NaNoWriMo Finish

I finished my NaNovel (back on Nov 29th) and I'm so glad it's done! I am thinking of getting back to it in a week or so, give it some time to simmer, and start editing. This year I finished the book and the word count which was my goal.

Contgratulations to all other winners including these fine folks I consider my friends and Novelists all:

Girlzoot, Sasha, EDog, Survivor, and DaveToe

Huzzah for a great November!

You want to take a bite...

Ok, my NaNovel this year is about a stripper and I've been chatting with my writing buddy EDog about the whole book. We were talking about how there are no "adult" smilies on the IM service we use, but how you could dress your avatar like a hooker.

Now we were just being silly and it was pretty funny, but after we made our female hookers, we went to the male wardrobe and made some. Here's my favorite, the manwhore with his big smile and wink and his shirt open to the world. He's practically saying, "You want to take a bite..." in some heavy sexy accent of undetermined origin.

Ok, so I'm a little looped out on the lack of food and needing a shower and about 6000 words today, but I am still laughing.

Princess Princess I'm a Fairy Princess (aha!)

The Fairy Princess

You are youthful, cheery, and exuberant with a
sunny disposition and a mischievous sense of
humor. You are very lively and are always up
for a good bit of fun. You have a deep love of
nature and animals.

Role Model: Titania

You are most likely to: Convert a pumpkin into a
useful mode of transportation.


What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
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Princess Princess I'm a Fairy Princess

Well, not really, but here is what I got on the test.


The Noble Princess

You are just and fair, a perfectionist with a
strong sense of proper decorum. You are very
attracted to chivalry, ceremony and dignity.
For the most part you are rather sensible, but
you are also very idealistic.

Role Models: Guinevere, Princess Fiona (of Shrek)

You are most likely to: Get kidnapped by a stray
dragon.


What Kind of Princess are You? - Beautiful Artwork (Original Music is BACK!!!)
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Thanks to Girlzoot for posting her results.

All About Sevens

I learned something out at the Boulder NaNoWriMo Kick Off Dinner at Conor O’Neill’s, Tuesday night. Actually, two things. I just realized I hadn’t posted it.

First of all, I learned a practical and quick way to calculate the tip on a meal. If you take the amount you owe and divide by seven, you come darn close to a 15% tip. So, an easy one, if your meal was 14 dollars, your tip is 2 dollars. The exact 15% tip would be $2.10. So it’s pretty close.

The other thing I learned is about measurements, precisely how to tell the difference between a butt-load, a shit-load, and a fuck-load. Imagine you are at dinner and with your dinner roll you get a pat of butter. One pat of butter is a normal amount. Now, to reach the first unit of measure multiply the normal amount by seven, you have seven pats of butter, and that’s a butt-load. For the next level, you raise that by another level of seven, you have almost 50 pats of butter, and really, that’s a shit-load. And if you had seven times that, you would reach nearly 350 pats of butter, which no one would argue is a fuck-load. So that’s the secret.

And my friends and I always thought a butt-load was six. Hey, we were close!

Price Gouging?

I saw this gas sign on the way to my NaNoWriMo Kick Off meeting tonight and I did a double take. I pulled into the lot and looked at the sign from the other side and took a picture. Prices here in Colorado have come down some 50 cents over the last few weeks, however someone forgot to tell these folks.

Perhaps it was due to a shortage of fuel at this particular station. But the same company, just 20 blocks up the road (and it's a big road) had a much more normal spread. I pass that station every day and I believe it was 12 cents between 85 and 87 octane, and another 14 between 87 and 91. And another 20 blocks was a station I didn't get a chance to photograph, but it was a normal spread as well.

I sure wouldn't pay for this, and even when it was at it's highest, I don't think I paid quite as much as the premium price on the sign is. But after all this, you probably guessed that I pay a little attention to gas prices.

New Kitty Picture

Things in my house are pretty quiet right now. All the doors are open and I have one kitty on my hassock and one kitty in the bedroom. Everyone seems to have survived the first few days with the new kitty (Deke) here. There is some hissing and spitting, to be expected as they work out their pecking order (and everyone has to listen to me - especially about not eating the bird).

As quiet is good, I'm taking a moment to post a new picture of my new kitty. His grandma told me that he has a heart on his side, can you see it in the picture?

Kitty's Coming!

I'm adding a new baby boy to my household, one of the four-footed furry kind. I have some pictures from August, but I'm excited and posting this away from my home computer. I'll post pictures soon!

Deke should already be on the ground in Denver now and I get to go pick him up after work. I wish I could have taken time off today to go get him but I took tomorrow off entirely so I could spend it (barring the quick trip for kitty food and toys) with him and his new brother, my big fat sassy cat, Alec.

I am a little nervous, but I'm sure everything will work out fine. I am so excited to get him to my little home.

More soon!

Following the Yellow Brick Road

As I have so many other things to do today, I have been sitting with my laptop and bouncing around Blogland. Here are a few of the gems I picked up along the way:

Heimlich Maneuvers
Stories from Rick's Cafe
the study of an honest contradiction

And some really strange wild things that I couldn't understand due to a language barrier.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy)

You're a great thinker and a true philosopher. You'd make a talented professor or writer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Guess I should go back to school... I'd be talented at it :)

What Serenity Character are you?

Which Serenity character are you?

Kaylee Frye 94%

created with QuizFarm.com

Birthday Blues

I am a big fan of birthdays, and I always try to have a good time on mine. Last year I went to San Diego and stayed on the coast so I could see the ocean. We walked on the beach every night, and ate lots of seafood and got sand in our shoes.

This year I just took the day off, as this week was packed with bright and shiny meetings and necessary work things (such is the life of a corporate accounting specialist). It was not the most stellar day, as when I got to my mom's house she informed me that her dog, Charlie, which was also my dog from high school, had died that morning. So the rest of the afternoon dealt with the great loss of a very dear friend and part of the family.

I'm kind of at loose ends this weekend, I've got nothing to do and a whole lot of time to do it in. And all I can think about is the fact that everything in my life from that time in my life is slowly slipping away. And there is nothing I can do to stop the sands running through my fingers, no matter how hard I cry.

Fun Game

Reply with your name and
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written

I'm very late in posting this. Girlzoot, Shaych, and Valium, please accept my apologies.

You are Scooter.
You are a loyal, hardworking person, better known
as a doormat.

SPECIAL TALENTS:
Going for stuff.
LEAST FAVORITE MOVIE:
"Go For Broke!"

QUOTE:
"15 seconds to showtime."

LAST BOOK READ:
"300 New Ways to Get Your Uncle to Get You a
Better Job "

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
Coffee, clipboard, and Very Special Guest Stars.


What Muppet are you?
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Study conversations

Things overheard at Paris on the Platte by the very patient guy at the end of our table:

G: Mar-duck.

A: I think it’s Mar-duke.

G: Marmaduke?

A: Yah, the big orange dog.

G: I think he’s red, in fact I think it’s Marmaduke, the Big Red Dog.

A: That’s Clifford, the big red dog

G: I don’t know, they’re all big and red and they all created god.

Relativity of intelligence

You are smart; you can make it go.

