sometrouble

Spring cleaning

2009-06-01T15:37:00.007-04:00

I am trying to prioritize things in my life right now...and it seems I have a pretty full plate. So some things are getting put on hold, like this blog. I know there probably aren't many people who miss my writing, or even notice that it's stopped.

One of the things I am working on is starting a photography business. It is something I've wanted to do for the past two and a half years. I just hadn't really put the time into taking the steps to get things moving at more than a crawl until now. This past Christmas brought me a new camera, and I've been acquiring other key pieces of equipment bit by bit. The biggest hangup now, is getting my identity and "storefront" set up. This means, choosing a business name and setting up a professional website. There are so many variables to consider when choosing a name, and I am not a decisive person by nature, which is making the process excruciating.

In addition to the photo business, I am still working full time at my current job. I also have been knitting a lot lately. I am hoping to get several projects done in time for an upscale craft show this fall, and after that, I have ideas of opening an online shop for handmade knitted items.

I have also taken more interest in my yard this spring. Last year, we completed building a shed, and right now, we are halfway through adding a deck to the backyard. Now, I am focusing on landscaping and flowers. I am not doing anything drastic, just cleaning up the existing flowerbeds and adding some plants to fill in where there are bare places. I planted some Irises that I got from my mother-in-law last year (she gave me more this year...those haven't made it in the dirt yet), I created my own hanging basket arrangement, and planted a lilac bush.

In all of this, I am finding a spirit of "get things done". I am learning that it feels so good to clean something off your full plate, and beginning to wonder why I have always been such a procrastinator. I am planning on finishing a lot of things I started or had ideas for, that never happened this year. My home needs some serious de-cluttering and decorating. I have hardly and pictures hanging on the walls and I love art!

As much as I love being a part of the online community, I will continue to limit my time spent focusing on this blog. I will probably post a little more at my photoblog. The link can be found near the top of the sidebar on this site, or here: "somephotography" When I get the business site up and running, I plan to include a blog there, as well. So far, my absence here has given me more time to focus on the necessary things, and be less distracted. My home is getting organized, projects are getting done, a business is taking off, and my marriage is more harmonious.

Well DUH.

2008-10-10T00:56:00.002-04:00

The following post is a duplicate from my other blog, where I will most likely be spending more time in the coming weeks, months, etc. Feel free to check in there for updates if it is slow around here, as I won't be duplicating every post here.

Photo shoots have been few and far between. I have been having some confidence issues; feeling like I don't have enough knowledge, afraid the clients will be disappointed, etc. Mainly, I was afraid to pursue opportunities to take portraits because I felt let down by the results I was getting. I was frustrated that my indoor shots almost always seemed dark, even with my SB600. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my settings, or my camera, or what I was doing wrong. I couldn't believe that with plenty of overhead room lights on, and with two floodlights in aluminum hardware store lamps, AND my Speedlight (on-camera) the shutter speeds were either too low to avoid blur or the image was dark and extremely lackluster.

Today, I figured it out. I am a complete idiot, that's all. Boy am I relieved to know that compared to the alternative of being a hopeless talent-less failure.

See, several months ago I was searching for help on Speedlight usage (since the Nikon manuals might as well be in Japanese). I found Ken Rockwell's extremely helpful site (www.kenrockwell.com). I'm not blaming Ken for this I'm blaming me for being a little over eager and not paying enough attention to his cautions that went along with the fantastic instructions on using your SB600 with your D70 wirelessly off camera here.

I followed the directions perfectly, played with it a little, and promptly forgot about it. Completely missing the part that says:

"HOW TO RETURN TO NORMAL SHOOTING

This is the bad part: you can't just put the flash back on the camera. It won't even fire if you forget to reset this all. You have to reverse all the settings you made above!

Even worse, if you forget to set the camera's flash back to normal operation you'll go bananas because it will look like it fires each time, however you'll get no flash in your photos! You'll see preflashes, but the on-camera flash doesn't fire for the actual exposure in commander mode. It will look like it's working, but you'll get zero!"

I was going bananas! I found today, when I went back to try these settings again, that the D70 was still set to Commander Mode! Oh boy. What a headache the last few (many) months have been...I can't even remember when I did that...probably at least a year and a half ago.

I haven't tested the theory yet, but I have a hunch that the lighting setup that I was trying to use would actually be adequate (and I was fed up and about to scrap it all and drop a large chunk of change on some Alien Bees strobes). My thought is that the camera may have been compensating its exposure settings (in AUTO mode) expecting the non-functioning flash attached to the hotshoe to fire properly.

Monday Classifieds

2008-07-28T10:29:00.003-04:00

Anybody need a nice brand new fireplace set? We received it as a wedding gift...then we bought a house without a fireplace. After spending two years feeling guilty about getting rid of such a nice gift (that I wanted!) from a close family member, I listed it on craigslist today. I even tried to think of some cute creative way I could use it without having a fireplace. And I just couldn't make it work with our backyard fire pit. I listed it asking for $75 and it cost over $150 new. If you don't live locally, I imagine it will cost a significant amount to ship though...it is heavy.

If you are interested, get a hold of me...if you're not then just ignore this post.

Happy Monday!

This or That

2008-07-25T10:47:00.006-04:00

Why can't life be simpler?
Why can't our choices be clear cut?
Why can't our decisions be easy?
Why can't the pros always far out-weigh the cons?
Why can't we know the impact it will have years from now?

Just when you think you are settled and well adjusted an unexpected opportunity comes along that turns everything upside down. It is a good opportunity...but there are just as many reasons not to do it as there are to go for it.

I wish I could look 20 or 30 years into the future in these two parallel universes and see now which one we are happier in.
Unfortunately, all we can do is speculate and guess which will turn out better...or which will turn out worse.

Why is it easier, when doing a comparison, to pick out the flaws and take the lesser of two evils than it is to see the better of the two opportunities?

I'd rather be sunbathing

2008-06-23T12:20:00.002-04:00

I'd rather be enjoying the summer...instead I'm being the good, responsible wife and cleaning the house. I know my husband was just being sweet when he sent me the text message this morning reading: "Im glad to have u as my wife." It made my day, and inspired me to get some work done to make him happy. So guys, here's proof that a little sweetness goes a long way. We know you love and appreciate us, we just like to hear it from you. The smallest little ordinary note means more to me than any hallmark card ever could. I don't need him to come home with flowers and gifts all the time...I just love the unexpected note that says exactly what he means and comes straight from his heart. It's the day-to-day love that is the best. Knowing that we are both thrilled to go through life together. Dating was fun, and it built our relationship...but marriage is so much better. Even when we argue, there is no one I'd rather be with through the ups AND downs.

2008-06-10T11:37:00.004-04:00

Guess what I was doing last night?
Enjoying the Dave Matthews Band in concert for the first time!
My husband gave me the most awesome birthday gift ever! I have been a fan for over 11 years...and always wanted to see them live, but never had the chance. He knew that, and got me tickets for my birthday. What a sweetie!

This poster hung on my bedroom wall before I got married. It was a gift from my then new step cousin, who also happened to be a huge fan. I suppose if she hadn't moved to California, I probably would have gone to a concert at some point with her. I'm kind of glad I didn't though. During the show Chad leaned over and said "I'm so glad I get to share this with you." Which is exactly how I felt. I wouldn't have wanted to see it any other way.

We saw the show at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, MI. It is a very nice venue. You can purchase either pavilion tickets or lawn tickets (cheaper). I am so glad we had pavilion seats, because there was a fantastic thunderstorm during the show. It was perfect! Two of my favorite things, Dave Matthews and a good storm!

One of my first favorite songs of theirs was "Satellite." I remember recording the music video off of MTV on VHS. I'm pretty sure I still have the tape somewhere.

Last night's playlist was:

Everyday
Warehouse
Corn Bread
The Idea Of You
The Dreaming Tree
Grey Street
Gravedigger
Money *
So Damn Lucky
Dancing Nancies
Sister +
Two Step
Crash Into Me
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Too Much
What You Are
You Might Die Trying
Encore:
Hey Hey My My ~
Tripping Billies

Guests:
All songs with Tim Reynolds
All songs with Rashawn Ross

*Pink Floyd cover
~Neil Young cover

The cover of Pink Floyd's "Money" was pretty sweet. I hadn't read anything online about this years Tour, and it was a nice surprise. I'll leave you with one more video of a live performance of another of my favorite songs.

Day 4: Hey! What happened to Day 3?

2008-06-04T11:28:00.002-04:00

Monday night after watching the very disappointing Red Wings game (*thinking: I stayed up late for THIS*) with some friends, I went over to my mom's house and crashed there. Had a very nice visit, and she made me Blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

Work yesterday was a good day, and everyone was finished early...so we all got to leave a little bit early. Unfortunately, I stayed up way too late knitting and watching TV, and now I am being rather unproductive.

Today is the first day a co-worker and I will try carpooling together. I know it is the best thing to do...but I am having a really hard time with the idea of giving up my driving freedom. I feel a sense of security knowing that my car is there, and if I needed to go anywhere, I could. Not to mention, keeping things like my knitting projects and magazines in there in case I'm bored on my breaks. Lately, (now that the weather has warmed up) I've been taking my breaks sitting in my car listening to the radio or the rain as was the case yesterday. We're not going to do it everyday; just maybe two or three days a week.

Where is the week going? I need to get up earlier if I want to get anything done. Looks like I have to close all the windows before I leave for work...yesterday it rained in a little because I forgot.

Day 2: I woke up early for this?

2008-06-02T12:15:00.006-04:00

This tree was SUPPOSED to be gone today. The guy who was SUPPOSED to take it down was SUPPOSED to be here at 9 AM.

At 10:30, I called the number on the invoice to find out what was going on. He called me back at 11 AM explaining that one of his trucks was broken, and he had been trying to fix it. Um, hello? Aren't you SUPPOSED to call a customer when you are two hours later than scheduled, and don't have any immediate plans of showing up in the near future?

He didn't know if he'd be able to repair it...and said if he did fix it, he'd try to take down the tree this afternoon. Approximately what time? Oh, he doesn't know...he will call me from the tractor dealer when he finds out if he can fix it today. Meanwhile, I'm stuck at home waiting to hear from him.

Fantastic!

I was playing with my camera in the backyard today and I noticed a lot of these bugs congregating and procreating in my yard. I mean a LOT. They are all over the side of my house by one window over the garden. One of the plants must be attracting them. Well, they seem to be having a grand old time having little bug orgies all over the wall. Anybody know what they are, and if they're bad to have around? Their beady little red devil eyes freak me out!

Day 1: Good Intentions and Procrastination

2008-06-01T15:02:00.005-04:00

I've been taking a break from the blog. It just seems that so many things in life are more important than sitting in front of the computer. Truthfully, I just haven't felt the need to report every little occurrence in my life here.

We are finished with the basement. It looks awesome!

Chad is away on work business for the week, starting today. I hate being alone. I have already slipped into a funk where I don't know what to do with myself despite all the obvious things I could tackle. I have to shake this gloom, the weather is beautiful. I have an idea of what I would like to get done this week. I want to shock him with an organized house when he returns.

Working and cleaning make me feel good, it's just the getting started part that I have trouble with. I don't know where to start. Off the top of my head, these are the things I am thinking of that need doing:

Cleaning up the kitchen, including removing old dishes from the cupboards and packing them up, and finishing washing the new dishes and putting them away.

Our office...I'll just show you a picture of this one, it's pretty self explanatory.
Plant some herbs and a lilac bush that NEED to get in the ground before they die.

Print and hang some of my favorite photos on the basement walls.

Sort through all my clothes.

Make our bedroom a relaxing place instead of a stress inducing mess.

Make the guest bedroom livable instead of a catch all for everything.

There. That's all my dirty laundry. Oh yeah, I need to wash clothes too. And I'm hungry, what's for dinner?

i confess

2008-04-12T15:54:00.005-04:00

I have to admit it. I am an internet addict. I have literally PILES of other things I should be doing. Yet, I'm not doing them, because I'm exploring the internet. From the regular blogs I read I check out links...from those links I find myself on other links. It is a vicious never-ending process.
For example:
The mess in my house is getting out of control. It is embarrassing, I am not the most organized person...I try but it usually just turns into chaos that only I know the order to. I can find anything in the mess. I can't have people help me organize, because then I can't find anything. That sends me into panics. It is making my husband irritable (I can't blame him) and therefore is making us unhappy when we're home together. I've been blaming the mess upstairs on the construction downstairs, claiming that I can't find a place for things that have been displaced from their storage in the basement. This excuse is growing thin. The pile up is getting more overwhelming and the project downstairs is nearing completion. Soon, I will have to have things upstairs organized into a manner that allows me to efficiently store them away downstairs.

As much as I don't want people to see the disorganized craziness of accumulated clutter, I am contemplating posting photos for you all to see as motivation for me to fix those areas. If I can't stay off the computer, I figure why not use it as a tool to track my progress. I am hoping it will help me to want to stay on task in order to reap the reward of posting the completed photos. Does anybody think that's a good idea? Have any other advice for me on how to tackle my daunting clutter with the attention span of a rabbit on crack? Obviously, I have no self-discipline to do it or I'd be sorting and organizing right now instead of writing about it. HELP!

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...

2008-04-02T11:39:00.008-04:00

I want to have a beautiful garden. The problems with this are:

1. My yard is mostly shady.
2. I have no experience or plant knowledge.
3. I have successfully killed off all my indoor houseplants. (Why would outdoors do any better?)
4. Perennials are expensive. (especially if they don't survive)
5. My husband can't tell the difference between a flower and a weed, and he cuts the grass.
6. I don't have the time to devote a lot of attention to achieving a beautiful garden.
7. I know nothing about soil condition.
8. I know nothing about drainage.
9. I can't figure out what plants will thrive in a particular spot, and I don't want to waste money on those that will just die.

I am intrigued by the Himalayan Blue Poppy. Unlike most poppies which prefer sun, this one likes shade...it will actually get sunburned. The plants are pretty pricey unless I buy seeds, which I am confident I could not grow. I tried to grow chives in a pot from seeds last year, and I grew more weeds in the pot than herbs. I have a black thumb. I need someone who knows what they're doing to come tell me what to plant where. Or if you can't come, I can send you a video detailing my yard. :o) Please?

I have always been fond of poppies. Our neighbor when I was growing up had a bed full of beautiful orange poppies growing next to the fence between our yards. When she moved, the new neighbors had a dog who trampled them. My mom tried to transplant some of the surviving ones to the other side of our yard, but they didn't take well. They still come up every year just on my mom's side of the fence, safe from dogs and children. But she has never had any luck moving them.

Nothing New

2008-03-31T10:54:00.002-04:00

Nothing to see here. I've been busy with other things and haven't felt the strong desire to blog lately. Some things have been going on lately that I really can't write about here, so I've just been staying away altogether since nothing else worth sharing is on my mind at the moment. I expect to be back to more regular posting soon. Right now, it just takes up too much of my time, and I don't have much free time. My birthday came and went last week. Another year older. It didn't really even feel like a birthday...I had to work, hubby had to work. We didn't go out, and we didn't really celebrate it. I had dinner with my family the night before, but he had to work and couldn't be there. He is taking me to a concert this summer (that's my birthday gift) and I'm pretty excited. Otherwise, it is life as usual around here.

Go away winter, I've had enough of you.

2008-03-11T12:21:00.001-04:00

I miss the racket of crickets outside my window keeping me awake at night.
I miss the rain falling outside my window.
I miss the warm breeze.
I miss open windows.
I miss daylight at 8:30 PM.
I miss waking up warm instead of cold.
I miss stepping outside and finding that the sun really is warming the earth instead of it being sunny and 20 degrees F.

Oh and the kitties miss open windows too ~~they~~ we are going stir crazy.

When is it gonna be spring already?

chickened out

2008-03-08T14:22:00.002-05:00

I started out for work today. After seeing about the eleventh car spun out or in the ditch, and almost ending up there myself...I turned around. Don't worry, I have lots to keep me busy here today. Hopefully, I can get lots of work done, and have tomorrow and Monday free for FUN! :o) Happy Saturday, everyone!

hi ho hi ho

2008-03-06T12:40:00.002-05:00

It's off to work I go. But I REALLY don't want to today. Yes, I'm whining. It's my blog get over it. I am motivated to paint, and vacuum, and clean, and de-clutter. I am NOT motivated to drive in to work to work my ass off for 8 hours and come home and collapse at 11:00 PM with no motivation left to do anything.

I work in a lab where there are three shifts. I work afternoon shift, obviously. The management wants to move towards a continuous processing workflow. Gone are the days of finishing your work and relaxing for the last hour of the shift. Now we are busy the whole day, and rarely finish our workload, passing it on to midnight shift to finish. It makes for an exhausting day. I'm not trying to whine about my job, I am happy to have one, and the pay is not bad. But when you get used to one thing, it sucks when they turn everything upside down.

In our lab, we have different roles to perform. We make the schedule on a semi-rotational basis. I say "semi" because some others and myself are not trained to operate all the equipment, so we don't get a full rotation throughout the week and sometimes get stuck doing the same thing three or four days in a row. Burns you out. That's me today. I did the same task for the last two days...and I have to go in a do it again today. Only today I am the one with all the extra start up maintenance to do on the instruments, also I am the one who has to wait to start my work until later in the night, and will finish up latest. I am scheduled for my least favorite task today. Many times in this role, I won't even get a lunch break. 8.5 hours on my feet, running around, racing the clock, hoping for things to run smoothly. There I'm done complaining, gonna suck it up and try to make the best of it.

