January 14, here I come!

I officially start the 20/20 Lifestyles program on Monday, January 14. For the 16-week program, I'll be doing the following:

Working out with a personal trainer in the evening on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Meeting with my nutritionist once a week after one of my personal training appointments

Meeting with a counselor on Thursday evenings

Meeting with a women's support group on Monday evenings

Working out on my own at least two other days a week besides my personal training sessions on M/W/F

After the 16 week program, I'll go into the 12-week maintenance phase, where I'll still work out with my trainer, and meet up with my nutritionist and my counselor, but on a slightly less frequent basis.

I'm so excited to get started, but I know that I'll go through moments where I wonder what the heck I've signed up for. It will be the most intense exercise and nutrition program I've ever done in my life, and I already lead a pretty busy life. But, in the end it will be worth it when I see and feel the results. And it will certainly get me out of work at a decent hour, which is always hard during a ship year, but I just can't wait any longer. After we ship one thing, there's always another thing right behind it. So, I just decided to bite the bullet and do it now. I realize that will change some of my habits as far as work goes, and will probably slow me down a little bit as far as promotions or things go because I won't be taking on so many extra things. But, maybe that's a good thing. We work in this really busy, fragmented, always-something-else-to-get-done kind of place and it takes its toll on a person.

I think this program will make a world of difference in my immune system, back problems, asthma, acid reflux, and migraines. Once I get all of the food allergies and such figured out, and get my body moving, I know that I'll feel better just by doing that. The weight loss will be just that extra benefit to help with my back problems and asthma. And I sincerely think that my immune system will finally start to improve when I take better care of myself. Looking back on this year, I've been sick once a month every month since August. And that doesn't count the flu and cold that I had at the beginning of the year. That's just awful, and I don't want to feel that way anymore.

I am hoping that I find some kinds of activities that I really enjoy so that I stick with them. I always hear about people who kind of get addicted to exercise, and I just can't fathom it. I hate working out with a passion. Anything I can do to make my life less active, I'm all for. So, the cool thing about this program is that your trainer helps you to find activities that you're interested in so that you stay with them. I want to do some swimming, because I've always really enjoyed swimming. And I have a friend who wants to try some group classes with me, such as step aerobics (which I like, because I like dancing) and pilates, so that will be good. I feel more motivated when I have a friend because it doesn't seem as much like work. I might also pick up a fun activity, like badminton or something where I meet people who like to play. My friend really likes squash, so I might try that with her. It seems a little bit less painful than raquetball.

Anyway, I want to go into my 30s a much healthier person than I've been in my 20s and make that something that I can maintain for my lifetime. Wish me luck!

Christmas recap

L. and I had a very nice Christmas celebration with family and friends this year. On Saturday night, we got together with Kati, S., and K. for dinner at Beppo's and games at Jillian's in downtown Seattle. I hadn't seen any of them for at least a few months, so it was good for us to all get together and catch up. I actually did well at pool this time, but sucked at air hockey. I'm amazed at how sore my arm was the day after air hockey. I can definitely say that I really get into the game.

On Sunday, L. and I took it easy because he was getting over a cold and I was just getting into one. We went to a couple of places to finish up some last minute shopping, and stopped by my cousin's house to drop off some presents for them to take over to my family in Eastern Washington. Little T. opened his presents while we were there so that I could see his reaction. I got him a couple of tee-shirts from my various trips this year, and he thought they were cute. But clothes never get as big a reaction as toys when it comes to little kids; clothes tend to thrill the parents, though.

On Christmas Eve, L. and I made our way down to Federal Way to spend the evening with my dad and step mom's family. We had the traditional prime rib dinner, complete with everything you'd love to gorge yourself on. I had a great time, despite the fact that my cold continued to worsen and I didn't feel so great after stuffing myself that night. I got to thinking about it, and I hardly ever eat red meat anymore, so I wonder if that had something to do with it, too. I love a good steak, but only eat one on rare occasions, and I never feel that great afterward. I'm not vegetarian or anything, but I gave up eating hamburgers and such a long time ago.

Yesterday, we went to my mom and step dad's house for Christmas Day celebration with my sisters. My sister L. brought her new boyfriend, R. My sister P. brought over my niece and nephew, and her husband ended up showing up after all. It was a good day, overall, and I'm still hopeful that she and her husband will work things out. It's still very iffy, but I'm praying for them.

As usual, I was totally spoiled. Tonight I sat down and wrote out my thank you cards as I was putting things away. I always have a hard time finding places for everything, and of course you always end up with one thing that you're just not sure what to do with. But, it's the thought that counts, so I'll try to figure out how to use it or give it to someone who can use it.

L. gave me a set of beautiful earrings and a necklace from Something Silver. And he got me a Lorac makeup set and the Jean Paul Gaultier Classique perfume that I had my eye on. He also went out and got me all of the Smashing Pumpkins albums and singles from their last release (since they released several different versions with varying bonus songs and I had only gotten the one from iTunes). He was really cute about the CDs, too. He wrapped each one individually, and then wrapped them altogether so that I was thrown off the scent.

I stayed home from work today because I was still fairly sick. Yesterday was fun with the family, but I slept a lot in between the festivities because I wasn't feeling well. I slept until after 3:00 PM today, but felt a bit better after waking up, so I must have needed the rest. Hopefully I'll feel even better in the morning because I am going back to work for Thursday and Friday before we leave for Montana.

Hope that everyone else had happy holiday celebrations as well!

Plantlife

For Christmas, I have received two plants from well-meaning people. The first is a fir centerpiece that holds candles and it is currently sitting on my breakfast bar. It's lovely, and luckily it's not meant to last indefinitely.

The second is an amarylis plant from my manager that's still in bulb form. Her instructions were, "just water and it will grow". I let out a little chuckle. These are probably sufficient instructions for most people, but I have a black thumb. I'll be shocked and awed if the thing actually blooms. I couldn't even get the poor plant home before it tipped over (despite my best efforts to keep it propped up and to drive extra carefully). So, I need to get to a gas station this weekend and vacuum out the potting soil from my car mat.

I'm not sure where I go wrong with plants. They are seemingly simple, as my manager's instructions point out. I always read the instructions, and try to put the plant in a good area for the light it needs and water it accordingly. But it's just not a success. This is odd, considering I come from a long line of farmers on both sides of my family and even worked on the farm when I was a kid. Come to think of it, my grandparents are lucky that I didn't kill the wheat and alfalfa just by being in proximity of the crops.

When I tell people that I have a black thumb, they're always quick to offer plants that are so simple, no one can kill them. Believe me, I can and have. My mom buys me a plant every mother's day (and for all of my sisters), and I have yet to keep one going longer than a few weeks. The only successful plant I've ever had was a lavender bush, and I think it survived a whole year in spite of me. Once I moved to a new place, it was never the same and I took it to my mom's house to recover. Plants LOVE my mom. They perk up in her presence, and she has one of the nicest yards in the summer. The plants always get depressed when she and my dad go on their summer vacation and I'm tasked with watering the flowers. As for that lavender plant, she gave it back to me once it got back on its feet and it promptly died. I think it committed suicide when it realized it was back at my house.

So, we'll see how this whole amarylis thing goes. It already had a rocky start in my car. At least they just boom once and then that's it. That's not too much pressure. If it doesn't work out, there are worse things that could happen. And as for the fir centerpiece, it will be nice over the holidays and then I can throw it out after it runs its course for the season.

Some more thoughts about the Zeitgesit filem and Ron Paul

This is semi in response to a comment by my friend, Web Dev Girl on my last blog post, and semi to clarify my last entry and my thoughts on Ron Paul.

First, about Ron Paul. Ron Paul has some interesting ideas, but I have some big problems with several of his stances and I think that he sometimes has a very limited and simplistic view on things. Also, I don't really agree with his views on abortion, the second amendment, health care, immigration, and education. Some of them I agree with in theory, but not with what his proposed actions are. For example, I find it interesting that he wants to repeal a lot of federal legislation, but continues to support the movement to limit and take away women's reproductive choices. That displays a paradox in his views.

With regard to the second amendment, I agree that it is important to uphold it, but I don't agree that it is to be done without common sense such as beneficial legislation introduced by such bills as the Brady Bill. We can uphold something while being smart at the same time. Making someone wait for a few days to obtain a weapon isn't removing their right to bear arms. And frankly, we have a big problem with guns in this country, the likes of which are not seen in other places around the world. The founding fathers wrote the Constitution in a way that we could add on and make changes in the form of amendments. This is a very important tool as we continue to change and grow as a nation.

