Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thinking and Driving, Ep. 6
Random: Carrie Underwood's "Before he cheats" came on the radio as I was passing a sign for a Carrie Underwood show.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Things my parents say, take 1
Mom, referring to my cousin's baby:
I gotta be honest, that's a beautiful baby. And I've seen a lot of UGLY babies lately.
I gotta be honest, that's a beautiful baby. And I've seen a lot of UGLY babies lately.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Where's the holiday spirit?
I was slightly happy to hear my mother say that she wasn't really in the Christmas spirit as much this year, because it made me feel a little more normal.
I don't know what's with me. Christmas is usually my favorite time of year. I'm not in a "bah humbug" kind of way, I'm just not my usual overly excited self. I really didn't enjoy shopping this year, and even found myself stretching to find gifts for my family. Heck, I didn't even buy gifts for my friends (I opted for buying 2 of them a lunch of City BBQ).
Maybe it was the weather. Possibly it was the state of the economy (though I am blessed to have a good job and the ability to spend no less than I have in years past).
I don't know. But in any case, Merry 4 days until Christmas.
I don't know what's with me. Christmas is usually my favorite time of year. I'm not in a "bah humbug" kind of way, I'm just not my usual overly excited self. I really didn't enjoy shopping this year, and even found myself stretching to find gifts for my family. Heck, I didn't even buy gifts for my friends (I opted for buying 2 of them a lunch of City BBQ).
Maybe it was the weather. Possibly it was the state of the economy (though I am blessed to have a good job and the ability to spend no less than I have in years past).
I don't know. But in any case, Merry 4 days until Christmas.
Friday, December 18, 2009
An exercise in Classical Conditioning
I am very blessed to have my own office at work. However, it does not come without a few complaints...
1. I am one of only two people not to have a window. Reason: I was the second to last person hired. The person hired after me is the only other person not to have a window, and she got stuck right next door to the bathroom. However, I have learned that not having a window can be a blessing in disguise, as everyone who does have a window has no control over the temperature of their offices. All I have to do is adjust how open my door is to control the temp of my office, and usually, I don't even have to go that far.
2. I am directly across the hall from one of the managers in the office. He is in his mid forties, but I am pretty sure that his hearing is going! The sound on his computer is SO high as is the ringer on his phone. We have multi-line phones in every office. Therefore, whenever someone else's phone rings, the little red light on my phone illuminates. Combine that with the volume of the afore mentioned manager's phone and sometimes I mistake his ring for my own line ringing.
I can't fix issue number 1, but I am slowly fixing issue number 2. Once a week, when the manager is out of his office, and his phone rings, I quickly run across the hall and turn it down a notch. I have been keeping track of the volume. It started on a "9" and I got it down to a "6" without him noticing. Then we lost power in the building which somehow reset the ringers on all the phones - to LOUD. He did notice that the phone was entirely too loud and turned it down to about an "8." Now I am just waiting for him to be out of his office over the holidays so I can begin my Pavlovian experiment once more... bwahahahaha! My goal is to get it down to a "5" (for reference, mine is on a "3" and I even turn that down when I'm not listening to the radio).
1. I am one of only two people not to have a window. Reason: I was the second to last person hired. The person hired after me is the only other person not to have a window, and she got stuck right next door to the bathroom. However, I have learned that not having a window can be a blessing in disguise, as everyone who does have a window has no control over the temperature of their offices. All I have to do is adjust how open my door is to control the temp of my office, and usually, I don't even have to go that far.
2. I am directly across the hall from one of the managers in the office. He is in his mid forties, but I am pretty sure that his hearing is going! The sound on his computer is SO high as is the ringer on his phone. We have multi-line phones in every office. Therefore, whenever someone else's phone rings, the little red light on my phone illuminates. Combine that with the volume of the afore mentioned manager's phone and sometimes I mistake his ring for my own line ringing.
I can't fix issue number 1, but I am slowly fixing issue number 2. Once a week, when the manager is out of his office, and his phone rings, I quickly run across the hall and turn it down a notch. I have been keeping track of the volume. It started on a "9" and I got it down to a "6" without him noticing. Then we lost power in the building which somehow reset the ringers on all the phones - to LOUD. He did notice that the phone was entirely too loud and turned it down to about an "8." Now I am just waiting for him to be out of his office over the holidays so I can begin my Pavlovian experiment once more... bwahahahaha! My goal is to get it down to a "5" (for reference, mine is on a "3" and I even turn that down when I'm not listening to the radio).
Thursday, December 17, 2009
What feels worse...?
This morning Chris Henry died at the age of 26. That's as old as my brother! But anyway, typically when someone is in a condition to potentially pass away, no matter how much you may not like him/her, you live by the rule that if you don't have anything nice to say, you don't say anything at all.
Some people don't subscribe to this. A friend of mine spoke on her Facebook page of how much she didn't like Chris Henry and how he doesn't contribute to the team anyway and they should release him... all this while the man struggled on life support in a Charlotte hospital. It is really easy to say less-than-nice things about someone you don't know, but do you want those to be your last words before finding out that he has died?
I have always had a terribly horrible feeling in my heart knowing that I was one of the last people in my family to see my grandfather before he passed, and I didn't take the time to tell him I loved him or say any of the things people wish they could say if they thought that it was the last time that they saw someone.
But honestly - stranger, relative, or friend - I would have a much heavier heart knowing that the last words I said to, or even about, someone were essentially defaming his or her character.
Some people don't subscribe to this. A friend of mine spoke on her Facebook page of how much she didn't like Chris Henry and how he doesn't contribute to the team anyway and they should release him... all this while the man struggled on life support in a Charlotte hospital. It is really easy to say less-than-nice things about someone you don't know, but do you want those to be your last words before finding out that he has died?
I have always had a terribly horrible feeling in my heart knowing that I was one of the last people in my family to see my grandfather before he passed, and I didn't take the time to tell him I loved him or say any of the things people wish they could say if they thought that it was the last time that they saw someone.
But honestly - stranger, relative, or friend - I would have a much heavier heart knowing that the last words I said to, or even about, someone were essentially defaming his or her character.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thinking and Driving Ep. 5
Dear dude that went on the hunt for the Q102 gift box, only to win TSO tickets... sorry about your luck!
Maybe next year champ!
Maybe next year champ!
Dinner Epiphany
Well, I actually realized this a few days ago, but brought it up last night at dinner...
I am getting married in less than four months. Jerry has asked his brother-in-law, Mike, to be his best man and my brother, Mike, to be a groomsman.
If you assume that the wedding party also includes the parents, you add Jerry's father, Jerry, and my father, Mike, into the mix.
The male side of our wedding party is 3 Mikes and 2 Jerrys. Will there be an epic battle royale?
In case you're wondering, the female side consists of no repeat names: Carla, Lela, Mindy, Regina, and Sharon.
By the way, speaking of dinner, I truly enjoyed dinner with Jerry and my sister last night. Maybe I finally found my happy-smiley Christmas spirit (I've been a little lethargic toward Christmas and shopping lately - a rarity for me). Merry 9 days until Christmas!
I am getting married in less than four months. Jerry has asked his brother-in-law, Mike, to be his best man and my brother, Mike, to be a groomsman.
If you assume that the wedding party also includes the parents, you add Jerry's father, Jerry, and my father, Mike, into the mix.
The male side of our wedding party is 3 Mikes and 2 Jerrys. Will there be an epic battle royale?
In case you're wondering, the female side consists of no repeat names: Carla, Lela, Mindy, Regina, and Sharon.
By the way, speaking of dinner, I truly enjoyed dinner with Jerry and my sister last night. Maybe I finally found my happy-smiley Christmas spirit (I've been a little lethargic toward Christmas and shopping lately - a rarity for me). Merry 9 days until Christmas!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thinking and Driving - Ep. 4
Does the Meijer Holiday help line really exist?
And if so, are they ONLY allowed to tell you to buy a Meijer gift card?
Yes, you can get anything that you want, but isn't it such a better feeling to buy someone something they truly want/need but (for whatever reason) won't get for themselves? Kinda kills the spirit of giving there.
On that note, I think my mother is going to LOVE the gift I got her for our family exchange. Hahahaha... is it time to give gifts yet? I feel like the lady in the radio commercial who wakes her kids up at 12:01 on Christmas morning to open gifts and then blurts out everything that she bought them before they can open it.
And if so, are they ONLY allowed to tell you to buy a Meijer gift card?
Yes, you can get anything that you want, but isn't it such a better feeling to buy someone something they truly want/need but (for whatever reason) won't get for themselves? Kinda kills the spirit of giving there.
On that note, I think my mother is going to LOVE the gift I got her for our family exchange. Hahahaha... is it time to give gifts yet? I feel like the lady in the radio commercial who wakes her kids up at 12:01 on Christmas morning to open gifts and then blurts out everything that she bought them before they can open it.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
What do I hate?
People who CANNOT be on time!
I work with someone who feels that our director's somewhat lax attitude toward timeliness means that she can show up to work around 9 and leave well before 5. To put that in perspective, a few co-workers and I get to work by 7:30 and leave no earlier than 4:00. Said co-worker was reported in the past for the hours that she kept. And for a while she was showing up around 8:30 and leaving around 5:00. Then we got busy and our director was often out of the office for early or late meetings. And that soon led to this co-worker going back to her 9 to about 4:30 schedule.
Yesterday, she got COMPLETELY busted when she strolled into the office around 8:50 - 20 minutes after our all-staff meeting began. And it was brought to the director's attention that this was not a unique occurance.
So, she was counselled AGAIN about this issue. I sincerely hope that this is going on record somewhere and that it hurts her annual review. Because she and I have the same title and were bumped to the bottom of a new pay-scale at the same time... which means that I make just as much money as she does! And considering that I work anywhere from 2.5 - 5 hours longer than her in a given week, that's not cool!
Moral of the story... timeliness matters!
I work with someone who feels that our director's somewhat lax attitude toward timeliness means that she can show up to work around 9 and leave well before 5. To put that in perspective, a few co-workers and I get to work by 7:30 and leave no earlier than 4:00. Said co-worker was reported in the past for the hours that she kept. And for a while she was showing up around 8:30 and leaving around 5:00. Then we got busy and our director was often out of the office for early or late meetings. And that soon led to this co-worker going back to her 9 to about 4:30 schedule.
Yesterday, she got COMPLETELY busted when she strolled into the office around 8:50 - 20 minutes after our all-staff meeting began. And it was brought to the director's attention that this was not a unique occurance.
So, she was counselled AGAIN about this issue. I sincerely hope that this is going on record somewhere and that it hurts her annual review. Because she and I have the same title and were bumped to the bottom of a new pay-scale at the same time... which means that I make just as much money as she does! And considering that I work anywhere from 2.5 - 5 hours longer than her in a given week, that's not cool!
Moral of the story... timeliness matters!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Incoming work rant
I have a co-worker who constantly bitches that she wants people to bring in food (donuts, cookies, something for the group). And when people do bring in group food, she then bitches about what they bring... she wants chocolate and you brought vanilla!
And if THAT'S not enough, when we have office parties, she always signs up to bring something. Then, she never brings what she signed up for, or makes a considerable effort. Last office party we had, she brought expired bags of lunch snack bags...you know, like Cheetos, Doritos, etc.
My advice... just shut up! You don't HAVE to bring in food, but if you choose to, make an effort. Don't just bring something that you were otherwise going to throw away. Better yet, offer to bring 2-liters of soda.
End of rant!
And if THAT'S not enough, when we have office parties, she always signs up to bring something. Then, she never brings what she signed up for, or makes a considerable effort. Last office party we had, she brought expired bags of lunch snack bags...you know, like Cheetos, Doritos, etc.
My advice... just shut up! You don't HAVE to bring in food, but if you choose to, make an effort. Don't just bring something that you were otherwise going to throw away. Better yet, offer to bring 2-liters of soda.
End of rant!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wedding Web Site Stalker!
That's me.
Since Jerry and I are planning a destination wedding, I have been engrossed in the Las Vegas discussion boards on the Knot. They are really quite helpful. what's even better is that many of the women that post on there have created wedding planning websites. And of the women that have already been married, most of them share their photos on the discussion boards as well. So I have been stalking the planning web sites of these women - which I have learned is actually a fairly common action.
In doing so, I have learned one thing... I have made an excellent decision by going to Vegas! I have seen very few repeat pictures. Everyone in my family uses the same photographer here in Cincinnati - a friend of my cousin. And I think that he does excellent work, but all of his pictures look the same. They all have the same feel. I am so happy that by going to Vegas I am forced to use a different photographer. I am excited as well since the photographer that I have chosen is relatively new on the scene and therefore cheap, yet has an already amazing book of work. I am hoping that he will just want to try things and use my wedding party as guinea pigs. Because then no one can have the same pics!
Only about 4.5 months left!
Since Jerry and I are planning a destination wedding, I have been engrossed in the Las Vegas discussion boards on the Knot. They are really quite helpful. what's even better is that many of the women that post on there have created wedding planning websites. And of the women that have already been married, most of them share their photos on the discussion boards as well. So I have been stalking the planning web sites of these women - which I have learned is actually a fairly common action.
In doing so, I have learned one thing... I have made an excellent decision by going to Vegas! I have seen very few repeat pictures. Everyone in my family uses the same photographer here in Cincinnati - a friend of my cousin. And I think that he does excellent work, but all of his pictures look the same. They all have the same feel. I am so happy that by going to Vegas I am forced to use a different photographer. I am excited as well since the photographer that I have chosen is relatively new on the scene and therefore cheap, yet has an already amazing book of work. I am hoping that he will just want to try things and use my wedding party as guinea pigs. Because then no one can have the same pics!