I tried to explain this the best I could to make sense without giving away too much of where I work exactly. Sorry if it is unclear.

2008-03-02T11:47:00.003-05:00

Well, we ordered the counter top today. We decided to just get the slightly more expensive one that we both could agree on. The extra cost is worth the peace in our home. We rarely agree on a design or style of something, so the fact that we both liked this one was a big deal. We didn't want either of us to be disappointed with the choice. This "color" really is a lot nicer overall. It looks more natural, and has a nice subtle shine to it that the other two (from the previous post) don't have.

Now I am working on what seems like MILES of trim work that needs painting down there. Sitting on the cold hard concrete floor for that long and bending even further down to baseboard level is not fun at all. It is really shaping up though. I am getting really excited. Tomorrow we are getting all the door handles, and decided to change out the ones upstairs as well. Where did my weekend go? Back to work tomorrow.

wiped

2008-02-29T10:52:00.011-05:00

My job, our home improvement projects, and the weather are kicking my ass. I wish there was some way that I could do laundry remotely from work. I need a robotic maid. On a random side note: it seems that all my clean shirts get toothpaste dripped on them before I manage to leave the house. I know you're all waiting to see what I made...but I haven't finished it yet. Everything else is taking all my attention.

We are shopping for a counter top for the kitchen cabinets that we installed in the basement. The husband and I have different views on what color would look the best. Actually, we can agree on one color...but it is in a more expensive price group, and we just can't justify the extra money for a basement. I've got some stock photos from the manufacturer's website that has cabinetry ALMOST the same color as we have. I think ours are a tad lighter. He likes the one on the left, I like the one on the right. What do you think?

(Click tile for larger view in new window) At first, I thought the left one, called Mesa Granite, was too gray...but it actually has many warm toned colors in it. I also didn't like the white specks, but he thinks that the white will help blend with any white appliances (microwave, fridge, etc.)

(Click tile for larger view in new window) I preferred the one on the right, called Mocha Granite. I liked the more subdued colors, and the softer look. It doesn't seem as "busy" as the other one. I prefer the brownness to the gray. (Chad has always leaned towards the gray colors. Even when we were choosing bathroom tiles, and I was leaning more toward warm tones to match the cabinet colors.)

I finally gave in and told him the Mesa would look fine, and that we should just get that. What does he do? He says, "Are you sure? I don't want you to be mad at me later on for getting this color." I say "yes, it is fine." He couldn't let it go...he was making me want to keep arguing my color choice. If I said I'm fine with it, just accept it a be happy. His reason: "I feel guilty that I'm winning."

AHHHH! Men! Fine then, I will be happy to "win" and not feel one ounce of guilt for getting my way! :o)

Shopping List

2008-02-18T14:23:00.002-05:00

I'm headed to a few stores to do a couple projects today. These are the things I will be picking up:

~ 2 - 2" PVC pipes (10 feet)
~ 2 - 1.5" PVC pipes (10 feet)
~ 2 – 2" PVC t-connectors
~ 2 – 1.5" PVC t-connectors
~ 4 – 2" PVC end caps
~ 2 - hitch-pins with cotter pins
~ appropriately sized drill bit (for hitch-pin holes)
~ 7 yards of muslin fabric
~ 3 boxes of RIT fabric dye
~ 1 box of acetate sheets (transparencies)
~ The cheapest stockpot I can find (too bad it's not garage sale season)
~ salt
~ white vinegar

Wondering what I'm doing? I'll show you when I'm done!

Happy Commercialized Love Day!

2008-02-14T22:06:00.011-05:00

By the way, this is what happens when you leave grossly overpriced foliage on the kitchen counter overnight unattended.

Let me paint the picture for you...the husband was overly sweet to me and got me a Detroit Piston's jersey from the game he attended (without me) Wednesday, bought my favorite movie candy...Raisinets, and had tucked a movie theater gift card in these pink roses for me to find when I got home from work last night.

This morning, at the last moment before I left for work, I went into the kitchen to find the vase tipped over on the countertop, but still half full of water. The rest of the water was all over the floor and had run under the oven. The beautiful bunch of flowers were lying in a skewed pile on the floor. I scooped them up, and rearranged them as best I could in the vase, that's when I noticed that they had apparently been MUNCHED.

Which do you think was the brains behind the operation, and which do you think was the eager accomplice?

back to school?

2008-02-10T19:55:00.001-05:00

Due to much frustration in landing a career (read: a job where I will enjoy my work for a long term basis and where I feel my skills and education are being utilized. NOT a temporary assignment or contract position) in the Chemistry field, I have been considering further education. I was rather disappointed recently to learn that a company I had interviewed with had "chosen another candidate". I was really hoping to get one of the two positions they had open. I also really felt that I was a great fit, and that the interview had gone exceptionally well. I wonder where I fell short? It would be nice if they told me, however I a skeptical of getting any clear feedback from them since they didn't bother notifying me even after I had called and e-mailed inquiring about the status a couple of times before that. I waited almost two months to hear. I was crushed. I just don't understand.

Shortly after, I did receive an offer of a direct hire position from the company that I am currently working a contract assignment for. When one door closes, I guess God opens another one. Unfortunately, this job requires me to drive 40 miles each way (which I've been doing for 10 months now anyway.) Also, by some strange mathematical formula which makes no sense whatsoever, I actually end up making $0.60 less an hour than I did working for the temp agency. Figure that one out for me. The position is also for a Laboratory Technician I. Ideally, I would like and should meet the requirements for a Chemist position, but this company doesn't have Chemists. In July I will be up for review and eligible to move up to Technologist I, which would also come with a raise. I will be hired in on Valentine's day, which is nice because going in in the morning for orientation and a benefits overview means I will have the evening off to spend with the husband (who also happens to have that day off!)

The main trouble that I'm facing is the vast variety of jobs I could* do with a degree in Chemistry. There are of course the Big Three automotive companies in Detroit, there are all kinds of smaller automotive suppliers, there are adhesives and sealants, there is water treatment, there is air quality analysis and gas suppliers, there are pharmaceutical companies, there is metal pretreatment and coating, there is plastics, etc. etc. etc., you get the idea.

I don't know what I WANT to do. I always thought I was leaning towards pharmaceuticals. Problem is, Pfi2er closed in Ann Arbor putting thousands of employees out of work. They are flooding all the other companies in the area, and beating me out of even the entry level jobs based on having more experience. I did a little adhesive work...it was alright, but I have no passion for it. It is messy and not precise enough for me. More like baking...dump a bunch of chemical ingredients in an industrial mixer, stir them up, and glue something together with it to see if it does what it is supposed to. I want to do instrumental analysis like GCMS and FTIR. I want to characterize products. I want to make discoveries.

Then I started thinking that maybe I needed to go back to school to focus my education a little more. The idea of a pharmacy degree greatly appeals to me...but the idea of 6 years of school and a highly competitive program which I probably won't get into does not. Teaching high school Chemistry and Physics was something I thought I wanted to do at one time...but now I think I would not be good at it. Public high school teenagers would walk all over me. Eventually, I want to be a primarily stay at home mom. So the idea of a big expensive education right now that I might not finish before I become a mother isn't such a great one.

Arts is another direction. I have always loved art. I loved drawing painting and all types of creating as a child and young adult. I don't have nearly as much time for it as I wish I did. I love photography, and that is something I want to transition from a hobby to a livelihood eventually. I also love the challenge of creating something from nothing...and solving the unexpected problems that arise along the way. I used to aspire to be a Graphic Designer working on automotive styling, but I let too many people tell me that it was too competitive of a field. I was torn between my love of Art and my love of Science. The cliche "Starving Artist" steered me towards a science education.

I consider myself to be very technical minded. I love figuring things out, solving problems, and knowing how and WHY something works. I am great with computers. I have never taken any computer classes (except for a basic Web Authoring elective in high school which taught me basic HTML), yet...I have designed this page with CSS elements, I have built two computers, and I tested out of the required computer class in college knowing that it would bore me even though I didn't know how to use Microsoft Access (and that made up 1/4 of the test) I managed to figure out how to do all the tasks required on the test by using the built in "help," having never opened the program before in my life. I am considered "tech support" for all my family members (sometimes that's aggravating...how many times can you explain to a 67 year old how to send an email?) I can pick up any software you throw at me. I am one of those people who throws away the instruction book for anything because I can learn to use the item quicker and understand it better on my own. I need to constantly learn MORE.

If I sum up everything I've said (and good for you if you're still reading and I haven't bored you to tears by now...sorry I am sounding like such a downer), I come to the conclusion that I need to get some REAL teaching on this Technology thing. I am interested in it, it can only benefit me to have more knowledge. I am thinking I would like to try my hand at some for profit web design. (It mixes ART with GEEKERY!!!) I could make use of those skills when I become the previously mentioned "stay at home mom" for a little extra income. I am 95% decided on taking this class online through my local community college to test the waters:

ITWP-1000 - Introduction to Web Programming
3.00 credits
Course Fee: $32.00
Prerequisite: ITCS-1010 or ITBS-1240

Introduction to Internet Programming using HTML, CGI, JavaScript and other Internet development tools. Primary emphasis will be placed on fundamental understanding of HTML for formatting of pages, establishing links and inclusion of CGI and JavaScript with images, graphics and sound. (3 contact hrs)

I'm sure it will go over much of what I do already know, but I'm sure there will be new information, and it will help to have taken the class should I choose to continue on that course. I need to find out if they will allow me in without taking the prereq. since I really feel "computer basics" would be a huge waste of my time and money. I also need to decide if I would want to go for a certification or an associates degree in this, or just take the classes that I want to take and do it for the knowledge. That mainly depends on whether they will let me transfer all my gen. ed. classes that I took for my Chem. degree towards this degree/certificate.

*If the economy wasn't so bad and there were actually entry level positions open.

Rolling out the new design

2008-02-03T16:41:00.001-05:00

Here it is...after lots of hard work...and frustrating trial and error code modifications. There are still a few things I am going to tweak...but that can easily be done now that it is online. I am planning to change my profile photo soon...I just have to find a photo that I like better. I have some in mind...but with two desktop computers, a laptop, and an external hard drive...I'm not sure where to find those files right now. I will be changing those icons in the sidebar next to all the links...not sure to what just yet. I haven't gotten around to figuring out why the links in the sidebar show neon green when you hover over them, when I look into that I will change it to another color. I plan on playing with the fonts and colors just a little...but it probably won't be that noticeable.

Can anyone please help me figure out how to get rid of or at least minimize that huge gap at the top above my header. I have a feeling it has something to do with the bit of code that I put in to hide the blogger nav bar...but now I can't get rid of the space. It displays differently in Firefox and IE, and just looks wierd. By the way, this layout will display the best in Firefox...but I tried to make it look ok in Internet Explorer as well. Please let me know how it looks to you.

One last look at the old blog compared to the new look.

Any suggestions?

prepare for a new look

2008-02-02T11:59:00.000-05:00

I'm getting ready to switch to a new look for the site. It won't look that different...just a bit more polished, with some style changes...and the sidebar will be moved from right to left. Although it won't look that differently (I'm keeping the same color theme...and for now my header will be basically the same), it took a LOT of work. I basically started from scratch with the CSS code. I found a wordpress template I liked...and modified it with all the important bits of code for blogger. I kept the style sheet pretty much the same, but changed some colors and tweaked a few other things. You will see soon. I think I have almost all the bugs worked out...but I can't be too sure until I upload it to blogger, since I'm trying to make something foreign work with all blogger's little quirks. So you all are my Q.A. team. Please let me know if there are any problems with ANYTHING. All suggestions are greatly appreciated.

snow day

2008-02-01T14:12:00.001-05:00

I think I want a new blog look. I like the Vargas girl up there...and I don't know if I want to get rid of her...but I'm bored with the overall everything here. I think I might want a photo banner. I wish I could tinker with it all day today. I did take the day off due to snow *cough*notasmuchastheypredictedbutstillenoughtouseasanexcuse*cough* give me a break here...I have a 40 mile commute to work...it totally sucks in any weather.

So I promised the husband that I would be extremely productive today. I need to make a big impression with him on how much I got done today. I'm planning laundry, floor washing, toilet scrubbing, dish washing, taco making, spare bedroom and office organizing, sorting out stuff for a yard sale in the spring, and whatever else I can come up with to "WOW" him. And here I sit drinking coffee and reading blogs.

I did already go to the grocery store and to another store to get cat food. I need to go out again to fill a prescription and take a pre-employment drug test. Yay, everyone LOVES to pee on command with an audience. More about that later (the job, not the peeing). I want to sit here and share some thoughts that are weighing on my mind...and I want to share some lighter recent happenings...I just don't have the time to do it justice right now. I am going to use coming back to post later as my motivation to get some cleaning done first.

Here's your homework assignment: Encourage me...tell me how badly you want to hear about the awesome new "sport" I discovered, and the updates to my career (or lack thereof), and what I sold for $700 on Craigslist in a matter of 15 minutes. Pester me to see photos of the progress on our huge basement finishing progress, or my progress in the ~~storage closet~~ spare bedroom, or the SNOW.

Oops...out of coffee...time to get to work!

Annual feline torture

2008-01-19T01:27:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure he is plotting to kill me in my sleep for this.

It was pretty hilarious though. Silly me, thinking that a "small dog" outfit would actually velcro around his fluff. Last year's torture was this.

Oscar the Grouch Kitty

2008-01-18T01:19:00.000-05:00

Last summer, we decided to adopt a second cat. I wrote about it. I know I didn't post many good photos because he was hard to get photos of. Well, since I got my new lens (Nikon 50mm/F1.8 AF) I took some practice shots of the kitties. I thought I would just share a few of Oscar. I can't believe how much he's changed...and how much healthier he looks! We decided to rename him, since none of the first names we thought of fit him well. Husband says he looks like a grouch. I say "takes one to know one". :o) Anyway, we thought Oscar fit him (and he does have more of a grouchy cat look than Cato does.)
sorry about the watermarks. that's just the way it's gotta be.

not today

2008-01-17T12:21:00.000-05:00

I don't wanna go to work today. Just not feeling it. But if I sit here any longer, I won't have time to take a shower before work, then I will be unhappy for the next 8-10 hours.

I've gotta push those cookies down the page. Every time I come here, they make me hungry. Thursday is my hump day. I just have to get through today, and two more.

Damn, coffee's gone...that means I have to move.

toaster cookies

2008-01-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

I am thoroughly enjoying my evening alone tonight. I was sad to see the hubby go to work...but sometimes I just like to have some time to myself. I just made "toaster cookies" and have been wearing cozy fleece pants all day. Oh, by the way, I took that photo with my new Nikon 50mm/f1.8D AF lens.

It feels like I'm out of my holiday stressed blogging funk. I have lots of things I want to share here, and just have to try to find time to get photos together and compose some posts. Plenty of things stirring around in my head. I do wonder if anyone reads this anymore, though. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't care if nobody reads it. I don't broadcast the URL to everyone I meet. I do it for me. I know too many bloggers for whom blogging has ceased to be fun because of what other people think and say about their writing. It is nice to get a friendly comment or two now and then though.

That is one of my New Years resolutions. I read quite a few blogs on a regular basis. I rarely comment though. I often feel like I don't have anything witty or original to say that hasn't already been said in response. I want to start commenting more. To show my agreement or appreciation for what has been written, or just to uplift someone else's day. Even if I can't be the funniest or the most thoughtful commenter of the post, at least I am A commenter.

So, have a cookie...fresh from my toaster oven! Here's a glass of cold milk to go with it. Now let's enjoy each other's company!

It figures

2008-01-06T09:23:00.000-05:00

When the cable company says they'll be there between 8 AM and 12 PM, you usually expect them to come waltzing in at the last minute, right? Not today. Our doorbell rang at 8:05 AM. We were sleeping. Fun.

That doorbell was somehow thrust into my strange dream I was having at the time. I remember dreaming that I was at my grandmother's house talking on the phone with some random family member. The phone went dead and then the doorbell rang, because the person I was talking to had come to the door.

Anyway, the guy claimed he had called first...but none of our phones rang. I guess we shouldn't have stayed up until 2 AM watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Weird movie, by the way. Strangest one of the three.

Well, now that I'm up, I might as well join the masses at the grocery store. If you don't hear from me, I might have gotten run down in the baking aisle by some little old lady on a mission...

Update (10:47 AM): Apparently, the guy figured out after he drilled six holes in our roof that we can't get a signal from the satellite through our trees. Last week, a different tech assured us we could. CRAP CRAP CRAP. I am now in a bad mood. I don't think I want to cut down a huge beautiful oak tree just for some dumb TV.

something you don't hear everyday

2008-01-05T11:33:00.001-05:00

My husband just came in from outside and exclaimed:

"It's raining....YAY!!!"

For once, we're happy for rain. Rain that will muddy and melt all the beautiful snow...making the world brownish gray instead of pristine and white.