I got this phrase from STtNG, from the episode where Geordi was kidnapped by a space-faring race that stole technology from other races, and wanted to steal Geordi for his talents.

It has now become a stock phrase in my vocabulary. And girlzoot just flung it back at me. I told her how smart she was after she learned me something new on the internet thingy. She said, "Yeah, I can make it go." Made me laugh, and practically snort hot cocoa out my nose.

Maybe you had to be there...

Don’t ask me what to wear

Don’t ask me what to wear

I have no embroidered
headband from Sardis to
give you, Cleis, such as
I wore
and my mother
always said that in her
day a purple ribbon
looped in the hair was thought
to be high style indeed

but we were dark:
a girl
whose hair is yellower than
torchlight should wear no
headdress but fresh flowers

Sappho
Translated by Mary Barnard

Four Years Ago Today

Four years ago tonight, I was soaking in a brand new hot tub in Aurora, CO, drinking wine coolers, smoking Marlboro Lights, listening to Lee Greenwood, and watching the footage of the World Trade Center destruction play over and over and over again on CNN or any channel we turned to. Later, when we were outside in the steaming water, the window open so we could hear the TV, we looked up in wonder and a little terror, the primeval terror of the unknown, as we heard the sonic booms of fighter aircraft take off from a nearby Air Force base. Our voices burbled over one another as we began to explain to each other the fact that military aircraft were flying overhead, it was ok, nothing to be alarmed by. But everything alarmed us that night. We were together and we were safe, but what did that mean anymore, what did anything mean?

It was a month ago yesterday that I spoke to her last. Only a month. The last time. How can that be?

Geekish Nerd?

Pure Nerd 78 % Nerd, 43% Geek, 34% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd. The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful. Congratulations! THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Katrina

It seems everywhere you go, Katrina and the aftermath finds its way into conversation. Last night when we were out seeing The Wizard of Oz at the Boulder Dinner Theatre it came up. How people could be in such dire straits and we be out enjoying ourselves?

I am lucky, I suppose. I have not lost any family or friends, no one I know personally was in the path of the storm. A friend's new boyfriend evacuated to Colorado, leaving behind his ex and their children against his will. There are so many other stories, so many faces of people, our people, my people, so many that have been devastated, have lost everything except their lives, that it is mind-numbing.

The single worst disaster that has ever hit us, and we seemed unable to move, unable to snap out of the spin. Pictures of the storm, pictures of the people, stranded, angry, calling for help; cameras capturing the images, able only to report not provide the water, food, and medical supplies so desprately needed.

Relief has begun to arrive, and is arriving, at least one of my friends is going down as I write this to provide relief services to the refugees, and another might be called upon at any moment. I feel so helpless, that my thoughts keep spinning, my private grief mixed with a national grief, one we all share. A grief with no end in sight.

Random Thought

And as he drove on, the rain clouds dragged down the sky after him for, though he did not know it, Rob McKenna was a Rain God. All he knew was that his working days were miserable and he had a succession of lousy holidays. All the clouds knew was that they loved him and wanted to be near him, to cherish him and to water him.

--So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish, Douglas Adams

Stargazing

Last night I sat on the sidewalk while Charlie lay in the grass, enjoying the cool night air. I looked across the way and saw Cassiopeia hanging over the end unit of the row houses, the one where Kerri lived when we were in high school. I’ve always liked Cassiopeia, the great big W in the sky; it’s one of the constellations I can almost instantly recognize.

I remember soft twilit evenings on the roof at Kerri’s house, watching the stars come out in the summer. Her friends tried to show her the different constellations, and she could see the Big Dipper, but she could never see Cassiopeia, no matter who tried to show her. Sitting on the sidewalk next to my dog I thought of those distant evenings with her, and murmured the little song we made up sitting up on the roof.

When the wind blows
On the roof-top
We are cold
Under the cat blanket

The view of the sky became blurry, my eyes glistening. I felt this hole in my heart big enough to hold the sky, knowing she had gone beyond my pale. In my mind, forevermore, she will reside in the soft grey twilight among the scattered stars as they begin to shine.

Sweet dreams, my dear friend. You will be forever missed.

Festival Banner

Festival Banner
Originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy.

Last Sunday, we went to the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur. Friends of mine are on the Royal Court of the Faire, and we visited and stayed for the fashion show and the final joust. It was a cool day, with the temperatures down in the 80s and a nice breeze practically everywhere.

Triumph for the Pack Rat

I keep stuff. More stuff than I need, but less than some of those poor souls who do not remember what color the carpet is under all the stuff (and can't tell from the pathway, because it has turned grey with wear).

I have about 4 boxes of papers in various places in my house (mostly in my garage) from different times in my life that I refuse to part with. During my last move, we moved them, and I promised I would look through them and toss what I could and file what I needed to keep. Well, it's coming up on my second lease renewal and I just haven't had a chance to get through all of them. I did get through part of one of them *yay* about a year and a half ago, and I occasionally go out to the garage and dip into one of the boxes, bringing out a treasure of incomparable worth, that sits on my dining room table for a while, then moves to my desk, where it collects dust in the open, instead of in its box.

I also keep things at work. I hoard my letters, with all their precious attachments, on the off chance I might need them again. This has worked for me in the past; I have found emails or letters that helped me resolve an issue. But at my office, I have one little drawer and one hanging file corral on my desk for all my files. We share a tall 4 drawer for all our customers' invoices, and that's it. I have had a pile, wrapped lovingly with rubberbands up in my cabinet for over a year now. I just put some of it with the 4 boxes of stuff I pulled out of our 4 drawer and shipped off to outside storage. But if I ever need it back, it is in a box, safe and sound. Just like I like it.

My files and emails are about in the same state of pack-rattedness as the rest of my desk. I don't ever delete emails, but I'm sure I should be, but I might need it three years down the line. You never know. And I store all my attachments, named with helpful names, on my personal network drive (which has not reached as gigantic proportions as you might imagine; it's still fairly reasonable). And every month, squish all the files down into a nice, helpfully named zip file. Which go back to, you guessed it, when I started at this company.

Well, today was exciting for this pack rat. I had an invoice for a 2003 charge that I could show we paid in our system, but the 2003 files are in storage (and I have never even requested one, isn't that amazing!). So I decided to go through my old email attachments and lo, there was my beautiful proof, including all the bells and whistles attached, laying quietly in the dusty old zip file. I was so excited I showed my co-worker, a wonderful woman with a daughter my age and a good sense of humor, and she laughed. She never keeps anything past its useful life: email, paperwork, paper clips... But she appreciated my triumph, and agreed that yes, today was a good day to be a pack rat.

Now, if I could just find my keys and my cell phone I could get on with my weekend.

Laughing Lord & Lady

Laughing Lord & Lady
Originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy.

I spent the fourth of July in the company of this noble couple, recent additions to the Royal Court. After a lavish repast, we explored the extensive grounds of their lovely estate, enjoying the pleasant summer evening air. After the sun went down, we enjoyed a fireworks display. Many thanks to the laughing lord and lady for a very enjoyable evening.