Now, about the movie. I think the video was interesting in that it gets you to think critically about things, which is why I say that I took it with a grain of salt. I would never watch that and take it as Gospel truth. But there was a lot of interesting historical information, some of which I remember learning about long ago and it kind of reminded me of some of those things. What I like is that people are starting to take a look at some things and ask questions to foster actual debate and promote an aquisition of knowledge. This is something that has been sorely lacking in our society, and frankly went from bad to worse when Bush took office in 2000. And unfortunately, it will take awhile to bounce back from the destructive programs like No Child Left Behind in our educational system.

Wow - Zeitgeist will blow your mind

A friend told me to watch the video on Ron Paul's Web site, which is actually the third part of a longer movie. The section on Paul's site is approximately 45 minutes, but the actual full movie (on www.zeitgeistmovie.com) is much longer. I plan to watch the full movie at another time, but I can definitely say that this third section blew my mind. Part three covers the federal reserve, war mongering, the decline of American schools, the fallacy of 9/11, and what it all means for our future.



The actual Zeitgeist site has some interesting information to supplement the film, as well as the full film for viewing and downloading. I still take some of this with a grain of salt, but it definitely caused me to open my eyes a little and re-analyze some things.

And, I have to say that I've been blogging and talking about some of these things for some time. It's actually kind of nice to see that some of this information is starting to get out and affect conservatives who have been so blindly following Bush. Of course, all of this is not dictated by party lines. It's just unfortunate that we are in a two-party system here, because I think it keeps the power in very limited rotation. And frankly, liberals have been talking about some of the points from the movie for a long time but were silenced by the changes that have occurred in the media and political sphere.

Here are a few old chestnuts from my blog:
Growing Fascism in the US
Awesome opinion piece about the state of the nation with a link to We're Being Gaslighted
Hell House

Is it really the week before Christmas?

Really? It sure doesn't seem that way. Despite the fact that Thanksgiving came early this year, I didn't even get my Christmas tree up or any decorations out. It's in part because I've been so busy with my new job and just pooped when I get home, and in part because of some of the difficult things going on in our family right now. At least I got my Christmas cards written and mailed, and all of the gifts are wrapped. So, that may be the extent of what I can do this year.

L. and I will be spending Christmas Eve at my dad and step mom's house with whatever other family members decide to show up. Who knows, it may be just us, my parents, and an aunt and uncle or two. And we'll spend Christmas day at my mom and step dad's house with my sister P. and the kids, and my sister L. and her boyfriend. Right now it doesn't look too good for P.'s husband to show up. Then, on the 29th we'll fly to Montana to visit L.'s mom and step dad. We'll spend New Year's Eve with them and then come home on the 2nd.

So, things will certainly pick up next week. I'll work Wednesday through Friday next week before we leave for Montana. From past experience, this time of year is one of the only times I actually get significant work done while at work. It's amazing how different it is when I have no meetings and only a few people are in the office.

Life update

It's been an extremely busy and interesting last month. I started my new job in early November, and I still feel like I'm fumbling around trying to figure things out. I started getting a little bit down on myself today because I feel like I should be further along, but then I had remind myself that it's only been a little over a month and I'm the one putting the pressure on myself. So far, everyone has been really helpful and I've been receiving good feedback. So, I just need to ease up a little on myself.

It's kind of weird, in a way. When I was a contractor and a vendor, I had to move around much more frequently or at least be prepared to move around frequently. My contract or project could change at any moment, so I think I was more used to adapting to change. I was on my last team for almost three and a half years (three of that as a full-time employee), so I had the ability to build the documentation set from the ground up and to become a subject matter expert (SME) in that product. I was definitely on top of my product and documentation, so it was much easier to make a decision about where new information should go and how to prioritize all of the work. But, during that time I wasn't as focused on keeping up with other things in the industry because I was heavy into building my expertise.

This is one of the hardest things at NerdCo (a name I've blatantly stole from a fellow blogger/previous co-worker). It's a huge company with all kinds of different specialties and technology development. We're constantly on the cutting edge and as a result, I don't think any of us really ever feel comfortable in our expertise. There is always something else out there that we'd love to know if we had more time in the day. But at the end of the day, we're all part of this machine trying to meet deadlines and then moving right onto the next big thing. And the fact that everyone has different ship schedules and products are constantly in flux means that it's really hard to always get a good end-to-end scenario documented until after things stabalize. Sometimes we don't even get that until customers go live with our products and can give us additional information.

In any case, I'm realizing that this is not only frustrating for customers but also for those transitioning to different teams. I just took over this new documentation set, and I'm trying to figure out what's currently there, what's missing, and how I can improve on the existing content. At the same time, I'm trying to learn the last version of the product and the next release of the product so that I can update old content and write new content. And, as if that weren't enough, I'm trying to figure out all of the processes and the culture of this new team. I had a sort of fire-drill yesterday when I thought I had missed something big. It turned out that we are marching to a slightly different schedule than a few of the other content teams, so I was worried for no reason. But, it freaked me out enough to wonder if I'm missing something other things. And of course I'm missing other things because I'm new, but I won't know what those things are until something happens to bring it to the surface.

I've also recently been reading through customer feedback on my newly-acquired topics and some are really frustrating because it doesn't have to do with the topic per se, but rather their frustration about how to get technologies to work together and they just unload it all in a comment in one topic. There's absolutely nothing I can do about those kinds of scenarios, because we just can't possibly address every single thing. We try to get the 80% scenarios to work and then the rest have to go to experts who can help to troubleshoot issues that often have to do with environment issues or that span several groups to try and get the technologies to play nicely with one another. It's an incredibly difficult job.

And I understand their frustration. I feel it every day when I'm trying to figure out how best to present information, and you can never make everyone happy. So you get comments that people hate content that has links in it, while other people hate to scroll and thing a topic is too long. Or you get a low rating with no actual comment, so you have no idea what the person didn't like about the topic.

Today, I went to the bookstore to pick up a couple of books about the last version of my product. While I was there, I saw a couple of new books had come out about my last product. I looked longingly through the pages at all of the things that I actually understood. And then I reminded myself that it took me three and a half years to acquire all of that knowledge. So, that's when I decided that I need to give myself a little bit of a break. I'll still work my butt off to learn all of this stuff, but I need to be patient with myself and understand that this will all come in time. And I reminded myself that I can't compare myself to the woman whose documentation I'm taking. She's been on this team and product for over eight years, and built everything from the ground up. I'm in the same position as the woman who took over my old documentation on my last team. We actually went to dinner last night, and consoled each other in how difficult this all is.

I know that I'm whining, and I apologize. There are so many good things about this change, and I will write about them later. And I always know that I am lucky to work for such a great company and with such great people. It's just sometimes overwhelming. I definitely work hard for my money!

New Year's resolution, a little early

Tomorrow night, I'm going to the introduction session for the 20/20 weight-loss program. This is something that I was going to start in September, but that got postponed when I got sick in August and then in September, and then my asthma got bad and I ended up in the emergency room that night in October. And of course, my back went out last week and it's still a bit sore this week, but I'm going to go tomorrow and at least get signed up so that I can start it right away in January.

It's definitely time to shed these extra pounds and get back to a healthy weight, and learn how to maintain that throughout my life. This program is really comprehensive and has a high success rate, and it's a very healthy way to do this because it teaches you how to lose weight through diet and exercise, while dealing with any emotional or medical issues that may be complicating matters. I've had a few friends who went through it and were very successful. I want to head into my 30s as a happy, healthy woman and this will help me to better achieve that goal.

Making something usable again

After my divorce, I put my wedding ring in my jewelry box and left it there. Every once in awhile, I'd run across it when looking for a pair of earrings or something to accessorize my outfit, but for the most part I forgot about it. After L. and I got engaged, I thought about my old wedding ring and thought of what a shame it was to just have it sitting in that box with absolutely no current purpose. I knew that the stones were very good quality, because C.'s uncle was a jeweler and had saved them for something special, which happened to be C.'s and my engagement. Even though I didn't clean the ring as often as I should have, the stones were always very sparkly and I always got compliments on the ring. It was perfect for me in that relationship, in that time, and in that place. But after the divorce, that was no longer true.

So, I decided to have the stones reset in another piece of jewelry. I commissioned our friend, A., to make a pendant with the stones, and he just finished it and dropped it off a little bit ago. I'm absolutely stunned. The piece is beautiful, and it is now something that I will wear and love again. In the end, C. may have been a big knucklehead, but at least he knew enough to put good stones in that ring. It's weird how some things that had a certain meaning a few years ago no longer mean the same thing, but it's good that I was able to do something with that gift and make it something that is applicable to my life now. I remarked that the pendant is too beautiful and nice to wear on a daily basis, but A. quickly disagreed and said that I should wear it often. Why keep it hidden away for only special occasions? And in a way, he's right. I mean, I'll still wear my regular ol' fun necklaces and such from time to time, but I can throw this new one into the mix.