This is because we called to order Satellite TV last week. They came out to install it, and couldn't because of all the snow on our roof. They are coming back on Sunday, because it is supposed to warm up...but we were concerned that it wasn't warming up fast enough. So I just helped him haul 30 gallons of hot water in buckets up a ladder and pour it over the roof to melt the snow off. The neighbors must think we're crazy!

Farewell 2007...bring on 2008!

2008-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! ok...a couple days late...i've been busy, alright.

I hope everyone enjoyed the end of the old one in their own way...whether it was a big hurrah with friends and acquaintances or simple night at home staying up late with family or just spending the rolling over of 2359 to 0000 snuggled next to the one you love sound asleep.

I hadn't planned much of anything...I was actually somewhat disappointed in my lack of wild New Years Eve party plans. The last day of 2007 actually turned out perfectly, nonetheless.

It started around noon, when Chad and I went to my Grandparents' house to have a midday dinner with them before Chad had to go to work. It was really nice, just the four of us spending time together over a meal of traditional German Rouladen. (One of my favorites!) We often get together with my Grandparents, but it usually includes the whole local family. It was nice to have just an intimate afternoon with this wise couple. They have always been very special to me, and I feel very lucky that we have such a close relationship. I see that there is so much Chad and I can learn from them, they have remained committed to each other through hard times and happy times for over fifty years!

Since we had arrived in one car, I had to run Chad over to work at 2 PM. I then went back to my grandparents' house and spent the rest of the afternoon helping them learn how to use the digital camera we gave them for Christmas, and just having a nice visit.

I then headed over to my friend's house and we hung out at her sister's, where she was house sitting, watching the food network (one of the channels i miss from cable TV). We had great fun drinking tea and making cheater chocolate chip cookies in the toaster oven.

I picked Chad up at 11 PM, and expected to just head home and cuddle with him while welcoming in the new year on TV. He asked if I wanted to go to one of his co-worker's house for a party. Sure, why not? We went and had so much fun with a huge group of people (most of who I had never met before). And when we left around 2:30 AM, a couple of inches of snow had appeared. It was really surreal looking...the freshly fallen wet snow coating all the tree branches in the quiet night. I love how when it is snowing at night, the normal night time darkness isn't present, and it almost feels like you should be out playing in it. I would have taken a picture, but I was a few drinks past taking any decent ones.

The best part is, due to a series of unrelated coincidence events, I got to have a 5 day vacation for the new year from a workplace that doesn't shut down for holidays. Going back to work today wasn't THAT bad.

Merry Christmas to me...and everyone else too!

2007-12-24T15:22:00.000-05:00

Look what I just figured out how to gift myself with...We've had AT&T high speed DSL for over a year...and I didn't know that entitled me to a free Flickr PRO account. I never use the email address that I created for our internet account access...so I never got the notification. I only found out because my grandmother, who also has the dsl service, asked me about an e-mail she got and didn't understand. She says, "what is this flicker thing?" So I looked at the message, which told her that just for being an internet subscriber, she was entitled to a free pro account. (At this point I started whining about how I'm a subscriber too...and why don't I get a free pro account, since I would actually use it?!?) So I did a little research...figured out what the email I registered for service with was, and changed my Flickr access e-mail to that one instead of the yahoo address I was using. Presto! the "pro" just appeared behind my name. I read that as long as I stay an AT&T customer, I get pro! YAY! Now I have to start using Flickr more. So anyone else out there who has AT&T or SBC Yahoo DSL, you can do this too. Leave me a comment if you need help figuring out how.

I also ordered myself this little baby last night...The Nikon 50mm/f1.8D AF lens. I read Mainline Mom's mention of it in her comments on a post, and got curious. I did some research, and could hardly find a negative comment. I decided rather quickly that it is something I NEED. Found a good price on Amaz0n...and clicked "BUY". Merry Christmas to me...well more like Happy week into the New Year...since it won't arrive until sometime in January. When I bought it though, I clicked into Amaz0n from Ken Rockwell's site. If you are a Nikon user(or a fan of any other brand), I highly recommend you check him out. I found his information helpful, so I thought, why not support him a little by buying through his link.

Christmastime

2007-12-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

I like Christmastime. I like the decorations everywhere (not so much right after Halloween). I love the extra time spent with friends and family. I love the snow on pine boughs outside my window. I love having an excuse to listen to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs. Last year I was very fortunate to get to go see (and hear) Chip Davis and the band in concert. It blew me away!

This year, I have asked hubby to take me to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra the day after Christmas, we both happen to be off work that day. I don't know if he will though. I wonder if it will be as good as Mannheim Steamroller.

Tonight we are going to an informal Christmas party for the guys involved in a certain project at my husband's work. Last year, we met for dinner and then most of the couples went to another bar to hang out. It was one of the best nights out I've ever had.

Last night, some really close friends called us at 12:30 AM. They are expecting their second baby in ten days, and she had been having contractions for over three hours. The were coming 5 minutes apart, so they thought they should head to the hospital. Chad was already sleeping because he had to be up early for work. So I tossed some things in a bag and drove over to their house to stay while their two year old daughter slept. Unfortunately, the baby wasn't quite ready, and they came home around 4:30 AM. It should be soon though. I am so excited for them!

Now I gotta go brave the crowds doing the one thing I don't love about Christmastime, shopping and exchanging.

it's that time again

2007-12-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

Christmas portraits. After almost a year of having my "studio" (our basement) unusable, I tried to get back into it by shooting on location at the client's house. It went pretty well. Their children are so photogenic! However, halfway through they lost power to their house. That knocked out my lighting system, and their Christmas tree lights. Kinda a bummer. I finished up with the flash and light from the windows. Sometimes you just have to improvise. They still got a lot of great shots and some nice family portraits, which is what they mainly wanted since one of the parents is always behind the camera. This was also my first time doing a whole family session. I found myself taking the adults a little for granted, and focused on getting the perfect shot of the kids' smiles. Afterwards, I found many shots where one of the parents looked stiff, or had their attention somewhere else. I guess I need to work on paying close attention to everybody next time. I'll tell you, the more people in a shot, the harder it is to get a good one!

the bird has nothing to do with this post

2007-12-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

And truthfully, this post has nothing to do with anything. Like many of my blog friends, I am finding it difficult to update here. It's not really a lack of time, but a lack of really interesting material to take the time to write about. We have been busy, but we're always busy. Holidays make for craziness, but everyone knows that. I have so much I WANT to do, but two days off work each week isn't enough time. I like Christmas (probably due to the fact that I don't have any kids yet) and sadly, it doesn't feel like Christmas. We didn't put up lights on our house like last year, because most of them got broken and don't work. We may not get a tree because Chad doesn't want to decorate it. And we may not be able to coordinate a day for our annual tree chopping/Frankenmuth tradition. There was a winter storm here Saturday night...it took me forever to get home from work. Then it warmed up, turned drizzly, and got real windy. No winter wonderland here. Well, lots to do, and I'm not doing any of it sitting here. Maybe I'll have some productivity to share later on.

Black Friday Treasure

2007-11-25T19:42:00.000-05:00

Yep. I must be crazy. I went shopping on "Black Friday"...at 4 AM, when Kohl's opened. What was I thinking? Oh and I dragged the husband along too. haha.

We first went to Kohl's which as I mentioned, opened at 4 AM. Why? I don't know. Stupid idea, if you ask me. We walked in at about 4:30, and the lines to check out were already wrapped all the way around the store. I stuck Chad in line, and went around getting the things I wanted. $80 sheets for $20, boots for 65% off, a $90 cashmere argyle sweater for $30 (which I wanted last year and never got), among other things. We stood in line for at least an hour just waiting to PAY and LEAVE. At this point, I almost called it quits and went home back to bed.

The next stop was Target which had opened at 6 AM, and by the time we made it out of Kohl's it was 6:10. Chad dropped me off at the door, and I ran to the electronics department to get the Guitar Hero III special edition pack that we decided at the last minute the night before that we would get. We had been guitar hero virgins until last week at a party where Chad played it and said it was a lot of fun. So we've joined the masses who love it. Breaking it in tonight when he gets home from work. I also picked up a sewing machine there...and you should have seen me carrying the 20 lb. Singer sewing machine and the unwieldy game box. Big lines were starting to form here too, but we ducked over to customer service to check out before anyone else figured out that you could do that.

After that we went to Kmart, which was pretty quick in and out. Then Meijer's, which also wasn't bad...except that I thought the phone I wanted was sold out until we found one someone had apparently put down in the wrong place. Then we went home to unload everything. While unloading we decided to go back to Kmart for some more Christmas shopping...we figured the one we were at first would be sold out of what we wanted by now, so we hit a different store. Unfortunately they were sold out...so back to the first one, who had plenty of stock left.

Our final stop was Lowe's to get tile for our basement project. We picked up a nice looking ceramic tile that we had been planning on getting anyway for $0.58/sq. ft. when the regular price was $0.98/sq. ft. We're going to use it for the laundry room and the kitchenette in the basement.Here's the stuff, minus the tile, the sewing machine, and an electric mattress pad. We got our Christmas Shopping done for 5 people, and picked up some great deals on things we needed (or wanted).

I'll have to write about what I did for the rest of the day another time.

crunching numbers

2007-11-12T01:29:00.000-05:00

I did the math.

The results are not good.

My new car tells me I average 20 MPG.
+
Work for me is 40 miles away.
+
5 days a week I drive there and back.
=
Each day I drive 80 miles, using 4 gallons of gas.
In a week, I use 20 gallons.

Gasoline prices lately have been $3.25 a gallon.
x
4 gallons
=
$13.00 a day it costs me TO GO TO WORK.
$65.00 a week.
$260.00 a month.
$3,380.00 a year.

I should also mention that my car has a 16 gallon gas tank. Should I calculate the cost of my time spent filling it up more than once a week?

Costumery

2007-11-02T01:01:00.000-04:00

This was me at work last night. My semi-pathetic attempt at festivity. Considering that I was one of three people to dress up in our lab, and everyone in the whole facility kept telling me how cute I was...I guess it was a success. At least I went the extra mile past just wearing cat ears by drawing whiskers (which were kinda smudging off by this point), wearing a bell on a satin ribbon around my neck, and making the fur cuffs out of a feather boa and some ribbon. Conveniently, my hot pink scrub pants looked pretty great with the rest...cause I didn't like the black pants I have. What did YOU dress up as?

This sucks!

2007-10-30T15:58:00.000-04:00

Well, technically it doesn't...anymore. I'm talking about my vacuum. Just in time for Halloween, I have a vacuum graveyard in my front entry. We have done in TWO cleaning suction machines in under a year. Maybe I should clarify...he and his furriness has killed the vacuums. To be fair, they were both given to us second-hand. They worked just fine when we got them, though. Here is another photo for your amusementClick for a full view to see the expression on his face. I love it.

I need vacuum recommendations. I've never had to shop for a vacuum, and I have no idea where to start. I can read the reviews online...but I trust personal recommendations more than an online consumer review. What do you use? What do you love? What do you hate? Are Dysons really as great as they're made out to be? What about Orecks? Please comment before the cat fur takes over my carpeting!

Three things I'm loving right now.

2007-10-26T11:24:00.000-04:00

1. Cable knit sweaters. They are so gorgeous. Cozy. Flattering. Classic. They signify cooler weather for me.
2. BIG coffee mugs. Red ones specifically. They fit perfectly in both hands and warm them in a morning chilled house.
3. Chocolate Lasagna from the Olive Garden. How I miss you so. Dumbest decision ever to pull that one from the menu. My chocolatey friend, how you got me throught so many awful nights as a waitress during the "never ending pasta bowl" promotion. The question is, do I miss you enough to attempt to make my own version?

Since I'm awake anyway...

2007-10-22T04:52:00.000-04:00

It's almost 5 AM...I really should be sleeping. I have no good reason that I am not, other than the hubs is not here...so why should I lay in bed unable to fall asleep? I am feeling pretty tired, and I think I will go to bed soon. But since I'm here, I thought I'd share with you some old photos that I found today. They are not the best quality, but they are very special to me. Last weekend marked my husband and I being together for six years. It really doesn't seem like it has been that long, yet at the same time, it feels like forever. I look at these photos and can't believe how much we've both changed. We look SO young.

This first one is the first picture of us together that I remember being taken. It was shot with one of those polaroid i-Zone cameras. The photo is teeny and not very good. Apparently, I need one of these to scan them. Anyway, we are sitting on the bed in my old bedroom. (gasp! I know I know, on my bed in my mom's house?!?!) Oddly enough, the color I loved and chose for my walls back then, is somewhat familiar.
This picture, either my mom or sister took. This was also very early in our relationship. We had been watching TV on the couch and had fallen asleep. I was then and still am so comfortable sleeping on his chest. It's my safe place. These were the first two photos that I had of us, and being all girly and sentimental, I valued and held on to them.
This one is one of the husband's favorites of us. He's always told me that he loved this photo. He likes the jeans I'm wearing and thinks I'm cute in my high school soccer sweatshirt. We are standing on his parents front yard. His brother and his girlfriend at the time were there as well, and we were all getting ready to go out together. This was probably also the first fall that we were together.
I love this last one. I was amazed at how well it turned out considering the camera I used and it being a night shot. This was taken at a party for the husband's work almost a year after we met. I used the first digital camera I had, which I got free somehow, and it didn't even have an LCD screen for viewing photos taken. It was basically a film camera without the film (and crappier quality). Husband's got a bit of a red eye thing going, blue eyes tend to do that...I guess I could easily fix it with a little photoshop. For some reason, I always liked this photo. I still think it is one of the best ones of us together. Even after having our portraits professionally done. There is just something in the realness of our connection...looking at the picture reminds me exactly how I felt when it was taken.I love looking at old photos of us together through the years. It brings back all the memories of how exciting our new relationship was back then. After only six years, it sometimes feels like we've been together forever...and there are hard times. There were hard times back then too, but I only seem to remember how much fun it was falling in love. Six years from now, I hope I can look back and only remember how much fun being newlywed was.

Exciting news

2007-09-26T23:57:00.000-04:00

I'm hoping to have some exciting news to share tomorrow. I've been busy this past week...and almost bursting with excitement...but no time to post. You can pbobably guess what it pertains to by the photo...maybe not. If you're stumped maybe this other photo will help you out a little...
Click for larger view.

Should be an interesting once in a lifetime night

2007-09-19T23:18:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow night, Chad and I are going to a party. He kept telling me that there were supposedly going to be "several big name bands from past years" there. But he couldn't remember any names. So I didn't give it much thought.

Tonight he tells me the names...and I have to admit...one or two sounded familiar...but I couldn't tell you anything they sang...or even what type of music they played. Maybe they'll mean something more to someone else. I guess the fact that most of the hits were way before my time is why I didn't jump right out of my seat in excitement at hearing the names. In any case...I appreciate me some oldies and goodies...and I'm really looking forward to a really unique night of hearing some classic bands at an intimate party.

So on the bill tomorrow night are:

Foghat
Blue Oyster Cult
Badfinger
Rare Earth
Mitch Ryder

I wanted to link some youtube examples of their songs...but I couldn't figure out how right now. Maybe tomorrow.

why does my honey get funny?

2007-09-19T00:22:00.000-04:00

...and other puzzles from my kitchen.

I decided tonight, as I was making tea in my kitchen after work, that some things in my kitchen needed further investigation. Like why does honey turn to a solid when the bottle gets down below half?And what's with that expiration date? Is that October 24th? And what year? What decade? Is it 2008? (I hope) Is it 1999? Who knows. What does expired honey do to you anyway? Is it as bad as expired milk? Eww...sure doesn't look or smell as gross, thankfully.

Since we're on the subject of non-solid items becoming solidified...another little annoyance in my kitchen is my salt constantly turning to a brick in the shaker. See exhibit...Note that the shaker is upside down. I don't know why it always does this. My mom's never did this as often as mine does. I must have a very humid house.

Oh there are many more things to share with you from the dark corners of my kitchen. Many of them are gross, some are puzzling, and some are just plain bizarre. I'm embarrassed to admit the things I've discovered that mold can grow on. However I am strangely delighted every time I find something really disgusting...and have to show the hubby. He usually doesn't share my enthusiasm. This is the product of my good intentions to eat produce and cook more, thwarted by us both working afternoon shift with different days off. So I'm gonna make this a periodic entry...exploring new kitchen experiments each time, and sharing them with you.

Now I wish i had taken a photo the time the bananas mysteriously turned to liquid in the fruit bowl two days after I bought them...

new indulgence

2007-09-17T14:53:00.001-04:00

What's happening to me? I used to be such a practical person. I shop for bargains, I use coupons, and I look for sales. I couldn't make myself spend $70 on a pair of tall Express jeans, when I could get tall Levi's for under $30. I always bought $1.50 Wet N Wild nail polish instead of salon polish...but now I've discovered that there really is a difference in OPI polish...it is SO nice! I've become addicted to tea from the Republic of Tea ($8 a pack instead of my old $3 Lipton tea bags.)

I blame the jeans on Liz and Allie. I started to realize that I was becoming more picky about how my jeans fit me. I got tired of jeans that didn't make my butt look great and fit snug down through the knees. I got tired of jeans that gaped in the back when I sat, showing my underpants to the world. I admired their jeans and the way they fit so perfectly on their long legs and slim waists. Since we share the same GENES, I thought I should try their JEANS. (I know BAD pun...but don't pretend you didn't laugh at it just a little!)

