad had installed the two new lights outside the doors and changed out the light fixture in the ceiling fan in the kitchen.
Today I came home to find my gutters fixed. The transition strips from the hardwood floors to the laminate in the kitchen and the tile in the bathroom were also installed.
It is always a surprise to see what he has done next. I know that I am very lucky to have someone who knows what he is doing (he was a carpenter for many years) and is willing to come over and fix things when need be. I have my dad-to-do list and whenever I make a run to Home Depot and spend money I call him up and tell him what I have purchased. He then plans out his week to stop over and demolish, install or fix stuff.
My to do list now has on it:
- Install mailbox (I need to buy one first). it is currently on a pole and I want it installed on the side of the house.
- Fix the leak by the hot water heater. There is a slow drip.
- Fix the glass block in the window wells that are cracked
- Remove the old caulk from the seams in the driveway and replace with something else.
- Put soffets in the roof.
- Put in new windows. I have three of them that have leaks. With all the rain we got, one of them has water between the panes of glass. Once again, I have to buy those first. This may be a late fall project as it will be a bit pricey.
- Put insulation in the attic. Also a fall project as the attic is now way to warm to be hanging out in.
- Rip the carpet up in my office.
- Fix the garage door. It doesn't want to close right. Not sure what the issue is but sometimes it take me 5-6 times of opening/closing it before it will go down all the way.
ZOBMONDO!!
Would you rather....
Lick the tongue of a random dog for 30 seconds
----OR----
steal a bone from a pit bull?
I have to go with the stealing the bone. No one said it was a mean pitbull.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Poker, Bikes and Arks
Once again the weekend has flown past.
Friday, I played poker. Finished 2nd again. Made my money back. I am in third place overall and if it weren't for my dismal start I would be firmly in second place. I am only 3 points behind the second place person. The guy in first place has taken 2 firsts, 3 seconds, and a 5th place. I'm a long way back from that. I am really happy with how I am playing. Laying low early and playing only strong hands. Then when the guys weed each other out, I can start to play more marginal hands and get away with them. I think that even after six weeks, these guys underestimate me. Which is fine by me.
Saturday, dawned warm and humid. Hubby and I rode in the Trek 100 (it is still not to late to donate). It was a good time. We ended up only riding 21 miles. It was a bit too warm out and my ass was no where nearly in shape to be able to ride further than that. We hung around after the ride and drank beer from the Delafield Brewhaus. The Dock Light was yummy and refreshing.
Here is a pic of me before the ride, holding a picture of my cousin, Scott who died last September from cancer at the age of 42. I wore my Vegas jersey for him (his picture was in my pocket of my jersey during the ride) as I knew how much he loved to go there and went at least twice a year. Don't you just love my pink bike :)
We had to cut the day short as severe storms were moving in. The evacuated the area and sent SAG support out to pick up any riders still on the course so that they could get back before the weather hit. We got back to my house about an hour before the storms started. Which was good. Was able to get the dogs out and walked a bit before the deluge. According to my rain gauge, I got a little over 5 inches of rain in less than 3 hours. I emptied it about 8:30 pm and recorded another 1.5 inches more about 6:30 am the next morning. I emptied it again around 9:30 that night and had 3.25 more inches of rain from two storms during the day and early evening on Sunday.
I had to go and get some gutter extensions to help keep the water out and away from the foundation. I only have a little water in the basement. I was happy about that.
Lake Delton in the Dells did not fear as well. The lake is literally gone. The lake had risen about 20 inches and the water made its own channel around the dam and literally emptied the lake. You can see the lake and read more about it here. It is crazy to see the lake bed now, there were even fish flopping around.
Here is a picture from over by where we used to live. I used to ride my bike down this road all the time. There is a little creek that runs through here. Not that you could see that now. There has to be at least 10 feet of water in those fields.
My parents home is blocked in by the water as well. The roads are flooded from the river. They had their sump pump clog up and ended up with about 4 inches of water in the basement. Thank goodness it was all rainwater and not sewage. They are slowing drying out.
That's about all for now. Have a good week.
Friday, I played poker. Finished 2nd again. Made my money back. I am in third place overall and if it weren't for my dismal start I would be firmly in second place. I am only 3 points behind the second place person. The guy in first place has taken 2 firsts, 3 seconds, and a 5th place. I'm a long way back from that. I am really happy with how I am playing. Laying low early and playing only strong hands. Then when the guys weed each other out, I can start to play more marginal hands and get away with them. I think that even after six weeks, these guys underestimate me. Which is fine by me.
Saturday, dawned warm and humid. Hubby and I rode in the Trek 100 (it is still not to late to donate). It was a good time. We ended up only riding 21 miles. It was a bit too warm out and my ass was no where nearly in shape to be able to ride further than that. We hung around after the ride and drank beer from the Delafield Brewhaus. The Dock Light was yummy and refreshing.
Here is a pic of me before the ride, holding a picture of my cousin, Scott who died last September from cancer at the age of 42. I wore my Vegas jersey for him (his picture was in my pocket of my jersey during the ride) as I knew how much he loved to go there and went at least twice a year. Don't you just love my pink bike :)
We had to cut the day short as severe storms were moving in. The evacuated the area and sent SAG support out to pick up any riders still on the course so that they could get back before the weather hit. We got back to my house about an hour before the storms started. Which was good. Was able to get the dogs out and walked a bit before the deluge. According to my rain gauge, I got a little over 5 inches of rain in less than 3 hours. I emptied it about 8:30 pm and recorded another 1.5 inches more about 6:30 am the next morning. I emptied it again around 9:30 that night and had 3.25 more inches of rain from two storms during the day and early evening on Sunday.