Alanis

Ok, so after the margaritas I shared with my co-workers this afternoon on a lovely shaded patio in Boulder, I get in my car to go run an errand. My radio is on and I hear Alanis Morrisette's Ironic. Which is only marginally ironic (I suppose there's irony in that...) but not the version from Jagged Little Pill. It's acoustic, and done very nicely. And when she gets to the part about the 10,000 spoons and only needing a knife she sings:

It's meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful husband.

I love Alanis.

I'm going to get the re-issue of JLP the acoustic version... the two songs I heard sounded really good.

UPDATE: Jagged Little Pill Acoustic is quite good.

Vancouver, anyone?

Ok I might be over reacting (my mother certainly thinks so) but Sandra Day O'Connor just retired. I'm not quite sure how things will come out, but with a mostly conservative Congress and a conservative Executive branch, one can't help but think a conservative justice will be confirmed. We needed Sandra Day O'Connor's moderate voice, and I think we're going to lose that. Along with the defense on some of our rights the Supreme Court has defended with sometimes the slightest of margins.

Hey, one of my exes is Canadian... maybe he'll let me crash at his place...

Lyrics in my head

You've always been
Time and again
The one to take my hand
And show to me it's okay to be
Just the way I am
With no apology

Garth Brooks - A Friend to Me

Liquid Luminosity

Driving home tonight I was under a spell. I could barely keep my eyes on the road. An early summer thunderstorm and the setting sun painted the sky with a marvel of nature and physics, a stunning rainbow lit the stormy sky my entire drive home. At first I only saw a part of the rainbow, an arching swath of color and light spilling on the ground from the dark clouds. The colors glowed so clearly, like liquid light pouring from the sky. I could see the vivid bands of color spilling onto the ground and buildings behind it.

The other edge of the rainbow looked like a pastel drawing on dark grey paper, smeared smoothly with a celestial finger to blend the colors and light into a band of soft beauty. After a few moments the light came together and I could see the semi-circle from end to end. I thought of my great-uncle who told me a story of how he had stood on the side of one mountain and saw a three-quarter rainbow arching into the sky and dipping into the valley below him. I always wondered if there were a perfect spot to see a circular rainbow, from end to not end banded in bright liquid luminosity.

And above the main rainbow, the second rainbow shimmered at the edge of my sight, like an object in the darkness that you can't see straight on, but have to watch through your side vision. I couldn't be sure, but it seemed to me instead of being roygbiv it was vibgyor, a dim and fragile reflection of the main rainbow. Everytime I tried to look straight at it, the second one became blurry and smeary until I blinked and looked away.

The entire three-quarters of an hour I spent driving home became a study of the rainbow set as it seemed so close then moved back and back to finally become a faded rememberance of the shining glory it was, then to finally fade as the light left the sky and the rain cleared.

Happy Summer

Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.

- Daisy Buchanan The Great Gatsby

Good Day

I spent most of yesterday either with my mom or at her house. She had a salon appointment at noon, so I toodled myself and my shiny little laptop down to her house to hang out with the dog and to get some work done. More hanging out with Charlie happened than actual work (I still need to write out my bills, and finish the writing I had started).

All around, except for some extreme heat and some heated words, we all had a lovely day. Charlie was perky and alert, she sat in the grass in the sun for about 10 minutes, watching the world go by (not much exciting) and having the wind blow her clean white fur. Mom gave her a bath that morning so she was all shiny clean and smelling like shampoo. I brought her back up to the porch in the shade and got her some water with ice cubes in it (she likes that) and she drank some. She sat on the towel next to me while I surfed the web (I love wireless, oh, so much) and started work on my project. After a while I grabbed a slice of turkey and Charlie ate it all up, fairly daintily, but with vigor. And I brought her a pillow to sit on which she did until Mom came home.

Out in the hot hot sun (I should have parked in the garage while mom was out) we unloaded the stuff in my trunk and figured out how to put down my back seat. I'm not so great in the sun, and it was really hot (around 4pm) so I decided we were going to 7-11 and I got myself a Slurpee and an iTunes code. Much better with liquidy ice to slurp on. The trip revolved around getting some lovely bookcases that were on sale at OfficeMax. The nice manager guy helped us get the 4 bookcases and one major DVD stand (all assembly required) into the trunk, and complemented us on being prepared and not making him try to figure it out.

We ran the bookcases back to mom's garage, stacked them up nicely for her (she's got a project of vast proportions moving and organizing stuff in her computer room where the bookcases are going to live) and I went and got another Slurpee. Mmm icy cold. Thinking of getting one right now... Anyway, once we got back we relaxed a bit then decided to fill our bellies. We ran out after to Costco to look at a shiny white electronic device which shall remain nameless but they were closed.

We got back, Jeff next door was watering the plants, Charlie was enjoying the evening sun, and Mom and I started making a little stepping stone from a package I got. We mixed up the cement, poured it (well dumped it) into the little mold, and pressed Charlie's front paws into the middle. And washed everyone off. I'll post a picture when I see it next, it was dark last night when we were done (and half eaten alive by mosquitoes) so no piccy. While it was drying, and to finish off our day, we watched Hotel Rwanda, which was very good.

So all in all, good day. Oh and Mom's visit to the salon was lovely, she was all nail painted and hair coiffed and lovely herself.

Update

Charlie is home with Mom. She took her home on Monday, after a long weekend in the hospital. Monday night she ate some turkey and drank lots of water, and while visiting a neighbor stood up with the help of a sling (her front right leg was hurt from the IV and her back end hasn't worked well for a while) and while standing tried to chase a cat (slowly, but with vigor and much tail wagging).

So the vet said give her time, see if she adjusts to being home. She's been standing on her own as the wound on her leg heals, and last night she even had a bm (I sounded like the proud mother of a toddler getting toilet trained with all the encouragement). She even is walking around a little - after we'd been on the porch for a while, she walked over to the screen door and patiently waited for me to open it for her. Once inside she found a nice spot and laid down, pretty as you please under her own power.

I can see her spirit in her eyes, she's still very much Charlie although her body has slowed down considerably. She is not asking for much, and generally accepting what is given, when she used to be quite demanding. Her time is coming, but it isn't right now. No matter when, I am blessed to love and be loved by her gentle little soul.

More on Charlie

So Charlie went into the hospital on Wednesday, after being very lethargic on Tuesday night when I visited. Her bloodwork was not good, and she didn't seem to be getting any better. Friday night I came down after work to visit her at the vet's, and nothing looked promising. I left Mom's house after we watched The Aviator (pretty good flick, if LONG) and promised I'd come down in the morning to see how she was.

This morning we hoped for good news, but weren't really expecting it. We took Charlie out (with her IV unhooked and the tubing attached to her little leg) and she did a little duty (which was encouraging, as it is her kidneys they're worried about) and we sat in the sun and she slept in our arms. All the dogs getting walked that morning were interested in her, but the techs kept them at a distance. One really cute set of Boston Terriers (one black, one brindle) were quite interested and barked at her, or at us. After a bit it got pretty hot in the sun so we retired back inside.