I blame the OPI nail polish on Eleanor. We decided to paint our toenails...and the only two polishes she had were Wet N Wild in black or OPI in red. Black isn't really my style...so I used the OPI. I fell in love with it's smoothness and ease to apply. It came out perfectly. I noticed that the salon near my house has a whole rack of OPI polish. I would have gone in there are bought about 50 different colors, except that they were closed...so I resolved to return another day.

I blame the tea on Renee, and also her mom and her sisters. They were having a tea party, which was so fun, by the way. We had little yummy cucumber and cream cheese open face sandwiches, all kinds of delicious cheeses, and cranberry scones. They also had a variety of tea. One of which was "Cardamom Cinnamon" from the Republic of Tea (Link in my sidebar). It is so good. I had to go buy some. Then I bought some more flavors. And some more. Then I sent Allie home to Seattle with some. Because I got her hooked too.

The one friend whom I thought was actually influencing my tastes in a positive was was Helen. She keyed me in to these cute t-shirts from Meijer's that fit so perfectly, go with everything, and look great. Plus they were only $5 most of the summer on sale! Can't beat that. Thing is...Helen is also my hairdresser. Because of her, and how fantastic my hair feels after she shampoos it with her fancy salon shampoo, I actually bought a bottle of shampoo this weekend with the sticker price of $20.95! Don't worry, I didn't pay that much...it was on sale for 50% off, and I had a coupon for $10 off when I bought 3, so I stocked up. The point is, now I'm addicted to Salon quality shampoo and conditioner, when I used to buy Garnier Fructis...only when i had a coupon. What happens when I run out of my stock, and I have to pay $20 for another bottle?

I guess I just began to realize that some things are worth paying a little extra for. I still consider myself a frugal person, and I still try to save money where I can. But after years of settling for $25 jeans I wasn't quite happy with, and then letting them sit in the drawer while I always wore the one pair that was my favorite, made me realize getting the quality you want is better than saving a little on something that is ALMOST as good. I still buy store brand products all the time. But on certain things like my jeans and my tea and my haircare, I'm gonna buy what I like.

Cool Off

2007-09-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

The air has turned cool and crisp today. I am thankful, since the AC seems to be having issues in my vehicle, and I drive about 40 minutes to work in the middle of the afternoon. My allergies and sinuses, however, are not so co-operative with the weather change. What I thought was a little cold, won't go away. Every time I eat something, my ears stay plugged up for about 15 minutes afterward. Sinus pressure coupled with a restless night = bad headache.

I'd really rather not go to work today. After two days off, I'm not ready to be back there. There has been a lot of drama recently in our lab due to internal investigations. The FDA is due to show up for an inspection any time this month, and everyone is dreading it. I feel unprepared for this due to my newness at the job. To top it all off, they are re-paving our parking lot and it will be closed for the next three days. That means I have to find somewhere else to park. On the streets of Detroit. With a Dodge Ram Pickup Truck. (Notoriously easy to steal) Oh goody. Who knows how long it is going to take me to find a space, or how far I will have to walk.

I helped a friend with some Organic Chemistry homework last night, after he called me at 10:30 PM. Up till 1 AM doing O-Chem. Got home and crashed. We were woken up repeatedly by our smoke alarms going off FOR NO APPARENT REASON. They are wired into our house, so we couldn't just remove a battery. They are also all connected together, so when one starts, they ALL start. There was no fire. No smoke. I don't think they detect Carbon Monoxide, besides all our windows were open. The finally stopped before we had to result to flipping the circuit breaker on them. I guess a power surge can sometimes make it happen. It was raining (and maybe storming) last night.

We've been up to so much lately. "Busy" isn't even the word for it. I missed posting...it just didn't seem a priority. I'm back now...but I need a vacation day.

Edit (9/14/07): I had a meltdown at work today. They fired my friend after telling him to come in for "discipline" but promising he wouldn't be terminated. It upset me very much. Then I found out the FDA was there for their inspection. On top of all the emotional stress of the week, and peaking yesterday, I freaked. I had to escape to my car for a bit to call chad and cry because I didn't want to stay, and I didn't think I could work, and I knew I would screw up in front of the FDA. He got me calmed down. I talked to my boss about my aprehension. I stayed at work, and the day went by. I'n glad it is over.

OOT and ABOOT

2007-08-20T15:44:00.000-04:00

This past week I haven't been updating because I was in the Canadian wilderness. I went camping and hiking with my mom and sister to the Bruce Peninsula. There will be more photos of the awesomeness...but for now, I will show you what I did most of the time.
I took photos of the gorgeous natural beauty.I took photos of the people I was with posing on the cliffs.I took photos of frogs on the beach.I even took photos while we were relaxing at the campsite.

Does this surprise anyone?

tuesday morning

2007-08-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

[Tuesday] morning rain is falling
Steal some covers share some skin
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable
You twist to fit the mold that I am in

I love rainy mornings. It felt especially good to wake up today, stretch, and listen to the rain falling for a while. Then I got up and made some coffee, and sat by the window just enjoying the day. The only thing I love more is an afternoon thunderstorm...sitting on the porch...and letting nature's fury surround me. I got motivated yesterday and straightened the house up a lot. I cleaned things that don't regularly get cleaned. Then my friend came over and we rearranged the living room a little bit, and decorated it with some of the things I had gotten from my Southern Living at Home party that I had back in our old apartment. It is looking nice. I have my eye on some really cool photographs by Steven N. Meyers I just think the sizes available are a little too big.

The kitties crack me up. The kitten loves his "big brother", but Cato still lets him know he needs his own space. They don't cuddle with each other, but they are usually lounging close. Like one on a kitchen chair, and the other underneath it. Right now, Cato is napping on top of a half wall in our entryway, and the kitten (who I've been calling "Squeakers") is giving himself a bath on one of the built in shelves below.

progress is exhausting

2007-07-29T14:34:00.000-04:00

We have been getting so much done in the basement bathroom lately. I can hardly contain my excitement! We picked out tile for around the tub and on the floor. It arrived, and we installed it around the tub. It looks SO good. I'm just going to tease you though, because I think I want to wait until it is all done to show you photos. We got a toilet, and picked out the lighting. The electrical wires are all run. We are hanging the rest of the walls and ceiling now. As soon as we do the grout on the tub deck, we will install the tub!!! I can't wait!

We had new neighbors move in across the street from us. Now we're not the newbies of the neighborhood anymore. The last few days, there have been about 15 people coming and going over there (probably much like the scene when we moved in). I can't figure out exactly who will be living there. (Haven't gone to say hi yet) My friend next door is getting married at the end of August. They decided to plan everything in under three months. I think she'd crazy. I would be a total basket case.

Everything else here is pretty normal. Nothing to rant about. Nothing to report. Doesn't it seem like the days go by too fast?

We are a tabby household

2007-07-24T23:06:00.000-04:00

Meet our new member of the family. Our baby kitty. He doesn't have a name yet, so I am open to suggestions. I don't want anything cliche like "Fluffy" or "Tiger", though. Ok, well Chad has been calling him Rambo...which I insist is NOT his name...which only makes him do it more just to irritate me.We got him two weeks ago. I was being a bad wife and looking at kitties I knew I couldn't have on petfinder.com. Chad wasn't so keen on the idea of getting another cat (more work...and we are both kind of busy at this point). But there were kind of these shared unspoken guilty feelings over leaving Cato alone in the house all day. I hate to be alone...just having another life here comforts me...even if all he does is meow at me. Ok now I am just rambling. In truth, I went to the pet food store near my house to check out a different kitten...only 9 weeks old. That's when I saw this guy. He was 4 months. And showed so much more personality than the little ones. He is so sweet and affectionate and seems to live only to curl up on my lap and purr loudly. Every time I sit down on the couch, he comes meowing loudly up to me as if to scold me for even being up and about. Well, I managed to get Chad into the store under the ruse of needing more cat food (we actually did), and I plunked that purring kitten on his shoulder. He wanted to stay tough, but he couldn't say no...and I could tell he loved him too. You could almost think that he and Cato were related by the coloring...except new kitty is a little lighter and more brown. Cato isn't quite sure about sharing his space...but the baby is fearless and persistent. He will walk right up to Cato and meow in his face. Cato doesn't really know what to make of that, and he usually does a little backwards jump and runs off. Cato gives up everything to the little one. He lets him eat his food, and sleep on his favorite perch by the window. Little one sleeps at my feet at night now. But Cato gets pissed if the little one is by "his dad" (Chad). He could care less about me...but he gets so jealous when Chad touches the new kitten. Here are some photos of Cato for comparison, and sorry for making such a cat obsessed post. This first one was shortly after we got him. He was about 6 weeks old. He had such a cute little funny face and big ears and those bright green eyes! Not much of that has changed. He is one of those cats who doesn't often express the squinty cat face...but more often has a wide eyed crazed look about him. The new baby...he already looks like a grouchy old cat...always half closed sleepy eyes. I feel really good about giving both of them a safe warm home, and I really really hope they get to be snuggle buddies. Cato was born in some one's garage or shed or backyard. He would ave grown up stray, most likely. Thankfully the man whose yard it was was able to catch him, and we stumbled on him needing a home a year ago. I wonder what became of his family? This new baby was also from a rescue. The woman told us he was in real bad shape when she got him three weeks before we found him. He had so many fleas, that he had become anemic, and had a heart murmur. He recovered from the murmur, and has had the proper vet attention, and should be just fine. Look at Cato rifling through my purse! He can be such a little stinker sometimes. I love my boys! <3

Fun with pointy sticks!

2007-07-22T20:13:00.000-04:00

I love knitting for so many reasons:

~It gives my hands something to do to stay out of trouble ^_-
~It makes me feel good to be creating something
~I get hooked and can't put it down
~Swordfights with knitting needles
~It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I finish a project
~I love a challenge, and trying to figure out a new pattern and teach myself new stitches makes me SO happy
~It is therapeutic
~Some yarns are really beautiful
~Raised eyebrows from strangers who see me knitting and notice that I'm not 100 years old with a bun in my hair
~All the many different colors and textures
~It IS art

And the number one reason that I love knitting so much...

All the dangling strings bring both the kitties' attentions to me! Mwahaha! (even "dad's cat")

So sweet

2007-07-08T12:46:00.000-04:00

Cato chillin' on the carpet...junk flapping in the breeze (well what's left of it)...no dignity, I tell you.

I am addicted to Thai Iced Tea. I really dig it's super sweet creamy goodness. Every time I get Thai food, I order one now. I haven't found a place where I didn't care for it yet. The other day when i ordered Thai carryout at work, I actually ordered TWO...and saved one for the ride home. It is sooo sweet though, and I can only imagine the havoc it is wreaking on my teeth. I can see my dentist's disapproving look now...shaking his head and wagging his finger at me..."shame shame shame."

I have been trying to figure out how to make Thai Iced Tea at home...there are millions of recipes online calling for weird spices...there are instant Thai tea powders you can buy...and their are liquid concentrates. I think I'm going to start asking the restaurants I order from how they make it. Anyone have a tried and true method?

In other news, we are probably getting another kitty tomorrow. (If I can find our cat carrier, we will be picking him up between 9:30 and 10:30.) We feel that Cato needs a companion...and I want a cuddly cat. The one we picked out, is a rescue that I stumbled on at the pet food store nearby. I went in to see a 9 week old buff colored Persian kitten, but fell in love with the personality of a 4 month old golden tabby main coon. He is so very sweet and loving. He lays relaxed in your arms, and purrs like crazy. He loves having his face scratched and comes to "ask" you for attention by pushing his face in your hand. Cato doesn't do that...he scampers off after one or two pats on the head usually. I always wanted a kitten...and we got Cato at about 5 weeks. I got my kitten fix...and now I think it wiser to go for one a little older, so I know more of its personality. I am determined to make this one "MY" cat. Cato is so much "Chad's cat". Even though I'm the one who brought him home...I'm the one who feeds him treats...I'm the one who shares my yogurt and gives him my cereal and ice cream bowls to lick. He would rather be held by Chad. He lays on Chad's chest in bed and purrs. He randomly jumps up at Chad's chest expecting to be caught and loved. He just sasses at me to feed him. And only lets me hold him when Chad's not around. Traitor.

So I'm gonna need name input. He deserves a really good name...and not one that involves a 10 minute explanation like "Cato". Oh, and I'm not naming him "Trogdor" either...at least i don't think so. :o)

I also want to know...what was wrong with this Boston Red Sox player's parents when they named him "Coco Crisp"??? And what was wrong with him, that when he went into pro baseball, he didn't change his name???

Ok, I know his real name is "Covelli Loyce"...and "Coco" is a nickname. But I still think it is hilarious.

Busy Summer

2007-07-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

We've been keeping busy. Working and filling our off days with activity. I have a day off today because of yesterday's holiday. Chad couldn't get the time off unfortunately. I spent the morning doing some laundry and sewing some curtains for our spare bedroom. They look ok, despite all the problems I had getting the sewing machine to do what I wanted it to.

Here's a question: What can you do with a bachelor's degree in chemistry?

I am finding that the answer to that is: nothing.

I don't have enough education or experience to get a job as a Chemist, and I am over qualified to work as a Laboratory Technician. Michigan's economy is so bad also...and we are unable to move to accommodate my career due to Chad's career. I am just having a hard time finding something I am interested in that utilizes my education.

You know, we've been so busy, and now that we both work afternoon shift, I haven't cooked dinner in almost two months. I think I'm forgetting how to cook...and where I keep things in my kitchen. My husband has been asking me to make Lasagna. I've never made it before...and I haven't really felt like undertaking that lately. Maybe I will this weekend, I know it will make him happy.

summertime thoughts

2007-06-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

There isn't much new to write about for the last week. We are just going through the summer. Working and doing other little things here and there. We haven't gotten the bath tub yet, but hopefully it will come next week. We ordered a faucet for it, that should be here about the same time. We made a small dent in the cleaning of our house filled with drywall dust...I'm not too worried about thorough cleaning right now, because there will be more dust before it is over.

I spent yesterday afternoon with a great friend who I haven't gotten to see much lately due to everyone's busy schedules. We played in her pool with her one year old son all afternoon. Then we had dinner, put the baby to bed and watched "The Devil Wears Prada". We had been planning to see that movie together since it came out...and this is the first chance we got. She doesn't live too far from me, so we agreed that we need to see each other more often.

I'm starting to feel left behind. All of the women near my age that I spend time with, (whether they were my friends before I was married or are the wives of my husband's friends) have children. I have one friend I regularly see who is single and doesn't have any babies. I am starting to feel like I want that to be my life...caring for my children. I'm not sure if we are ready to have kids, I think it is probably wise to give our newly married relationship more time to settle. I think we should let the home projects calm down a bit. My body doesn't listen to the wisdom of my brain. The more time I spend with these women and their little ones, the more I feel like I'm missing something. I know plenty of people have kids right away without waiting, and are happy; and I know I can wait, because that will be me soon enough...and once we have a family, we can't go back to just Chad and I. I know I should enjoy this time with him. I just sometimes wish my body would shut up and quit playing tug of war with my maternal hormones. I am a scientist, I should be able to think this through and base it on rational facts. But I am also a woman, a woman who has always wanted to be a mommy. I want to be a mom now, I just don't want to rush it, because it is a big step.

This struggle haunts my body almost everyday: out running errands and seeing moms with kids, at work and listening to my co-workers talk about their kids, and online and reading the blogs of the mommies in my links. I guess I am glad Chad is not quite ready, because I know he will be my ally in rational thinking. My body and hormones can't overthrow my brain as long as he is not on board.

I just feel sort of like I did in high school. Like I don't fit in. I want to be a part of the mommy club. I am struggling to spend time with my friends, but I feel different. I feel like an imposition sometimes when I want to spend time with them, because I know they have to go through a lot more to pack up their kid(s) too. I feel the clock ticking...I don't want to be left behind. One friend has three kids, the youngest is 3, and she doesn't think she is having any more. Another has an 18 month old and is pregnant with their second. A third has her one year old, and is thinking about the next one. I want to be part of the group. I don't know if she remembers this, but when I was young, my cousin, who is 6 months older than I, and I planned that we would grow up and get married and have kids all around the same ages so they could play together. This was when her family still lived in Michigan, with no moving plans, and we were still playing with our dolls from Germany in her backyard under the pine trees. Many years and life has changed those plans. But I still cling to the idea of being a part of a group with small children of the same ages.

I know I shouldn't let having children dictate who I am. But, I feel somehow less grown up, because I haven't had a baby. I suddenly feel like I'm 14 again, and that these women with families are my mom's friends...so much older...so much more mature. All my life I wanted to be a mother. That is the one thing I knew. I always knew I wanted to have kids. I want to be a stay-at-home-mom until they all are in school. I want to BE A MOTHER, not just HAVE A BABY. I know the time will come when we're ready. I know I will be a mother someday. I just have no patience.

we iz just visitin

2007-06-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

My first lolcat. Cato and his daily visiting friend, Tiger. Destined to eternal separation by glass. *sigh*

At last!