Only about 4.5 months left!
Friday, November 13, 2009
School stories
I teach Business to Business Marketing on Thursday nights at UC. I don't know all my students to the effect that I could easily call them by their names. But I recognize when certain people are missing.
I only have 3 African-American students in my class - 2 male, 1 female.
Last night the female walks up to me and says, "I'm so sorry that I missed class last week..." and proceeds to tell me a story about why she missed class that isn't necessary to be repeated. Anyway, I probably noticed at the time that she was missing, but it wasn't necessarily something that I was thinking about right at that moment.
I jokingly said, "Oh, I noticed you weren't here, and we missed you terribly."
To which she responded, "There are only a few of us in the class, I know that you notice when I'm gone."
Uh... long pause.
Student watched me trying to determine if I respond that she is correct, is it considered racist?
Then she said, "It's cool, I said it first. I'm the only black girl in here."
You can't really convey her reaction in writing, but as she went on to talk, I decided that I like her just a little more than the others... other students in general that is. She gets an A! Well, maybe... I mean, she did miss that one class...
I only have 3 African-American students in my class - 2 male, 1 female.
Last night the female walks up to me and says, "I'm so sorry that I missed class last week..." and proceeds to tell me a story about why she missed class that isn't necessary to be repeated. Anyway, I probably noticed at the time that she was missing, but it wasn't necessarily something that I was thinking about right at that moment.
I jokingly said, "Oh, I noticed you weren't here, and we missed you terribly."
To which she responded, "There are only a few of us in the class, I know that you notice when I'm gone."
Uh... long pause.
Student watched me trying to determine if I respond that she is correct, is it considered racist?
Then she said, "It's cool, I said it first. I'm the only black girl in here."
You can't really convey her reaction in writing, but as she went on to talk, I decided that I like her just a little more than the others... other students in general that is. She gets an A! Well, maybe... I mean, she did miss that one class...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thinking and Driving Ep. 2
It smells like Chicken Noodle Soup as I drive down I-71 past the Taft Exit. I wonder if anyone else smells it.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thinking and Driving, Ep.1
As I was driving to work this morning, I caught my mind wandering. It's not a short drive to work...this happens often. So, today, I decided to begin sharing my morning drive thoughts with you...
Is this Owl City dude for real? Or did he just win a bet that he could write a song with a catchy tune and ridiculously inane lyrics, and the teeny boppers would make it the number one requested song on the pop/top 40 stations?
And speaking of music, I often find myself singing along to Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me. But I liked Saving Jane's version better (Girl Next Door).
Is this Owl City dude for real? Or did he just win a bet that he could write a song with a catchy tune and ridiculously inane lyrics, and the teeny boppers would make it the number one requested song on the pop/top 40 stations?
And speaking of music, I often find myself singing along to Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me. But I liked Saving Jane's version better (Girl Next Door).
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Photo blogging and other updates
Who thought that taking a picture every day and posting it to a blog with a few descriptive words would be so difficult?
To undertake such a task requires few things...
1. Blog
2. Camera
3. Way to transfer photo from camera to blog
And that's where it does indeed get difficult. My camera cord and camera never seem to be at the same place at the same time. So, while I have been taking pictures, I am failing at the transferring-them-to-the-computer portion of this task. And let's not get started with the issues of iPhoto and blogger - wonder if WordPress is better....?
In other news...
This weekend is homecoming for the number 5 ranked UC Bearcats. Jerry and I are attending an Open House Homecoming event for my undergraduate scholarship program. That should be interesting because they want money and we don't have any to give them, but it will be good to see old friends and former classmates.
The "renovations" to the house are slowly coming together. We have removed all the furniture from the dining room and I am going to scrub the walls and floors this weekend, which means we will be ready to begin sanding the floors in that room at any time. My hope is to be able to move the living room furniture to the garage this weekend as well, giving Jerry the ability to start sanding the floors as early as 10/30 - which will be good if we can get most of the work done on the 30th and 31st because we can get away from the house without worrying about where to stay or any work/travel issues.
We are spending the 31st with the Mangus's and celebrating little D's first Halloween - by sitting around their house, eating pizza, watching a scary movie, and answering the door for the hordes of children begging for candy. I'm sure we will be dressing the baby up in his Halloween costume. I don't know what it is, so it will be entertaining I'm sure. Hmmm... this sounds like an excellent opportunity to possibly make gingerbread mummies. I am proceeding with caution on that idea though.
And in my other free time, I am still trying to plan a wedding. I am hoping to drag Jerry and my parents out to look at possible Cincinnati venues the first weekend of November. Ma and Pa Hoell will be in Vegas next week, so I am attempting to send them on a little Vegas scouting trip as well. I'm going to try to make calendars for them when my work and school projects die down a little after this week (yay!).
But in the mean time, work does call... so I'm off! Look for photo blog posts coming soon!
To undertake such a task requires few things...
1. Blog
2. Camera
3. Way to transfer photo from camera to blog
And that's where it does indeed get difficult. My camera cord and camera never seem to be at the same place at the same time. So, while I have been taking pictures, I am failing at the transferring-them-to-the-computer portion of this task. And let's not get started with the issues of iPhoto and blogger - wonder if WordPress is better....?
In other news...
This weekend is homecoming for the number 5 ranked UC Bearcats. Jerry and I are attending an Open House Homecoming event for my undergraduate scholarship program. That should be interesting because they want money and we don't have any to give them, but it will be good to see old friends and former classmates.
The "renovations" to the house are slowly coming together. We have removed all the furniture from the dining room and I am going to scrub the walls and floors this weekend, which means we will be ready to begin sanding the floors in that room at any time. My hope is to be able to move the living room furniture to the garage this weekend as well, giving Jerry the ability to start sanding the floors as early as 10/30 - which will be good if we can get most of the work done on the 30th and 31st because we can get away from the house without worrying about where to stay or any work/travel issues.
We are spending the 31st with the Mangus's and celebrating little D's first Halloween - by sitting around their house, eating pizza, watching a scary movie, and answering the door for the hordes of children begging for candy. I'm sure we will be dressing the baby up in his Halloween costume. I don't know what it is, so it will be entertaining I'm sure. Hmmm... this sounds like an excellent opportunity to possibly make gingerbread mummies. I am proceeding with caution on that idea though.
And in my other free time, I am still trying to plan a wedding. I am hoping to drag Jerry and my parents out to look at possible Cincinnati venues the first weekend of November. Ma and Pa Hoell will be in Vegas next week, so I am attempting to send them on a little Vegas scouting trip as well. I'm going to try to make calendars for them when my work and school projects die down a little after this week (yay!).
But in the mean time, work does call... so I'm off! Look for photo blog posts coming soon!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
I'm getting married!!!
Did I mention that I was getting married. Well, I'm getting married... in less than 6 months!
Jerry and I are heading off to Vegas to tie the proverbial knot. We (and whenever I say "we" it means "I") have selected the venue (Planet Hollywood Resort) and the date (April 8). We are trying to guess the guest list in order to pick the appropriate package and time. But right now it is looking like a mid-afternoon ceremony with a break to go take some awesome photos (courtesy of an awesome package deal from mikelphoto.com), followed by an hors d'oeuvre reception in a panorama suite at PH.
The hotel pretty much takes care of everything: chapel and suite set up, bouquets, alter flowers and candles, ceremony pictures with an additional hour of photo time as well as an engagement photo session at the LV sign, and so much more that I can't even think of right now! Oh yeah, and the ceremony will be available via webcast!
We will be having a reception in Cincinnati, not long after we return from Vegas. And we are putting off the honeymoon until the fall since we will be taking a week to trip out to LV.
I bought a dress last week - and I'm having a really hard time not showing Jerry a picture of it because I really like it, and I am terrible at keeping secrets from him. It's going to really suck when the dress arrives because they ship it directly to my house. Hopefully, we can get it in for alterations before I have a chance to share. If you're not Jerry and you want to see a picture of the dress, drop me an email or a message on facebook and I'll send you one of a tall, skinny blonde in the white version (mine's ivory because the white just washed me out!).
Jerry and his groomsmen (when he selects them) will just wear black suits, white shirts, and some kind of awesome tie that coordinates with my maid(s) dress(es). Jerry told me that he is going to wear his black and white checkered Vans... and I thought that was an excellent idea ($5 says my mom hates that idea!)
The dress has kind of inspired our theme: Classic Hollywood/Old School Las Vegas style. Hopefully we can translate that into the reception at home - because I know that I will want to wear my dress again!
Stay tuned for more details! I am working on getting a planning website up and running, but I'm so busy with everything else (work x2) that it's a little on hold right now!
Jerry and I are heading off to Vegas to tie the proverbial knot. We (and whenever I say "we" it means "I") have selected the venue (Planet Hollywood Resort) and the date (April 8). We are trying to guess the guest list in order to pick the appropriate package and time. But right now it is looking like a mid-afternoon ceremony with a break to go take some awesome photos (courtesy of an awesome package deal from mikelphoto.com), followed by an hors d'oeuvre reception in a panorama suite at PH.
The hotel pretty much takes care of everything: chapel and suite set up, bouquets, alter flowers and candles, ceremony pictures with an additional hour of photo time as well as an engagement photo session at the LV sign, and so much more that I can't even think of right now! Oh yeah, and the ceremony will be available via webcast!
Woo hoo Planet Hollywood!
Here's a little teaser of what the suite may look like (I think they have a few of them that are decorated slightly differently):
Yes, that's a 180 degree view of the strip.
We will be having a reception in Cincinnati, not long after we return from Vegas. And we are putting off the honeymoon until the fall since we will be taking a week to trip out to LV.
I bought a dress last week - and I'm having a really hard time not showing Jerry a picture of it because I really like it, and I am terrible at keeping secrets from him. It's going to really suck when the dress arrives because they ship it directly to my house. Hopefully, we can get it in for alterations before I have a chance to share. If you're not Jerry and you want to see a picture of the dress, drop me an email or a message on facebook and I'll send you one of a tall, skinny blonde in the white version (mine's ivory because the white just washed me out!).
Jerry and his groomsmen (when he selects them) will just wear black suits, white shirts, and some kind of awesome tie that coordinates with my maid(s) dress(es). Jerry told me that he is going to wear his black and white checkered Vans... and I thought that was an excellent idea ($5 says my mom hates that idea!)
The dress has kind of inspired our theme: Classic Hollywood/Old School Las Vegas style. Hopefully we can translate that into the reception at home - because I know that I will want to wear my dress again!
Stay tuned for more details! I am working on getting a planning website up and running, but I'm so busy with everything else (work x2) that it's a little on hold right now!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Photo Blog Catch-up days 8 - 12
Busy week last week. Super busy week this week. I didn't have/make the time to post all my pictures, but I have been taking them. I am now loading them on my work computer to make them easier to work with until I figured out my issues with uploading to/from iPhoto. I AM going to get better at this! So here's your phto blog update...
Day 8 - 10/14/2009 
Day 10 - 10/16/2009
Day 8 - 10/14/2009
My sad little confused pumpkin. I didn't enter him in the "contest" at work because he was really just a means to test my collection of permanent markers.
Day 9 - 10/15/2009
Everyone else's pumpkins - Really, I didn't think anyone would put THIS much effort into this.
Day 10 - 10/16/2009
This was my view at the UC Marketing Summit - I was relegated to the table in the back corner - #30. Good information, but not great seating. I guess that's what I get for signing up later/letting someone else sign me up. But it was free, so it's all good. And there was a lot of great information shared.
Day 11 - 10/17/2009
It was a party day for us. We ended the night at my cousin's birthday bash. Here is my cousin Lori, with her man, Jake. Didn't have a horrible time, but this just wasn't me scene! (We were in Suite at Black Finn downtown - liked it much better as McFaddens)
Day 12 - 10/18/2009
Jerry and I decided to park at the Westin (5th and Vine) and hike it to Lori's party (7th and Vine). As we were walking back to the car around Mid-night, I decided to do something I have never really done... take a touristy photo of our fountain. It's images like this that make me happy that I moved back home! So technically this was taken at just around midnight, but I'm calling it my Sunday photo!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Photo Blog Day 7
It's the 7th day since Jerry proposed, which just happened to fall on the day that I decided to start this blog. I didn't get a picture of the beautiful roses that he placed on the floor in a trail leading me to him in the basement, and until now I also didn't have a picture of the other bouquet of pretty fall colored flowers that he bought me as well. But here it is...
Aren't they pretty?
The goal of adding a photo each day is to get me in a better habit of carrying my camera and using it to capture the moments of my life. I am hoping to develop into the slightly more interesting and artistic photos over time. And maybe I'll get a better camera... who knows?
Photo Blog Day 6
Day 6 found us at the Mt. Lookout Tavern, taking in a little MLTrivia. Unfortunately, we did not win. But the boys still had their fair share of beer. This is pretty much always my point of view:
Sitting at a Red Bull table watching the boys drink Coors Light out of plastic Bud Light cups. Ah, the life.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
where are those pictures
Don't worry! I am still taking a picture every day... just having problems with the blogspot interface, iPhoto, and my camera (probably because my camera software isn't compatible with a Mac).
I have also been terribly busy. Though I have been making an effort on taking the photos, I have not made the effort to figure out how to get around the iPhoto issue without having to save and move files.
To be continued...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Photo Blog Days 4 and 5
I'm combining these 2 days because it has been a busy weekend and this is the first chance I have had to upload photos (yes they were taken on the days indicated) and then to write about them.
Day 4
Jerry cleaned the floors in the living room. We previously pulled up the carpet in here and were waiting to clean the floors because they get so slick! Here is what the living room looks like now...