We didn't have an appointment, but the staff was great and let us wander around with Charlie. We got her some water, which she was excited to drink, but she barely licked the food. Dr. James came in with her thick chart and showed us the results from this mornings' bloodwork. Three of the high numbers had come back down toward the normal range, one dropped 60 points from yesterday to within 12 of normal (I'm not a medical person, so I don't know what exactly that meant, but that it was good.) Dr. James was encouraged, and said if she'd eat, he'd send her home. He also said that at this stage, the kidney failure was controllable, but probably not repairable. But it was up to her, and he put B vitamins and some medicine to calm her stomach and encourage her appetite. Her stomach was probably upset from the way her body was acting.

So now we wait overnight again, and he'll call in the morning with an update. The office is closed Sundays so we can't visit, but he lives close and checks on his patients that are staying over the weekend in the morning and evening. He's a very good man, and has known Charlie since he bought the practice 16 years ago.

I know in my heart that it's not a great solution, and that she is getting older, as we all are. She's not in any pain, and I know she would like to be home again, to the only home she has ever known. Our mood is lighter, this afternoon. Our little fighter is still fighting, and as long as she's willing, we're happy to have her with us.

Charlie Lass

Birthday Pup,
originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy.

I didn't post this picture when her birthday happened back in February. Looking back, I find that a bit odd (especially with all the pictures we took of her that day).

At any rate, my baby girl isn't doing so well today and I wanted to get some positive energy going for her so I thought I'd share her here.

She’s been a part of my family for over 17 years, and except for one small issue with Mom’s favorite leather boots, she has been a wonderful, sweet, and loving dog. To my mom, she’s my sister, and we both love her very much. Even tho she lives with Mom, she’s still my dog, and I have pictures of her at work and at home.

I’m having a hard time with the eminent possibility of her passing. One of her most endearing qualities is in her doggy love; she loves us unconditionally. No matter what we say or do, we are her people, her family. And if we’re really good, she’ll give us puppy kisses.

I know this has been kinda disjointed; it’s hard to consider losing a member of the family.

Please keep her in your thoughts this week, if you would.

Texas Star

Texas Star,
originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy.

I decided to get a pendant while I was in Texas and I looked and I looked but I didn't see one while we were out and about. Here is the pendant I found at the airport just before getting on the plane. I really like it. The stones are amber, different colors.

Dallas TX

I just got back to Colorado after a week training on our new platform's accounting system. While I was there, I saw my best friend from high school and college, who I haven't seen in over 2 years since she moved to Texas. Instead of boring and long evenings at the hotel, I was treated to her charming company and whisked away from the mundane every evening.

My favorite evening was Wednesday night we saw Star Wars Episode III. We sat in the air-conditioned silence of a mostly empty theatre as the epic drew itself to a close and whispered back and forth about plot and our thoughts. Afterwards, we even talked about it over dinner at Firewater, a bar and grill close by. While we were eating possibly the worst meal ever (definitely the worst on the trip) some music came on over in the bar area. We finished what we could of the meal (and sent back the bad, colored vodka disguised as a Cosmo) and went to check out the music and discovered it was a live band playing.

Outside there was a large porch area with a bar and a bandstand. Bad Karma, a four (sometimes five) man band from Ft Worth, was belting out covers to songs from the 80s to today that sounded as good as the originals, with great flair and gusto. We stayed to the end of the second of three sets and ended up on stage dancing and singing to Mustang Sally with the band. That was fun.

Afterward, during the set break, I asked the bassist if they had any cds - he said no, they mostly did covers, and I told him that they sounded really good, just like the originals they were emulating. (besides Mustang Sally, my favorite was The Georgia Satalites Keep Your Hands to Yourself). He got us cards and said to check out the website (which we were already planning on doing). Before we left, he came back and said they were playing Friday night in Ft Worth. Which was a real bummer, seeing as my plane ticket was for Friday afternoon. Altia was all ready to follow them the next night, damn our current plans.

The next time I'm in Dallas, I'm definitely checking out Bad Karma's schedule... it was a lot of fun (and did I mention that the lead singer was hot? Altia said that she thought that he would be more Girlzoot's type... he reminded me vaguely of BNL's Steven Page.) I think I'll forgo local offerings for a chain that night... just to be safe.

So the training was ok; I did learn some things. The company, however, was stellar. I had such a good time, getting back to the hotel progressively later (oooh, the last night was after midnight - ok after 1 am... hehe) The one thing I regret was we didn't get a picture together of us. I forgot my camera every night except the last and it just didn't work out... But I have lovely memories :) And a small Texas State flag blowing in the imaginary Texas wind.

Good-Bye House

View from Across Street,
originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy.

Last night friends of mine had a "Good-bye House" party to celebrate the house they lived in for over 25 years. This little bungalow in North Cherry Creek has been sold, sadly not for the beautiful house, but for the land beneath it. My friends are moving to a smaller house a few miles away.

The next door house (which was not nearly as cute as this one) has already been scraped and a hulking building stands where once was a yard both front and back and even on the side. Most of the block now has succumbed to the scrape and build epidemic that is raging through some of the most beautiful parts of the metro area.

A friend once told me how she hated to see the scrape-offs, and the resulting hulks squating where once a home lay sweetly on the lot, these houses built with speed and money. At the time, I thought the houses she pointed out looked nice, they were big and new.

But I changed my mind when my "Uncle" sold a house that was scraped to make way for a complex of townhouses, tall and shining, but lacking warmth and charm. I'm sure the people who live there feel that their home is lovely, but the little house where I stayed with a friend and consumated an illicit love affair will always be in my mind when I drive past that lot.

And after today, when we plan to go visit once more (everyone was tired when the last guest left so we didn't actually get to talk) I don't think I will ever drive down that street again. This house has been part of the landscape of my life for as long as I can remember. I celebrated my first Christmas in Colorado by the fireplace here, we fingerpainted in the living room and danced to records on the old victrolla. It started out as a cozy and dusky home of friends of my mom's and became partly my home, growing up with their son then daughter, watching the renovation expand and beautify the house, hearing Hummer work in the back yard deep into the twilight, playing pool and asking personal questions of my "little brother's" friends in the oubilliette. This is a place in my world that I will never be able to go back to, except in my mind's eye. I guess it's true you can never go home again.

Kitty Cave

Kitty Cave
Originally uploaded by Arcadiajoy.

Here's my cat, Alec. It was nice out yesterday but he decided to crawl under the down comforter and take a nap. Whenever I can't find him, this is one of the first places I look...

Runaway bride

The whole thing on the runaway bride from GA has got me thinking. She said, in a prepared statement, that she wasn't running from the wedding, but from herself and issues and fears that had become out of control for her.

Perhaps it's a personal perspective thing, but a 600 guest wedding with a 26 person wedding party is a big, huge thing. And it could be a scary thing, whether or not you are deeply in love with your fiancé and are committed to spending the rest of your life with them. But, it also can be a way of life, all milestones and events are celebrated with vast numbers of friends and family, and this was normal and expected. So possibly it wasn't scary. But the thought of letting down a single person or even a handful of people (fiancé and parents, friends, family) in whatever way could be a crippling fear.