2007-06-07T13:16:00.000-04:00

We did it! We researched, hunted down, agreed on, and ordered our tub for the basement bathroom! Presenting...our Jacuzzi Mito 6!It is a 6 foot long, two person "Salon Spa" tub featuring whirlpool jets, back massage on one end, and an inline heater too keep the water warm. The Salon Spa means that it is a combination air tub with the whirlpool. I was interested in this feature, but most tubs with it are way out of our price range, unless you substitute the air for the whirlpool. We saw them demo this feature on another tub, and loved it. There is an air channel and tiny holes around the base of the tub. When turned on it creates powerful tiny bubbling sort of like boiling water. It also has Chromatherapy lights. I'm not sure exactly how cool the effect from these will be. That was a feature that I could take or leave, but it came standard on here. Surprisingly all this was affordable, too. We got a good discount through a friend, but nothing really awesome. This is the only tub in Jacuzzi's "Comfort series" that has the combination features. All their luxury tubs cost at least double. But it really seems worthy of the money, and not like they scrimped too much on the design. The biggest difference is that it is more basic looking and lacks some of the style flairs the luxury tubs have. But I could care less about that. This one was more comfortable, and the inside bottom length was longer than those.

I seriously can't wait until we get it. There's just one problem...this is the current state of the bathroom.Those specks you see in the photo that make it look like it is snowing in our basement is drywall dust. Yea, it is EVERYWHERE in my house. My husband started sanding yesterday while I was at work, and didn't think to put up plastic or cover anything that is down there. Oh well, no point in doing it now. Anyone want to earn some $$$ coming to clean my house when he's done? I'm serious. E-mail me, and we'll talk, because I seriously hate regular house cleaning...and this is going to be bad enough to warrant me paying someone else to do it. We're talking probably emptying the kitchen cupboards and wiping everything down. Any takers? Renee? :o)

it does suck to be a girl, PART 2

2007-06-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

Here it is, finally Part 2! Part 1 can be found here.

From where we left off, we jump ahead three weeks. I start having the exact same type of pain all over again. I have been taking the medication the doctor gave me, and can't figure out what is going on. As the evening goes on, it gets worse, until I can't do anything but sit and not move. My sister said she could tell the pain was bad because I was somewhat unresponsive and was definitely having trouble focusing on her questions. She called my doctor's answering service and asked the doctor to call us. My doctor's partner called and told me if it was that bad, I should go to the ER.

Chad was finishing up some work in the basement, so my sister and her boyfriend drove me to the hospital, and Chad followed a little later. It was torture to sit in the waiting room. I planted myself right in front of the front desk, so they would hopefully fast-track me in when they saw how much pain I was in. I didn't care how long they made me wait once I was in a bed. It seemed to be working, they braceleted me pretty quickly, and told me it would be soon. Then a guy walked in shaking and trembling. His hand was wrapped in a towel soaked with blood. They rushed him right back, and I had to wait again. I found out later from a friend who was the police officer handling the guy's case, that he found a stray Pitt Bull and decided to walk it with his dog. The dogs started fighting, and he shoved his hand in between to try to break them up. Got his thumb bitten damn near off. Dumb ass.

Anyway, they got me back there, and put an IV in. I was already feeling chilly, and that made me so cold that I shook uncontrollably, which did not help with the pain. They piled about 5 heated blankets on me. The doctor decided he wanted to do a CT scan. The offered me some Morphine and I readily agreed. They made me drink some horrible tasting stuff for the scan to provide contrast. (It may have been barium sulfate, but I'm not sure). After a while, while waiting for the drugs, I managed to get to sleep for about an hour, and awoke when the radiologist arrived to take me for the scan.

He injected me with iodine through my IV line, and boy did that feel strange. It was like I was suddenly aware of all my veins and capillaries. As it moved through, I felt a weird warm sensation. The scan only took a few minutes. I had to hold my breath for several short intervals and hold my arms over my head while lying down which was a bit uncomfortable with the pain. My sister and husband got to see my insides on the screen in the monitoring room. My sister told me she could see my ovaries. My husband told me with a grin that he saw my boobs.

I went back to my curtained cubicle, and they finally gave me the Morphine, while I waited for the results to be read. They told me they could see quite a bit of fluid from a ruptured ovarian cyst, and that it looked like there were several more. I got a prescription for Vicodin, which I didn't fill, because I'd rather not take them because they make me very nauseated and throw up a lot. I thought that would be worse than just suffering through the pain. I did take a lot of Motrin, though.

I was told later that I was singing the children's song, "I'm a little tea-pot" while drugged up in the ER. I also started singing something else, which my sister couldn't remember what it was, and exclaimed that it was the same tune as "I'm a little tea-pot" (even though it wasn't).

Oh yea, and boy was I safe while there, I had police guards on either side of me. Just kidding, it was just a coincidence that both patients next to me were under police watch. I don't know if that made me safer or not.

So, after I was feeling better, I decided that I needed a new doctor for this problem. My general doctor always handled all routine care of my girl parts...but now I figured a specialist would be a good idea. This opened up a whole new problem. I wasn't counting on choosing a OB/GYN for at least a couple years, and I wanted to pick a good one for when I have children and one that works through a hospital I want to deliver at. My mom is a labor and delivery nurse, so she helped me a lot in choosing someone who will do a good job, and seems to prioritize the things that are important to me when I have a baby.

I called the office to make an appointment, and they told me it would be about three months before the doctor could see a new patient. I was so frustrated. I was scared, wanted to know why I was having these cysts, and I had gone off my birth control pill since the second one, and wanted to get back on a new pill better suited for preventing cysts. My mom called the office and got me in to see their Nurse practitioner the next day. YAY for inside influence!

She ordered another ultrasound of my ovaries and uterus, because she said the lining looked really thick in the CT report, and it should have hardly been there at all at that point. She started me on Loestrin 24, which is amazing! I highly recommend it to any women. Any of the hormonal crankiness I had on other pills is 100x better now. Not to mention, shorter period, less cramps, improved libido, etc.

That's pretty much where I'm at now. Except for a week ago, when I missed my pill Wednesday night, and felt like I had had a small cyst rupture Thursday afternoon while I was at work and couldn't get to my pills to take the missed one. So now it's back to normal life, hoping I don't have any more rupturing ovarian cysts. I don't know if this pill will prevent them or not. I just have to wait and see.

PART 2 is coming...

2007-05-29T16:42:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of drafting the long awaited conclusion to my medical dramas. Part 1 can be found here. Part two will follow shortly.

First, I want to address something that has been bothering me, and is part of the reason I have not posted the rest of this story yet. I only post things here that I don't mind if anyone reads. That includes my boss, co-workers, friends, strangers, family, those whom I have given the link to, and those who may have found this site some other way. It is not a BIG SECRET. I do like to know who is reading here. I know not everyone likes to comment. But if you know me in real life, I can not see any reason to feel the need to hide the fact that you read what I write here. I put this on the INTERNET for pete's sake. If you feel too ashamed about reading this blog to come to me with your concerns for my health, and instead have to hide behind my mother-in-law asking her to not tell me your identity when she inquires about the information you THOUGHT you read here, then maybe you shouldn't be reading it. I'd like to think that the people reading are normal. (I feel confident that those who comment are.) It is unnerving to know there are people reading regularly who are too afraid to let me know they are reading. I'd like to think that my site is not the object of someone's twisted voyeurism. But you really never know.

Furthermore, if you are going to read and feel genuinely concerned for my health, I'd appreciate you not calling third parties and spreading mis-information because you don't know how to read a whole paragraph.

For all you innocent bystanders minding your own business...I will explain. I received a call from my mother-in-law asking if I was alright, because someone had called her saying they read on my site that I had an ectopic pregnancy. Now, I had shared everything I had been going through with my mother-in-law in person, and you'd think she would just tell this mystery person that "no, she is not pregnant...this is what's going on." But she apparently thought I may not be telling her everything, and wanted to confirm this little piece of gossip with me. You can read the information in question near the bottom of the part one post...or I have copied it here:

"My friend started to worry about a tubal pregnancy, but I was pretty sure my doctor tested for that, because they did take a urine sample and draw my blood. I also did a home pregnancy test to be sure."

When I asked who had called her, my MIL stated that this person did not want her to tell me who they were. I tried guessing a few people who I know read and also talk to my MIL. I told her I don't care who reads, it is not a big deal, I just would like to know who it was. I know a handful of people who read (and comment occasionally) who call her. I know my husband's younger half-sister reads, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't her (Hi Cami!). I have the link posted on my facebook profile, and some of hubby's family could get it from there. It is just bothering me that this person specifically didn't want me to know who they are. Also, that my MIL would participate in this person's secrecy, informing me that someone specifically asked her to keep them anonymous...and seeming to take pleasure in keeping the secret. If they don't want me to know they read, the don't bring it up at all!

If you are the person (you know if you are), I would still like to know who you are. It has been very unnerving to contemplate all the various possible reasons why you won't say who you are. It has made it very difficult for me to feel comfortable posting here lately. The post which prompted this whole ordeal was very difficult for me to publicly share in the first place. I feel like I have taken five steps backwards in my open-ness. I just felt you should know how much your actions have impacted me.

Gone missing

2007-05-21T22:01:00.000-04:00

My social life has gone missing, it seems. I started a new job about a month ago. I started working afternoon shift two weeks ago. Since then, I find that I barely have time to get the necessary things done, and no time for blogging, or friends. Besides the fact that everyone works "normal" hours, and does everything without me in the evenings. I get Sundays and Mondays off. It's not all bad though. I like what I do, and it is nice to work the same shift as my hubby.

Speaking of hubby, we just celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday. He gave me a beautiful ring with three blue diamonds separated by two white diamonds. I will have to post a photo to show you all later on. We saved the top of our wedding cake to eat on our first anniversary, but it is still in the freezer. We attended Chad's best friend's graduation yesterday, and had cake afterwards with him. We didn't really have time once we got home to defrost the cake, nor did we feel much like having more cake. So we will probably save it for next weekend. That's ok, right?

I took some photos in March of a friend's new baby and the big sister. That's a shot from the session above.

We went to the zoo today, I took a ton of pictures with my 70-300mm lens. I will get some posted soon. The tigers were pacing all around. I always loved the elephants...however, the zoo no longer has them. They were sent to California to retire happy and warm, I guess.

Tomorrow, it is back to work. Nothing much more interesting to report...just regular life happening. I wonder if anyone still checks in here...I know I've been gone a while, sorry about that. Hopefully I will have more interesting stuff to post about soon.

drool

2007-05-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

Yeah, probably not going to get it, though. Hubby wants a smaller cheaper better on gas car. We shall see.

bloggy vacation

2007-04-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

So sorry, but I just haven't felt inclined to blog much lately. Been crazy busy with training at the new job. The weather has also been so nice that I can't stand to be indoors on the computer.

The basement is progressing wonderfully...Chad wants me to take some pictures, so when I do, I will post some for you to see.

The bushes in the front yard are exploding with beautiful pinkish purple flowers. Another thing I should take some pictures of.

Speaking of pictures....I have a few more shots to edit from my only spring portrait shoot before the weekend is up. With everything else, I've kinda been forgetting to get them done.

Now, I have a question. Can anybody tell me how I can get to work at 8:15 AM one day when I leave at 7:20; and the next day, when I leave at the same time, I don't arrive until 9:25??? The commute seriously sucks. 35 miles each way. I must be insane.

Oh the fun part will come next Wednesday, when I have to be there at 6:00 AM, meaning I have to leave at 5:00, meaning that I have to get up at 4:00 freaking AM in the morning!

I didn't forget about part two to my drama...just kinda haven't gotten to it yet.

Ooh, they gave me Monday off. Guess what I'm spending it doing? Go on, guess. Ok, I am going car shopping! The old car kept overheating on me on my way to work my first day, unless I went slower than 45 with the heat blasting. Not fun on a 75 F day. Took it in to get looked at, and they say it is the head gasket going. They put something in to temporarily help seal it I guess...but now it is overheating every time I stop at a red light. Once I start going it cools off a little. Not sure what we're going to get...something good on gas. I'm going test driving, should be fun. I'm pretty excited.

SPF: Knobs

2007-04-20T11:36:00.000-04:00

I'm doing Kristine's SPF this week!
Today's topic is "knobs". While thinking about ideas, I realized how many knobs we take for granted. How would you open a door without a knob? Some knobs make a house-wife's job much easier. I decided to take a "thankfulness" twist on the theme here. So here are quite a few knobs from around my house.

This is my shiny new storm door...and its beautiful brushed nickel level. I love these levers. All our doors have brass knobs. I want to change them...but that costs a lot of $$$.

Of course, we had to change out the tarnished brass "knob" on our entry door to match the new storm door. So this is the new one. They look so nice now, I just want to paint that awful green door now.

Now here are three more knobs in my house that I am quite thankful for. I am thankful for modern conveniences like an electric stove, a dishwasher, and a clothes dryer, which make my life so much easier. Imagine what life would be like without knobs like these.
I don't know why my dryer is called a "Dry-Miser." For some reason, I just think that is kind of a funny name for an appliance. That is white paint that somehow got on the dishwasher knob when we painted the ceiling. Although, I would love a new stove. I am thankful that this one is in good working order.

Did YOU play?

things I should be doing...

2007-04-18T15:13:00.000-04:00

...instead of blogging.

1. Picking up clutter around the house.
2. Putting away my photography equipment.
3. Clipping coupons.
4. Washing dishes.
5. Cleaning the kitchen.
6. Folding laundry.
7. Organizing the office.
8. Washing clothes.
9. Planning dinner.
10. Vacuuming.
11. Sorting through seasonal/old clothes.
12. Unpacking the remaining boxes from moving.
13. Taking my photos for SPF.
14. Editing the rest of my last portrait shoot.
15. Fixing the front window roman shade.
16. Cleaning the guest bedroom.
17. Organizing all the closets.
18. Grocery shopping.
19. Taking a shower.
20. Giving the cat a bath and/or brushing.
21. Going to get my pre-employment drug test and hepatitis B vaccine.

I start my new job on Friday. I am excited and nervous. Both ready to be back at work, and not so ready. I am very much looking forward to being back in a laboratory setting. It is a position that will give me valuable experience in a very different type of lab work than what I have previously done. It will also allow me to more easily find a part time or closer to home job in a hospital if need be in the distant future, perhaps once we have a family. Right now, I am very excited to be working for the organization that has hired me. I am not sure how many details I want to (or should) share online. If you are curious about what I will be doing and want to hear more details just email me. (My contact info is right below my profile in the sidebar.)

should I be worried?

2007-04-15T11:50:00.000-04:00

There are two men (one is the hubby) hacking away at the front of my house with power tools...
...should I be worried?

It's the noises I hear from inside that worry me. The jamming of tools between wood and brick...the cracking and snapping of wood...the hammering on the pry-bars...and the buzzing and grinding of the Saw-Zaw.

At least when they're done, I will have my nice new storm door installed. (*hopefully*...*fingers crossed*)

sometimes, it just sucks to be a girl

2007-04-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

This is something I hesitated to post about, because I initially felt it too personal. But it is increasingly on my mind, and what I do here is unload my brain. I am also encouraged by the genuine care, interest, and prayers that I have seen offered by "strangers" to other bloggers who were having a rough time. Everyday that passes since I started this blog makes the people who stop by and the writers of the blogs I read seem less like anonymous strangers miles away, and more like real friends.

I am going to post it in two parts (because it is a long story and both exhausting for me to write and probably boring for you to read all at once...despite my colorful pyrotechnics with toast)...today, you get part one.

Early in March, I began to have some abdomen pain one Thursday evening. I had just eaten some very rich and buttery shrimp scampi, so my first thought was "indigestion". It was not cramping, there was no nausea, and it felt nothing like heartburn. It was high in my belly, right below my rib cage and above my belly-button. I did feel sort of bloated though. I went to bed, hoping that in the morning it would be gone and forgotten. Not the case. I awoke somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00 AM...the pain was bad. I could not get comfortable, and could not find deep sleep. Around 4:00 AM, I woke Chad. I now thought maybe it was gas or something. He, being the amazingly sweet man that he is, drove to Meijer's to get me some gas relief pills. I took two and managed to sleep a bit more...but they didn't really help. In the morning I took another one. I was still having the same pain; I was able to move around enough to take a shower. I decided to go to my doctor at 1:00. Chad got the day off work, so he could take me.

By now, the pain had traveled to general all over abdominal pain, with a sharp pain when touched localized on the lower right. Then it dawned on me that it could be a ovarian cyst that ruptured. I had been diagnosed with that years before, and they had said then that there were other smaller cysts present. The doctor didn't listen to me tell her that I had been to the ER in 2002 with a ruptured ovarian cyst, and instead focused on a previous stomach acid reflux problem which she had addressed in 2005. She sent me home with some Prevacid to take every morning and told me not to eat anything spicy and to avoid caffeine and not to take any aspirin or Motrin. She explained away my questions about the "traveling" pain now on the lower right next to my hip bone as a stomach bug going though my digestive tract. She was pretty sure it wasn't my appendix, but told me to keep an eye out for some symptoms. Even that's not too re-assuring now, in retrospect.