And, I have to say that A.'s work is amazing. I've known him for years since he became friends with my cousin in college. He worked with L. to design my engagement ring, and I couldn't be happier with that either. I now have a real go-to person for my jewelry needs and wishes. There is something really neat about having a piece designed just for you. The elements of the design are found in other pieces, of course, but I was able to take ideas from different things and pull them together in one thing that I really wanted. That is very cool.

My favorite stores

Because of the holidays, I've been doing a lot of online shopping. I've also gotten a few things for myself along the way, both for practical items and some splurges. So far, I absolutely love, love, love the following stores. They have the best selection, prices, and great customer service.

Zappos.com
If you want shoes, Zappos is your store. They have incredible selection and prices. Even with regular shipping, I always receive my shoes within a few days and sometimes they even up the shipping to overnight (for free) so that I receive them the next day. They also have free returns. One time, the price of a pair of shoes kept changing when I added it to my shopping basket, so I called their customer service line (about 1:00 AM). It was answered by an actual person, and they honored the sale price, even though it turned out that their web site was wrong. They also overnighted the shoes that time so that they came right away. I can't say enough good things about Zappos.

SkinStore.com
I have very finicky skin, so I'm always looking for good products to help soothe my face and get rid of breakouts. Skin Store has a comprehensive selection, great prices, and their site is great at helping you find things targeted to your needs. I always receive things quickly from them, too, and they always send good samples. I just ordered a new line called Atopalm and so far I'm really happy with the results.

Sephora.com
I love the online store, and the physical stores. They carry so many brands and some really great exclusive items. I love that you get free samples with every order. I've actually gotten samples of a few things that I went back and ordered at a later time. Sephora is definitely a one-stop beauty shop.

Amazon.com
I have always loved Amazon for books, music, and movies. Their prices are always amazing, and they have just about everything and anything I've ever searched for.

Overstock.com
I love this site because it has so many things in one place. Again, the selection is great, the prices are unbeatable, and the shipping is cheap, cheap, cheap.

Thanksgiving weekend recap

It was an interesting weekend. Every year I find that there are many things to be thankful for, and this year was no different in that respect. But there were definitely a few things to add to the thoughts and prayers list. First, my cousin's friend, K. whose husband just passed away after battling a very brutal and rare form of cancer. Second, L.'s step mother, J., who beat breast cancer a few years ago and has now received news of cancer of the bones, liver, and lungs. Third, my sister, P. and my niece and nephew who are suddenly in a bit of a uncertain position as P. and her husband, T., are having marital problems.

P. and the kids came over for Thanksgiving at my mom's house, and we managed to have a nice dinner even though it was clearly not your typical Thanksgiving. I mostly felt bad because P. just doesn't know what to do next, and she doesn't really have the means to do much about her situation. She's got Multiple Sclerosis, two kids, and she depends on her husband for money and medical insurance. She doesn't have a job, because she takes care of the kids and house, and is trying to manage her MS. We all chipped in some money for her expenses to come over for Thanksgiving and to get her by, and we offered places for them to come in the event that things go from bad to worse. But, she is definitely in a bad way.

If things don't work out between P. and T., P. is going to have to figure out what she can do. She used to be a wonderful hairdresser, but with the MS she has numbness in her hands, and up one arm and shoulder. And she would probably move back over here because western Washington is where the bulk of her family and friends live so she would have more of a support system, but man is it ever expensive here. Like my mom recently said, "once you move away, you'd better be sure that you don't want to come back because you probably won't be able to afford to." I'm sure that P. would get child support payments, and some kind of social security or disability payments, but it would be really hard on her and the kids for sure, both emotionally and financially.

I keep praying that she and T. will work this all out. Out of all of their years together, I've never doubted how much they love one another and they've made it through some really rough times. But something seems slightly different here, and that makes me nervous. I can't really put my finger on it. I'm just sad because she was such a talented artist and hairdresser, and that dream has been pretty much squashed by the numbness problems from her MS. And now it seems like her marriage is falling apart. We will just have to keep praying for them and offer them any assistance that they need to get through this time.

Dancing with the...people who have the largest fan base

After tonight, I honestly don't know why I watch Dancing with the Stars anymore. I know that I'll watch to the end of this season just to see what happens, but it's getting fairly ridiculous. It started a few weeks ago when Sabrina didn't get enough votes to stay on the show. I thought maybe the upset would end there, but it didn't. Tonight, Jennie was the one to leave the show. Somehow, Marie managed to pull a miracle out of her butt and received enough votes to make it into the finals...along with Mel B and Helio.

It's not that Marie is terrible. She's OK, but it's only because she's a good performer. She's really not a great dancer. Sure, she pulls off a good number here or there, but she hasn't been consistently good the way that Sabrina, Mel B, or Helio are. And Jennie consistently got better and better as the show went on. So, it was a big shame for her to not get into the finals.

I don't know. At this point, it seems kind of useless for the show to even exist. It's mostly a popularity contest, and apparently enough people were blind enough to think that Marie deserves to go to the finals.

Humbling experience

There are few things in my life that humble me more than changing jobs. This is my second week in my new position, and things are going well. But it is a sure reminder of how little I really know and how much I have to learn on this new team.

One thing that I can say is that this team is extremely organized, and incredibly friendly and helpful. I have my computers setup now, thanks in part to their wonderful knowledge base of instructions for literally everything you need to know. And people have stopped by my office all week to introduce themselves, invite me to lunch, training, or classes that I might be interested in, etc.

My manager took our team out to lunch last Friday, and we had a great time. It was nice to get to know more about the people on the team.

Overall, I'm really happy with everything, and excited to learn. I'll just be a lot more comfortable when I have a little more knowledge under my belt.

It's been a good ride

Tomorrow is my last day on my current team. Starting on Monday, I'll be part of a new team, in a new division, working on a new product. Today, my team took me out to lunch, and we had a great time. Tomorrow night, they're taking me out to a local Irish pub for dinner and drinks.

I have very mixed emotions about all of this. For the most part, I am excited about all of the new things ahead of me, and the opportunity make an impact in another division in our great company. But, I'm also sad to leave behind all of the great people that I work with on my current team. I've been blessed to have worked with such smart and fun people, and I've had some of the best opportunities on this team. And I've made actual friends here, which is something I can't say about every team I've been on. We all really try to pitch in an help one another when someone needs something. Recently, when one of the PMs I work with had knee surgery, everyone chipped in to bring him meals, take him to appointments, and give him rides to and from work until he was well enough to drive again. After my divorce, I had a huge support group in the women that I work with, and they included me in all kinds of activities, and my manager even helped me move after C. and I sold the house. And we all celebrate each other's birthdays, weddings, babies, etc. in a very special way. These are the kinds of things that make our team really special, and I'm going to miss that kind of interaction on a day-to-day basis. I'll still keep up with everyone, but it's really never quite the same after you leave, even though you vow not to let things change.

The other thing I've had on this team is an opportunity to really grow in my career. As a technical writer, you don't always get a ton of respect, but somehow I actually managed to figure out what I was doing and become valuable to the people I work with. Not only did I get to write documentation for my product, I actually got to be part of the product development process and even designed parts of the user interface for our product. I was published in a book about our product, in addition to the numerous online content that I've written. And I was chosen to attend a technical conference in Boston with other people from the team, and we got to talk with all kinds of customers and people working on different products. At night, we all got together and experienced the city. Not to mention, I got to stay at the Ritz Carlton with one of my best friends on the team, which I'll probably never get to do again or at least not any time soon.

I really will miss all of those things. On Tuesday, I went to a team meeting with my new team, and everyone seems really great. I have no doubt that I will have good opportunities and make good friends on this team as well. But, it's always hard to leave something behind that is really dear to you. I knew that it was time, though, and I am still certain of that decision. Sometimes the things that make us grow the most are the things that are slightly uncomfortable, and make us stretch ourselves. I tend to need new challenges every so often to keep myself sharp and to keep learning. And this new product will definitely bring me a lot of challenges, and I will definitely feel uncomfortable for awhile. Going from an expert on one product to a newbie on another product is a pretty difficult change. But, with time, I'll get to know this new product, and I'll meet new customers, and I'll figure out new ways to get information to the people who need it. And I'll always know that what I've had with my current team is priceless.

Happy Halloween, Cosby style

I loved the Cosby show when I was a kid. The other night, they showed a Halloween episode, and Cliff's costume made me laugh so hard that I almost spit water out my nose. Enjoy! (Note that this is just a quick recap of the show, so his costume appears shortly after the beginning of the clip.)