Hopefully, the floors will be finished really soon and we can redecorate (new tables and new entertainment stand, TV, and surround sound).
Day 5
This morning, I decide it was time that you met the other occupants of the Hoell-McWhorter house. Today, meet Peter Parker...
He's the friendly (read: scary) little spider right outside the front door.
Making Wedding Plans
I can remember making fun of my co-worker Emily for not having her October wedding details set back in January and frantically helping her evaluate a few things. Her wedding is in less than a week and throughout the process, I have watched her sweat out some issues, although it didn't seem that bad.
Now I'm trying to do all that... in 6 months... in another city!
That's right folks, Jerry and I are getting married in Vegas in April, at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. We are currently waiting on the coordinator to let us know what Thursday dates in April are available - yes, you can get married any day and any time in Vegas!
I have NO desire whatsoever to do the big church wedding. Jerry has already done that anyway. I cannot envision myself in a big church full of people that I don't really know that well (like dad's work friends). I don't want everything to be all commercial and to worry about details that won't make a bit of difference in 5 or 10 years. I want to be able to tell my children and grandchildren about how much fun I had at my wedding.
I am lucky to be the second born. I think that my father had enough of the big wedding planning after my sister got hitched a few years ago. He also says that there are some things that he would change about his wedding. But most importantly, he told me to work all the details out with my mom and he will just write the checks!
I am also lucky to be marrying such a wonderful man. Do you know he actually said something along the lines of it being my day and to do what I want and to just tell him where to be and when? Guess we will have to plan a trip out to Vegas sometime soon to firm up the details... until then, Bridget is under my employ as my Vegas Liaison!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Photo Blog Day 3
We were having an unofficial miniature pumpkin decorating contest at work. I unfortunately forgot to take my pumpkin home, but most of the staff participated. I have declared Guy's creation (actually by Guy's daughter, a.k.a. the Ringer) the winner:
Actually, everyone who actually attempted to participate did an excellent job. Shelly actually carved hers! I don't have pictures of all of them yet though.
Photo Blog Day 2
I wrote this yesterday and managed to delete it :(
Anyway...
It has been a hectic time at work lately and that is why my desk/office (yes I enjoy the luxury of having my own office) looks like this:
Carla McWhorter Meyer would probably go into shock at seeing this! Next week I hope to post a picture of the cleaned up version!
Anyway...
It has been a hectic time at work lately and that is why my desk/office (yes I enjoy the luxury of having my own office) looks like this:
Carla McWhorter Meyer would probably go into shock at seeing this! Next week I hope to post a picture of the cleaned up version!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
How it went down
People keep asking me how exactly Jerry proposed. So...read on...
I arrived home from work a little after 4:30 - it was a terribly frustrating drive home thanks to a mild accident on North 71 that hadn't made the traffic report yet. I was not in the best mood, but Jerry and I had plans to go to dinner at El Pueblo kind of in celebration of our 2 year anniversary. So, I perked up a bit as I got out of the car thinking about delicious Mexican food!
I perked up a lot more as I opened the front door to find roses laying on the floor, creating a path through the living room. I started picking up the roses as I followed them around the corner into the kitchen. Then I gave up the picking up part, dropped the roses, and followed the rest of the path through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement. By the way, it had to be entertaining for Jerry to watch me attempt to tip toe (in heels mind you!) past the roses on the stairs without tripping.
And there was Jerry standing in the middle of the basement family room - still dressed in his shirt and tie from work, holding his hands behind his back. I should mention that there was another beautiful fall bouquet of floweres (pictures to come later) sitting on the table, and the sweet sounds of "Easy like Sunday morning" on the iTunes (long story).
Jerry asked me to sit in front of him. This is the point where I thought that this was going to be more of a romantic gesture of some kind, but not quite a proposal. He proceeded to tell me how happy he has been for the last 2 years (yada, yada, yada - in all the excitement, whatever words came out of his mouth are all a blur of my memory right now, sorry).
As he started to get down on one knee, I had this moment of disbelief. When others might have said something along the lines of "No Way!" or possibly "Shut Up!" - the only word that managed to come out of my mouth was "Don't!" I have no idea why people. But Jerry, midway to kneeling and the box now visible from behind his back, stopped and said, "Did you just say 'don't'?"
To which I responded, "No...go ahead. Do."
And then he showed me the beautiful ring set (he bought the full wedding set), pulled the engagement ring out of the box, and handed it to me. We hugged. We kissed. I handed him back the ring... so that he could properly place it on my finger. And we hugged again.
As we were hugging, he ever so sweetly whispered in my ear, "Uh...you haven't actually said yes yet." I think I may have screamed yes.
He then told me that he told my dad that it was his intention to end the issue of us living in sin.
Um... When did he talk to my dad?
Ah, the truth comes out...
Earlier in the week, Jerry commandeered my cell phone and used it to search my address book for my father's cell phone number. He then texted Dad to see when he was working from home this week. THEN, on Tuesday, when Dad was working from home, Jerry drove to my parents' house to meet my father and ask his permission.
Too cute!
So there you have it... the engagement story. And we do not have a date yet, but I will be sure to share when we do have a date!
I arrived home from work a little after 4:30 - it was a terribly frustrating drive home thanks to a mild accident on North 71 that hadn't made the traffic report yet. I was not in the best mood, but Jerry and I had plans to go to dinner at El Pueblo kind of in celebration of our 2 year anniversary. So, I perked up a bit as I got out of the car thinking about delicious Mexican food!
I perked up a lot more as I opened the front door to find roses laying on the floor, creating a path through the living room. I started picking up the roses as I followed them around the corner into the kitchen. Then I gave up the picking up part, dropped the roses, and followed the rest of the path through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement. By the way, it had to be entertaining for Jerry to watch me attempt to tip toe (in heels mind you!) past the roses on the stairs without tripping.
And there was Jerry standing in the middle of the basement family room - still dressed in his shirt and tie from work, holding his hands behind his back. I should mention that there was another beautiful fall bouquet of floweres (pictures to come later) sitting on the table, and the sweet sounds of "Easy like Sunday morning" on the iTunes (long story).
Jerry asked me to sit in front of him. This is the point where I thought that this was going to be more of a romantic gesture of some kind, but not quite a proposal. He proceeded to tell me how happy he has been for the last 2 years (yada, yada, yada - in all the excitement, whatever words came out of his mouth are all a blur of my memory right now, sorry).
As he started to get down on one knee, I had this moment of disbelief. When others might have said something along the lines of "No Way!" or possibly "Shut Up!" - the only word that managed to come out of my mouth was "Don't!" I have no idea why people. But Jerry, midway to kneeling and the box now visible from behind his back, stopped and said, "Did you just say 'don't'?"
To which I responded, "No...go ahead. Do."
And then he showed me the beautiful ring set (he bought the full wedding set), pulled the engagement ring out of the box, and handed it to me. We hugged. We kissed. I handed him back the ring... so that he could properly place it on my finger. And we hugged again.
As we were hugging, he ever so sweetly whispered in my ear, "Uh...you haven't actually said yes yet." I think I may have screamed yes.
He then told me that he told my dad that it was his intention to end the issue of us living in sin.
Um... When did he talk to my dad?
Ah, the truth comes out...
Earlier in the week, Jerry commandeered my cell phone and used it to search my address book for my father's cell phone number. He then texted Dad to see when he was working from home this week. THEN, on Tuesday, when Dad was working from home, Jerry drove to my parents' house to meet my father and ask his permission.
Too cute!
So there you have it... the engagement story. And we do not have a date yet, but I will be sure to share when we do have a date!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Photo Blog Day 1
It was a toss up on what to photograph tonight. Unfortunately for the Mariachi band at El Pueblo, they lost to this:
That's my pretty new engagement ring from my pretty new fiance. Yay!
Day 1
It's technically Day 1 of my intended photo blog... maybe I'm waiting for inspiration to strike. Maybe I'm just waiting for this day to end so that I can go home, grab the camera, and head out to a nice low-key anniversary dinner with Jerry. (Mmmmmm....El Pueblo!)
Work has been crazy-busy this week. As in, I arrive at the office at 7:30 am and start right in to responding to emails and making changes to documents, read some website copy, write some website copy, and then I look at my clock and it's already 4:00. I love these days and I hate them with just as much passion. I like being so busy that I'm not constantly watching the clock. I hate that these days are the result of others not being able to properly spread out their work.
I also LOVE my easy clients... the ones who take one day to review a document and propose changes. The ones who only require one round of changes. The ones who tell my boss how delightful it is to work with me. Yeah I like them! I'm talking to you Pharmacy Recruitment!
Other things I don't like: 3:30 meetings when I leave the office at 4, constantly broken Kyocera printers, co-workers who yell down the hall rather than walking to your office, and the inability of the thermostat to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Highlight of my day today... a general curiosity to see what ever happened to the co-workers that I left back in Texas four years ago. Turns out Vernon went on to become an 8th grade math teacher. I found the blog that his wife keeps - and that one of his family members updates EVERY DAY! Crazy!
Look For that Day 1 picture...Coming soon!
Work has been crazy-busy this week. As in, I arrive at the office at 7:30 am and start right in to responding to emails and making changes to documents, read some website copy, write some website copy, and then I look at my clock and it's already 4:00. I love these days and I hate them with just as much passion. I like being so busy that I'm not constantly watching the clock. I hate that these days are the result of others not being able to properly spread out their work.
I also LOVE my easy clients... the ones who take one day to review a document and propose changes. The ones who only require one round of changes. The ones who tell my boss how delightful it is to work with me. Yeah I like them! I'm talking to you Pharmacy Recruitment!
Other things I don't like: 3:30 meetings when I leave the office at 4, constantly broken Kyocera printers, co-workers who yell down the hall rather than walking to your office, and the inability of the thermostat to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Highlight of my day today... a general curiosity to see what ever happened to the co-workers that I left back in Texas four years ago. Turns out Vernon went on to become an 8th grade math teacher. I found the blog that his wife keeps - and that one of his family members updates EVERY DAY! Crazy!
Look For that Day 1 picture...Coming soon!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
October is Anniversary Awareness Month...
Today is my one year anniversary at work. I honestly thought that the combination of the economy and the merger would put me out of a job before I reached this point. I still fear a "last in - first out" policy should we have to make cuts. In any case, yay for one year.
Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of my first date with Jerry. We are having a mild celebration with dinner at El Pueblo tomorrow, and continuing to recognize the event with a much larger dinner at Boi na Braza on Saturday. Do you find it odd that I am getting slightly geeked about going to a Brazillian Steakhouse? I mean, I barely eat meat to begin with, and I am excited about going to a restaurant where they put out some salads and sides but expect you to just eat a lot of meat? Something feels so very wrong with that.
On that note, I am launching a new idea... that will probably take a lot of work on my part. I am going to incorporate a 365 photo blog into this here blog... a photo each day of something going on in my life. I have a feeling this means a lot of photos of my house as it undergoes some reconstructive surgery! But look forward to that - starting tomorrow!
Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of my first date with Jerry. We are having a mild celebration with dinner at El Pueblo tomorrow, and continuing to recognize the event with a much larger dinner at Boi na Braza on Saturday. Do you find it odd that I am getting slightly geeked about going to a Brazillian Steakhouse? I mean, I barely eat meat to begin with, and I am excited about going to a restaurant where they put out some salads and sides but expect you to just eat a lot of meat? Something feels so very wrong with that.
On that note, I am launching a new idea... that will probably take a lot of work on my part. I am going to incorporate a 365 photo blog into this here blog... a photo each day of something going on in my life. I have a feeling this means a lot of photos of my house as it undergoes some reconstructive surgery! But look forward to that - starting tomorrow!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Ah...kids
On Saturday, Jerry and I met up with his sister and some of her family for lunch. They were in Cincinnati for their oldest son's soccer tournament. After lunch, and before we headed to the soccer fields to watch the afternoon game, Jerry and I made a trip to Wal-Mart. I don't want to admit why we were there. And yes, it is true that I had to go to the bathroom THAT badly that I was willing to use a public restroom...at Wal-Mart.
In the restroom, I can hear a little girl (4 or 5 years old) who is in the large stall with her grandmother. I walked into the restroom half-way through the conversation, but the little girl was talking about when she is a parent. And the portion that I heard went something like this...
Little Girl: And after I have kids, then one day I'll be a grandma. And then after I'm a grandma, you know what I'll be?
(Honestly, I expected her to say that she would be dead and then things would really turn awkward - because such a discussion while people are trying to do their business isn't awkward enough - but it's even better than that)
Little Girl: Then, after I'm a grandma, I'm gonna be a pony. Then a doggy. Then maybe a cat.
Grandma: That's wild.
The grandmother's reaction might actually be my favorite part of the story. no emotion. Just "That's wild."
Lesson learned - maybe using the restroom at Wal-Mart isn't all that bad. I mean they do have toilet seat covers as well.
In the restroom, I can hear a little girl (4 or 5 years old) who is in the large stall with her grandmother. I walked into the restroom half-way through the conversation, but the little girl was talking about when she is a parent. And the portion that I heard went something like this...
Little Girl: And after I have kids, then one day I'll be a grandma. And then after I'm a grandma, you know what I'll be?
(Honestly, I expected her to say that she would be dead and then things would really turn awkward - because such a discussion while people are trying to do their business isn't awkward enough - but it's even better than that)
Little Girl: Then, after I'm a grandma, I'm gonna be a pony. Then a doggy. Then maybe a cat.
Grandma: That's wild.
The grandmother's reaction might actually be my favorite part of the story. no emotion. Just "That's wild."