Friday night, I started throwing up, and couldn't even keep dry toast down. (FYI, toast tastes pretty much the same coming up as it did when you ate it less than 5 minutes ago.) By Saturday, I was feeling worse...but stopped vomiting. I'm sure it wasn't the flu or anything like that. Chad called a friend of mine to come stay with me so that he could go to work. I started running a fever and didn't get out of bed all day. Sunday was about the same, but my temperature started coming down. My friend started to worry about a tubal pregnancy, but I was pretty sure my doctor tested for that, because they did take a urine sample and draw my blood. I also did a home pregnancy test to be sure. After Sunday, I started to improve and gained my strength back. I kept taking the Prevacid.

Oh, but that was not the end of it. More to come. I bet you are all on the edges of your seats...

P.S. For now, it is Nyquil and bed. My loving, wonderful husband, sharing and caring guy that he is, gave me his cold.

new hair

2007-04-07T18:24:00.000-04:00

I got my hair cut this week...and Allie has asked to see a photo. So here I am...it's not that drastic of a change. Just a little shorter layers, a few really short layers around my face..."bangs" of a sort. I love it! It is so perfect. I wanted a change from my relatively long layers, usually center parted...or slightly off center, and non-curly top (because of the weight of the length). It is so fun and sexay...I feel really happy with it.
That's me! Enjoy the photo, I don't post many that I'm in. (Probably one of the reasons my "365 days of me" project on Flikr kinda fell apart.) Wish it wasn't so dark, but I didn't take that many...and I have my hair in a ponytail today...so you wouldn't be able to tell how cute it is.

There's something wrong with these pictures

2007-04-04T23:23:00.000-04:00

Did you spot what it was?

It is APRIL. Even in Michigan, there isn't supposed to be snow in April! The temperature isn't supposed to continuously drop from 53 F this morning to 26 F!!! The snow isn't supposed to go from a few lightly teasing flakes to a BLIZZARD as I drive toward my house.

Easter is in four days. Easter is supposed to be springy. Cute floral dresses...Sandals...Baby chicks...green grass...NOT SNOW!

Ok. That's the end of my rant.

keeping busy

2007-04-03T23:44:00.000-04:00

Saturday was our niece's seventh birthday. She had a "girlie-girl" party. I was there to help out, and to take pictures of all the little girls after they painted their nails and put on play jewelry for frames which they got to take home. It was fun...and a bit of a challenge.

Sunday, Chad left for some work training 3-4 hours away. My friend Renee "moved in." We had fun staying up late, and making delicious waffles with strawberries, kiwi, and whipped cream on them Monday morning for breakfast.

Monday night, she taught me how to season and use my wok. We made a fantastic stir fry with shrimp and tofu and pea pods and carrots and bamboo shoots and bean sprouts and water chestnuts and green onion.

Today, we went to her sister's house for a "tea party." Both her sisters and her mom were there...and her nieces had so much fun. Then tonight, we went to a purse party, but I was good and didn't buy any more purses. She went home tonight, because she has to work in the morning.

Tomorrow, I am going to get my hair cut. Then, in the afternoon I have a photo shoot. I am shooting a 2 week old baby and family shots. I am excited...my first newborn session. I have gotten lots of good ideas for creative shots from Flikr...and I can't wait to try some for myself.

Thursday, I have a job interview! I am a little nervous. I hope it goes well. Chad really wants me to get back to work...and I am kind of feeling tired of being home all the time. The job is a bit unique, and I'm nervous about the changes that will come with it if I get the position. I don't want to jeopardize it...but I am nervous about what will come afterwards if they like me. I know it will be fine...it will just be different. Honestly, it will be good different. I just don't like change. I don't do well with routine changes. They're almost as bad as mornings.

Then Friday I pick up the hubby and we go celebrate his brother's birthday. Busy week. I'm tired. Goodnight.

Rubber ducky, you're the one...

2007-03-30T13:46:00.000-04:00

So far we have the walls framed, the copper plumbing run, the ducts in, and the electric half done. We are planning to put a whirlpool tub in the bathroom down there, because the other two bathrooms in our house have very small standard tubs...and being 5' 10", I haven't fit in a bathtub in years. I like baths. I miss them. (It is even harder to try to cram a 5'10" person and a 6'0" person in a standard tub at the same time. We tried, it was not pretty. The tub overflowed a little, and dripped through to the basement floor.) We're thinking we want one that is 72" long, and at least 36" wide...42" would be better.

We were going to wait on the tub for expense reasons...and worry about that later. The problem is, we need to get it down the stairs...and with a 90 degree turn at the bottom...we should try to do it before we put up the drywall, in case we need to cut the walls to fit it down. I just want a large tub. I could do without the jets and everything...as long as I can fit most of my body in the water. But we found one that is made exclusively for Lowe's by jacuzzi...and it is affordable with the jets. We will probably even add a heater for about $200...because it holds 81 gallons of water...which will probably take our hot water heater to it's limit. It's not 100% decided yet...but we saw one at a bath showroom that actually cost $9,999.00. It looked like any other whirlpool tub. That's insane...and like 10 times what the Lowe's one costs, which is still a lot...but it is a luxury we both want, and are willing to pay for since we plan on staying in this house for many years.

I know someone who had a jacuzzi tub in his house which he purchased off eBay. It was brand new, but deeply discounted because a contractor ordered it for a new build house...and the owners didn't want it because of a tiny non-damaging scratch in the acrylic. I have been keeping my eyes open for something like that as well.

Our new storm door came in, and I picked it up yesterday! I can't wait to get it in...but we have a tricky install because of some aluminum trim around the door. So we have to wait until a friend who knows what he is doing can come and help us. It is getting nice and warm outside.

Earlier, Chad and I went for a bicycle ride. It was nice...we only went 3.5 miles...but I am so out of shape, that my legs felt pretty rubbery after that. There was about a 10 mph wind blowing against us for about a mile...so that made it interesting...especially going uphill. This was the third time I've been out on my bike this year. Chad likes to run. I don't. I will ride my bike along with him, though. It is nice, and we both enjoy doing it together. I feel better about getting a little more activity into my life. I never needed to exercise for weight reasons...I am blessed with a fantastic metabolism, so far (knock on wood). But I am realizing how much better I feel when I do a little regular activity. Especially now that I am such an "old woman"...seriously, I'm not 17 anymore...and I can feel it. Really, I am thin, but I am in terrible physical shape. I have resolved to work on that. Hopefully, when my metabolism slows down, I will already be in the habit of exercising...and it won't be so hard to maintain the body I am used to...even after I have kids.

Something that I really want to do is the Zoo-de-Mackinac. I first heard about it last year. We couldn't go, because we were getting married! You can read all about the event...but the basics are: it is 51 miles, takes 6-7 hours of ride time, gets over 2,000 participants, and you see beautiful northern Michigan. It is extra special for us, because we get to spend time on Mackinac Island where Chad proposed to me in 2004. (we haven't been back there since). It seems like it would be difficult...but I have to think that if 2,000 people can do it...along with kids...how hard can it be? Plus the website states this:

Anybody who is in average physical condition should have no trouble going the distance. The first half of the ride is a little hilly and the last half is relatively flat. The distance makes you feel like you've accomplished something but will leave you with plenty of energy to continue on until late in the evening.

I really want to do it sometime...and if it is fun...I want to keep doing it every year...and get friends to join us...and do it with our future kids. So, I've got a little over a month to decide if my body is up to it. I am going to try to push myself and ride a little more every time we go. I didn't really feel like riding today, but I am glad we did it. I am going to try to push myself to do some kind of training for this, and see where I'm at in a month. Anybody want to come do it with us? C'mon, you know it will be fun! What I'm really wondering is...can my butt handle 7 hours on a bicycle seat???

Post Birthday Wind-down

2007-03-26T22:54:00.000-04:00

I realized something this birthday...I realized how nice it feels to have people just remember it and think of you. I got several birthday cards, e-mails, facebook and myspace messages, and quite a few phone calls yesterday...and it just made me feel so very very special and loved. Even happy wishes from friends who I haven't talked to in a long time. THANK YOU, everyone!!! I am going to make a bigger effort to remember other people's birthdays, and to find time to send a though and greeting on the day.

This year my birthday felt less like a big deal than it ever has before. This is the last year that all the candles for my cake will come from one box...the last year that I will have to keep the current photo on my driver's license...the last year before my car insurance goes down...the last year that I can't rent a car from any agency...the last year that I'm closer to 0 than 50...the last year before I've been alive for a quarter of a century. Yep, I'm 24. It also felt like any normal day...I almost forgot it was my birthday when I woke up yesterday. In the midst of all the activity and preoccupation around here...it felt a little forgotten...and I forgot it a little myself.

The activity I spoke of began on Wednesday morning when Lowe's delivered a truckload of building supplies. Then basement finishing commenced. We framed the walls and ran plumbing, and starting the wiring, and are getting ready to work on the ducting. All in the hope of turning this:

Into THIS:
I will have to show you some pictures of what it looks like on the way, though.

So, what did I do to celebrate my day? Well, my sister's boyfriend and my husband were working on the plumbing in the basement and had the water turned off all morning. I made two trips to Home Depot without being able to shower or put my contacts in or even brush my teeth (ew, I know...gross, huh?). We had to be at my grandma's for dinner at 3:00...all three of us. At 2:00 they still weren't ready to turn on the water. Did I mention that it takes 25 minutes to drive to my family's? I was begging them to turn on the water...I finally gave up and decided to take all my stuff with me and go shower and get ready at my mom's house. I packed my bag and was about to walk out when Chad grabbed the keys and said they needed a part from Home Depot. That left me waiting for him to get back. Long story short...they finished up...turned the water on...I showered. We were late.

Although, while I was in the shower, something must have gone very very wrong in the basement...because I heard lots of hollering and banging. When I went downstairs, both guys were on ladders focused on the ceiling and water was dripping on the floor. I left. They fixed it, and showed up fashionably later than I was late to my birthday.

My mom and grandma made me delicious, enormous king crab legs. They were so so good! My grandma also whipped up a fabulous "death by chocolate" cake from scratch. Chocolate cake with tons of cocoa in it, chocolate buttercream frosting from scratch, and white chocolate shavings on top! I wish I'd taken a picture.

After all that, I got to open my gifts. I was not expecting this at all...
Yeah, they're knitting needles. I got:

6 crochet hooks
8 circular knitting needles
2 sets of double pointed needles
12 9" straight knitting needles
12 13" straight knitting needles
1 pack of stitch ring markers
1 yarn cutter pendant

Believe it or not...this makes me happy. I love knitting...and I've been doing more of it lately. I've been finding new and interesting yarns to use...and beautiful patterns that I want to try. It really is addicting. (and time consuming...shhhh...don't tell anyone) I now have a complete set of any type of needle I might need! I love these bamboo needles, they are nice to use. The only problem is...my cat loves to chew on them. If I leave them lying around, he will bite up the tips so badly that the yarn will snag on them. I have to be very diligent. I'm telling you, having him is like practice for having toddlers.

So anyway...we finished off the night with my mom, sister, and aunt going to see Manheim Steamroller in concert. It was really amazing...and so much fun. I really really enjoyed it, much more than I even thought I would. Seeing the way the music is put together...it is an orchestra...not just all synthesizer...was really cool. Especially after growing up listening to their songs seeing them perform was an awesome experience. Go see the show if it is coming to your city.

Today Chad went for a run, and I rode my bike along with him. Since the weather was so beautiful. We had to get out and enjoy it a little.I don't think it is going to stick, though. I wish it would. I am so ready for spring and flowers and open windows. I've got a few more things popping up in my yard now...and the weeds certainly aren't having any problem.

Having the windows open today confirmed my fear. This fear, I've had it since we moved in. It started as something that began to dawn on me...then I began to be sure it would happen as the months went by. I'm talking about the neighbors' dog. Their hunting dog. The dog they keep in a kennel near the back of their yard. The dog that barks at everything. The dog that HOWLS. Howls when it hears sirens. This presents a problem because we live almost on the same street as the fire station. See "Exhibit A":The square on the left side is the Fire Station. The two squares on the right are for our house and the dog, two houses down. Having our windows open makes it much harder to ignore the noise than during the winter when our house is all shut up tight.

Well...I'm beginning to lose my train of thought. That's probably mostly due to the fact that I made myself this...to go with my quesadillas for dinner.
Chili's Chambord 1800 Margarita. The recipe I found, called for Cuervo 1800 tequila, Cointreau, and Chambord. If you're like me, and you don't want to spend $30 and up for EACH of those bottles...you can substitute Cuervo Especial Tequila, DeKuyper Triple Sec, and DeKuyper Razzmatazz. It's not exactly the same...but it's close, and pretty darn good.

accumulation

2007-03-18T23:08:00.000-04:00

I have too much stuff that I don't need. I have been unpacking boxes and re-organizing things for storage. And man, do we have a lot of stuff that I don't know what to do with. I have always been a pack rat...and not so good at the organization thing. There are incriminating photos of my old bedroom at its worst...and believe me, it was BAD.

Now, I am just finding that so much stuff that was important to me at one time, no longer has a place in my life. I just can't let it go. I used to collect road signs...I thought they were cool. Now I have so many that came from all different times and places, and I don't want to get rid of them...but I don't really want to make them a part of my decor.

I find myself so much more ready to pitch Chad's old stuff. He collected a lot of junk too. Like mine, it all got boxed up and brought over when we merged our lives. He doesn't seem as attached to most of it as I am...so why can't I discern what's worth keeping and what's worth letting go?

P.S. Tigger's not going anywhere...I love Tigger...I have always loved Tigger...and my sister brought him to me from her Senior Trip in Florida.

birthday present dilemma

2007-03-15T22:33:00.000-04:00

Ok, so my birthday is in a little over a week. We have been very busy getting started on a BIG home project. During our many frequent trips to Home Depot and Lowe's, we began looking at storm doors for our front entry. Currently, we don't have one...and I would really like to be able to open the door in the summer and have a breeze coming through the screen. Plus, I could see a little daylight, and feel the draft through the edges of the door this winter...so a storm door would also help with our energy efficiency next winter. Home Depot is running a special on installation until the end of March...so this would be a good time to get it done.

Originally, we thought we'd install ourselves...but our front door has a sidelight, and some decorative boxing around the door, which doesn't leave the sides of the door even on both sides for simple installation. So we figure with the sale, it would be worth it to pay someone else to do it. I REALLY want this door....a little more than I think Chad does. He doesn't really consider it a giant priority considering what we've got on our plate to do right now. Enter the very hard decision, that I CANNOT make on my own...

Would you take this as a birthday gift?You see, I teasingly asked Chad yesterday if he was done shopping for my birthday. He told me that honestly he hadn't really thought much about it with planning everything. A little while later, while we were talking about the door...he suggested that he would buy me the door for my birthday.

Well, I DO really want it. I'm afraid it will get pushed off for a long time. But, if I say "yes" then this year it's a door...next year it will be a vacuum cleaner or a dishwasher...and the era of gift appliances will begin. Plus it is just sort of a disappointing no surprise gift to get...not even ON my birthday. I want it...but not as a birthday gift. I want him to think of something thoughtful and surprise me next Sunday.

However, if he wanted to get me this as a birthday present...I wouldn't have to think about the answer for even a second...heck yeah!

Spring Temptation

2007-03-13T19:46:00.000-04:00

It was 74 F in Michigan today!!! I am SO SO SO happy! I know it is just a tease...and it will go back to our regular sucky march weather soon enough. (Like tomorrow) But today was beautiful! I opened all the windows, and went outside, and poked around our yard. I am excited for spring this year more than ever before, because I can't wait to see what flowers are planted in our yard...and to plant some of my own. We moved into the house in October of last year, so I have no idea what might come up. I did find this though...
...and I found some tags indicating that there will be some hostas and a clematis. Yay! And, I'm pretty sure that the bushes in the front yard are some sort of weird perennial evergreen blooming shrubbery. Sadly...the upcoming weather is not promising to be as nice...Ah well, we are about to start a BIG project indoors on our house...so I guess it will be better if the weather is yucky. I won't be as tempted to put down my hammer and run outside in a tank top!

Femininity

2007-03-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

For the first time in over a year and a half, I have painted nails! Since I am no longer working in the laboratory where I had my fingers in acetone and methyl ethyl ketone all day...I let my beautician friend paint them up! I am thoroughly enjoying it...much more than I thought I would. Never gave it much thought...but having a lovely girly shade of red on my fingertips makes me feel really sexy.

ok...now back to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

heard from a 5 year old

2007-03-08T00:32:00.000-05:00

While visiting with the same friends as in this post, I was sitting at the kiddie table for a few minutes with their 5 year old daughter. Apparently, the concept of growns-ups who are married and don't have any kids is quite confusing to her.

Her: Why don't you want to have any kids?
Me: I DO want to have kids.
Her: Well, why aren't they coming?
Me: Uh...well...

Then I was laughing too much to come up with any sort of "good" answer for that one.

Staying in,,,

2007-03-01T11:57:00.000-05:00

12:00 PM Things were all fresh and white outside when I got up today. Now it is raining, and things are turning to mush and just getting overall disgusting. I don't think I want to go out anywhere today. I have lots of projects to tackle around the house...and the day to myself to do it! I will update later with whatever I accomplish.