Dancing with the stars shocker

If you are following Dancing with the Stars and don't want to know who was voted off tonight, don't click the following link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14573491/.

All I can say is that this was just plain wrong. There are three couples that deserved to be in the bottom last night, and this couple was not one of them. Not even close.

In related news, I wish that they'd give that Samantha Harris co-host the boot. She's got the most useless job on the show, and she can't even pull that off. I've never seen a native English speaker have so much trouble with the English language, save for president shrub. Maybe he'll have a future in hosting television programs after his term is up...

Thankfully, I have DVR, so I record the shows for L. and me to watch, and we fast forward through all of the commercials, as well as most of the second night festivities unless there is an interesting performance to watch. Of course, we stop for each of the segments where they tell a couple whether they're safe or in the bottom two. For the first night shows, we probably get a good 45 minutes of actual program with the other 45 minutes being commercials and needless commentary by Samantha Harris while waiting for scores. The second night, we whittle down to about 10 or 15 minutes, tops.

I can honestly say that as much as I hate Comcast (especially after they got rid of the Microsoft Enhanced version of their DVR service and went to this completely horrible new DVR service), I am at least thankful that I can record a show and fast forward through all of the crap without having to worry about VCR tapes, etc. Which reminds me, if you're as pissed off at Comcast for the DVR dis-service that they recently rolled out, feel free to fill out the following survey and give them a good piece of your mind. It's enough to make me think about moving to Tivo or Dish Network.
https://www.teamcomcast.com/survey/survey.asp?s=01094254231184010197

Because we can, can can!

L. and I went out with our friends, C. and M. last night. We went to The Can Can in Seattle to celebrate C.'s 30th birthday. It was a blast! We got there early, and had drinks in the bar. They have some really creative drinks. If you go there sometime, I highly recommend the Bella Rouge. We then moved into the restaurant area to have dinner and see the Caberet show. The food was amazing, and the Can Can Castaways were incredible in their performance of I see London, I see France. It was a mix of dancers, who all had various specialties, such as contortion, bellydancing, comedy, etc. I really liked the music that they performed to as well, and Rainbow (the contortionist) answered one of my questions about the band who did one of the songs that I really liked. It turned out to be the band, The Bad Things, and the song I loved was called The Breaking. Her performance with Jonny Boy was really beautiful. I can't believe the positions that she got into! I really wish I knew where she got her shoes - they were so cute. The belly dancer was able to get through an entire performance with a sword balanced on her head, and her burlesque number was really impressive, too. The men were equally as amazing, all very limber and entertaining.

The highlight of the night was that M. called ahead of time to arrange it so that C. would be brought up as part of one of the performances. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. One of the Can Can Castaways dressed up as an 80s hair band member and lip-sync'd power ballads while stripping down into smaller and smaller underwear each time the song changed. There was no telling where this was going to go, and C. was just hilarious sitting there and making faces, and sometimes dancing along. I had tears streaming down my face throughout the whole thing. L. and I were asked a few questions and brought up to the stage as part of the show a couple of times, too. It was one of the most fun evenings out I've ever had.

Plus, it was just great to see C. and M. again. It's been a good year and a half or two years since I'd last seen them, and so much has changed for all of us. I've known C. since grade school, and we've been friends since second grade despite my moving away in third grade. We always kept in touch, and she's one of the coolest people that I know. She's so open and fun and down to earth. I'm so happy to be friends with her after all of these years. It seems impossible that we're all turning 30 now, and that she has two little girls! They're such a happy family, and I'm so glad that things have worked out well for her and M. They make a really great couple.

Bummer bachelor party

Can you imagine having to tell your girlfriend or wife (who was probably pissed off that you were at a strip joint in the first place) that you might have contracted TB from a stripper? Anyway, yyyyuuuucccckkkkk...

The Onion pens another gem

What a great way to explain trickle-down economics in the Reagan era:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/reaganomics_finally_trickles_down

Man, the people at The Onion are brilliant.

Not funny

I love watching comedy routines. I'm always up for some good comedians on Comedy Central. But, I have to say that I really don't understand the hype about Sarah Silverman. I don't dislike her, but I just don't really think she's that funny. I watched her new show, and the one this week was about her licking her dog's butt. Call me crazy, but something about that just doesn't tickle my funny bone. I've seen her on several other shows, and she makes some interesting observations, but nothing really struck me the way most comedians do. I realize that she's the comedienne du jour, but I guess I'm just not into her humor.

One person that I really can't stand, though, is Carlos Mencia. He annoys me, and I just think he's stupid rather than funny. Oh well, to each his own. I just really wish that Dave Chappelle would come back.

Interesting article about Kucinich

The Stranger just published a really interesting article about Dennis Kucinich. According to a survey that I took recently, Kucinich's platform most closely aligns with my political views. I immediately thought, "Ugh", because there is just something about him that I don't like. But, after reading through the article, I can finally pinpoint that quality - arrogance. His constant "I was right" or "I am right" attitude. It's good to have confidence, but some people just take it to a level that irks the heck out of me.

And after reading that he only recently became pro choice and in the past has supported all kinds of legislation to limit a woman's reproductive choices, I can definitely say that I wouldn't vote for him. I don't think any congressman should be dictating what a woman can or can't do with her own body. Period. And it's just a little too convenient that he changed his stance on that after running for the presidency. No thank you.

Season of change

It's definitely turning out to be a season of big changes for me. Not only did I recently get engaged to L., but I also just accepted a new job. I interviewed for a couple of different teams at my workplace, and got offers from each. Today I made my decision and accepted the one that I thought would be the best fit. It was a really difficult decision because both teams are really incredible, and I knew that I'd be lucky to work on either one. Today, I told several people on my current team that I was leaving, and they were all sad to see me go. And I have mixed emotions about leaving, because I have really loved the product that I'm working on and the people that I work with. But a couple of things helped me decide that it was time for a change, and I know that this new position will bring me great challenges and opportunities for growth. It's always hard to leave the people that you love to work with, but I am confident that I'll make good relationships on my new team and keep in touch with the old.

Weird dream

You know how sometimes you have a very vivid dream, and it really sticks with you for awhile afterward? That happened to me this morning. This one still kind of freaks me out, because it just left me with such an empty feeling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm in a living room with a large sliding glass door that faces a lovely view of the ocean. I wander around the apartment doing various things until I hear a bang at the sliding glass door and run back into the living room. I find that the tide has come in and waves are crashing up against the base of the door, with salt water making its way through the edges. The carpet is soaked near the door, and I'm not sure what I can do to stop the water from coming in, so I do nothing but wait for the tide to go out. Upon closer inspection of the door and the walls in that area, I notice that a section of the wall is nothing but a thin sheet of something and it is beginning to wear away. I wonder how I didn't notice this before buying the place, and I make a mental note to call the property manager to see what can be done about all of this. Because this apartment is on the first floor, I'm unsure what they can do about keeping the ocean from flooding into the living room each time the tide comes in, and I am upset that my perfect little world is disrupted this way.

I wander into the back room, which is still an unfinished room. I remember that I need to figure out how to complete the sheet rock and mudding, and wonder who I should call. I'm no longer in contact with people who would have helped with this in the past. So, I realize that I need to hire someone to do it, and I think about all of the horror stories I've heard about hiring incompetent people. Suddenly, I feel very overwhelmed. There is a lot of work to do ahead, and I sigh.

Beginning to plan the wedding

L. and I are starting the wedding planning. It's a lot of work, but L. is such a great help. It's nice to have him want to be involved.

Since this is my second wedding, there are a lot of things that I know from experience and want to do differently. There are also things that you don't traditionally do the second time around. For instance, you don't have to wear the white dress. The problem is that I kind of do want to wear a white dress. I don't want it to be all traditional the way my first wedding dress was; I definitely want something different, but you never know how people are going to think of that. I mean, I'm clearly not the young virginal bride or anything. My mom suggested a black dress that we saw online and that was really stunning. I love that dress, but I'm not sure whether I'd be on board with walking down the aisle in black. But, who knows?

The other thing is how many people you invite and how detailed you get with everything. Originally, I thought it would just be really small with the people who are closest to us. But, now I kinda want to just do the whole big gala because it's fun and you only do it once. It's a memory that L. and I will have forever. And people can always chose not to come if they don't want to attend.

I'm also not sure about bridesmaids. I had seven bridesmaids for my first wedding, and it was really great. But, you always have to leave people out, and whatnot. I hate that feeling of having to chose, because you never want to hurt anyone's feelings and if it were truly up to me, I'd probably have like ten of my female friends and family up there with me. But that's far too many, and I just don't have the heart to move people off of that list. And to be honest, I wonder if my sisters would be ticked off if I didn't ask them but had friends instead. I dunno. It seems like it might just be easier to forgo the whole bridesmaid thing altogether, but I'm still not sure. Ideally I could figure out three people that I'd want to be there with me, so I'll just have to think about it some more.