The fiancé said that the first thing he did when she got home was place her engagement ring back on her finger. Now, I can see that perhaps she took off her ring to go jogging (she disappeared while jogging, remember) but the legacy of the engagement ring has always seemed to be to wear it until the wedding, and switch the band and the ring after and never never take it off again. I know that some people do, but I would rather wear the ring and know where it was at all times than take it off and possibly lose it or have it stolen. Regardless, what if the wedding was part or all of her reason for fleeing? Wouldn't putting the ring back on her hand signify a ball and chain, a terrible weight on her? When she first returned she had not, to my knowledge, spoken to a professional therapist about her problems, and I see the possibility that this would only add to her stress.

Of course the ring's return could have been comforting, but then why didn't she take it in the first place? If she was running from other things, but her commitment and dedication to her husband-to-be was so strong, wouldn't she have taken the ring as a reminder, even if she wore it on another hand or on a chain? But she took off so fast, you say? Bullshit, she purchased the ticket days in advance of leaving. She had plenty of time to get the ring if it meant that much to her.

And on the pressing charges / suing the runaway bride, I'm of two minds. First of all, she didn't know that she was being looked for on a national level. Have you ever ridden a bus from GA to Las Vegas? It takes nearly 48 hours. How much news do you think she saw on the way? Also, people disappear all the time, and some of them are looking for a new life, they disappear themselves. Perhaps in her state of stress and fear, she didn't think it would be a big deal. She was wrong; it became a huge deal, but she shouldn't have to pay for it. She was not the one who set off the national media, her family and fiancé did that. Not every missing person gets national attention, but then again, not every bride has 14 bridesmaids either. Does this mean the wealthy are more important and get national coverage? Gee, I never thought of it that way. Perhaps she should pay for it, after all, she has the money... Or was the sheriff's office duped into looking for someone who didn't want to be found?

On the criminal charges, I think she should be charged for false reporting of a crime. I'm pretty sure that's a felony. She was trying to make herself look a victim instead of a runaway when she said that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Again, she probably wasn't thinking straight (as the whole situation leads us to believe) but from my perspective, she still knew right from wrong when she lied to the authorities in NM. And when people lie about crimes like kidnapping and sexual assault, it makes it more difficult for the true victims to be believed and heard.

The most important thing to come out of this situation is that the bride-to-be gets some help. From a brief interview I saw on the Today Show this week, her fiancé stated that she was seeking help and had been talking to someone. In no way do I trivialize her fear or whatever issues led her to flee the arms of her family and soon to be husband, and I sincerely hope that she can get the help she needs to resolve the issues that took over her life in such a dramatic and farflung fashion.

I admit I don't watch the news much, and I haven't taken to reading the newspaper or news-feeds online. Most of my news is from the radio and a brief buzz on the TV in the morning. I imagine while this situation, which took up quite a bit of my news time these past weeks, several more people were killed in Iraq; I know that the Number 3 man in Al Qaida was captured, and that somewhere children are starving. I'm not terribly informed about these things, but this story and the Teri Schaivo story are the two most recent and all-consuming by the media. Is it because they are domestic stories? Human interest? Both were terribly personal stories, things I did not need to be privy to as a complete stranger far from either of their homes or lives. But I know, and even I know a lot. I'm sure that says something, but I just can't put my finger on what...

Busy Busy

Haven't been updating as much as I should due to training at work. I'm on a project team working toward implementation of a new ERP software package for my new company (we combined forces with two other CPG companies and are going to market as one entity). While this is VERY exciting and I'm thrilled to be part of the project, I'm pretty worn out. I've learned more about my company and the way things work on a macro level this week then in the last 2 years. Of course I had my nose in my numbers and worked in my little corner of the company most of the time anyway.

So now I'm hoping to get some balance and to post here a bit more regularly (well as regular as I ever am...)

He Likes the Spankin's

Mix it into conversation; it makes every chat more lively, trust me.

I found out tonight that a friend's beloved cat passed away this weekend. I'm so sorry he's gone; he was truly a friend and my heart is heavy tonight at his loss. He was a fine animal, a good friend, and a loving member of the family. My thoughts are with his family in their loss.

Fat Boy was always up for a petting, or more specifically a spanking. He would fall off the couch in an effort to get closer for some more lovin's. And then look up at you and expect love on the floor now. Over here, and scratch behind the ear, and then some more spankin's.

He was such a sweet cat, except to his sister, Midget, who he regularly chased, bit and sat upon with his large bulk. And later, sometimes moments later, you would find them curled up together licking each other and sleeping in a big furry white, black, and grey pile. Because that's what brothers and sisters are for, torture with a grooming chaser followed by a nap.

I can remember when he first came home, after flying half way across the country to live in his new home. At first that consisted of one room, mostly under the bed in that room, for upwards of two or three weeks. He was a small ghost of a cat, moving so fast you could hardly see him. The Boy and the kitten-who-would-be-Fat-Boy met each other and grew to love one another. Fat Boy would often be found sleeping with The Boy, if he wasn't laying on his mom's legs so she couldn't move in the middle of the night.

The last time I spent time at my friend's house, I watched some Food Channel while Fat Boy curled up next to me and purred. I gave him some spankin's but only when Mom came home did he get the really good lovin's. He was so happy to get his lovin's, you could almost see him smile.

Good-bye, sweet Fate, you are already much missed.

How Normal Are You?

You Are 50% Normal (Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal... Other things you do are downright strange You've got a little of your freak going on But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

What do you want to drink?

When out to eat, you invariably get asked what you want to drink. And more than anything right now I want to have a Coke, nice brown fizzy drink, filled with sugar and caffeine, two of my favorite things. Two things that I have given up to follow this new healthy plan.

So when the nice waitress asked what I wanted to drink, I said "I want a Coke, but I'll have a water, please."

So when she comes back, she brings me a water and a Coke and two straws. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can't have the Coke, I meant I wanted one but I really can't have one."

The waitress was cool with it, she said she'd drink it and then took it away.

Later, she comes back and says that she didn't mean to tease me, and perhaps I'd like a diet Coke.

"No, thank you, I can't have the caffeine. And I can't have a Sprite because it has the sugar... so the water will be fine, thanks."

All in all it was a pleasant experience, except the moment I wanted to leap across the table and pour the Coke, ice and all, down my throat all in one gulp. That was a bit startling, and even so, it was kinda funny.

So must be careful what I ask for, I just may get it...

Lyrics in my head

Surrounded by stories
Surreal and sublime
I fell in love in the library
Once upon a time

- Love in the Library
Jimmy Buffet

Morning Commute

This morning, as I do every morning, I turned off of the turnpike onto a state highway for the last leg of my commute. The parkway was a bit slow. I was running a bit late to work already and I knew this would just make me later. But what can I do? I continued along and then out of my rearview I saw this motorcycle zooming along in the right hand breakdown lane. Then another car saw him and decided to follow suit.

I have been in a few fender benders, had a couple speeding tickets (many years ago), and one careless driving ticket (long story about a U-turn and no turn signal). And as Girlzoot will tell you, I’ve run my share of red lights (they were PINK!)(well, except for that one on Leetsdale, it WAS red). In general, though, I take my safety and the safety of others around me seriously. Besides, I know that if I do something so flagrant, I’ll get caught, there’s no question.