Lesson learned - maybe using the restroom at Wal-Mart isn't all that bad. I mean they do have toilet seat covers as well.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Driving Lessons
Yesterday was another long day for me as I taught my weekly night class after working at the 9-5 job. In class last night, I decided to do an activity to help the students to become better acquainted as they choose teams for their project. In order to organize them a little more for this activity, I decided to buy a mixed bag of candy, allow them to pick a piece of candy, and organize them into groups, based on what candy they chose.
So, I needed candy.
I decided to stop at Kroger in order to pick up a bag of candy. Of course I was stopping there at 5:00-ish in the evening. There was a lot of traffic in the parking lot and I decided to just park in the first row that I came to. I happened to follow another car down this row. He passed the closest spot on the right and turned to his left. So I immediately pulled into the vacant spot, only to realize that his intention was to back into the spot (I don't know if this was his original intention or if he realized that a spot wasn't open on the left and was going to then back into the available spot) I realized what was happening and I was going to back out of the spot and let him have it (even though there were plenty of spaces to choose from a mere 3 cars down).
I put my car in reverse and began to check for clearance to back out. At that point a 3rd car pulled down the same aisle. I had nowhere to go, so I thought "Screw it! I'm not responsible for him being an idiot and attempting this maneuver during Kroger Rush Hour." I put my car in park and proceeded to gather my bag to walk into the store when the first guy gets out of his car and approaches me. I told him that I would gladly move but that I couldn't get out of the spot - really, I was happy to move for him (he scared me!) To which he just gave me the evil eye and then hopped back in his car and parked in the previously mentioned space just a few cars down.
I jumped out of my car and power-walked into Kroger (which was another adventure of white-trashiness and the most disgusting female mustache I have ever seen, but that's a story for another time).
Anyway, this experience got me thinking that there are certain rules that you should follow when parking ANYWHERE...
1. You have to move quickly
2. If it's a crowded parking lot and there are multiple cars lining up behind you, don't waste your time or mine trying to back in to a parking space.
3. If you do wish to park in a particular space, indicate so - turn signals are good, or possibly a maneuver that prevents someone else from taking the space (seriously, the way he passed the space made me believe he was PASSING THE SPACE!)
4. Don't you probably need access to your trunk - and isn't that difficult if it's not facing out?
5. Don't waste your time getting out of the car to approach the person who took your space - just park your land yacht and do your thing
So, I needed candy.
I decided to stop at Kroger in order to pick up a bag of candy. Of course I was stopping there at 5:00-ish in the evening. There was a lot of traffic in the parking lot and I decided to just park in the first row that I came to. I happened to follow another car down this row. He passed the closest spot on the right and turned to his left. So I immediately pulled into the vacant spot, only to realize that his intention was to back into the spot (I don't know if this was his original intention or if he realized that a spot wasn't open on the left and was going to then back into the available spot) I realized what was happening and I was going to back out of the spot and let him have it (even though there were plenty of spaces to choose from a mere 3 cars down).
I put my car in reverse and began to check for clearance to back out. At that point a 3rd car pulled down the same aisle. I had nowhere to go, so I thought "Screw it! I'm not responsible for him being an idiot and attempting this maneuver during Kroger Rush Hour." I put my car in park and proceeded to gather my bag to walk into the store when the first guy gets out of his car and approaches me. I told him that I would gladly move but that I couldn't get out of the spot - really, I was happy to move for him (he scared me!) To which he just gave me the evil eye and then hopped back in his car and parked in the previously mentioned space just a few cars down.
I jumped out of my car and power-walked into Kroger (which was another adventure of white-trashiness and the most disgusting female mustache I have ever seen, but that's a story for another time).
Anyway, this experience got me thinking that there are certain rules that you should follow when parking ANYWHERE...
1. You have to move quickly
2. If it's a crowded parking lot and there are multiple cars lining up behind you, don't waste your time or mine trying to back in to a parking space.
3. If you do wish to park in a particular space, indicate so - turn signals are good, or possibly a maneuver that prevents someone else from taking the space (seriously, the way he passed the space made me believe he was PASSING THE SPACE!)
4. Don't you probably need access to your trunk - and isn't that difficult if it's not facing out?
5. Don't waste your time getting out of the car to approach the person who took your space - just park your land yacht and do your thing
Thursday, October 1, 2009
B2B Class 2
Tonight is my second B2B class and I have never felt less ready! Ok, by never, I guess I can only possibly compare it to last week, which means I will probably be saying this again next week.
We have a lot going on in class tonight and I need to get more organized. I had forgotten that I had two small tasks that were not yet complete and now I am scrambling to not only get my LARGE amount of 9-5 work done, but I have to get my school work done as well. Just thought of a third task! Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Why am I still talking to you?
We have a lot going on in class tonight and I need to get more organized. I had forgotten that I had two small tasks that were not yet complete and now I am scrambling to not only get my LARGE amount of 9-5 work done, but I have to get my school work done as well. Just thought of a third task! Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Why am I still talking to you?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It's football season
Let me start off with a big fat Who-Dey in response to the win by the Bengals over the Steelers on Sunday. For whatever reason, this city just needed that win! Forget records and standings for a second...this city needed to see the Bengals not only beat the Steelers, but get one good sack of Big Ben. To quote the TV announcer from Week 2's game: "Antwan Odom...is not human!"
But let us talk about standings for a second. Power rankings are out.
Steelers are ranked #8 after enjoying a bit of time ranked 1 and 2. What additional comments do we get from Fox Sports:
But let us talk about standings for a second. Power rankings are out.
Steelers are ranked #8 after enjoying a bit of time ranked 1 and 2. What additional comments do we get from Fox Sports:
BETTER THAN RECORD: Chalk up the 1-2 mark to a slight case of Super BowlNow the Bengals - Ranked #13, up 9 spots from last week, and towering over their season-low ranking of 28 - the Bengals deserve a bit more respect. What do you have to say Fox Sports:
hangover, but more to the loss of defensive leader Troy Polamalu. There's no way
the Steelers blow back-to-back fourth quarter leads if the hairy All-Pro safety
is doing his thing. But even when they won the Super Bowl last season,
Pittsburgh's margin of error was never too vast. Which means they're not far
away from getting back on top.
RECORD IS JUST RIGHT: That Ochocinco dude may have flown over the cuckoo's nest several years ago, but give the hombre props for being right after he yelled all
summer about his team being a contender once again. Carson Palmer is arguably
the NFL's best QB not to win a playoff game, and his return to health along with
Cincy's improving defense will keep the Trojans (err, Bengals) in playoff
contention all year long.
My Opinion...
So, with TP, the Steelers could have won? Guess what, he's out. And even if he was in there to stop those last plays of the game, that doesn't mean that the rest of the game would have played out the same either. Here's the funny thing about football: you can only play the game with what you have. You put your available guys on the field for 4-quarters and you do what you have to do. At the end of 4 quarters, it is what it is and you have either won or lost. You will never get to play that game again with any different conditions. Why waste your breath on what could have been?
And really, does your focus need to be on Chad's off-field antics. We know he's a clown! Show the same respect to the Bengals that you appear to show the Steelers. We can just as easily argue the Bengals potential playoff contention had Carson's knee not been taken out.
It is what it is. And at the end of the day, the Bengals have more heart and more wins than the Steelers. Now if they could only get a little more respect.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Goodness...
I haven't been on here for a while, and with good reason...
Then, I discovered that the paper had to be taken off in 2 layers - the top, colorful layer and the bottom paper/glue layer. My dad thought that this might have been bathroom-grade wallpaper designed to withstand moisture accumulation. Which makes sense since it repelled every product I tried to soak it with to loosen it.
Chrissy got married (and I was in the wedding)
I started teaching at UC (and the preparation takes a lot out of me)
Work has been hectic! Good hectic though.
Jerry and I have been working a lot around the house.
Speaking of which, look at what's becoming of the dining room...
Here is what the dining room looked like for the previoius owner:
When we moved in, we immediately pulled up the carpet and changed the light fixture:
Now we (I?) have decided that we cannot seem to decorate around the previous owner's theme. So we are taking down the wallpaper, and going with a two-tone paint scheme in addition to having the floors redone. So I have spent a decent amount of time over the past few weekends stripping wallpaper and trying to prepare the walls for paint...
We removed the chair rail and I took my first swipe at the wallpaper.
Then, I discovered that the paper had to be taken off in 2 layers - the top, colorful layer and the bottom paper/glue layer. My dad thought that this might have been bathroom-grade wallpaper designed to withstand moisture accumulation. Which makes sense since it repelled every product I tried to soak it with to loosen it.
Check out the awesome paint job beneath the paper! As of this picture, I have one entire wall finished, and 1/4 to 1/3 of each of the other walls uncovered as well. It should probably only take another half day (fingers crossed) to finish removing the bottom layer of paper and to scrub the walls. We will probably have the floors redone before moving forward with painting.
Speaking of the floors... We are planning to have pretty much all the floors redone on the main level. So while I was removing wallpaper, Jerry was tearing up carpet in the hallway. Aside from the nasty (hopefully removable via sander) stain that the previous owner left, I think it looks pretty sharp already:
We are hoping to work on removing the living room carpet throughout the week and have someone out to the house to estimate redoing the floors by this weekend. Hopefully, we can schedule the work so that it doesn't do a whole lot of interfering with my work schedule (since we can't walk on the floors for about 3 days once they are finished). Anyone wanna take us in during that time?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Best Email Ever
On September 12, the Buckeyes take on USC. Now, while I am a fan of Buckeye Football, my sister and Jerry are FANS of it. So the OSU/USC is a big deal, right?
Jerry invited Mindy over to our house and was a planning an evening of football, grilling, beer, and fire.
Unfortunately, September 12 is also the day that my parents leave for Atlantic city. Since they will leave EARLY in the morning and Mindy is working, I am running by the house to let the dogs out and what not and Mindy will watch them later in the day. Therefore, any OSU/USC party at my house has been cancelled.
After all of this was figured out, Mindy and I asked if Jerry could just come over to mom and dad's and we three could watch the game in their newly finished basement. Mom said no! But with good reason...
A long, long time ago in a far away land known as West Chester, my parents decided to finish their basement. My mother also decided that she was going to rip up all the carpet upstairs, get hardwood floors, and redecorate. To that effect she called 1-800-Got Junk and gave them her family room couch. Since then there has been no area in their house to really entertain. They did get bar stools and recliners for the basement, but it is otherwise pretty bare in the house right now. (They did recently order more furniture for the basement that won't be in for a few weeks)I would go so far as to say that the house is torn up and probably won't be put back together until closer to the holidays.
My mother said absolutely no "parties" because the house is in dis-repair. Today my father sent my sister the following e-mail:
Jerry invited Mindy over to our house and was a planning an evening of football, grilling, beer, and fire.
Unfortunately, September 12 is also the day that my parents leave for Atlantic city. Since they will leave EARLY in the morning and Mindy is working, I am running by the house to let the dogs out and what not and Mindy will watch them later in the day. Therefore, any OSU/USC party at my house has been cancelled.
After all of this was figured out, Mindy and I asked if Jerry could just come over to mom and dad's and we three could watch the game in their newly finished basement. Mom said no! But with good reason...
Quick Backstory...
A long, long time ago in a far away land known as West Chester, my parents decided to finish their basement. My mother also decided that she was going to rip up all the carpet upstairs, get hardwood floors, and redecorate. To that effect she called 1-800-Got Junk and gave them her family room couch. Since then there has been no area in their house to really entertain. They did get bar stools and recliners for the basement, but it is otherwise pretty bare in the house right now. (They did recently order more furniture for the basement that won't be in for a few weeks)I would go so far as to say that the house is torn up and probably won't be put back together until closer to the holidays.
Getting back to the point...
My mother said absolutely no "parties" because the house is in dis-repair. Today my father sent my sister the following e-mail:
Mindy,
I hope you are going to have Jerry and Gina over for the football game on
9/12. I know mom said no one because the house is messy, but Jerry and Gina have
been there before and know the house. Lets not tell mom, and remember to put the
house back the way you found it and she won't know.
dad
I don't care if it's just pre-season
I went to the Bengals game last night and enjoyed seeing them take a 38-7 victory.
I am a bit peeved that Kelly wouldn't just shut it and let me fully enjoy the first half of the game, but good game none the less.
As I drove home, I was listening to the post-game show on WEBN. People were calling in and saying that the Bengals were gonna win 10-12 games this season if they continue to play like that. I've got news, a decent number of the guys you saw play last night were fighting tooth and nail to earn a spot on the regular season roster. Once they get it, I wouldn't expect to see much more action similar to what I witnessed last night.
It's time for complacency and sucky-ness to kick in!
I am a bit peeved that Kelly wouldn't just shut it and let me fully enjoy the first half of the game, but good game none the less.
As I drove home, I was listening to the post-game show on WEBN. People were calling in and saying that the Bengals were gonna win 10-12 games this season if they continue to play like that. I've got news, a decent number of the guys you saw play last night were fighting tooth and nail to earn a spot on the regular season roster. Once they get it, I wouldn't expect to see much more action similar to what I witnessed last night.
It's time for complacency and sucky-ness to kick in!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
It's Wednesday...again
Turns out that these Wednesdays keep coming around every week. This one has been particularly long.
I spent the first half of the day waiting for my boss to give me changes and recs for the strategic plan...which would pretty much take up my afternoon to review and change. And then she showed up after lunch saying that the council reviewing the plan needs until next Tuesday to review it. Grrrrrr. So now I am stretching for things to do because I put off some appointments until tomorrow. Fun!
I'm so ready for the next phase...the next challenge...bring it on!
I spent the first half of the day waiting for my boss to give me changes and recs for the strategic plan...which would pretty much take up my afternoon to review and change. And then she showed up after lunch saying that the council reviewing the plan needs until next Tuesday to review it. Grrrrrr. So now I am stretching for things to do because I put off some appointments until tomorrow. Fun!