Right now, we're going through a whole huge list of locations and doing online research about them. We already decided not to do an outside wedding, because we'd just be worried about weather all the time. We're narrowing things down to a manageable list of indoor locations that we can easily visit. Then we'll narrow it down even further, and compile a list of information from each of our visits. In the end we'll chose the place, and then figure out what kinds of dates are available. As things are now, we're looking for a September or October date for next year. We both love the fall around here and think that would be really great. It will also be easy to wait until after this fall, and then hit all of the sales to get decorations for things like the tables, etc. So, it's a good time to be thinking about all of this.

For colors, I'm thinking that I'll do a deep plum or amethyst color, with accents in fall colors such as oranges, greens, reds, and yellows. The accents will be found in things like little pumpkins and gourds for centerpieces, etc.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure that there will be plenty more updates coming in the future, so stay tuned!

Filth

I really need to clean my condo. Really badly. Since I've been sick now over a week, and having all of this asthma trouble, the least of my worries has been cleaning the bathroom or tidying up. But, I really need to do some of that stuff. I just can't go too long without cleaning because it drives me nuts. But the problem is that the dust and chemical smells can aggravate my already fragile lungs.

Tomorrow I just need to put on a dust mask and at least run a cloth around my place and do a quick sweep around the floor. Tonight I did take the grills off of my heaters and give them a quick vacuum because it was finally cold enough to need to turn on the heat and the last thing I wanted was a bunch of dust blowing out of them. So, at least I got that little task done. Little steps...

Trip to the emergency room

Well, this is slightly depressing after my last post, but L. had to take me to the emergency room early this morning. I was coughing almost non stop, had trouble breathing, and not even my albuterol and new prescriptions were helping. So, I called the on-call nurse again, and she said we should get to the ER and get it taken care of.

I must say that the people at the Overlake ER were really nice, and they got me into a room right away. We waited a little bit for the nurse and doctor to come in, and they gave me some pretty hefty duty meds for pain (to help ease the inflamation, keep the coughing down, and help me sleep), as well as some for breathing. We got home, and I was finally able to sleep for several hours in a row without coughing. What a luxury.

Today, we went and filled my prescriptions for prednesone and percoset, and so far that has helped a lot. Now when I cough it's actually productive (because of my cold) instead of just irritated. And my lungs don't feel like they're on fire. I talked to my mom for awhile, because she's had asthma for years and always has good advice. She said that the prednesone will really start kicking in tomorrow and the next day, so I should be getting back on track soon. I just have to take it a bit easy right now. And I have to avoid being around a lot of people, because apparently the prednesone is not so helpful to the immune system (oddly enough). So, I do need to be careful about that for the next week or so.

Anyway, I'm hopeful that my next post will actually be good news rather than cold and asthma updates. I'm just so thankful to have a wonderful fiance like L., who takes good care of me when I'm sick.

On the way to recovery

Well, some of the wedding planning and excitement got waylaid this week by yet another cold. I started getting sick on Monday, but tried to push through it until Wednesday when I finally had to admit that I was sick, sick, sick. This was compounded by one of the worst migraines I've ever had in my life on Wednesday night to the extreme that I couldn't even keep down my medication until mid-day on Thursday. Thankfully, L. came to my rescue late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning when I called for help. After he talked to the on-call nurse, he got me setup well enough to get a little sleep. And by Thursday afternoon, the headache had died down enough that I didn't feel like my head was going to explode. Of course, I was still dealing with the runny nose, irritated throat, and coughing from the cold.

Unfortunately, since this cold came on so closely to the last cold and sinus infection that I had, my lungs didn't really have time to recover fully, so my asthma got a lot worse. I went to the doctor today to get on some more advanced medications to try and get things under control. My doctor also prescribed Robitussin with codine in it to help with the extreme coughing at night. This is supposed to help me sleep better at night, but so far it's not doing much. I guess it has helped the coughing a little bit, but I'm still coughing enough that it's keeping me up. I'm hoping that after a few days of the new medications, things will calm down a bit and I'll be well enough to get around a bit more. Nothing reminds you of how important your health is until something takes it away for awhile.

I was worried about being sick twice so closely, but my doctor said that something really bad is going around right now. She said the last couple of weeks have been nothing but sick people in her office, and that it's like December around there. So, while it's out of the ordinary, and she's following up on it with some tests, it's likely just unlucky that I got this second cold. I sure hope so.

The ring

So many people want to see the ring, so I thought I would post a couple of pictures up here. A friend designed it, and it's so beautiful in person. He made it with white gold and palladium (a metal related to platinum), and the diamond is a radiant cut.

Goin' to the chapel

...and we're gonna get married. That's right, folks. L. proposed to me on Friday night!!! No plans or details yet, just a beautiful ring and a future full of adventures to share.

Disgusting habit

Smoking is one of the most disgusting habits. I can't figure out how people get addicted to it in the first place, but that's kind of beside the point. People do get addicted, and unfortunately they're not affecting only themselves.

Today, I went to Endfest 16 in the Qwest Field parking lot with L. and my cousins. There were some really great shows, and we had a good time all around. But, after getting used to the smoking ban in Seattle, it was such an assault on my nose and lungs to be around so much smoke. It's still in my nose hours later and I'll probably wake up feeling like the bottom of an ash tray. I just took a couple of puffs of my asthma medication because the smoke has stirred up my coughing.

Ugh. The woman in the condo two stories down from me smokes. Somehow, the smoke drifts up to my place on occasion, and L. and I both comment on how it seems like she is smoking right in the same room as us. I think it's worse during the summer, since everyone has windows open, and I had an air conditioner going. So, I'm hoping that lessens during winter because it's pretty hard on me.

I dunno. I know that addiction is hard, but most addictions are not things that you can do around other people and affect them. I love the smoking ban because it has finally made it possible to go out to a club, or bar, or restaurant without feeling like an ashtray. It's only when you get into areas, like the outdoor festival today, where you have to put up with people smoking anymore. I just wish that those people would realize how difficult it is for people, like me with lung problems, to be around stuff like that.

It's fall again

It's officially becoming fall in western Washington. Today it was that interesting mix of freezing cold and then nice in the afternoon. I went for a walk on the Burke Gilman trail this afternoon, and saw sockeye salmon coming up the Sammamish slough as I stood on the bridge between Leary Way and West Lake Sammamish Parkway NE. And many of the trees are starting to turn beautiful autumn shades. I love this time of year. There's always a small time period between the nice summers and the nasty fall/winter around here. It's one of my favorite things.


Update
I thought I'd post a picture of the salmon from the bridge. They're so beautiful and I love standing there watching them. It's not a fabulous picture, because it's kind of dark considering the bridge and plants on the banks, but you get the idea.

And not a moment too soon

My cell phone has begun to cut out during conversations, and I find it very annoying. Last week, I started looking into getting a new phone and found a good smartphone. So, I ordered it this week and it should arrive tomorrow (I hope!).

Tonight when talking to L. on the phone, it just gave out completely. I couldn't even get a successful call through after it dropped. And even after I took out the battery for a bit, it still acted funny. So, I'll be quite happy to get my new phone tomorrow. It's especially important considering I don't have a home phone.

Oh Britney

I feel badly for Britney Spears. She really seems lost and in need of serious help. I have to admit that after she filed for divorce from Kevin Federline, I was really pulling for her to come back. I gave her some slack about her behavior at first because I've been through a divorce, too, and it's not easy. And I certainly didn't have to do it in front of adoring fans and scathing critics. But then I couldn't help but shake my head at the pictures from the stalkarazzi - no underwear, irresponsible behavior, and then the head shaving. She kind of went from clueless-but-magnetic-bumpkin-gone-hollywood to...well...bedraggled and pathetic.

And then she was one hot mess at the MTV Video Music Awards last night. I heard her new single, Gimme More, earlier in the week and thought it was pretty catchy. So, I was kind of hoping that her comeback performance would be a glance at someone with renewed commitment and enthusiasm for her craft. But, it certainly wasn't.

Now, I don't really care about her weight gain. I know that a lot of people are pointing to her "paunch" or "beer belly". But honestly, the woman has had two children, gone through a divorce, and has clearly made some poor choices in recent months and years; I'm not sure that her diet and exercise routine are first and foremost on her mind. Frankly, I find it odd when Hollywood starlets are photographed one day very pregnant and then suddenly they're able to wash laundry on their abs a week later. And, I don't think that Spears looked that bad; you just can't compare her to her pre-baby years at this point. The problem was with the costume and the misguided soul who decided that it would be a good idea to present Spears that way. If she had come out wearing something with a little more coverage, I'm sure that most people wouldn't have noticed. I realize that covering her up would have been breaking her image, but I think the people around her need to realize that she isn't the same girl she once was. Her image needs to change.