Something else that has been bothering me: no one in their car is more important than me; we all have somewhere to be but that doesn’t mean you have to break the law or be a jerk. Besides, what would happen if there was an ACTUAL emergency and someone needed the lane, or everyone had to get over for an emergency vehicle? But that wouldn’t happen, not for just a moment while I’m driving over here in this completely empty lane… not to me… I’m so IMPORTANT…

So this morning I’m thinking that I would just get caught if I pulled anything that stupid. And as I pull around the final curve and make ready to pull into the right hand turn lane and what do I see but the little car, the motorcycle, and three or four other cars all pulled over to the side getting ticketed by two police officers. I felt such vindictive glee as I made my turn and went to work. Was I wrong to be happy at another’s misfortune? Well, they kind of brought it on themselves, now didn’t they?

And I’m still smiling.

"Save The Date"

I was going through my work emails today and I found a “Save The Date” request. I checked it out and realized it was for our Christmas party last December. (Ok, so this means I need to clean out my inbox more often, I know, I know) In years past we have had lavish parties at the Historic Boulder Theater, a stunningly beautiful venue. This past December was no exception, we had a lovely dinner along with magicians entertaining us with slight of hand and silver coins, and, of course, a live band.

During this evening of fun and frivolity (company-sponsored, of course) I spoke briefly with someone I had become close to in the past few years. Over the course of the last few seasons we had drifted apart and now, at the end of the year, I was facing a stranger that I once knew. It was awkward; I was both flattered to be sought out yet a bit stand-offish since we had not spoken since Halloween. By the end of our conversation, I was a bit confused and just wanted to go back to somewhere I can only visit in memories.

At the end of the evening (which came early as it was a Sunday and everyone had to be at the office the next morning) only the dancers and a few others were left out of the huge influx of people. And I got my set-list from the violist, and I left without looking back.

And today, I found that email, and realized, I haven’t heard from or spoken to my old friend since that night almost four months ago. And that makes me sad for what was, and I’ll probably be a bit melancholy today, but somehow it doesn’t bother me as much as it did last year this time. I suppose time does heal, and distance yields perspective. Yet on windswept days where the sky is clear and the mountains seem close enough to touch, I miss him.

Quote

If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I.

-- Michel de Montaigne

I am a Dragon

My buddy Shaych took this test...

You scored as Dragon.

You are the Dragon. You store a lot of knowledge about everything. You are generally one who is good with personal growth and can regenerate yourself after a bad experience.

Dragon 83% Crow 83% Eagle 75% Wolf 75% Stag 67% Deer 67% Bear 58% Bull 58% Dog 58% Fox 50% Salmon 50% Ram 50% Horse 50% Snake 25% Which animal totem best suits you? created with QuizFarm.com

Healthy Choices

I decided to start the Body Type diet this week. I’m a T-type, which means my thyroid is my dominant gland. So all of last week entailed getting as much of the foods that I couldn’t have any more. In my twisted logic, it meant that I could have all the Coke with caffeine and sugar (mmmm Coke…), cookies, crackers, fruit juices, chocolate, and refined flour starches. And I did. And now that I overindulged, I’m actually doing quite fine on the scheduled regime.

I started last week having eggs for breakfast (hard boiled) and that went well. I like eggs, and hard boiled are so portable! Lunch today was a single piece of organic rye bread and 4oz of tuna and 1T of light mayonnaise, and a cup of green beans. It seems so strange to be eating a sandwich and a bowl of cooked vegetables. I suppose I’ll get over that!

One of the cornerstones of the plan is the special herb tea. The Raspberry Leaf tea is yummy actually, and I look forward to a nice cup of it this afternoon. Of course, I’m going to keep Traditional Medicinals in business buying 2-3 boxes a week… but that’s the price you pay. I’d like to find some loose, Whole Foods didn’t have any.

And speaking of Whole Foods, I have NEVER seen it as busy as it was Sunday afternoon. All the little carts were gone and I had a big huge one and kept running into shelves and stuff, it was a bad scene. One of the lovely Whole Foods personnel got me a smaller cart after a bit, such nice people.

I also got some awesome help from Ashley in the supplement aisle. I had this 2 page list and she got me all sorts of good vitamins and minerals and other stuff (amino acids, essential fatty acids, etc). I’m going to double check the bottles against the list tonight to make sure I’ve got everything I need, but I’m really happy to have the start I do with Ashley’s help.

And I think I’m going to move in next to the splendiferious seafood counter at Whole Foods. I am definitely getting some Scallops for next week (and I probably will shop up by my office instead of down in Denver).

To tell the truth, I’m actually excited about starting to eat healthier. And the fact that I have the opportunity to shop at lovely natural food stores only adds to my joy. I am pleased to say that this is a plan I think I can stick to, and even enjoy the journey. After all, everything tastes better fresh (and organic)!

New Technology stuff

I like technology. It's fun, useful, and makes me sound interesting when I talk about it at length.

I came across this press release and I just had to share it. I'm so excited about this platform independent realtime speech technology. Hope you get excited too!!

P2P Revolution

Let me know what you think!

Fatal Error, Reboot Brain

As a rule, I don't play many computer games. An occasional stop by the online arcade to play a puzzle game or a word game, possibly playing Tradewinds - an Oregon Trail type game of buying and selling set in late 19th century China, or pulling out the PS1 for a rousing round of Dukes of Hazzard racing or mahjongg. But lately, the PS1 has been collecting dust (and needing to be put back in its safe home under the TV cabinet) and I haven't fought pirates from Edamame to Shanghi in quite some time.

Back in the day, I used to play Origin's Ultima series, then I played Lands of Lore. I never finished either. My mother, however, still brings out LoL to play to cleanse her gaming palette for a new game. Or she recently found Eye of the Beholder I,II, & III and played them through with her favorite characters. She gets the walk throughs, and sometimes the cheatbooks and finishes the game with 500,000 gold pieces and all the treasure and special skills available. This makes her happy, and amuses me as well (I get to tell all the cute tech boys at the store that my mom's a gamer, too... endless joy out of that!)

I don't generally get into the computer games (console included) because I, like my mother, tend to get lost in them. I also have shunned the online versions of adventure games, the ones you can talk to other people and hang out and kill mobs with them. Those I tend to become much immersed in the social aspect and spend much of my time chatting and not playing (a chat room would be better, but somehow just as addicting so I stay away from those too.

I also have a job which requires me to sleep and arrive ready to work, and I no longer have the capacity I had just a few years ago to stay up late into the wee hours of the morning and still function like a semi-competent human being the "next" day. Now I need the sleep, in my own bed and not on someone's lumpy couch, to get me through the day. (Although, I have slept on many a comfy couch as well - thanks!!)

All this brings me to my point. I made the fatal error of getting a "new" computer game. New to me, not to the world at large, I might add. At the Red Store, I found a copy of The Sims and the expansion pack Makin' Magic. And later that week I ran out and bought (or my mom bought for me) Unleashed (where you can get the little animals to love, and who love you back - aww!).