I had to go and get some gutter extensions to help keep the water out and away from the foundation. I only have a little water in the basement. I was happy about that.
Lake Delton in the Dells did not fear as well. The lake is literally gone. The lake had risen about 20 inches and the water made its own channel around the dam and literally emptied the lake. You can see the lake and read more about it here. It is crazy to see the lake bed now, there were even fish flopping around.
Here is a picture from over by where we used to live. I used to ride my bike down this road all the time. There is a little creek that runs through here. Not that you could see that now. There has to be at least 10 feet of water in those fields.
My parents home is blocked in by the water as well. The roads are flooded from the river. They had their sump pump clog up and ended up with about 4 inches of water in the basement. Thank goodness it was all rainwater and not sewage. They are slowing drying out.
That's about all for now. Have a good week.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
It's Not too Late
Thanks for everyone who has so generously donated to the MACC Fund's annual Trek 100 Ride for Hope. The ride is coming up quick on Saturday. For those of you who have not yet donated, do so now.
Since the weather has been kinda lousy, I have not been out riding very much. I may end up doing only the 20 mile route.
I am riding in support of two people. Even though they are not chronologically children, they still have that child-like spirit.
1. Gambino, who is now breast cancer free. Rock on, girlfriend!!
2. My cousin, Scott, who lost his battle with cancer at the age of 42, this past September.
My fundraising goal is $500. You can click here to go to my web page and make a donation on the secure website. Your donations are 100% tax deductable (who can't use more tax deductions) Check with your employer to see if they will match your donation. Many will do so.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Baba Wawa
On Thursday, one of my girlfriends and I went to see Barbara Walters at Alverno College. It was very interesting.
Barbara is out on tour promoting her new book, Audition. I have not started to read it yet, but it looks interesting. I think that some of the historical parts will be really good. You never know how that will help us in trivia nites.
We were told up front that we were not allowed to take pictures but I did manage to get a few of them before the guy yelled at us. The lighting in the auditorium was a goofy so the pictures I did get are a bit fuzzy and off. The evening was set up to be in an interview style and Kathy Mykleby from WISN was hosting it. I liked the format.
Some interesting facts are that she does not drive and never has. She considered one of her major coups to be when she had to get on a plane with Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor to get an interview with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin. Her older sister was mentally retarded and Barbara was in Milwaukee giving a speech when she learned that she died.
If you would liketo see some of the interview, click here.
Barbara is out on tour promoting her new book, Audition. I have not started to read it yet, but it looks interesting. I think that some of the historical parts will be really good. You never know how that will help us in trivia nites.
We were told up front that we were not allowed to take pictures but I did manage to get a few of them before the guy yelled at us. The lighting in the auditorium was a goofy so the pictures I did get are a bit fuzzy and off. The evening was set up to be in an interview style and Kathy Mykleby from WISN was hosting it. I liked the format.
Some interesting facts are that she does not drive and never has. She considered one of her major coups to be when she had to get on a plane with Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor to get an interview with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin. Her older sister was mentally retarded and Barbara was in Milwaukee giving a speech when she learned that she died.
If you would liketo see some of the interview, click here.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
I Should Know Better
...than to put away my winter coat until August. I kid you not. On Sunday morning, I put my winter coat away in the closet from it's spot on the coat hook in the hallway. With it, I packed away my gloves and hat.
I woke up this morning to take the dogs out and it was 38 degrees out. I had to go back in the closet and get my coat. WTF?? This is crazy.
The temps dropped yesterday about 8:30 or so. It went from about 80 to 54 in about an hour or so. The wind picked up and brought in the cold blustery weather again.
I am glad that I spent yesterday taking off the rest of the storm windows and washing the windows up. It feels nice to be able to see out of the clean windows. Makes the rooms so much brighter. Except for the fact that three of the windows are garbage and have some sort of leak in them and are now all fogged up. One still has water in between the two panes of glass. I will have to replace those before winter.
ZOBMONDO!!
Would you rather....
After three days without eating, have a sumptuous Thanksgiving meal placed in front of you and win $5,000 by waiting 16 hours to eat it
----OR----
just dig in?
I would take the five grand. I really do not like most of the traditional Thanksgiving fare type of food. Do not care for turkey all that much, hate mashed potatoes, I will eat stuffing (usually the only thing I eat on Thanksgiving, other than the olives and pickles) and that is about it.
I woke up this morning to take the dogs out and it was 38 degrees out. I had to go back in the closet and get my coat. WTF?? This is crazy.
The temps dropped yesterday about 8:30 or so. It went from about 80 to 54 in about an hour or so. The wind picked up and brought in the cold blustery weather again.
I am glad that I spent yesterday taking off the rest of the storm windows and washing the windows up. It feels nice to be able to see out of the clean windows. Makes the rooms so much brighter. Except for the fact that three of the windows are garbage and have some sort of leak in them and are now all fogged up. One still has water in between the two panes of glass. I will have to replace those before winter.
ZOBMONDO!!
Would you rather....
After three days without eating, have a sumptuous Thanksgiving meal placed in front of you and win $5,000 by waiting 16 hours to eat it
----OR----
just dig in?
I would take the five grand. I really do not like most of the traditional Thanksgiving fare type of food. Do not care for turkey all that much, hate mashed potatoes, I will eat stuffing (usually the only thing I eat on Thanksgiving, other than the olives and pickles) and that is about it.
Peace out!
Monday, May 26, 2008
A New Look
I have been looking for a new template to use for my blog. There was nothing wrong with the old one but it was time for a change.
What do you guys think of it?? Love it?? Hate it??
Let me know what you think.
What do you guys think of it?? Love it?? Hate it??
Let me know what you think.
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