I'm so ready for the next phase...the next challenge...bring it on!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Fantas-tic!
I saw my first Fantasy Football draft live yesterday. I don't get it, but more power to you fantasy football players!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Boring!
What a boring weekend I had!
Jerry had to work Friday and Saturday nights because of co-workers needing to switch shifts around. So, since my friends were either out of town, busy packing to move away, or live in Dayton, there was no one available to entertain me.
Friday night, I got caught up on laundry and reading a bit of the text that I will be teaching in B2B.
Saturday, I tried REALLY hard to sleep in, but I failed. It's way too bright in the bedroom and the only window faces the East. So as soon as the sun is up, so am I. I did a few things around the house, enjoyed some pancakes and then woke Jerry around 10:30. The weather was GORGEOUS and I just wanted to be out doing something, but he had to work at 1:00 so there really wasn't anything that we could do when you factor in him needing to be back home to get ready for work. So I called my parents. I met up with them to go shopping for new furniture for their recently finished basement. I'm hoping it's completely finished SOON so that we can have a basement-warming(?) party. But I have a feeling we will be breaking it in around Christmas time. We may have had an excellent late lunch full of endless shrimpy goodness, ran a few more errands, and collapsed in simultaneous food comas back in the basement.
I was going to take Jerry dinner, but he wasn't hungry. So I ran to the Cone for a cookie dough wizard which Jerry ultimately ate most of when I went to visit him at work. I am officially swearing off the Cone. They keep increasing prices while the product quality seems to be going down. I am no longer impressed.
When Jerry got home, we attempted to watch Get Smart...but I fell asleep...typical.
On Sunday, I went back to Ma & Pa Hoell's for our usual Sunday breakfast (this week: omelets!) and to steal the coupons from their Sunday paper. Let's go ahead and chalk that one up to cost savings! After continuing my relentless pursuit of a shade that will block out the morning light in the bedroom, I came up empty and decided on ordering a cheap (probably temporary) solution from Bed Bath and Beyond Online. After taking Jerry some not great boneless wing things from Wendy's I returned home to do a little school work and to make a fabulous Chicken Enchilada Pie that could have fed the entire neighborhood. I must learn how to cook for 2 - or we need to find friends to bring over to try my latest kitchen endeavor. By the way, I highly recommend www.dinnermadeeasy.com for quick dinner ideas. Haven't had a bad recipe on there yet, just lots of leftovers!
Our Sunday night ended with a small fire in the fire pit and I was tapped out from this exciting weekend!
I'm looking forward to this coming weekend because Jerry and I are "double-dating" with soon-to-be-mama Kelly and her hubby on Saturday. We will just have to show them our favorite Mexican restaurant: El Pueblo! And Monday is Labor Day. Jerry and I are going to try to make it to his hometown of Hillsboro to catch the Highland County Fair (He really wants an Elephant Ear) on Monday, but that's still up in the air. All that after accompanying Mindy and friends to the Bengals game at PBS against the Colts (super cheap tix!) on Thursday.
Coming in the next few busy weeks of September:
OSU v. USC
Parents going out of town and the resulting dog-sitting
Two 4-day work weeks
Rosh Hashanah
Christine's Wedding
My first day of teaching
The Perfect Turkey
Stay tuned for all the fun and maybe a few pictures.
Jerry had to work Friday and Saturday nights because of co-workers needing to switch shifts around. So, since my friends were either out of town, busy packing to move away, or live in Dayton, there was no one available to entertain me.
Friday night, I got caught up on laundry and reading a bit of the text that I will be teaching in B2B.
Saturday, I tried REALLY hard to sleep in, but I failed. It's way too bright in the bedroom and the only window faces the East. So as soon as the sun is up, so am I. I did a few things around the house, enjoyed some pancakes and then woke Jerry around 10:30. The weather was GORGEOUS and I just wanted to be out doing something, but he had to work at 1:00 so there really wasn't anything that we could do when you factor in him needing to be back home to get ready for work. So I called my parents. I met up with them to go shopping for new furniture for their recently finished basement. I'm hoping it's completely finished SOON so that we can have a basement-warming(?) party. But I have a feeling we will be breaking it in around Christmas time. We may have had an excellent late lunch full of endless shrimpy goodness, ran a few more errands, and collapsed in simultaneous food comas back in the basement.
I was going to take Jerry dinner, but he wasn't hungry. So I ran to the Cone for a cookie dough wizard which Jerry ultimately ate most of when I went to visit him at work. I am officially swearing off the Cone. They keep increasing prices while the product quality seems to be going down. I am no longer impressed.
When Jerry got home, we attempted to watch Get Smart...but I fell asleep...typical.
On Sunday, I went back to Ma & Pa Hoell's for our usual Sunday breakfast (this week: omelets!) and to steal the coupons from their Sunday paper. Let's go ahead and chalk that one up to cost savings! After continuing my relentless pursuit of a shade that will block out the morning light in the bedroom, I came up empty and decided on ordering a cheap (probably temporary) solution from Bed Bath and Beyond Online. After taking Jerry some not great boneless wing things from Wendy's I returned home to do a little school work and to make a fabulous Chicken Enchilada Pie that could have fed the entire neighborhood. I must learn how to cook for 2 - or we need to find friends to bring over to try my latest kitchen endeavor. By the way, I highly recommend www.dinnermadeeasy.com for quick dinner ideas. Haven't had a bad recipe on there yet, just lots of leftovers!
Our Sunday night ended with a small fire in the fire pit and I was tapped out from this exciting weekend!
I'm looking forward to this coming weekend because Jerry and I are "double-dating" with soon-to-be-mama Kelly and her hubby on Saturday. We will just have to show them our favorite Mexican restaurant: El Pueblo! And Monday is Labor Day. Jerry and I are going to try to make it to his hometown of Hillsboro to catch the Highland County Fair (He really wants an Elephant Ear) on Monday, but that's still up in the air. All that after accompanying Mindy and friends to the Bengals game at PBS against the Colts (super cheap tix!) on Thursday.
Coming in the next few busy weeks of September:
OSU v. USC
Parents going out of town and the resulting dog-sitting
Two 4-day work weeks
Rosh Hashanah
Christine's Wedding
My first day of teaching
The Perfect Turkey
Stay tuned for all the fun and maybe a few pictures.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Arguing = Love
I recently read an article (found on MSN maybe? Wish I couls find it again!) that listed some ways to maintain your marriage. I'm not married, but I sometimes enjoy reading these articles to a) assess my own relationship and the potential of that relationship in the future and b) view the relationships around me (parents/friends/family/co-workers) in terms of what "the experts" have decided are the ways to happily ever after.
Things that I found interesting...
1. They say that you should specifically schedule time to make love to ensure that you keep that part of your relationship from becoming a barrier
2. Then they say that "sex" is very important and you should schedule time to have sex and if you occassionally combine making love and having sex, it's ok, but it's important to know the difference between the 2
But the piece of advice that I found the most interesting - have small arguments! The point was to bring up the small issues that are bothering you before they becoming big deal breaker issues. Bring it up, put all the cards on the table, and work out a solution. It will help you to understand one another better and to grow together.
And I think it's good advice.
In my own relationship, I have noticed myself letting very little things bother me. When something happens once, I let it go. When it happens a second or third time, I find myself getting agitated and that's when I know that it can only get worse if I don't say soemthing. To that effect Jerry and I have been arguing (and I use that term very loosely...more like discussing) more often since we moved in together. And I truly think it is the best thing for us.
We have our little spats. We get out everything that we have to say. And it always ends on a good note. After we talk everything out, I always feel more convinced that we have a very strong, loving relationship.
Now if only I can find that article...
Things that I found interesting...
1. They say that you should specifically schedule time to make love to ensure that you keep that part of your relationship from becoming a barrier
2. Then they say that "sex" is very important and you should schedule time to have sex and if you occassionally combine making love and having sex, it's ok, but it's important to know the difference between the 2
But the piece of advice that I found the most interesting - have small arguments! The point was to bring up the small issues that are bothering you before they becoming big deal breaker issues. Bring it up, put all the cards on the table, and work out a solution. It will help you to understand one another better and to grow together.
And I think it's good advice.
In my own relationship, I have noticed myself letting very little things bother me. When something happens once, I let it go. When it happens a second or third time, I find myself getting agitated and that's when I know that it can only get worse if I don't say soemthing. To that effect Jerry and I have been arguing (and I use that term very loosely...more like discussing) more often since we moved in together. And I truly think it is the best thing for us.
We have our little spats. We get out everything that we have to say. And it always ends on a good note. After we talk everything out, I always feel more convinced that we have a very strong, loving relationship.
Now if only I can find that article...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
random thoughts for the day...
Every morning when I brush my teeth, I think back to an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent where Goren states that the lady found dead at the bottom of a staircase was right handed because the gums on the left side of her mouth are more irritated - noting the fact that we brush the opposite side of our mouth harder than our dominant side. With that in mind, I find that I spend a lot of time tying to even out the damage by brushing longer on my right side. This morning I decided that I should stop worrying about it, because it may be a key piece of information should I meet an untimely and questionable demise.
I used to get up early, shower, and check my Facebook page while I was getting ready for work. Since we got access to Facebook at work, I now shower, play Mafia Wars and wait to check others' statuses until I get to work. I have found that it helps me ease into my work day a little better.
I used to get up early, shower, and check my Facebook page while I was getting ready for work. Since we got access to Facebook at work, I now shower, play Mafia Wars and wait to check others' statuses until I get to work. I have found that it helps me ease into my work day a little better.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Is this really work
We were just chatting around the office today when we got talking about the dedication ceremony for our new facility. Last Thursday, was the official dedication and blessing of the new facility.
The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Covington came out to do the blessing. The office of the Diocese is in the building that will essentially be replaced by the new facility. The bishop went on and on and on about his relationship with the hospitals and how sad he was that he could no longer just walk downstairs to visit his doctor.
My boss was talking about how long the ceremony lasted and how much her feet hurt from standing so long in shoes that were a little too big for her. She said that all she could think of was how much her feet hurt... until she had the following revelation:
"I shouldn't complain about my feet so much knowing that that man has never had sex... at least not that he can talk about."
Awesome. There are no more words than that...just awesome.
The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Covington came out to do the blessing. The office of the Diocese is in the building that will essentially be replaced by the new facility. The bishop went on and on and on about his relationship with the hospitals and how sad he was that he could no longer just walk downstairs to visit his doctor.
My boss was talking about how long the ceremony lasted and how much her feet hurt from standing so long in shoes that were a little too big for her. She said that all she could think of was how much her feet hurt... until she had the following revelation:
"I shouldn't complain about my feet so much knowing that that man has never had sex... at least not that he can talk about."
Awesome. There are no more words than that...just awesome.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
It's Wednesday
You know what that means?
No, really do you know? I don't "know" but here are some thoughts...
This week is half-over yet just begun.
This week is moving quickly and dragging at the same time.
There is a party in the park/party at the point down town that I will probably miss again despite the fact that in years past, I was so good about attending these super fun events. Maybe next week...
I'm tired...but only about half as tired as I will be in 2 more days (long busy days at the office lately).
A Reds win tonight will take the St. Louis series.
No, really do you know? I don't "know" but here are some thoughts...
This week is half-over yet just begun.
This week is moving quickly and dragging at the same time.
There is a party in the park/party at the point down town that I will probably miss again despite the fact that in years past, I was so good about attending these super fun events. Maybe next week...
I'm tired...but only about half as tired as I will be in 2 more days (long busy days at the office lately).
A Reds win tonight will take the St. Louis series.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Someone's pants are on fire!
This blog was supposed to be about my life outside of the 9-5 at St. E. Yet here I am writing about work...
I just did something that I swore I would never do. I have seen all my co-workers do it and have at least mentally berated them for their lack of tact. But I didn't sleep much last night and I am admittedly not in a good mood. So I did it...
I had the Administrative Assistant lie to a vendor for me.
A few months ago, a co-worker pushed a printer off on me because he doesn't have time to deal with him... and quite frankly Charlie, Emily, and I are typically responsible for getting the print jobs done, so it was only fair that I became the primary contact for this vendor. I met with him over a month ago and didn't feel that he was a good fit for many of our "everyday" printing items. He had some unique projects that he worked on in the past that I could see us seeking him ourt for in our future. But right now, we dont' need him.
But he decided to pop on by the office to check in with me. When the Admin Asst came back to my office, I didn't even want to speak! I just shook my head no! She told him that I was already meeting with someone and would probably be a while. Lies, all lies.
How do people get through their lives deceiving people like this all the time?!?!?!
Oh well. Back to the "to-do" list!
I just did something that I swore I would never do. I have seen all my co-workers do it and have at least mentally berated them for their lack of tact. But I didn't sleep much last night and I am admittedly not in a good mood. So I did it...
I had the Administrative Assistant lie to a vendor for me.
A few months ago, a co-worker pushed a printer off on me because he doesn't have time to deal with him... and quite frankly Charlie, Emily, and I are typically responsible for getting the print jobs done, so it was only fair that I became the primary contact for this vendor. I met with him over a month ago and didn't feel that he was a good fit for many of our "everyday" printing items. He had some unique projects that he worked on in the past that I could see us seeking him ourt for in our future. But right now, we dont' need him.
But he decided to pop on by the office to check in with me. When the Admin Asst came back to my office, I didn't even want to speak! I just shook my head no! She told him that I was already meeting with someone and would probably be a while. Lies, all lies.
How do people get through their lives deceiving people like this all the time?!?!?!