So now I'm the proud, and often frustrated, owner of a bunch of Sims who do what I want, but only if they don't have anything better to do, who complain, get depressed, and generally make me tear my hair out. But then they do such great things like coming home from work every day and playing with the puppy first thing, even before getting something to eat or going to the bathroom. How can you stay mad at a person, Simulated or not, that loves their doggie so much... I know I can't, so I give him a pool and a computer and a grill... and use the funky cheat code to give him as much money as possible so he doesn't run out of puppy food or tell me he isn't having any fun.

Of course, I can't get him to interact with his neighbors... perhaps that's a reflection of my own relationship, or lack thereof, with my neighbors, of which I know exactly no one's name, and barely recognize them, but I'm pretty sure I could tell you their dog's names and when they walk through the courtyard on a weekend day...

And on a certain level I'm jealous of my Sims, they have nifty robots to clean the house, a refrigerator that always has fresh tasty food in it, and they can miss work and go to the park with the dog. And on another level, I sometimes feel like a Sim, with my Queue of things to do (like go home tonight and take out the trash, do the dishes, do some laundry, pay my bills).

All in all, I am enjoying myself, after all, isn't that what games are for?? Besides, just a few more minutes, that's all I'm asking. I just want to see him get into bed... safe and sound... well, maybe it IS time for bed myself...

CFO's R US

My company is going through some changes, people coming into the company, people moving around in the company, and people leaving. One of the people leaving is our current Executive VP/CFO. I wondered how long it would take to fill her position, and what the search would entail.

Earlier this week, we met our interem CFO at a lunch for the accounting department. When he got up to talk, he said he was part of a group of current and former corporate CFOs who provided companies with a person to fill that position on a temporary or permanent basis. I'm thinking to myself, this is like a temp company for high level corporate types. CFO's R US... And it can be temp to hire, some of the people stay with their temporary positions at the request of the companies who needed their services.

I did some temp work back in college and after, and it even started me on the path to my current position. Never did my temp company call me up and say, hey, would you like to work at XYZ company as their temporary CFO? Be in charge for a while? Nope, never happened. But now I know, they have their own group or service. Things you learn...

Check it out

Ok, I've been sadly neglecting this blog... but here's something that I have been doing lately:

Funny Forwards

Hope you enjoy it!

Books I'm reading (or trying to)

I am a pretty voracious reader; I enjoy a good book, high literature, modern short stories, early science fiction, all sorts of different, exciting books.

Since the beginning of the year, I've finished a few books and been at a bit of a loss for my next book(s). I tend to read at least two if not four or five different books at the same time. I've always done this, even as a young girl. I generally have a book in my handbag, a book on my nightstand, and a book in the living room (with an additional book in the car, or one at my desk at the office).

My handbag book is currently Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I've decided to re-read these books for pleasure as well as to retrain my science fiction mind. I just recently finished Deadline by John Dunning, a mystery based off of Mr. Dunning's experiences working at the Denver Post (a local newspaper). His books always keep me reading, and I enjoy the ride. Before that was the Medusa Stone by Jack Du Brul. A far flung, diamond chase across the deserts of Africa and into the politics of the Middle East. I'm the first to admit that I am not always the first to figure out whodunnit or where a mystery is leading, but I enjoy the relaxation of knowing that everything will be tied up in a nice neat bow at the end. Books such as this are mind-candy to me; a palate cleanser of sorts. It's a pleasure to lose myself in the twists and turns of the plot.

I've also recently finished three nightstand books (these tend to wander about the house as I often wish to read more than just a few minutes at bed-time). I think this is where my wandering is coming from, as one book was the finish to a six book series (one of my very favorite series) and another is the third of a series (book 4 is out; but not in my hot little hands).

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb finished the Tawny Man series, which began with the Farseer Saga with Assassin's Apprentice. I have loved these books from the start, and even bought two of them at full hardback price because I couldn't wait for the paperback to be published. The ending was bittersweet, and left a life to live for the charaters while definitively denying any idea of another visit to this rich world filled with these people I know like my own friends and family.

After I finished Fool's Fate, I delved into the hilarious hijinks of literary detective Thursday Next in The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde. This foray into the parallel world where the Crimean War is still raging in the year 1985, and there are secret government agencies dutybound to protect the sanctity of literature, gives a peek into the Well where unpublished books are kept and generics learn to be characters in books. Highly entertaining and very breezy read. I recommend The Eyre Affaire and Lost In a Good Book (books one and two) first to ground you in the world (which can be discombobulating, so similar and yet so different from our own).

Finally, I read Skywriting by Jane Pauley. I've always liked Jane Pauley; when I was growing up I would watch the Today show with my mom as we got ready for work and school. This was an autobiography; extremely easy to follow, for all the twists and turns her appearingly simple life has taken. I really enjoyed the book.

Now, I've tried to start Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (I just saw Man of La Mancha from NetFlix) and whereas it's a relatively easy read so far (being a reader some 500 years after its inception) the one thing that is troublesome (and only to me, and only as I try to read it before bed) is the vast quantity of endnotes (footnotes are there too, but I don't have to turn to the end to read them, they're right there!) Now, I read Les Liaisons Dangereuses a few years ago with endnotes, and I enjoyed it (not the endnotes specifically, but the book as a whole). I could read it without the endnotes, but invariably I'll come across something that needs the note and then I'll see all the notes I breezed by. So, Don Quixote is more of a lounging book rather than a off to bed type book.

So, I started Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende. So far, I'm a few pages in, and my biggest vision of the book is the great and terrible bed of the POV charater's paternal grandmother. Nice geneology in the front, makes it easy to follow who is who and how they're related. Similar to but of a completely different feel than One Hundred Years of Solitude.

And my mother lent me the latest Grisham, The Last Juror, which of course is tantalizing and difficult to put down. Perhaps this will be my next book. Or perhaps I'll finish it instead of Portrait (rather before it).

If you have any ideas about books to check out, I'd love to hear them.

On the right track

Ok, I have turned in my paperwork for my new 401k, taking advantage of my employers generous matching contributions, and am ready to take aim at the former employer's plan manager's mistake. I did already talk to the plan management company, and they suggested a course of action. However, I also talked to a financial advisor of sorts and have received another recommendation to pursue. And now that I have started my current 401k (I've been lax; been eligible for oh, 22 months now...) my other options are easier to manage.

I feel proud that I took a step in the right direction. The direction of a savvy, forward-looking member of Corporate America. Gotta do what I gotta do.

Television Shows and Netflix

I finally did it; I joined the DVD service NetFlix. I've already got nearly 200 movies in my queue and over 350 discs for tv shows. I like the separate queues you can have, even tho I'm currently the only one who uses this service in my house, I can still separate the tv shows (which take up lots of space with 2 to 6 discs per season or up to 12 for an entire series...) and get my fix of movies and tv episodes (in order no less!).

I don't have cable TV. I used to have free basic cable in my old place. When I moved into my new place over a year ago, I decided that I could afford one new service. I chose DSL. The cable company offered up in my neck of the woods was unknown to me and I didn't want to buy hardware and install a dish and everything. And the nice complex I live in is so new, they don't have an antenna to connect the tv to for better reception. So I have rabbit ears and not even all of the network channels (no WB, some CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, UPN and like 3 home shop network types). And knowing myself, I'd want the shiny digital w/ a tv guide and the music channels and some movie channels which costs more than I care to contemplate.