1:14 PM Caught up on reading blogs...ate a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch. I love this cereal...forget getting a grainy healthy start to my day...I'll take a sugary start, thankyouverymuch. Although, according to the box it is "Whole Grain". I bought two new boxes recently. I though I was buying what I always buy...take a look at the old box versus the new box, and tell me if you notice the difference. I didn't in the store.
But apparently I bought "reduced sugar" cereal to fulfill my morning sugar needs. Now I'm stuck with two boxes of this crap! Since when do they make this??? And is this the new Cinnamon Toast Crunch...or can I still get the real stuff??? I better be able to. This tastes horrible. It is loaded full of Splenda...which I am against, because it is really bad for you. Being a chemist, I have researched the science of the stuff...and it is nasty.

5:18 PM Noticed the lake in front of my house. Made some miscellaneous phone calls. Ate cold pizza for lunch. Heard from one of my professional references that a company I interviewed with yesterday called him yesterday afternoon. *Fingers crossed* Got the mail...almost needed a boat for that. I am in the middle of a very messy project right now...I will tell you all about it when I'm done.

this is how it works

2007-02-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

I am in love with Regina Spektor's voice! And her lyrics! And her music! You can listen to parts of all her songs on her site. It loads fast...under "music". I first heard her song "fidelity" on Grey's Anatomy. I didn't know it was her...and had never heard of her. But I searched the internet for what the song was. Then I listened on her site. Then I ordered the CD "Begin to Hope" from Amazon.com. I've listened to it 4 or 5 times in the last two days. Her songs really make sense in a non-sensical lyric kind of way. And her rhythm rocks!

From one of her songs, "On the Radio":

This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

The first section makes life seem so simple. Throw love in...and it all works differently. Life is so much simpler without loving someone...but I wouldn't trade what I've got for simplicity. I love the complicated life he gives me.

In typical Me fashion (with the procrastination and tardiness), this is my Valentine's Day post...better late than never, right?

On cooking

2007-02-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

I like cooking shows. I don't know why...but I really like watching these chefs create delicious looking dishes which I would love to taste...but know I will probably never make. They all call for ingredients that I will never find at a regular grocery store...or too many fresh herbs that come in a big bunch when the recipe only calls for a 1/4 cup or less. I love to watch as they transform a tabletop full of little bowls filled with various things into a masterpiece. Sometimes I can almost smell the food.

I don't have cable TV, so I have to get my food fix from the cooking segments on the news or the morning shows. I have the same love for magazine recipes...especially if they have beautiful photos. I used to tear out recipes (even when still living with my mom, and not doing much of the cooking) because they sounded so good, and I wanted to try them. I also was printing recipes from the food network's website like crazy. Then I would never make them. I don't allow myself to do that anymore. If I'm not planning to make it within the week, I won't tear it out or print it off. Baby steps.

Those chefs on TV are such careful cooks. They do everything perfectly. They have mastered their stoves, and never mess anything up. And they are doing it under the pressure of TV, and usually with the dish in 3 or 4 stages of preparedness all at once!

I am an impatient cook. Subconsciously, somehow I always end up with the stove too hot, and things don't turn out right. My omelets are brown on the bottom and runny on top. My grilled cheese is toasted on the outside...and the cheese is not melted. My cookies always seem to be doughy one second...and then when I pull them out, they get hard. The problem is the worst with anything sauteed or pan fried. I can't master the temperature.

If I lowered the heat it would probably lower my stress too. Because the chicken is cooking too fast...and turning brown...cause I can't stir it constantly...because I'm trying to get the veggies ready to go in the pan before the chicken is done. I can't get everything to come out evenly either. I REALLY try...but my main dish will be ready while the potatoes still have 7 minutes.

I know my husband doesn't really mind...he usually loves what I cook him. But I am tired of feeling badly about serving him sticky pasta, or mushy broccoli, or overdone pancakes. I need to know the secrets!

My grandmother is an excellent cook. I like cooking and I love delicious food. I think I just need practice. She has promised to give me some cooking lessons when she returns from Florida. I am excited! I want to succeed at this...the artist in me wants to create...and I want to learn to be as talented as she is. I am really just looking forward to spending some extra time with her, learning the art and science she has been practicing and perfecting for over a half a century!

Soup Day

2007-02-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

Some days just REQUIRE soup. Today is one of those days. We are in the middle of a lovely "winter storm advisory"...and we have been getting freezing rain on and off all day. Tonight they are forcasting snow.

I am sitting here happily wasting time on the internet and eating some delicious clam chowder.

I want to write a big post about something that is really bothering me, but I'm not feeling in the mood right now. So it will have to wait.

Happy Sunday evening, everyone!

It's 3 AM...

2007-02-21T02:45:00.000-05:00

...I must be lonely.
Ok...it's 2:40 and I'm tired and awake, but close enough. I can't sleep. Some nights it just doesn't work for me. The sheets feel too crisp. My nose is stuffed up. It's too dry in here. My husband is hogging the bed. He is weighing down his side of the bed, making our old mattress slant, and making me roll to the middle. Then, at any spot where I'm touching him, within minutes he starts to sweat making me stick to his skin. My pillows are too hard and too high. My back is itchy from dry skin. My stomach is itchy too. I wish I could breathe through my nose. My lips are chapped. The cat is giving himself a bath by my feet and shaking the bed. What was that creepy noise? Why aren't I tired? I am tired...why can't I sleep? I can't get comfortable...I can't relax...and I can't get my brain to shut down.

Kids just get it

2007-02-20T12:57:00.000-05:00

We had some friends over last night for dinner and games. They have three little girls. I love their girls, they are so sweet. The girls chased the cat around, watched the fish, played with some of Chad's old trucks, and raced quads on PlayStation. Then their three year old asked me to watch a movie. We have a few kids movies...but not many. The choices were: "Monsters Inc.", "Cars", and "The Little Mermaid". She insisted she wanted to watch "The Sword in the Stone". I told her I didn't have it and talked her into watching "Monsters Inc." instead. Then, while I was putting the movie in, she asked me again for "Sword in the Stone"...and the dialogue went like this:

Me: I don't have that movie.
Her: Why not?
Me: Because I don't have very many movies for kids.
Her: Why?
Me: Because I don't have any kids yet.
Her: Why?
Me: Because I have Chad instead.
Her: OH!

That answer not only satisfied her...but it seemed to make perfect sense to her now why I didn't have any kids. I love kids! Can't wait to have my own...all in time though.

Bored again

2007-02-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

Another day, I'm alone. Chad's been working a ton of overtime lately...which is good for the money. But I miss him. He's got Sunday and Monday off...but he just accepted overtime on midnight shift for Sunday night. Oh well. It's just bumming me out more because I am sick. I have a cold, and my sinuses are plotting a mutiny, I think. The last few days I have felt really crappy...hardly did anything...making some spaghetti on Thursday made me break out in a sweat and feel very weak. I am feeling a bit better today...and a little tired of staying in the house. I think I might go do some shopping. Getting out should make me feel better...and fun shopping will definitely make me feel better...I just have to try not to spend too much money.

My desktop computer is having issues. I got up yesterday to find it turned off...which is strange because I rarely shut it down, and I didn't remember doing it. I tried to start it up, and I got a message telling me the CPU fan was not running and asking me if i wanted to shut down, it was accompanied by an awful beeping. I have to go and see about getting a new fan and replacing it.

I want to go find some yarn for some fun knitting projects I want to tackle. I finished the Booga Bag I was making...and I felted it once. It shrunk a lot. I think I might felt it one more time to see what happens. I will post some pictures later. (they are on the desktop computer) I am working on a way bigger one now. Hopefully it works out for what I want it for.

I also haven't been to Target in so long. I feel the need to go there, and shop for some sweaters...

Ok, that's what I'm going to do...go out and go shopping! Anyone want to come with me?

snow day

2007-02-13T18:18:00.000-05:00

The snow is falling, and I am sitting here drinking a caramel latte and eating a big chocolate chip cookie from Caribou Coffee. I changed out of my business attire from this morning's interview, and put on some snuggly fleece pants. I am just waiting for the laundry to finish, then I have to drive down to my mom's house. I am spending the night there so I can drive her to the airport at 5 AM tomorrow morning. She is off to Florida. No fair.

Caribou's chocolate chip cookies are awesome. I have noticed this before about them...and I don't think it is intentional...but they seem to have a hint of orangy flavor. It makes them really differently yummy. I think it may be because they sit in the bakery case all day next to the orange muffins or the lemon poppyseed cake. I want to try to make my own version of chocolate chip cookies with a hint of orange zest. Maybe I will work on that later this week.

Chad and I went up north to the lake cottage. It was nice to get away for the weekend. We got tired of sitting around and staring at each other, so we decided to go for a drive to Manistee to see what Lake Michigan looked like in 10 degree weather. This is what we found:
Because the lake is constantly moving as it freezes, it gets these big mounds of ice. No smooth skating surfaces on Great Lakes.
The whole surface was also covered in these smaller ice balls. I imagine this is also because of the turbulent nature of the water. They are very slippery, and hard to walk on. I fell once, right on my bottom...luckily I didn't bang the camera because it was hanging around my neck.

Most of the mounds just have drop offs like this on the side furthest from the beach. Not too much further out, the lake was still very much not frozen.Beach grass...through the snow.
Ok...I'm off to my mom's to have "Thai Food Tuesday" and watch Gilmore Girls with my mom and Kristen. Ick...I don't want to drive in the snow. Blah.

makeup

2007-02-06T13:35:00.000-05:00

How many times have you heard someone say that they like a women better without any makeup? They like the natural look. I bet everyone has heard at least one person say that at some point.

This is what I just dumped out of my makeup bag. I only wear one of those things on a very regular basis. Guess which one?

Some of the others are staples when I do put on makeup...but I usually don't get all made up unless I am going out to be in some sort of social situation. I don't bother with it for the store or being at home. I didn't wear it to work much either (because I always had no time in the morning). Even going to a restaurant with just my husband doesn't warrant a full beauty routine.

Which brings me to the puzzling part. My husband has told me that he likes me without makeup. He likes me natural, thinks I am very beautiful, and that I don't need all that. However, whenever I do put on some makeup, he always comments that I look beautiful. I love to hear that from him in any situation. The irony just got me thinking. What do men REALLY like?

Molasses Crinkles

2007-02-02T22:44:00.000-05:00

Just finished making molasses crinkle cookies. My mom used to make them, but this is the first time I have ever made them. They sure are tasty...but mine came out a little differently than hers always do.

I will share the recipe with you...although I just got it out of my fabulous Betty Crocker cookbook:

Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Mix thoroughly:

3/4 cup soft shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Sift together and stir in:

2 1/4 cups Flour
2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger

Chill dough. Roll into balls the size of large walnuts. Dip tops in sugar. Place sugar-side-up, 3" apart on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops of water to produce a cracked surface. Bake just until set but not hard.

Temperature: 375
Time: Bake 10 to 12 minutes
Amount: About 4 dozen 2 1/2" cookies.

Except, I made mine a little smaller than a large walnut, I think. Also, I baked the first set 10 minutes...and they were a little too crunchy. The second ones only went for 9 minutes...they are better, but I might even do them less time next time. They don't look like my moms do. Hers are not as flattened out...and the cracks on top are more defined. I don't know why mine aren't like that. They still taste great, though. If anyone else makes them, let me know how you like them!

*EDIT* If you forget about the "sprinkling two or three drops of water on each cookie" part, they come out a little bit more like the way I thought they were supposed to (and I only gave these 8 1/2 minutes):

I have this lamp...I love it. My grandparents found it on someone's trash pile with the cord cut. My grandfather re-wired it, and I saw it sitting in their basement and asked them about it. (I wanted it) They said they picked it up for me. (I was so thrilled) But it had a really dated looking lampshade. (not the one pictured...it was actually WORSE!) They let me trade shades with one of their old lamps in an extra bedroom, so I got this one that is decent. It has a couple spots that are worn...and one little cut in one side.

I have been keeping an eye out for a replacement. A friend suggested something like a rice-paper shade. Trouble is, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a drum lamp shade this size anymore. Any stores only have the short little ones. I have yet to start going to expensive specialty lamp stores because they are...well...expensive. I need help...I even searched online without much luck. If anyone has any suggestions, please tell me. I really want to get it updated...but I am getting nowhere finding anything.

Random Photo Friday

2007-02-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

"Pastry & Donut Shop"
"Bakery"
Just for your amusement...because it amused me. Sorry it is such low quality...I took it while trying to be very sneaky...and from across the street, in the dark, through my car windshield, and while it was snowing. I tried again...and the flash went off! So it was time to split before anyone noticed. The sign originally said the name of a town near me...so I blurred that part out. Yes, those are both Police cars...it is a little hard to tell on the one on the left. In reality...this town is so small, that is probably the whole shift right there. :o)

SPF will come later on today, I promise!

makin' money...doing nothing!

2007-01-29T18:58:00.000-05:00

This really isn't THAT big of a deal...but I am super-excited...

I just logged in to my cafe press account, which I set up back in August...and I have made $15.80!!! I only set up a free account, which limits you to offering each item with only one design. Basically, I set it up out of curiosity...uploaded a few photos...played around with setting up merchandise and pricing...and that was it. It was really easy to do, and you set the prices above the base price based on how much profit you want to make. I tried to keep prices low, I pretty much only make about $2.00 per item. But for just forgetting about it, and collecting the cash...I can't complain.

I sold this BBQ apron, two mousepads, a refrigerator magnet, a jr. spaghetti tank top, a framed tile, a blank journal, and a baby bib...all with the strawberry design. Apparently, that one is much more popular than the other two:

I didn't expect to sell anything...there are SO many designs available on cafe press...that I didn't think mine would really catch any one's eye. But there are LOTS of shoppers, and just the time to open it payed off.

I recommend that anyone who doesn't already have a shop, should set one up. It is free, quick, and easy. You never know who might want to buy your stuff.

If anybody does set up a store, I would really appreciate it if you used me as your referrer, that would really help me out A LOT. Just click the button below:

Or enter my shop ID, which is "sometrouble" when you are signing up.

To visit my store you can always click the link over in the sidebar (next to the strawberry)...or here's one more shameless plug...

Ok...one last thing...I added a little link at the bottom of my sidebar. It is an experiment. I can earn money by people clicking that link to visit CafePress...so if you want to shop...please go through there. I am going to leave it up for a while, and see if it does any good. I really don't want to clutter this place up with ads, though.

"The Egg and You!"

2007-01-26T00:44:00.000-05:00

Click for larger view
As a wedding present, my Grandmother gave me an authentic reprint of the original 1950 edition Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. (I also got a 1976 printed edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook from my mother-in-law) I am happy to have the book...and I just took the plastic off, and started looking at it. I see now where so many of my grandma's great meals stemmed from.

The whole book is very vintage, and some pages are just really funny. The photo above is from the first page of the section on "Eggs". The photo itself makes me go "huh?" I mean, what's with the egg-person? He looks rather depressed (and shiny?). And are those toast animals??? And why do we need to display a storybook of Humpty-Dumpty with our breakfast? The text below the photo, which is supposed to give an introduction to the "Egg Chapter", is even funnier:

Remember how you used to chant the old "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" rhyme? Generations of children have learned to count by them. Well, here are some rhymes to learn for egg wisdom:

One, two--they're good for you! Humpty Dumpty (alias The Egg) is a many sided food! Remember--Humpty Dumpty's always on call, bursting with vitamins for us all,--proteins and minerals, too, in his shell, what we all need to help keep us well. *Note the rhyming here...call - all...shell - well. And since when do we eat egg shells to get proteins and minerals?

Three, four--they taste like "more!" Nothing can match the wonderful flavor of fresh eggs properly cooked. For eggs that are delicate (done just so)...cook them over heat that's low! *Again with the rhyming...and someone explain to me exactly how an egg is when it is "delicate"?

Five, six--they're fun to fix! Eggs don't have to be "just eggs." The poached egg on a toasted English muffin with thinly sliced fried ham and hollandaise sauce becomes delicious "Eggs Benedict." Creamed eggs with a bright garnish of sieved hard-cooked egg yolks and parsley bouquets become "Eggs a la Goldenrod." *This picture should say all that needs to be said about "Eggs a la Goldenrod."

Seven, eight--they're mealtime bait! The recipes that follow are sure to lure the family to meals. And the pages will show you by word and picture tested methods to insure superbly cooked eggs and egg dishes in attractive variety for many a meal to come. *I wouldn't be so sure about the "luring" qualities of "creamed eggs."

Nine, ten--here's how and when! There's more than one way to crack an egg...and cook it! There's a BEST way even to cook eggs in the shell. The pages that follow show you how to work egg wonders for many a day. *"egg wonders?"

Eleven, twelve--dig and delve! Delve into the recipes and we feel sure you'll be inspired to try every one of them. *Not Eggs a la Goldenrod.

You guys are sharp!

2007-01-25T16:59:00.000-05:00

Everyone picked up on the one little line I mentioned in the last post about the thing I hadn't been talking about...me not working. I thought I could just mention it in passing, and not draw too much attention. Nope. You all are too sharp for me! Not that it is really a big secret or anything, though.