Oh well. Back to the "to-do" list!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
dear friends
I love you all.
But, what the heck? What is the obsession with late summer/early fall weddings, births, and house purchases? I can't effectively budget for you all to hold events within the same 6 week span of time!
Within the next 6 weeks, I have...
2 , possibly 3 baby showers
1 wedding that I can't attend, but need to send a gift
1 wedding (on Octoberfest weekend mind you!) that I am in - so not only do I need to buy a gift, but I need to pay to get my hair and nails done, and my dress altered
Plus, everyone is looking to buy houses and move and have housewarming parties.
To be honest, it's not the money that I'm worried about.
I hate sorting through gift registries and trying to find an item that is still available and truly says "This is from Gina." I can't just buy anything you know!?!?!?!
Ok, end of rant. have a nice day.
But, what the heck? What is the obsession with late summer/early fall weddings, births, and house purchases? I can't effectively budget for you all to hold events within the same 6 week span of time!
Within the next 6 weeks, I have...
2 , possibly 3 baby showers
1 wedding that I can't attend, but need to send a gift
1 wedding (on Octoberfest weekend mind you!) that I am in - so not only do I need to buy a gift, but I need to pay to get my hair and nails done, and my dress altered
Plus, everyone is looking to buy houses and move and have housewarming parties.
To be honest, it's not the money that I'm worried about.
I hate sorting through gift registries and trying to find an item that is still available and truly says "This is from Gina." I can't just buy anything you know!?!?!?!
Ok, end of rant. have a nice day.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Dayton Challenge is a challenge
Mostly because I thought that I would list my challange wins and losses here once a week...but by the time that I sit down to write something, I've forgotten my Dayton experience by that point. There was a question on Cash Cab the other day in which the root of the answer had to do with Dayton.
What's new?
I pretty much stay out of my own dining room. Since it's really just the 2 of us, Jerry and I often eat dinner at the small (2-person) kitchen table. Except on mondays when we eat $5 Hot N Ready Little Caesar's in front of the big TV while watching our Monday lineup (Cash Cab, NCIS, and the 7-8 block of "How I met your Mother" on Lifetime - yes, Lifetime) before heading off to win MLTrivia.
What a tangent!
So, I pretty much stay out of the dining room. The DR has a distinct look to it, courtesy of the previous owner. It's very....hmmmm...country. After pulling up the carpet and exposing the hardwood floors, and stashing as much as we can in the room's closet, we decided that we didn't hate the current scheme. However, in the 4 months that we have lived there, I have come to realize that we cannot seem to decorate it!
See why:
What's new?
I pretty much stay out of my own dining room. Since it's really just the 2 of us, Jerry and I often eat dinner at the small (2-person) kitchen table. Except on mondays when we eat $5 Hot N Ready Little Caesar's in front of the big TV while watching our Monday lineup (Cash Cab, NCIS, and the 7-8 block of "How I met your Mother" on Lifetime - yes, Lifetime) before heading off to win MLTrivia.
What a tangent!
So, I pretty much stay out of the dining room. The DR has a distinct look to it, courtesy of the previous owner. It's very....hmmmm...country. After pulling up the carpet and exposing the hardwood floors, and stashing as much as we can in the room's closet, we decided that we didn't hate the current scheme. However, in the 4 months that we have lived there, I have come to realize that we cannot seem to decorate it!
See why:
That's the living room as the former owner had it (that's her furniture and everything). Our dining set is very similar (a little lighter) and we have a side buffet table that's probably just as dark as the one in this picture. We did change out the light fixture to a dark bronze with frosted lamps. The only decorations on the walls are a picture of Jerry's former church and a plate of the same.
I want to paint it a dark color above the chair rail, get rid of the wall paper and paint it white below the chair rail (maybe change out the chair rail), keep the red accents and finish the room with black and white photos.
If Betsy doesn't convince me to keep it as is!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, boring Monday
Slow day so far today.
We are in Day 3 of the anti-Dayton challennge and I am already amending the rules slightly...
The goal is to not encounter anything new from Dayton at least one day a week. The clarification had to come after it was brought to my attention that the following have Dayton connections:
-The electronic car starter
-Freon
-Cash registers
-Jerry
All things I can't seem to escape on a regular basis.
The list of encounters is growing by the minute, I swear. And Jerry is now heavily into researching all things Dayton to attempt to ensure that I don't win the battle. Yesterday brought the following loose connection:
J: Who does your sister live with?
G: Matt
J: and who does Matt look like?
G: AJ Hawk
J: And where is AJ Hawk from?
You can just guess that the answer is Dayton.
We are in Day 3 of the anti-Dayton challennge and I am already amending the rules slightly...
The goal is to not encounter anything new from Dayton at least one day a week. The clarification had to come after it was brought to my attention that the following have Dayton connections:
-The electronic car starter
-Freon
-Cash registers
-Jerry
All things I can't seem to escape on a regular basis.
The list of encounters is growing by the minute, I swear. And Jerry is now heavily into researching all things Dayton to attempt to ensure that I don't win the battle. Yesterday brought the following loose connection:
J: Who does your sister live with?
G: Matt
J: and who does Matt look like?
G: AJ Hawk
J: And where is AJ Hawk from?
You can just guess that the answer is Dayton.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Is it all about Dayton?
Jerry maintains that a day doesn't go by that you don't encounter something from Dayton, OH.
I am officially issuing myself a challenge to see if it is all about Dayton? I am thinking that this will be a weekly update to this site. I am attempting to go at least one day each week without encountering something from Dayton (aside from parts that run your car, because I have very little choice there!).
The Challenge starts tomorrow! The first official Challenge Update will be next Friday!
In the mean time, I'm excited about all that will be happening this weekend... Dinosaur Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, dinner and a Reds game (all on Saturday) and breakfast at mom and dad's, taking Jerry lunch at work, meeting Christopher and Eddy for Chris's birthday lunch, and working on my B2B Syllabus.
All while attempting to avoid things from Dayton...shoot Chris is from Dayton. Scratch Sunday off the list!
I am officially issuing myself a challenge to see if it is all about Dayton? I am thinking that this will be a weekly update to this site. I am attempting to go at least one day each week without encountering something from Dayton (aside from parts that run your car, because I have very little choice there!).
The Challenge starts tomorrow! The first official Challenge Update will be next Friday!
In the mean time, I'm excited about all that will be happening this weekend... Dinosaur Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, dinner and a Reds game (all on Saturday) and breakfast at mom and dad's, taking Jerry lunch at work, meeting Christopher and Eddy for Chris's birthday lunch, and working on my B2B Syllabus.
All while attempting to avoid things from Dayton...shoot Chris is from Dayton. Scratch Sunday off the list!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Dear neighbors' cat
You scare me!
When you climb up in the window and stare into my house....freaky!
I feel like you're staring into my soul.
Stop it!
Isn't there a window on the other side of your house?
Stare at those neighbors!
When you climb up in the window and stare into my house....freaky!
I feel like you're staring into my soul.
Stop it!
Isn't there a window on the other side of your house?
Stare at those neighbors!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday afternoon update
The work day is winding down and I am stuck in limbo on just aobut every project on my desk...waiting for others to respond to emails or drop off files is daunting work!
In any case, it was another boring weekend around the house...
Saturday morning was a rush of laundry, cleaning and getting ready for Christine's bridal shower. I realized that I don't own any kind of non-christmas wrapping paper or gift bags. So off to Deals I went. On my way, I saw an albino squirrel climbing down a tree. It was early so I thought the sun was playing tricks on my eyes. So of course I pulled over to verify, and to definitively determine that albino squirrels are creepy. I came home, wrapped up the BEST gift ever, did a few more things around the house and then convinced Jerry to drive me to the party (well I drove and then he took the car and came back to pick me up - can you believe I let him drive my new car?!?!?!)
So, I am not the only one who thinks that I brought the best gifts ever: ice cube shot glass maker, pineapple easy slicer,a nd of course a pineapple. I thought they were the perfect items to say, "These are from Gina!" Just wait for the actual wedding gift! Chrissy hasn't stopped talking about them since.
After the party, it was off to ma and pa Hoell's in order to check out the new entertainment system in the basement. By the way, a 65" TV is a ridiculous (-ly awesome) investment. But to be honest once you start watching, you lose sight of the size. We watched the beginning of Spaceballs before deciding that Jerry needed food...and we were kinda bored.
Not ready to go home yet, Jerry and I embarked on a furniture shopping expedition. We have been looking for a loveseat to put in the office. We found something that we like at IKEA, but we keep talking ourselves out of it. A vist to American Freight and Value City furniture and I was hungry! Being in the Tri-County area, we decided to go to Chili's. After sitting for nearly 10 minutes with no real service (aside from the incredibly polite and probably well-underpaid host), we decided to skip out, and so did the people who were seated right before us. We ended up at Friday's with the overly-jovial waiter "Tiny." I kid you not, that's how he introduced himself.
After filling up, we both decided that we were incredibly tired and would forego any other stops in favor of heading home. And what should we find at home... a Harry Potter marathan. Chamber of Secrets was ending, which meant that up next was Prisoner of Azkaban. The "Dementors" drinking game* reared it's ugly head and I was spent about half way through the movie.
Sunday was equally boring. I went back to my parents' for family breakfast. Jerry began his first Sunday of opening at 9:00 am.
I didn't last long at my parents'. Dad turned Spaceballs on again and I took that as my cue to head home and get work done...which didn't happen because I took a nap instead. Oh and it was a glorious nap.
I lounged around for a bit before deciding to get ready to head off to the Honors-PLUS incoming freshman welcome event. And boy did I feel old when Jeri couldn't even remember how long it had been since I graduated. I'm 10 years older than these babies! It was an enjoyable evening of reminiscing.
While I was attending theat function, Jerry was hanging out with his male posse at a "meat shower." This would be an event where the boys get together, throw a bunch of meat on the grill and gorge themselves with the flavors of the animal kingdom. Gross! From what I hear, many of them were hurting a little today - meat hangover anyone?
*"Dementors" drinking game is played by drinking every time a dementor is seen or spoken of in the movie. It gets pretty rough pretty quickly!
In any case, it was another boring weekend around the house...
Saturday morning was a rush of laundry, cleaning and getting ready for Christine's bridal shower. I realized that I don't own any kind of non-christmas wrapping paper or gift bags. So off to Deals I went. On my way, I saw an albino squirrel climbing down a tree. It was early so I thought the sun was playing tricks on my eyes. So of course I pulled over to verify, and to definitively determine that albino squirrels are creepy. I came home, wrapped up the BEST gift ever, did a few more things around the house and then convinced Jerry to drive me to the party (well I drove and then he took the car and came back to pick me up - can you believe I let him drive my new car?!?!?!)
So, I am not the only one who thinks that I brought the best gifts ever: ice cube shot glass maker, pineapple easy slicer,a nd of course a pineapple. I thought they were the perfect items to say, "These are from Gina!" Just wait for the actual wedding gift! Chrissy hasn't stopped talking about them since.
After the party, it was off to ma and pa Hoell's in order to check out the new entertainment system in the basement. By the way, a 65" TV is a ridiculous (-ly awesome) investment. But to be honest once you start watching, you lose sight of the size. We watched the beginning of Spaceballs before deciding that Jerry needed food...and we were kinda bored.
Not ready to go home yet, Jerry and I embarked on a furniture shopping expedition. We have been looking for a loveseat to put in the office. We found something that we like at IKEA, but we keep talking ourselves out of it. A vist to American Freight and Value City furniture and I was hungry! Being in the Tri-County area, we decided to go to Chili's. After sitting for nearly 10 minutes with no real service (aside from the incredibly polite and probably well-underpaid host), we decided to skip out, and so did the people who were seated right before us. We ended up at Friday's with the overly-jovial waiter "Tiny." I kid you not, that's how he introduced himself.
After filling up, we both decided that we were incredibly tired and would forego any other stops in favor of heading home. And what should we find at home... a Harry Potter marathan. Chamber of Secrets was ending, which meant that up next was Prisoner of Azkaban. The "Dementors" drinking game* reared it's ugly head and I was spent about half way through the movie.
Sunday was equally boring. I went back to my parents' for family breakfast. Jerry began his first Sunday of opening at 9:00 am.
I didn't last long at my parents'. Dad turned Spaceballs on again and I took that as my cue to head home and get work done...which didn't happen because I took a nap instead. Oh and it was a glorious nap.
I lounged around for a bit before deciding to get ready to head off to the Honors-PLUS incoming freshman welcome event. And boy did I feel old when Jeri couldn't even remember how long it had been since I graduated. I'm 10 years older than these babies! It was an enjoyable evening of reminiscing.
While I was attending theat function, Jerry was hanging out with his male posse at a "meat shower." This would be an event where the boys get together, throw a bunch of meat on the grill and gorge themselves with the flavors of the animal kingdom. Gross! From what I hear, many of them were hurting a little today - meat hangover anyone?
*"Dementors" drinking game is played by drinking every time a dementor is seen or spoken of in the movie. It gets pretty rough pretty quickly!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
It's been a rough morning.
I'm sure that you will find this entertaining. It's ok to laugh because I am now...in hindsight.
So I got up this morning and took a quick shower. Wrapping myself in a towel, I went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. In the process of grabbing things out of the fridge, I managed to knock over a container of cottage cheese. The lid popped off and half the contents of the container spilled along the edge of the fridge and all over the floor.
Great!
I grabbed a paper towel and a paper plate and began scooping the cheese onto the plate to make it easier to dispose. As I was doing this, I loosened what appeared to be a twig from underneath the fridge. No big deal. I thought that maybe someone had tracked something in from the yard and it just got knocked under the fridge.