So now, for a much more reasonable amount, I can rent as many movies as I want, they come in the mail, and I can just drop them back in the mail when I'm done. What marketing genius came up with this idea? I hope they've made a buttload of money off it, because from everything I've heard (I know several people who belong) it's a GREAT service. And it was a lot of fun to fill up my queue (well ok, to put some stuff in there, it's not maxxed out like some people I know...)

Another letter and my 401k

Ok, I received another letter from my Wyoming lady. And two votes to send back a personal letter. I have returned the letters and cards through the postal service, hoping perhaps that the apt number or the address is just a little off and these can be delivered. Here's the deal, if I get another one, I'm going to write a note to the sender and let her know that whoever this woman she is writing is, she does not live at my address and I hope everything can be straightened out.

Two other strange pieces of mail in my box:

I also received a bill from the prior resident that I had received mail for several months ago. It went in the return mail with a note as well.

I also got a nice juicy check from my prior prior company's 401k administrators. I received my quarterly report in January, everything still there, still making a little money, and I know who to contact when I decide it's time to roll everything into my new company's 401k (which I need to start this year). Except, that I got a distribution check for the entire amount of my account (less the vesting they claimed I wasn't due (I was 100% vested, grandfathered in when the company was bought by a bigger one) and less the massive taxes taken out at the time of the disbursement.)

Now, I am not of an age to be expecting to qualify to withdraw from my 401k, nor did I request this disbursement. The only thing I can think of is that they're cleaning up their accounts and I have been separated from this company since late 2000. However, I received NO notice of this and I'm confused and a bit pissed because I had to pay taxes on it; now I can't roll it over w/o penalty; and I had absolutely NO say in this. They have my address, they've been using it to send me the quarterly reports. Nothing I've received from them stated this was a possibility.

Well, I guess tomorrow I'm going to be making quite a few calls (my HR for information regarding 401k laws, the prior company's HR to find out what happened, and finally the lovely 401k administrators.) Hopefully I can get this straightened out and get the money back into the account to be rolled over w/o penalty. *sigh*

Musical wanderings

Earlier this week, Bowling for Soup played at a local venue. Well, I didn't have tickets, and as I'm getting old and set in my ways, I have a hard time going to shows on a work night. But the guys from BFS were on my radio station in the afternoon for a quick interview. They played two or three songs and then Bo asked them to play a couple of sit-com theme songs.

They then played Gilligan's Island (a three hour tour...) and then they played The Dukes of Hazzard (Just the good ole boys, never meaning no harm...). Aww, I had forgotten the good ole boys song... and the deep subliminal messages imbedded into the music made some post-hypnotic suggestion to me and being as I am easily convinced to do something I already want to do, I went to my local DVD store and bought the Dukes of Hazzard Season One on DVD. And Season Two. And the Bowling for Soup cd - A Hangover You Don't Deserve.

So my nostalgia has been completely sated, as I spent many hours perusing the episodes where John Schneider was eighteen and just as cute as I remember. I don't remember their shirts off quite so much (but it's still nice) and I don't remember how terribly cute John's smile was. Or how um, well, dumb (for lack of a better word) his character was written. Ah well, it was still quite fun. Although yee-haw is still ringing in my head and I'm sure I'm going to be saying y'all a mite more than normal next week...

Mail oddities

Recently, I've received three lovely greeting cards that were addressed to someone I don't know at my address. They're all within the last three weeks, one I returned at the post office and the other two I picked up today (jan 15 and jan 19 postmarks). Now, I've received mail at my address last year for a man's name, but never a woman's name. I moved in a year after construction was completed, so I'm only the second tenant in this unit. It's been over a year, so whatever forwarding was submitted has expired as well.

The cards are all addressed to the same woman, and the handwriting is very clear and very clearly states my address and number. It looks like someone is reaching out to this person who likely lived in my place before me. It's possible that the wrong number is being used and the unit up the block from me is the actual owner of this mail. Many things are possible and that's what's got me thinking and rambling tonight as my clothes tumble in the dryer.

The cards, all three of them, are very nice cards (I didn't open them!) from the evidence of the envelopes, which are all decorated and are from Tree Free, which makes lovely cards which are all blank. So someone is writing cards, not just sending a pre-printed sentiment, and whoever they belong to isn't getting them delivered.

Is this a mother reaching out to an estranged daughter that she hasn't spoken to or heard from in over a year? Is it a sister sending thoughts and recipes to her younger sister, far from home? Am I just a bit obsessive about these cards?

See the thing is, I like to get cards. I recently spent some time organizing my cards, and realized I need to catch up my correspondence with several people. The hand written note, the thank you note, even greeting cards seem to get pushed to the side with the advent of the instantaneous communications, namely the telephone (evolving into the cell phone) and email (as well as text messaging). I recently had a conversation with several associates where the fact that one used to spend hours a day corresponding; it was an expected social convention. Whereas now we probably spend hours emailing, and talking on the phone. I didn't even do Holiday cards this year (it took me a way long time to get into the spirit) but I have purchased new cards for next year and put them where I can find them!

I like to look back and see someone's handwriting, to have a tangible record. I like getting real mail in my box, not just bills, and junk, and credit card offers (which are junk, but take my time and thus earn a category as I have to shred them). And I know that I need to send things out myself, that's the only way to get correspondence back. It has to be a two way street or the corresponder could develop feelings of resentment and disenchantment with the correspondee.

Back to the greeting cards, I wonder if there is some way that these cards are getting to their intended receipient, or if they're slowly being returned, unopened and unread, to the writer. And how does that make her feel, out there in the windswept plains? I wonder...

Lunchtime Musings

I made a totally nostalgic purchase yesterday at lunch. I went into the EB by the shop I got lunch at, and I got myself a “previously played” copy of The Dukes of Hazzard racing game.

When I was little, I loved this show. I would watch it every week, and after every show, I would write to John Schneider and tell him how great the show was. I had a photo of John , a black and white 4x6, “autographed” that I toted around with me in a little wicker basket. I even snuck into my mother’s closet and borrowed her strappiest high heel shoes and pretended I was Daisy Duke. Ah, to be 9 again.

At any rate, the game is pretty fun, and even tho I’m really good at racing games, I’m not so good at them on the Dual Shock controller (but the analog stick is easier to use than the buttons) And you get to hear voices from the show and get to go over ramps and do the General Lee horn sound. So for my ten bucks, it was worth the ride.

Busy Day off

My goodness, not only did I have a full plate when I went to bed last night, the optical people called and my glasses are done. So off to run my little errands, get my glasses, then return to do 2 weeks worth of laundry and vegetate on my couch. Of course I have to get ready for going back to work tomorrow (hence the laundry) and get some real food in my house (and get rid of the "bad" food or at least put it out of the way).

Lalala and here I am surfing and blogging... Here I go, shower and errands, back in a couple hours and home for the kitty and the laundry. Ah, so lovely to have a day off...