That's right, I am no longer working (for the moment). It is a complicated situation, which I would rather not talk about here. However, I will say that I did not leave on bad terms, neither am I exactly unhappy to be not working at the moment. And one last thing...in case anyone was thinking that the reason I had to leave my last job where I worked with hazardous, vaporous chemicals was because of me being pregnant...I am not...nor did I think I was. Hubby and I are not ready for that just yet.

I have been "blissfully unemployed" since January 5th. That is not to say that I am not busy...we have plenty to work on around the house. Also, I have been getting a little more into setting up my photography side business. And I am looking for another job. But, honestly I am enjoying feeling like I have time and energy to accomplish regular things at home now. Chad wants me to start working again as soon as possible. I want to get some things in order first, including organizing our tons of stuff that we merged when we got married (and getting rid of a lot of it). So I am splitting my time between that and pursuing a new job.

Thanks everyone for the good suggestions on getting more time together. I will try to have set plans for us to spend some time. It is just a little different than I thought it would be, being home. I thought it would be perfect...but surprisingly, I miss having work to go to everyday for a little while. I did feel overwhelmed before though. So hopefully, I can get this place under control...then go back to work...and not feel so stressed.

I got to go up north with my mom and sister for the weekend to the lake chalet, which my grandparents purchased this summer. It was beautiful. They had more snow up there than we have here. It was a real winter wonderland. Chad had to work, so he couldn't come with us. The three of us went out to play in the snow. We brought a plastic sled we got several years ago (and was really too small for any of us) and found a little (but steep) hill on the side of the dirt road to climb up and sled down. The steepness and the too small sled resulted in much tumbling out of the sled and down the "hill." It was great fun. Except the part where I landed on both my knees on the snow covered dirt road. The ski-pants I was wearing helped pad them a little...but they both have nasty bruises.

I really love the chalet...it is a really restful place to visit. I can't wait until my cousins from Washington (Numine, Anonymity's Name, and Titania) get to experience it.Ok, I am off to go see DELIRIUM, a Cirque du Soleil live music concert with my mom, aunts, grandma, and cousin. (That's my grandma's Christmas present from all of us.) I am excited, it should be good! (Better be for $72 a ticket!)

catch up

2007-01-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

I feel like I can't get enough sleep lately. I wake up everyday feeling like I can't get my eyes to stay open. When I get up, I wander around the house having a hard time sticking to a task. I plan many things to accomplish in the day...and can't get going on any of them. I blame it on the husband. He is a big distraction...he has plans of his own for the day...and usually has some idea of what he feels I should do with the day too. He throws a big monkey wrench in my plans...then goes off to work at 2:00 and leaves me with a day half gone and none of my stuff accomplished. Also, I am alone. Which I don't like so much. It puts me in a bad mood day after day. I love seeing him more...and having mornings together, now that I am not working. But I hate being alone for 8 hours a day, 6 days in a row.

Too often, on his days off, he gets busy with a project, and spends all day doing it. It seems like I see him even less on those days. Last night after dinner, I asked him to come sit on the couch with me and just watch TV together and relax for an hour. He said he wanted to finish organizing the garage (which he had been at all day)...and that he only had a little left, then he would spend time with me. More than two hours later, he finally comes in at 10:30 PM...now there is nothing worth watching on TV, and I want to pick up a little in the kitchen. So much for spending some time together.

Today, he's been running around getting a workbench for the garage from a friend, picking up another friend to help him move it, dropping that friend back off at home, then running down to his mom's to get her so he can pick up his truck from the body shop (it was there because of me...whoops). Running to his Uncle's where we used to live...and a few other places...and when he gets back, we are going to have dinner and play cards with friends.

Tomorrow he is back to work again until next Wednesday.

Oh, and Caramel Apple Dip is a wonderful thing! That is all.

winter weather

2007-01-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

In my last post, maybe I shouldn't have been complaining about the lack of wintry weather we've been having.
Monday night we got hit by a winter ice storm. All the rain froze. Everything was coated in tiny icicles. It was very pretty...all the tall grasses and tree branches were glittering in the sun. It was also very heavy, causing lots of branches to fall and causing power lines to go out. It was estimated that about 120,000 customers lost power this week. Ours went out on Tuesday morning around 9:00 am. We spent the day running a few errands, and I sat at Caribou Coffee for a while with the laptop and knitted while enjoying a gingerbread latte. (too bad those are only seasonal!) Chad got up on the ladder and broke the ice off of our gutters so they wouldn't get clogged and water won't leak under our shingles.

Our house is really well insulated, so it didn't get too cold inside. We keep the thermostat at 62 F at night, and by 5:00 pm it had only dropped to about 56 F.
We decided to take the cat and spend the night at my grandparents' house since they are in Florida anyway. So I packed everything up, and we ran out to get some dry ice to keep the freezer cold. When we got back with $20 worth of dry ice, we found that our electricity was back on. Go figure. We were some of the lucky ones though, many people have been without power since as early as 4:00 am Monday morning. Around 20,000 still had no power yesterday afternoon.

I have got the knitting bug...I learned how to knit as a child, but never made anything more than a very crooked piece of a scarf out of miscellaneous scrap yarns that I got from my mother and grandmother. It was only about a foot and a half long. In the past two years, I picked it up again. I made a few pretty scarves out of fancy yarn...but no fancy stitches, just straight knitting (garter stitch). I could never even remember how to purl. I suddenly have the motivation to teach myself more. I have always been crafty, and it is really fun. I'm trying my hand at a felted booga bag. I will post pics when I finish it. It is going very quickly.

Well, gotta go be productive today. Lots to do. Take a look at the other ice photos, throughout this post, which I took in our yard (click for larger images).

Gotta love this rainy winter

2007-01-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

It is mid January and we haven't had any substantial snowfall yet. I'm not complaining too much, because the temperatures haven't been all that bad either yet. However, temps above freezing mean we're getting it all as rain instead.

Yesterday morning, we woke to a wet cat jumping on us. Immediately we were wondering why he was wet. I thought maybe the bathtub was damp, since he likes to play in there. We checked it...bone dry. Then I checked to see if the toilet lids were closed, because I thought maybe he had just been playing in the water...closed. The third place we checked which we dreaded looking, because by process of elimination, we both knew had to be the reason, was the basement. Sure enough, flooded. Damn.

Apparently, our sump pump had failed to kick on. Also, the back up pump, which runs on water pressure failed to kick on as well. So the water had overflowed the pump pit and was all over the basement. The pumps were both fine, though.

*Warning: my attempt at a "technical" sump pump explanation follows:*

The main pump is supposed to be triggered on when a floating balloon goes upright because the water is high enough to lift it. This "balloon" is on a long hose, but is attached to the pump by a metal fastener with the correct amount of slack to control our water level. Well the metal fastener corroded away and the balloon was now just floating on its side with about 3 feet of slack hose. Nice.

So the back up pump, works with a spring loaded valve that opens the house's water flow to create a vaccuum and force the water up and out. The valve is triggered by a weighted float that is on a string tied to the handle of the valve. The weight holds the valve closed as long as there is tension on the string. When the water level rises, the string slackens allowing the spring to open the valve. There are two problems with this method: 1. Eventually, the string will rot away...but the worst that would happen here is a huge water bill from the valve staying open. 2. Cats play with strings...which is I think what happened in our case. The string was tangled around the pipes of the pump, and the spring was no longer putting pressure on the valve.

*End "technical" nerdiness.*

In any case, we mopped up the water, and did damage control on the thankfully few things that got wet. Our basement is unfinished, and right now we only have a few things stored down there. Many things are in plastic boxes. An inch of water doesn't do much damage to wooden furniture either. I did have my photography "studio" set up down there...and a couple of the backdrops got wet. But I just threw them in the washing machine, no biggie. Chad spent all day working with his dad and his brother to replace both pumps. They were both still working, but we are planning to carpet and drywall the basement this year...so new pumps can't hurt. The backup one now has a rod and an enclosed spring to trigger it, so hopefully no more malfunctions.

We are REALLY REALLY glad this all happened yesterday so we could take care of it before there is more at stake in the finished basement. No soggy carpeting, thank you. I guess the water table here is pretty high. We had some trouble with water sitting at the back of our yard last week. The water level in the ditch back there was actually higher than the sump pump's outlet pipe. Chad had to dig all that out too. Its fantastic being a homeowner.

Another reason I'm glad it was yesterday and not tomorrow is because as I am writing this, we are having this installed in the basement:

Only ours has "ocean blue" felt!
We got an awesome deal on it, some guy bought it and only had it 4 months...he says he only played on it about 5 times. He is unfortunately getting divorced, and wants to sell it before his wife can take it. Chad's brother refelts tables as a side job, and came across it. He would have kept it, but he doesn't have a house. We wanted to get one eventually after we got the basement done...but this deal was so good, we are taking it now. I researched it online, and from what I can tell, we are paying about 1/3 of what it should cost new! I am super excited! I can't wait to get the basement all done.

Christmas entertainment

2006-12-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

Had a great Christmas, had fun with the kitten. Will make time for a more detailed post later on...but for now, enjoy this video of his antics...or our antics.

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The video is about 1 minute long...the really good part is towards the end when he starts to get dizzy. There is a little bit of background sound...the camera picked up us talking.

it's never-ending

2006-12-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

~Today I edited 129 photos and took portraits of a brother and sister.
~I have been sitting at this computer for 7 hours today.
~I have done 8 photo shoots so far.
~I am completely done with all the editing and printing of 2 sets.
~I am waiting for the parents to place orders on those 2.
~Today's set was minimally edited, and needs to be burned on a CD.
~I have 72 more raw photos to go through to finish my third set.
~Then the third set has to be printed.
~I have 4 more sets left to edit, print, show parents, and get orders BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
~Those 4 sets have 162, 122, 256, and 209 photos in them.

Did I mention that I work full time during the week too?
Did I mention that I still have Christmas shopping to do?
Did I mention that my house needs some cleaning attention?
Did I mention that we are running out of clean clothes, but that I have no time to waste on laundry?

Don't have much else to say...my brain is fried. Oh, and I managed to run out of space on my hard drive. I didn't know I was anywhere near that point. *Asks Santa for an additional storage device for Christmas*
Ok, I've wasted enough time on this post...back to work!

It's my life now

2006-12-15T14:12:00.000-05:00

So...sorry that all I've been showing you here is portrait photos I've been taking recently...but that is ALL I do now. What started as exciting fun has quickly become a second job that doesn't pay nearly enough for the time and energy it requires. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE doing it...and I don't want to stop. I am just exhausted. Christmas is coming FAST...and I still have shopping to do...with not even a moment to think about what to buy. I have photo sets to finish editing pronto for the parents to have before Christmas. Post-processing is taking up much more of my time than I thought it would...and my original pitch of a "Free Portrait Session" is starting to look like too poor an idea to continue for very much longer. I'm sure things will be much better after Christmas, because everyone is rushing Holiday Portraits...but right now, I barely have time to breathe.

Tonight, I will scoot out of work as soon as I can, and head home to settle in front of the glowing monitor with a cup of coffee and photoshop until my 5:30 appointment arrives. I've got another one tomorrow at 2:00. Both of those seem like they will be easier orders. Today's shots are of my neighbor's niece and nephew. She wants to gift the children's mother with a couple portraits for Christmas. They are 6 and 2. Piece of cake. Tomorrow's children are 9 and 4, and are also a gift being done by someone else for the kids' parents. They do not need any Christmas portraits, but they do need the photos before Christmas.

I am trying to work on my nervousness with photographing children of people I don't know. So far it has mostly been friends. I did one that was referred by my neighbor, but the neighbor came with them, and Chad was there to help me get the baby to smile. The overall energy of that shoot was really great. It is funny how each shoot is different, with a different pace, and the parents all act differently. The first set I did, both parents came, and the father got his daughter to laugh by telling her knock knock jokes. Some parents will stay behind me most of the time, while others will sit right beside the backdrop near their kids. Some come prepared with armloads full of props, knowing exactly what they want the photos to look like...while others just stand back and let me make all the decisions.

I need to find a good site to host my photo sets on. I want something that the parents can view the photos online at. I want them to be download protected, and I don't want the option to order prints from a third party to be available. Anybody have any recommendations?

I also need to think of a name for my business. I don't particularly want to use my married last name, since it is long and polish and not very pretty sounding...not to mention, not all that easy to spell. Ideas? E-mail me if you really want to try to help me think of anything, and need to know my name and stuff. K thx!

Busy Weekend

2006-12-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

Had a fun filled weekend, the highlight of which was having BOTH of our vehicles in the shop for repairs, at once! We are HOPING to get Chad's truck back today. My car, they haven't even begun to look at. I also spent much of the time taking photos of several children. I found that the best ages to shoot are those babies who are not yet too mobile...or toddlers old enough to take a little bit of direction. It is that in-between age that presents the real challenges.

Friday, I shot two girls, as I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be. They were 2 1/2 and 1 years old. They were hard. This 2 year old was much more fidgety than the first one I did...and her sister did not want to stay put and smile for us. Having two children to work with is a big challenge. Saturday began with another 1 year old girl. She wasn't too keen about sitting still and smiling either. But it went a little smoother. Her mother brought their German Shepherd as well, and wanted a photo of the dog and the baby together. The dog was surprisingly co-operative! Next, my friend from work brought her 9 month old baby over. He was so smiley, and Chad really got him giggling. Got some great photos of him. On Sunday, my friend Sara brought her son over, I have shown a pic of him before...he is 6 months old now, and he was so good too! We let him take a little nap break halfway through, which gave us some time to visit. That's him in the above photo. He is so adorable! I'm doing the first person who I don't know tomorrow. She was referred by my neighbor. I am a little nervous...I hope she is pleased with the results.

She's just too cute

2006-12-06T23:09:00.000-05:00

Finished up the editing of the set from my first "client"! Her parents will see the shots on Sunday...cross your fingers that they are happy. I am booked solid for the weekend, and have one more person trying to get her daughter in as soon as she can.

My Christmas Wish List

2006-12-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

That is it. I will be a happy happy girl if Santa brings me that camera. Since I saw it at Costco a couple weeks ago, I wanted it. Today, at Costco, I commented to the employee at the digital camera counter about how badly I want it. He handed it to me, and said "here play with it a bit." That did not help my desire to POSSESS it! Now I'm feeling withdrawal symptoms, and my poor D70 is feeling rejected. Yesterday, Chad told me that if I keep going with the photography, and get really good, and start making the big $$$, he will get me the D80!!!

First Studio Photos

2006-12-03T00:40:00.000-05:00

Here are a few from the session I did today...my first! I am so happy with the way everything went, and relieved that the photos came out pretty well. I am super excited about all this. I am getting more interest everyday. I will have to figure out how to transition from doing free photos to charging for them once I get more experience and become more professional.
The shots are off to the photo lab, and we will see how accurate my monitor settings are tomorrow. I can't wait to show her parents!

Christmas Parties, Grumpy Cats, and Photoshoots

2006-12-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

Last night was my husband's work Christmas party. He works with almost all men...and only male employees went to last night's party...but they all brought their wives or girlfriends. It was really fun. We started out at an Italian restaurant. Good food, fun company, drinks, and a great time was had. Some of the couples with kids who were home with babysitters called it a night after that...the rest of us headed over to another bar...where a couple of the guys knew the managers and bouncers well. We were treated like VIPs. The manager brought us complimentary drinks, and made sure we always had refills. Both managers brought the shot girl over to our table on two separate occasions and bought us all a round of shots. We joked and laughed and drank until after the bar closed. We didn't leave until almost an hour past closing time. I don't know who started it, but by the end of the night we were all "doing faces". We would go around the table taking turns making a silly face...a different one each time. It was so funny. I would love to go out with that bunch again, I had the most fun out that I've had in a long time.

Between 7:00 PM and 2:00 AM I had 5 pint sized glasses of raspberry stoli and lemonade, two red-headed s1ut shots, and two "raspberry martini" shots. They were all great, but this morning I was sorry. I had the whoppingest hangover ever. My headache was almost as bad as a migraine, I was dizzy, and so dehydrated that my arm and leg muscles ached. I drank 6 8 oz glasses of water, and am feeling much better...but it still kinda left me feeling "off" all day. Last night was so worth it though.

We picked up Cato this morning, and boy was he grumpy. He really let us know what he thought about being at the vets overnight and being in a cat carrier and in the car. He can be so sassy and mouthy sometimes. He is doing well though...curled up on my lap sleeping right now, as a matter of fact.

I had my first "official" photoshoot today. "Official" as in: they called Monday, and wanted to set up a time to come over and have me photograph their 2 1/2 year old daughter...and I had backdrops and lights and props. It went well. I am happy. Only one temper tantrum about the black backdrop being "not nice"...and some protesting the Santa hat her parents wanted her to wear. But she declared everything "stylish". She LOVED Chad's old wooden rocking horse and rocking chair. And was captivated by my little 4 foot Christmas tree. I am photographing her cousins tomorrow. Another 2 1/2 year old girl and her little sister who is 1. Should be slightly more challenging. Pray for good moods and their parents and I to have patience. I will share some photos from today when I finish post processing them.

Just had to share...

2006-12-02T09:26:00.000-05:00

Took a photograph of the orchid in our lab, which I mentioned in the last post.
Amazing, isn't it?