So, I pulled on the twig thinking, "Fine, I'll just clean this up too and move on with my morning."
It wasn't a twig...
It was the tail of a mouse. A dead mouse.
Like a little girl, my first instinct was to scream...loudly.
Then there was a split second when I thought 2 things:
1. I just screamed incredibly loudly. Bet I woke up Jerry (and maybe the neighbors - loud I tell you)
2. I have a decision to make... Man up and finish cleaning this up or continue to act like a silly school girl and whine to Jerry to handle this.
As I mentioned before, I screamed loudly and probably woke up Jerry.
I proceeded to climb the stairs. Entering the bedroom, I found Jerry sitting upright in the bed.
"What was that noise?" he asked.
I attempted to tell him what I had found in the kitchen, but the mental image of the dead mouse made it hard to talk without vomiting slightly in mouth with each word.
"Will you please handle this?" I asked. (I apologized for acting like a little girl)
A full 2 hours before he would have to wake up otherwise, Jerry was in the kitchen scooping up dead mouse and cleaning the floor. I continued to get ready for work...far far away from the kitchen.
Needless to say, I never ate breakfast.
So I got up this morning and took a quick shower. Wrapping myself in a towel, I went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. In the process of grabbing things out of the fridge, I managed to knock over a container of cottage cheese. The lid popped off and half the contents of the container spilled along the edge of the fridge and all over the floor.
Great!
I grabbed a paper towel and a paper plate and began scooping the cheese onto the plate to make it easier to dispose. As I was doing this, I loosened what appeared to be a twig from underneath the fridge. No big deal. I thought that maybe someone had tracked something in from the yard and it just got knocked under the fridge.
So, I pulled on the twig thinking, "Fine, I'll just clean this up too and move on with my morning."
It wasn't a twig...
It was the tail of a mouse. A dead mouse.
Like a little girl, my first instinct was to scream...loudly.
Then there was a split second when I thought 2 things:
1. I just screamed incredibly loudly. Bet I woke up Jerry (and maybe the neighbors - loud I tell you)
2. I have a decision to make... Man up and finish cleaning this up or continue to act like a silly school girl and whine to Jerry to handle this.
As I mentioned before, I screamed loudly and probably woke up Jerry.
I proceeded to climb the stairs. Entering the bedroom, I found Jerry sitting upright in the bed.
"What was that noise?" he asked.
I attempted to tell him what I had found in the kitchen, but the mental image of the dead mouse made it hard to talk without vomiting slightly in mouth with each word.
"Will you please handle this?" I asked. (I apologized for acting like a little girl)
A full 2 hours before he would have to wake up otherwise, Jerry was in the kitchen scooping up dead mouse and cleaning the floor. I continued to get ready for work...far far away from the kitchen.
Needless to say, I never ate breakfast.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
That was easy
I'm bragging a little here...
On Sunday, Jerry and I took inventory of the food that we have in the house that just isn't getting eaten. We then planned out all our meals this week to eat up all this food and found that we have absolutely no reason to go to the grocery store (score!).
Then, I started to look at what we had planned out and what I was really eating (calories/protein/fat/carbs/fiber) based on a diet that someone proposed for me. I plugged in the numbers for the foods that I already knew we were going to eat and filled in the blanks with other food to which I have access here in Crestview Hills. And to my shock and amazement, I was well below the proposed counts in each category! Although, I really think it might be bad to be so far below the protein count, but that's ok.
What's the point? Well, in just 2 days of not necessarily eating healthy, but just paying attention to what I am eating, I have lost 2 pounds (double score!).
I'm considering adopting the Mindy Ross diet: one 12 oz. beer a day!
On Sunday, Jerry and I took inventory of the food that we have in the house that just isn't getting eaten. We then planned out all our meals this week to eat up all this food and found that we have absolutely no reason to go to the grocery store (score!).
Then, I started to look at what we had planned out and what I was really eating (calories/protein/fat/carbs/fiber) based on a diet that someone proposed for me. I plugged in the numbers for the foods that I already knew we were going to eat and filled in the blanks with other food to which I have access here in Crestview Hills. And to my shock and amazement, I was well below the proposed counts in each category! Although, I really think it might be bad to be so far below the protein count, but that's ok.
What's the point? Well, in just 2 days of not necessarily eating healthy, but just paying attention to what I am eating, I have lost 2 pounds (double score!).
I'm considering adopting the Mindy Ross diet: one 12 oz. beer a day!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A month??? Oops
Just saw that the last update on here was my birthday. I really thought that I was doing better than that. oh my goodness, so much has happened in the last month...
We got a kegerator - still trying to empty the keg. Help is always appreciated! (Jerry is getting sick of Miller Lite)
We had a housewarming party. Thank you to everyone who came out. And thank you all for the gifts which were very much appreciated yet completely unnecessary. I am still trying incredibly hard to not kill the plant from Kelly!
We got a 2nd refrigerator that lives in the garage - slightly scratched with a little dent in the bottom - for $50. No complaints here.
I selected my book for the course that I am teaching at UC. And now comes the daunting task of sitting down and creating the curriculum! Yikes! First day of class is September 24. (Kelly please plan your child's birth accordingly!)
Wow, we lead a terribly (sarcastically) exciting life in the D-ville. This is the most boring thing that I have ever written. I am falling asleep reading it back to myself.
Work has been VERY busy for me...lots of rpojects - creating new collateral, trying to convince people that it makes perfect sense to change the address of a building, listening to my boss praise my co-worker who has made 2 kinda huge mistakes in as many days and yet managed to relocate blame onto others. (Who are you calling bitter?) Very busy!
I am going to work harder to update this here blog with all the goings-on around the Hoell/McWhorter house, so I guess we should probably start doing more exciting things...
We got a kegerator - still trying to empty the keg. Help is always appreciated! (Jerry is getting sick of Miller Lite)
We had a housewarming party. Thank you to everyone who came out. And thank you all for the gifts which were very much appreciated yet completely unnecessary. I am still trying incredibly hard to not kill the plant from Kelly!
We got a 2nd refrigerator that lives in the garage - slightly scratched with a little dent in the bottom - for $50. No complaints here.
I selected my book for the course that I am teaching at UC. And now comes the daunting task of sitting down and creating the curriculum! Yikes! First day of class is September 24. (Kelly please plan your child's birth accordingly!)
Wow, we lead a terribly (sarcastically) exciting life in the D-ville. This is the most boring thing that I have ever written. I am falling asleep reading it back to myself.
Work has been VERY busy for me...lots of rpojects - creating new collateral, trying to convince people that it makes perfect sense to change the address of a building, listening to my boss praise my co-worker who has made 2 kinda huge mistakes in as many days and yet managed to relocate blame onto others. (Who are you calling bitter?) Very busy!
I am going to work harder to update this here blog with all the goings-on around the Hoell/McWhorter house, so I guess we should probably start doing more exciting things...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tomorrow's the big day
So tomorrow is my birthday! I'm going to be 28. Can you believe it? It seems like it's been such a long time...and then I remember that my Grandmother live to be 87. I've got time. I'm just getting started here!
So in honor of my birthday, this post will serve 2 purposes:
A. To tell you what I want for my birthday
B. To start the new feature that was a staple of my old website (OLD, OLD website) - the Top 10 (or so) list.
So today, on the eve of the 28th anniversary of my birth, I present
9. Car - to be fixed by the end of this week rather than the beginning of next
8. Vince - to stop acting like a butt and arguing with me every Monday night at Trivia. Having the same birthday does not make us besties!
7. Health - I have been saddled with terrible headaches and light-headedness lately. I'd really like that to go away.
6. Alcohol - to be able to have a full beer without feeling like I'm going to die the next day (I have developed an "allergy" to alcohol - it's tough to explain, so let's just call it an allergy)
5. Clean House - guess I gotta work on that one a little more myself. My house isn't dirty...it's just messy and not completely "finished" yet. But we have the spare bedroom set up, finally!
4. The Cookie Dough that my sister promised me 2 months ago and that is still sitting in her freezer!
3. Date Night with the boyfriend. We haven't had the time (and in some cases the energy) to have our official monthly date.
2. Rest - or rather the feeling of being rested. That's been missing lately. Why am I so tired?!?!
and finally...
1. Money - I mean who doesn't want money. I actually just want to get the details of my teaching contract worked out so that I will know how much money I will be making.
So in honor of my birthday, this post will serve 2 purposes:
A. To tell you what I want for my birthday
B. To start the new feature that was a staple of my old website (OLD, OLD website) - the Top 10 (or so) list.
So today, on the eve of the 28th anniversary of my birth, I present
My Top 10 Birthday Wishlist
10. Job security - we have to cut our budget at work in light of a recent HUGE development and I am hoping that, should we have to cut jobs, it's not a "last in, first out" policy9. Car - to be fixed by the end of this week rather than the beginning of next
8. Vince - to stop acting like a butt and arguing with me every Monday night at Trivia. Having the same birthday does not make us besties!
7. Health - I have been saddled with terrible headaches and light-headedness lately. I'd really like that to go away.
6. Alcohol - to be able to have a full beer without feeling like I'm going to die the next day (I have developed an "allergy" to alcohol - it's tough to explain, so let's just call it an allergy)
5. Clean House - guess I gotta work on that one a little more myself. My house isn't dirty...it's just messy and not completely "finished" yet. But we have the spare bedroom set up, finally!
4. The Cookie Dough that my sister promised me 2 months ago and that is still sitting in her freezer!
3. Date Night with the boyfriend. We haven't had the time (and in some cases the energy) to have our official monthly date.
2. Rest - or rather the feeling of being rested. That's been missing lately. Why am I so tired?!?!
and finally...
1. Money - I mean who doesn't want money. I actually just want to get the details of my teaching contract worked out so that I will know how much money I will be making.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
It's almost my birthday
I have been very good this year about not publicizing the countdown to my birthday (7 days, by the way).
I apparently became an adult somewhere in this 27th year of my life... I asked my mom for a carpet cleaner for my birthday!
So anyway, about my birthday being a few days away...
It's restaurant giveaway time! So far (all today actually), I have received the following offers:
- Free stir-fry at Bd's Mongolian Grill
- Free burger at Red Robin
- Free (non-fajita) entree at Moe's Southwest Grill
- Free dessert at Chili's (mmmm...molten lava cake)
- Free entree at Fox and Hound
- Free handcrafted burger at Ruby Tuesday
My next week will be full of good eating!
I apparently became an adult somewhere in this 27th year of my life... I asked my mom for a carpet cleaner for my birthday!
So anyway, about my birthday being a few days away...
It's restaurant giveaway time! So far (all today actually), I have received the following offers:
- Free stir-fry at Bd's Mongolian Grill
- Free burger at Red Robin
- Free (non-fajita) entree at Moe's Southwest Grill
- Free dessert at Chili's (mmmm...molten lava cake)
- Free entree at Fox and Hound
- Free handcrafted burger at Ruby Tuesday
My next week will be full of good eating!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Heels and humidity
I bought a pair of Joan & David "Circa" heels a few months a go. They were on clearance at DSW and I had a gift certificate and a connection with an employee discount. So needless to say, they were worth every penny even if I did buy them a half size too big.
They look a lot like this:
Except that the Mary Jane-esque buckle is closer to the toe.
I worried about how they would fit and the first time that I wore them to work, they clicked on my feet like flip-flops and almost caused me to fall. However, they were so darn cute that I still thought they were worth evey penny.
The last couple times that I have worn them, the temperature and humidity has been just right so that if I don't wear anything between my bare feet and the shoes, they don't move.
So, I guess what I am saying is:
Thanks humidity for making my shoes fit!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Musings
Haven't written in a while.
I was going to write a post on how I think the next "Great Flood" will actually be the destruction of Earth and 2 of each kind will be transported to whatever planet God is developing as we speak. But as I wrote it, I realized that I was just sounding crazy. I've been a little loopy lately and can't explain why, but these completely random and inane ideas keep popping into my head.
Speaking of inane ideas, I am copywriting the following to-be-written book title.
Why I Can't Help My Third Grader with Her Science Homework: a GOOD Explanation for Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet.
I was going to write a post on how I think the next "Great Flood" will actually be the destruction of Earth and 2 of each kind will be transported to whatever planet God is developing as we speak. But as I wrote it, I realized that I was just sounding crazy. I've been a little loopy lately and can't explain why, but these completely random and inane ideas keep popping into my head.
Speaking of inane ideas, I am copywriting the following to-be-written book title.
Why I Can't Help My Third Grader with Her Science Homework: a GOOD Explanation for Why Pluto is No Longer a Planet.
I'm thinking lots of pictures.
Do they learn the planets in 3rd grade? Sooner? later?
Anyhoo, does anyone know of a scientist that can help me in this effort? I will only require 50% of the royalties.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Lazy
I've been kinda lazy in the updating of the old blog here. But that's because I just bought a 2009 Toyota RAV4! Woo hoo. So I have been spending a lot of time enjoying that.
I love my new car! I really do! I'm actually happy to drive to work.
It's black (yes, I said that I would never buy a black car!)
It has leather seats, of which the front 2 are heated (I said that i would never get leather seats, but they came with an outstanding warrantee)
It has an awesome cargo cover and cargo net and all-weather floor mats (I don't know why I'm excited about that)
That's all for now. I am actually kind of busy today at work...gotta get to it!
I love my new car! I really do! I'm actually happy to drive to work.
It's black (yes, I said that I would never buy a black car!)
It has leather seats, of which the front 2 are heated (I said that i would never get leather seats, but they came with an outstanding warrantee)
It has an awesome cargo cover and cargo net and all-weather floor mats (I don't know why I'm excited about that)
That's all for now. I am actually kind of busy today at work...gotta get to it!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Does this mean I'm a bad person?