No, what disappointed me about the VMA was her performance. I've never credited her as a good singer, but I do think that she was a great performer and turned out some really catchy hits. She used to be a great dancer. Her VMA performance looked like a choreography session in preparation for the actual performance - like she was still learning her moves and where she was supposed to stand. It was weird to see all of the other dancers so professional and convincing, and Spears looking like it was her first time on stage. She may as well have been singing instead of lipsynching, because she hardly did any of the dancing other than the kind of stand-in-place dancing you see at a dance club with regular, everyday people. Definitely not VMA-opening calibur. It was simply going through the moves without any actual follow through.

I wonder whether she really wants to be part of this industry any longer. It seems like she has lost her drive, which is what made her successful in the first place. Without that, she can come out with the best album in November, and people will still eat it up but without the performances behind her music, it won't be the same. I kind of want to see her fade into obscurity for awhile. Take her children, and move to a small town where she stops relying on all of the toxic people around her and grows up a bit on her own. Gets some help for the depression and other problems derailing her life, and gets away from the paparazzi for goodness sake. Takes some community college classes or something to finally get the education that she's lacking. Then comes back five or ten years from now with a newfound energy and spirit - an older, wiser Britney Spears.

What your Starbucks order says about you

This is pretty funny. You plug in your regular drink from Starbucks, and the oracle tells you about yourself.

I plugged in my favorite, a grande soy chai tea latte and it gave me this:

Personality type: Hippie
In addition to being a hippie, you are a hypochondriac health nut. You secretly think that your insistence on only consuming all-natural products is because you're so intelligent and well-informed; it's actually because you're a sucker. You've dabbled in Wicca or other pseudo-religions that attract morons and have changed your sexual orientation a few times this year. You probably live in California. Everyone who drinks grande soy chai tea latte should be forced to eat a McDonald's bacon cheeseburger.
Also drinks: Beverages with lots of marketing that says they're herbal and organic
Can also be found at: Whole Foods, indoor rock climbing facilities

I then plugged in L.'s favorite drink, a grande vanilla bean frappacino:

Personality type: Lame
You're a simple person with modest tastes and a reasonable lifestyle. In other words, you're boring. Going to Starbucks makes you feel sophisticated; you'd like to be snooty and order an espresso but aren't sure if you're ready for that level of excitement. People laugh at you because you use fake curse words like "friggin'" and "oh, crumb!" Everyone who thinks America's Funniest Home Videos is a great show drinks grande vanilla bean frappacino.
Also drinks: V8
Can also be found: On the couch at home

And my mom's drink, a simple tall Americano:

Personality type: Asshat
You carry around philosophy books you haven't read and wear trendy wire-rimmed glasses even though you have perfect vision. You've probably added an accent to your name or changed the pronunciation to seem sophisticated. You hang out in coffee shops because you don't have a job because you got your degree in French Poetry. People who drink tall americano are notorious for spouting off angry, liberal opinions about issues they don't understand.
Also drinks: Any drink with a foreign name
Can also be found at: The other, locally owned coffee shop you claim to like better

I have to say that I would never have thought to call myself a hippie, L. lame, or my mom an asshat before consulting the Starbucks oracle.

More

Several years ago, my cousin R. and I were watching videos on MTV (yes, Virginia, MTV used to actually show videos instead of stupid TV shows) and we saw the video for Hell Bent by Kenna. That video and song stuck with me for many years.

Tonight, L. and I opened up iTunes to see the free songs of the week, and lo and behold, it was a song from Kenna! I dug through my CDs and located my burned CD of New Sacred Cow, which I obtained even before it was available commercially. I played the song for L. and then ran an online search for the video. We found the video on YouTube, and L. agreed that it was really incredible.

What I didn't know until tonight is that the video was actually a short film called More by Mark Osbourne, and that it was originally backed with the song Elegia by New Order.

Here is the description from the Wikipedia entry about More:

More tells the story of an inventor who lives in a drab, colorless world. Day by day, he toils away in a harsh, dehumanizing job, his only savior being the memories of the bliss of childhood. But at night, he works secretly on an invention that could help him relive those memories and spread their joy to everyone in his despair-filled life. When he finishes his invention, it changes the way people look at the world. But his success changes him, for with it, he loses an important part of himself.

Powerful stuff, that. I was happy to have found the video again after all of these years, because it reminds me to stay true to myself.

Dash dilemma

I recently wrote something and sent it on to my friend for review. She's an editor, and absolutely loves copy editing, a job that I absolutely loathe. I don't mind everything about copy editing. For instance, I can usually spot a grammar gaffe or spelling error (although this is usually difficult to do with your own writing). But, there are deeper issues that editors must know and spot, such as when to use a trademark symbol or which type of dash (em or en) to use.

In this latest piece, she made a lot of changes to the dashes. I think I was using a hyphen (which honestly looks like an en dash to me), and she changed them all to the em and en dashes. I find this very impressive. I really couldn't care any less about whether I'm using an en dash, em dash, or hyphen. They are all more or less the same to me. If I see that the dash is butted up between two words, it's a hyphen. If it's between dates or numbers, it's an en dash. If neither, it's a separator. In writing, such as on my blog, instead of an em dash I use the hyphen with spaces to flag that it's a separator and not a hyphen. This is mainly because I'm lazy and have never figured out how to form an em dash on my blog. And now it's such an ingrained habit, that I probably wouldn't change it anyway. After all, my blog is a creative writing outlet far different from my actual work writing.

But such review exercises make me rather happy to have an editor - both in my personal life and work life.

Spider drama

I'm not entirely sure what it is about my building, but spiders LOVE it. They can't get enough of it. They have formed entire communities on it and have chosen to rear their offspring here.

Also curious is how none of my neighbors seem to mind. Out of the 8 people on my side of the building, I'm the only one to ever sweep the outer hallways and stairs. My next door neighbors have literally five ginormous spiders hanging around right outside of their door. How they manage to get in and out without disturbing the webs is beyond me. Luckily, I do not need to go past their condo to get to the stairwell.

Unfortunately, the spiders have met their match with me. I hate them. Always have. I don't mind if they're out in the bushes or make their home on a lamp post. But, I have no sympathy when they decide to bridge the concrete path from wilderness to civilization - namely, my civilization. To give you an idea of what I'm working with, our condo doorways are on the outside of the building, and each neighbor has a sort of front door area connected by common outdoor walkways. There are two stairwells on either side of the building. On the ground floor, there is a courtyard area with flowers, bushes, and trees.

Yesterday after having run through yet another spider web on my way back to my condo, I had it. L. and I went to Home Depot, and bought some regular ol' spray insecticide and a broom. This may seem a tad overkill, but it's not.

Last year, I tried to battle the little devils with a broom alone, merely sweeping away their webs and coaxing them into the perfectly agreeable yard area in front of the condos. The next day, it was like it had never happened. They were all back in their happy little places. I tried once more, this time squishing the little buggers (quick and painless death) instead of showing them new real estate. This had a little better effect, but wasn't a great solution since there were always ones in hiding that I'd miss, and then they'd just come back with a few of their best friends. So, I finally broke down and bought some insecticide, and it worked like a charm. I could safely make my way up the stairs to my place without running smack dab into a spider or its web. But, all good things must come to an end and they return each year. Hence our trip to Home Depot yesterday.

Now, I didn't do the whole building. If my neighbors want to be a spider haven, so be it. As long as it doesn't interfere with my coming and going, I'll leave their space alone. What I did do, however, was spray my whole window and door with the insecticide, and then made my way down the stairwell. I also sprayed my downstairs neighbor's window and door area since they are gone most of the year and have no means to keep up their area - which I must pass to get to my place and which the spiders really love. I also sprayed the common area entryway from the parking lot, around the storage door, and around the light globes there.

As I was doing this, one of my neighbors from the other side of the building came to get something out of storage. Our conversation went something like this:

Him: "Spraying for spiders?"
Me: "Yup."
Him: "Ah. Lots of 'em this year."
Me: "Yeah. I can't stand them."
Him: "Yeah, but at least they eat mosquitoes."
Me: "True. I just wish that they'd stay out of the general area where we have to walk so that I don't have to wear spider webs all the time."
Him: "Yup."

So, what I gather from this particular exchange and the general disinterest of my neighbors is that I am the crazy spider-killing lady in the upstairs condo. I cannot fathom how everyone else is fine walking through spider webs. It truly is beyond me. But, I just cannot handle it. If I owned my own home, I would certainly keep the doorway and porch free of spider webs and spiders, because it just looks unkempt anyway. Who wants to venture into someone's house if they have to duck underneath webs?