Jerry and I decided that we need to get into better shape! And we live in a nice, safe (it looks safe) neighborhood now with tree-lined streets and sidewalks.
So yesterday, we decided to take advantage of our want for fitness and the gorgeous weather. We took a nice long stroll around the neighborhood. Wandering the streets led us out to Plainfield road and down to the Dillonvale shopping center.
Rather than walking out to the street, we crossed the shopping center. Within the strip is a Jack's Aquarium and pets. Jerry asked if I wanted to go in and see if there were any puppies. We originally decided not to because we really want to adopt a dog and I am afraid of seeing irresistible puppies at incredibly high (unnecessary) prices.
As we passed by, we both glanced in the window to see the four containers of animals... ferrets, birds, bunnies, hamsters, and one single puppy. Convinced a quick glance was all I could handle, I tried to continue without much of a stop.
"Is that a pug?" Jerry asked.
Crap. Let's go look.
It was a pug. Poor little pug-buddy was sleeping in the corner of a plexi-glass box with a tiny bowl of uneaten food in one corner and a bed of shredded paper... not soft newspaper mind you. It was like someone donated the remnants of their home shredder.
I felt so bad looking at this little guy. He was completely uninterested in the 2 strangers (Jerry and me) standing over his "home" while he tried to nap in what appeared the least comfy position ever. He had a super sad little look on his face. I couldn't bear it any longer! I had to walk away.
I have never felt so horrible in my life. I left that poor little puppy all alone in his box, with his sad eyes and look of disappointment.
I hope that someone buys him soon. But, I cannot. I cannot bring myself to purchase a dog when there are so many animals available for adoption... animals that have been abandoned by the world because they're not the perfect breed or because they had irresponsible owners.
I thought about that little pug puppy for hours last night. I still feel incredibly sad and I wish I had the ability to go back and rescue him.
Does this make me a bad person?
Sorry little buddy.
So yesterday, we decided to take advantage of our want for fitness and the gorgeous weather. We took a nice long stroll around the neighborhood. Wandering the streets led us out to Plainfield road and down to the Dillonvale shopping center.
Rather than walking out to the street, we crossed the shopping center. Within the strip is a Jack's Aquarium and pets. Jerry asked if I wanted to go in and see if there were any puppies. We originally decided not to because we really want to adopt a dog and I am afraid of seeing irresistible puppies at incredibly high (unnecessary) prices.
As we passed by, we both glanced in the window to see the four containers of animals... ferrets, birds, bunnies, hamsters, and one single puppy. Convinced a quick glance was all I could handle, I tried to continue without much of a stop.
"Is that a pug?" Jerry asked.
Crap. Let's go look.
It was a pug. Poor little pug-buddy was sleeping in the corner of a plexi-glass box with a tiny bowl of uneaten food in one corner and a bed of shredded paper... not soft newspaper mind you. It was like someone donated the remnants of their home shredder.
I felt so bad looking at this little guy. He was completely uninterested in the 2 strangers (Jerry and me) standing over his "home" while he tried to nap in what appeared the least comfy position ever. He had a super sad little look on his face. I couldn't bear it any longer! I had to walk away.
I have never felt so horrible in my life. I left that poor little puppy all alone in his box, with his sad eyes and look of disappointment.
I hope that someone buys him soon. But, I cannot. I cannot bring myself to purchase a dog when there are so many animals available for adoption... animals that have been abandoned by the world because they're not the perfect breed or because they had irresponsible owners.
I thought about that little pug puppy for hours last night. I still feel incredibly sad and I wish I had the ability to go back and rescue him.
Does this make me a bad person?
Sorry little buddy.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Suprisingly, I kinda like my job
I say that I hate my job all the time, but it's only partially true. I am frustrated because this isn't the setting in which I necessarily want to be. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to work for an agency, but the economy and competition kind of prevents that (there are definitely more qualified applicants out there that I, with no agency experience, have tried unsuccessfully to compete against). It's a little hard sometime for me to get past that point. Other issues that I have a difficult time getting past at work:
- My manager's new insistance on giving all media call concerns to the only other male in the office - before it was Guy (manager), me, and Emily. So the work was often split between me and Emily. Now, Guy gives just about everything to Charlie, even when Emily and I are on call!
- Lack of work... I really don't have that much to do. I primarily work on large projects with far out timelines (or in the case of my two most recent assignments, no timelines). Sometimes, I am given a research task. I am pretty good at research and therefore complete those tasks quickly. Then back to boredom.
- Lack of challenge... we each have our strengths on this team, and the bosses play to those strengths. I think that it would be better to give each of us a challenge. Granted, I don't think that Emily or Charlie could handle some of the work that I do (I know it's way beyond Emily's scope), but as easily as I can do my work, I can also write a press release or an article for the employee newsletter, edit brochure and website content, and evaluate advertising agencies. I want to sit in on just one agency "interview."
-The drive to work is a hike, though my route doesn't keep me in a lot of traffic.
-Emily is often a burden! She is rather immature - however, I no longer share an office with her so things are getting better.
But, there is some good...
-My most recent (HUGE) task is to compile research on social media and to assist in the development of a social media strategy. In this effort, I spend much more time away from the office - in seminars about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogging. I get to work on these outlets throughout much of each day. I get to just sit and read articles, LinkedIn discussions and Twitter feeds for hours on end. I get to make connections with new and interesting people (who may one day help in advancing my career?)
-My name is out there with the big guys. The COO of our Florence location knows my name and always says hello when we pass in the halls. The COO of our Ft. Thomas location used to just pop into my office and talk directly tome when he needed help with a presentation. Today, I was told that the CEO of the organization knows my name and is excited with the direction that I can take our social media efforts.
- I get to do things that satisfy other professional desires, such as recording voiceover work and blogging. On the voiceover note, please go to the Florence Freedom baseball games and pay attention to the St. Elizabeth Healthcare ads! And if I do get into teaching part-time at the university level, I can balance it with my work now because my boss is flexible enough with my schedule that I can be away from the office for those things and still get in my 40 hours!
-I just got a rather large pay raise (though I still make less than I should command!) that will help me to do a few more things in my "wants" category.
-I know many people who have started in healthcare marketing and gone on to bigger things, even in the agency world. So it's probably actually a good step for me if I can get my hand into a few more projects.
Ok, I feel better now. Back to "work."
- My manager's new insistance on giving all media call concerns to the only other male in the office - before it was Guy (manager), me, and Emily. So the work was often split between me and Emily. Now, Guy gives just about everything to Charlie, even when Emily and I are on call!
- Lack of work... I really don't have that much to do. I primarily work on large projects with far out timelines (or in the case of my two most recent assignments, no timelines). Sometimes, I am given a research task. I am pretty good at research and therefore complete those tasks quickly. Then back to boredom.
- Lack of challenge... we each have our strengths on this team, and the bosses play to those strengths. I think that it would be better to give each of us a challenge. Granted, I don't think that Emily or Charlie could handle some of the work that I do (I know it's way beyond Emily's scope), but as easily as I can do my work, I can also write a press release or an article for the employee newsletter, edit brochure and website content, and evaluate advertising agencies. I want to sit in on just one agency "interview."
-The drive to work is a hike, though my route doesn't keep me in a lot of traffic.
-Emily is often a burden! She is rather immature - however, I no longer share an office with her so things are getting better.
But, there is some good...
-My most recent (HUGE) task is to compile research on social media and to assist in the development of a social media strategy. In this effort, I spend much more time away from the office - in seminars about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and blogging. I get to work on these outlets throughout much of each day. I get to just sit and read articles, LinkedIn discussions and Twitter feeds for hours on end. I get to make connections with new and interesting people (who may one day help in advancing my career?)
-My name is out there with the big guys. The COO of our Florence location knows my name and always says hello when we pass in the halls. The COO of our Ft. Thomas location used to just pop into my office and talk directly tome when he needed help with a presentation. Today, I was told that the CEO of the organization knows my name and is excited with the direction that I can take our social media efforts.
- I get to do things that satisfy other professional desires, such as recording voiceover work and blogging. On the voiceover note, please go to the Florence Freedom baseball games and pay attention to the St. Elizabeth Healthcare ads! And if I do get into teaching part-time at the university level, I can balance it with my work now because my boss is flexible enough with my schedule that I can be away from the office for those things and still get in my 40 hours!
-I just got a rather large pay raise (though I still make less than I should command!) that will help me to do a few more things in my "wants" category.
-I know many people who have started in healthcare marketing and gone on to bigger things, even in the agency world. So it's probably actually a good step for me if I can get my hand into a few more projects.
Ok, I feel better now. Back to "work."
Dear Office Cleaning Crew...
I sincerely appreciate your efforts to empty my trash 3 times a week. But for the love of all things holy, please stop moving my trash can. It is in the perfect spot for a tissue slam dunk, or to possibly just run my arm across the length of my desk and subsequently sweep everything into the garbage. This morning, I had a pile of used tissues and an empty Diet Dr. Pepper can building up on the floor before I realized that you put the can in the corner. That's gross!
Sidenote: thanks for vacuuming up all that dust and debris that the movers left...it made me sneeze and I couldn't do much about it.
Regards,
G
Sidenote: thanks for vacuuming up all that dust and debris that the movers left...it made me sneeze and I couldn't do much about it.
Regards,
G
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Let's pretend for a second...
This is Jerry...
I've grown accustomed to his face.
Jerry is not a gambler. He cannot sit at a slot machine for hours playing on a single $20 bill, like my mama taught me how to do - nickel video slots at the MGM!!! When we went to Vegas in '07, Jerry desperately wanted to join a hand of blackjack, but had a slight fear of sitting at a table with a bunch of "pros" and being out of the game in less than 5 hands (maybe that's a bit of exaggeration...).
However, Jerry does like him some lottery...MegaMillions to be exact. He typically buys a ticket each week. But he's no good at winning!
Now, let's pretend for a second that we did win. And not a little. No, we're gonna win.... $225 million. If I won the lottery (and took the lump sum payment), I would...
- Pay off my current mortgage, my sister's mortgage, and my parents' mortgage. I would also find my brother a place to live.
- Update my house - pay someone to pull up all the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors, redo the bathrooms and the kitchen (possibly knock out the wall between the kitchen and the living room to make it a more open space), add a deck, expand the driveway, and cleanup the garage. oh, and hire someone to re-landscape!
-Buy a beach house in North Carolina - one of those that can sleep like a million people at once. I would rent it out when I'm not using it, and invite my family to come stay for weeks at a time when I am.
- Buy a new car, preferably a hybrid SUV and purchase my father a Cadillac Escalade.
- Sell my house (assuming I am outside the 3 year tax credit window) and buy a slightly bigger house with an "outdoor kitchen" in a community with a nice landscaping and a pool.
- Take golf and tennis lessons and spend my non-working hours on the course or court with my man (not because it's the snobby thing to do, I just want to)
- Take a month long vacation to tour the world via cruise ship.
- Sit on the board of directors for an Arts Organization and spend a lot of time volunteering for the arts.
- Donate money to organizations where I can get my name printed in a program. Ooh, or maybe get a plaque hung or a building named after me.
- Endow my undergraduate program with money to develop a scholarship in my name and work a little more closely with them to help place students (intern/co-op/professional)
- Teach as an adjunct professor for one quarter/semester a year.
That's all I have for now... have I spent all that money yet?
I've grown accustomed to his face.Jerry is not a gambler. He cannot sit at a slot machine for hours playing on a single $20 bill, like my mama taught me how to do - nickel video slots at the MGM!!! When we went to Vegas in '07, Jerry desperately wanted to join a hand of blackjack, but had a slight fear of sitting at a table with a bunch of "pros" and being out of the game in less than 5 hands (maybe that's a bit of exaggeration...).
However, Jerry does like him some lottery...MegaMillions to be exact. He typically buys a ticket each week. But he's no good at winning!
Now, let's pretend for a second that we did win. And not a little. No, we're gonna win.... $225 million. If I won the lottery (and took the lump sum payment), I would...
- Quit my job, but not quit working. I would focus on my voice-acting business, try to get gigs travelling the world to be an on-site event coordinator, and start a personal shopping business (I know of a girl who works with Frontgate - when someone wants to purchase something and have it shipped they call this girl and she makes all the arrangements since Frontgate doesn't ship.)
- Pay off my current mortgage, my sister's mortgage, and my parents' mortgage. I would also find my brother a place to live.
- Update my house - pay someone to pull up all the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors, redo the bathrooms and the kitchen (possibly knock out the wall between the kitchen and the living room to make it a more open space), add a deck, expand the driveway, and cleanup the garage. oh, and hire someone to re-landscape!
-Buy a beach house in North Carolina - one of those that can sleep like a million people at once. I would rent it out when I'm not using it, and invite my family to come stay for weeks at a time when I am.
- Buy a new car, preferably a hybrid SUV and purchase my father a Cadillac Escalade.
- Sell my house (assuming I am outside the 3 year tax credit window) and buy a slightly bigger house with an "outdoor kitchen" in a community with a nice landscaping and a pool.
- Take golf and tennis lessons and spend my non-working hours on the course or court with my man (not because it's the snobby thing to do, I just want to)
- Take a month long vacation to tour the world via cruise ship.
- Sit on the board of directors for an Arts Organization and spend a lot of time volunteering for the arts.
- Donate money to organizations where I can get my name printed in a program. Ooh, or maybe get a plaque hung or a building named after me.
- Endow my undergraduate program with money to develop a scholarship in my name and work a little more closely with them to help place students (intern/co-op/professional)
- Teach as an adjunct professor for one quarter/semester a year.
That's all I have for now... have I spent all that money yet?
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