But, back to my story. In an interesting twist, as I was making L.'s hot chocolate this morning, I noticed a big, ugly spider on the ceiling in my kitchen. Here, I sprayed the heck outside of my condo and then one guy got in. I paused for a moment, wondering if I should call L. in to take care of it, but then I changed my mind. I couldn't risk having the thing disappear. And, as a lifetime observation, I've noticed that the men in my life aren't particularly adept at this task even though I usually defer this little job to them. I think it's because they're missing the sense of urgency and utter worry that comes from missing the target and then wondering where you'll meet up again. This has absolutely nothing to do with L. and everything to do with my wacky fear of spiders.

So, I picked up a wad of napkins and jabbed at it, hoping to smash it directly. But it was quick and swooped down on its silky web to the cabinet. I swiped again, and this time it hit the floor. Then it was over in a crunch. That's the part that I both love and hate the most; I hate the sound and the feeling, but love the outcome.

This may sound silly, but I do hope that the spiders died quickly and relatively painlessly. That's probably asking a lot, considering it is insecticide, but I don't like to see things suffer - even spiders. Even though we don't get along, I understand that they are important and I need to coexist with them. I just don't want to do it in and around my home.

Still sick

Yep, still hacking away on day 8. My nose feels like it's just going to fall off in a tissue the next time I blow it. I made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning, since it looks like this has gone into an infection at this point. I really hate taking antibiotics, but even more so I hate constantly blowing my nose and not being able to sleep because I'm coughing so much. Good times.

Birth control pills may weaken bones

Hmmmm. This doesn't seem good considering I've been on a birth control pill of some sort for over a decade, and osteoporosis runs in my family.

Jim Gaffigan cracks me up

Thanks to my recent cold, I've been awake and asleep at random hours. Tonight, I caught a rerun of Jim Gaffigan's Beyond the Pale special on Comedy Central and remembered how funny his whole routine was, especially the section about hot pockets:



And the part about religion is hilarious, too:

Ribbit ribbit

Last night I started getting a sore throat and runny nose. This morning, it sounded like a frog came and settled down right in my throat. I feel like something has taken over my face, and I'd like it to leave now. I can't even believe how quickly this whole thing came on. Usually I don't get laryngitis until a few days into a cold, but not this time. It was almost immediate after I felt the initial symptoms coming on.

Gettin' down with Richard Cheese

L. took me to see Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine tonight at El Corazon. If you don't know who Richard Cheese is, he does lounge-singer versions of popular songs, from Slipknot to Britney Spears. I can say that if you're squeamish about vulgar language, he probably isn't your kind of guy since he covers songs that include some profanity. But, it's all in good fun.

It was an awesome show. They played for about two hours, and hit all of their best tunes, including some from their upcoming album. Richard is a great entertainer, and had some really funny things going on with audience members throughout the show. They took suggestions, and did a cover of some Rush tunes including Tom Sawyer - right on the spot; one of the band members wasn't even familiar with the song, so Richard got him going.

After the show, he and the band headed into the lounge where we met up with them, and got autographs and pictures from the whole band. It was a blast. And I got a burning question answered. In one of his Britney Spears covers, he mentions that he'd really like to get to know Britney in a for-unlawful-carnal-knowledge sense. Based on her recent behavior, I wasn't sure whether he'd still want to hit that, but he assured me that he does. So, there we have it. He'd still have sex with Britney Spears. Good to know.

A nice compliment

It's been a fairly good week. I found out that I had some content published in a technical book, so that was pretty exciting. Although I publish a lot of online technical content, this was the first time I was published in a book.

I also got a nice compliment from one of the PMs I work with about my design work. Right now, I do a lot of work on UI text and design for our team, and I really enjoy it. The PM told me that he really appreciates having my help on the text and design because he thinks that I'm very good at it. He said that they always bring the design stuff to me now, since we don't have an actual designer on the team. So, that was nice to hear. As a technical writer, you don't always get a lot of respect, so it's really good when people value what you do. And it's even nicer when it's something that isn't technically part of your job title, but something that you enjoy a lot and with which you are apparently doing a good job.

This was especially nice to hear because I'm thinking of taking some design-related classes next year when I have some more free time. I really want to learn more about the tools, like PhotoShop and InDesign. I love writing, but I'd like to pair it up with more background in design.

Problems with technological advances

The latest entry in the Red Tape Chronicles is about high tech spousal abuse. It was a rather timely article considering the other day my cousin was asking me about key logging software for her friend. Apparently this friend has a cheating husband, who has since sworn that he is no longer cheating, and actually appears to be making an effort at repairing his marriage. However, the friend has (understandably) lost all trust and decided that she wanted to put a key logging program on their computer to try and catch him cheating.

Of course since I'm the technology person in our family, my cousin comes to ask me about these programs, about which I have absolutely no clue. All I could tell her was that it sounded like a bad idea, and that her friend was going in the wrong direction if she really wanted to put her marriage back together and get trust back with her spouse.

Awhile back, L. and I watched a Dr. Phil episode about a woman whose husband was absolutely out of control and a complete creep. He had literally rigged everything of hers with GPS, spyware, etc. to keep track of her at all times and in all places. It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen, and the whole time we couldn't believe how this woman stayed with him. In the end, she wanted to get out and I have no idea whether she was able to do that successfully. But, I sure hope so.

I sometimes wonder how far all of this technology will take us. There are so doors opened with each new advancement, but it sure brings up a lot of questions and people who will take advantage of a situation.

Post Secret

Last month, I celebrated Christmas in July with my friend, A. She had my Christmas gift in December, but we never seemed to get together at a time when she'd have it. So, she finally just brought it by my office when I was on vacation and left it on my desk. It was the book Post Secret by Frank Warren. I devoured it in a couple of hours, amazed at I was seeing and reading. Then I read through it all again. I hadn't heard of the project before, and I was completely immersed in the artwork and all the secrets that people keep inside, only to one day make their way anonymously onto the page of a book.

I now check the Post Secret blog every week to see new secrets. This week, Frank Warren posted a new mini-movie about his project:

Dog sitting update

Tomorrow is my last day dog sitting for Diego. My parents get back from their cruise, and they'll pick him up sometime tomorrow. It's been a really fun week with Diego. I took him to work on Friday morning, and he met a bunch of my co workers. He was very good, and only barked once when we were playing with one of his toys.

Today, L. and I took Diego over to play with my cousin's dog, Hoover, who is about a gazillion times bigger than Diego. Diego is like Hoover's mini-me. They didn't hit it off real well at first, in part because Hoover wasn't feeling very well and Diego seemed to think that it was his job to bark and growl at Hoover, despite the fact that we were at Hoover's house and Hoover could swat Diego into oblivion. But, toward the end of the visit, the dogs both calmed down a little and were OK as long as Diego didn't get too close to Hoover. Whenever Diego would wander closer to Hoover, Hoover would either promptly jump off of the couch or give a warning growl. We're hoping that they get along a little better next time. I think it would have been different if Hoover wasn't feeling sick and if Diego wasn't being such a puppy.

I'll be sad to see Diego go tomorrow, but somewhat relieved. Puppies are a lot of work and require a lot of attention. But it has gotten me out on the Burke Gilman a bit more frequently and has led to a lot of laughs, because puppies are definitely funny.

Hef is a tired old man

Those who know me well, know that I love trash TV. Every so often, I'll catch an episode of the Girls Next Door (about Hugh Hefner's three girlfriends). It totally cracks me up, mostly because his girlfriends do and say some of the dumbest things. I also find it amusing that Holly (who I actually kind of like despite all my better judgement) has a silly idea that one day HH will get rid of the other girlfriends, propose to her, and they'll have kids. I hate to say it, but he's been there, done that, and then done away with it. Holly, girlfriend, it's time to get real. The lifestyle doesn't bother me, but the completely unrealistic hope of his settling down now is just too much. You're too smart for that.

But, I digress. What I really wanted to talk about is how HH really strikes me as someone who is just trying to keep up appearances at this point. The girls are always running around, laughing, etc. and then HH will show up for a minute in his pajamas, and then head back out. In one episode, he was bowling with a large group of buxom babes, and he just looked bored, despite the fact that they were all wearing next to nothing, and bouncing around. So, maybe HH is proof that you can get too much of a good thing. And once you hit that point, there just ain't no going back.

Dog sitting

I'm dog sitting for my parent's poodle, Diego, this week. Diego is a black toy poodle, and he's very smart and funny. Diego is (what my friend E. calls) a "snack dog". This term never ceases to crack me up. I prefer snack dogs, because they are easier to care for and for some reason they are a lot less stinky than big dogs. When they do get stinky, you can just dunk them in the bathtub for a quick bath and viola! They smell good again.

Since I was in San Francisco through Monday night, L. picked Diego up on Saturday night and watched him until I got back from my trip. It was a bit touch and go in the beginning, as Diego seemed to get a bit sick (probably because he was upset at my parents leaving), but he's doing better now and eating regularly. I've been walking him along the Burke Gilman trail, and was going to take him over to my cousin's house for a doggy play date with her black standard poodle, Hoover. However, we rescheduled for Saturday, which will be a bit easier for both of us. I'm really looking forward to seeing them play together. They've been together a couple of times, but not for any extensive period of time, so it should be fun.

I can definitely say that I'll wait to get a dog until I get a place where I'm on the ground floor. It is a bit of a chore to take the dog downtairs several times a day, especially when I relish wearing pajamas all day long when I'm kicking around the house.

Amazing juggling routine

This is pretty amazing to watch. (Thanks to my editor for sending this on.)

Back from San Francisco

K. and I got back from San Francisco late last night. It was a very long drive home. I suppose it was a long drive there as well, but it's always more fun driving to a place rather than driving back from a place. After about 16 hours in the car yesterday, I was pretty ready to be done with driving altogether.

We took off from Seattle about 8:00 AM on Thursday, and spent the hours catching up on each other's lives, listening to audio books, answering trivia questions, and screaming in excitement when we made it to the In 'n' Out Burger! We got to SF about midnight on Thursday night and checked into our hotel, the Columbus Motor Inn. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was, and it was in a great location - a couple of blocks away from Fisherman's Wharf, so it was very convenient to the things that we wanted to do.

On Friday morning, we got up early and headed down to the Wharf, where we caught one of those hop on/hop off buses and got a good tour of the city. It was a lovely day, yet not overly hot, so we were very comfortable. We did some fun shopping around the way and had the best sandwiches at a little French bakery off of the Wharf. We found a coupon for $25 off a dinner at a couple of different restaurants, so we decided to head back to the hotel, take a short nap, then head back out to find one of the restaurants on the coupon. We found the Northbeach Restaurant, a lovely little Italian restaurant that was fairly close to our hotel. Our waiter was a fabulous Italian guy, who hooked us up with a great wine for our appetizer and main courses. We also had the best olive oil I've had in a long time - very peppery and delicious with the foccacia bread they brought for us. After our dinner, we went to the Queen Anne Hotel, and met up with a group for a nightly ghost hunt in the Pacific Heights area of SF. It was really fun, and I got to demonstrate with haunted object outside of one of the houses. It was really cool. The architecture in the part of town is amazing. Our guide pointed out that the houses there were the tract houses of their day, which is interesting when you think about how much everyone loves them now and how much we hate current tract houses.

On Saturday, we slept in a bit, and then headed into Chinatown, where we spent a good portion of the day shopping and looking for a couple of Fu dog statues for my door stop. I ended up finding a cute pair of silver ones, along with a bunch of beautiful silk purses, coin purses, and other items that I picked up for my mom and sisters. I also fell in love with an adorable pair of pigs called Monokuro Boo, so I bought a wallet and coin purse with their faces on them. After our shopping expedition, we stopped at an Irish pub for some beer and appetizers. We then walked all the way to the Aquarium of the Bay, which while kind of cool, was a little sparse. It was neat to walk through the tanks and see all of the fish, but it wasn't really huge. I guess after seeing Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, I was a little underwhelmed by Aquarium of the Bay. That night, we were supposed to meet up with one of my friends in town for dinner, but he ended up being part of a regatta, so K. and I just fended for ourselves and ordered pizza in. After walking for almost 8 hours, we were pretty beat.

On Sunday, we woke up early and drove out to San Jose, where we toured the Winchester Mystery House. It was a really impressive place, and the tour was really interesting. Poor Mrs. Winchester. She was really nutty to have built a house like that. It makes for a really interesting place to visit, though. We then went out of our way to find an In 'n' Out Burger, and saw parts of San Jose that we'll probably never see again. We were pretty thankful to finally make it back to the freeway. We ended up at Great America, and went on a few of the big rollercoasters, including Invertigo which goes both forward and backward. That was my favorite. We drove back to SF, got cleaned up, and then went to the Stinking Rose for dinner. It was incredibly delicious, and unfortunatelly really quick. Our dinner came within minutes of our appetizer, so the whole experience was over pretty quickly. We took it as a sign that we needed to get to Ghiradelli and have one of their world famous sundaes.

Overall, it was a really wonderful trip and I hope that my feet will forgive me soon. We walked everywhere over the last three days, and it's definitely taken a bit of a toll on my poor feet, but it was great nonetheless.

Are you going to San Francisco?

I am! Tomorrow, to be exact. My friend, K., and I are heading out in the morning and road trippin' our way down to SF for a rip roarin' good time.

Our plans include being ultra-touristy by riding the hop on/hop off bus to see the sights, visiting Fisherman's Wharf, walking under a tank of sharks at Aquarium of the Bay, doing a night walking tour of ghostly areas, partaking in the garlic delights of the Stinking Rose, screaming our lungs out on the rollercoasters at Great America, and wandering around the weird Winchester Mystery House.

All this before we head back on Monday morning. It's going to be a jam-packed weekend of fun!

Bet this will stump you the first time around

This is really cool (found on mike pope's blog):



This is one of the most clever commercials I've seen.

A severe case of the butter fingers

I appear to have a severe case of the butter fingers lately. I mean, I'm usually a little uncoordinated at any given time - tripping over non-existent things or accidentally whacking my boyfriend with my purse when I'm getting out of the car. But lately, things have gotten pretty bad.

Just now (at lunch), I was cutting up my rice krispy treat so that I could actually fit a portion of it into my mouth (as the ones from our cafeteria are ginormous). As I was cutting said treat, it flew right off my desk and onto the floor. At least it didn't imitate the meatball song and roll right out the door. But, I digress.

A couple of days ago, L. and I got drinks and biscotti at Starbucks. With my first bite, I was wearing a large cloud of biscotti dust all over my nice white shirt. After I had eaten about 2/3 of the biscotti, it just slipped right out of my hand and crumbled in a mess in front of the garbage can.

And this last weekend, I finally had to come up with a different method for peeling potatoes, because inevitably I'd always drop one in the garbage can while peeling it. And much to L.'s chagrin, I'd never go into the garbage to save the poor potato and give it a good washing, because EWWWWWW. We have very different standards on this. I decided that I'd peel the potatoes over a cutting board on the counter. At least that way, the potato only falls into a pile of peelings. And if you wonder why I don't peel over the sink, it's because I've clogged way too many a garbage disposal/sink drain with potato peels.

Let's see...what else? At the end of our last meal in Chicago, I accidentally bumped the table and spilled my water all over the place. Yesterday, I stepped on the back of my friend's flip flop causing us to both go off balance momentarily. I also whacked my elbow on my bed frame while dusting my room, and I still have a bit of a bruise there. All kinds of random things in the last week or so. The universe must be trying to tell me something.

VPL

I had an interesting conversation today with my friend, A., at lunch. She is (probably) moving to LA with her boyfriend soon, and we were talking about where they might look for places. One place they are thinking about is Santa Monica, which I really liked when I went to visit one of my friends there several years ago. She mentioned that she was worried about whether her perceptions would change and she would become more shallow. It's an interesting concern, especially coming from A. who I always think of as being very well rounded and having no reason to worry about her looks or impression on people.

This discussion brought us onto fashion faux pas, specifically visible panty line (VPL). This morning, like every other morning, I looked at myself in the mirror before leaving the house. It was at this point that I realized I had a slightly visible panty line - nothing too bad, but anyone who thought to look that direction might have noticed a slight line. I thought briefly of changing, but then decided to leave it and get my butt to work instead. On the way, I thought about how ridiculous this particular fashion faux pas is. After all, at least I wear underwear, unlike so many misguided celebrities recently. But, A. disagrees. She said that she wears thongs to avoid this particular issue, to which I say life is just too short to have something wedged up there all day.

So, I guess we all have different standards as to what is or isn't important when it comes to appearance. One woman's visible panty line is another woman's deadly sin.

Update
In a slightly related note, see what Natalie Dee posted today on her site (caption is - PANTS: for covering butts):

nataliedee.com

Photos from Illinois and Michigan

- View from Shedd Aquarium

- Sculpture hanging in Art Institute of Chicago

- Chainsaw-carved sculpture at Starved Rock

- Balloon flower in Oriental Garden at Cranbrook Academy

- Roadside in rural Illinois