February 26, 2011 - Happy Caturday

I have to admit that I can relate to this LOLcat - my memory isn't all it was.  But I figures it's because there is only so much room for knowledge and eventually some things get pushed to the back or stuck under other things...and I am a bit of an information packrat.

We had some nasty weather roll though yesterday - a bit of hail and some very high winds - so I skipped winetasting and came straight home to check on things at Chez Em.  Good that I did, because once again the wind had flipped the hot tub cover open.  It came with "locks" that I didn't bother to install, but now I'm thinking perhaps I should...it would certainly look less redneck than the logs I am using to hold it down.   My back yard is once again strewn with pieces of tree......the next warm and sunny day I have my work cut out for me.

Much calmer (though still chilly) today so I'm off to the wine store and perhaps a bit of shopping.  I had intended to not buy any more clothes until I lost enough weight to go down at least one size - but its not looking like I'm going to manage that anytime soon - I lack focus, I'm afraid.  Or perhaps I have too much focus - at least on noms like rice and bread and pasta...all of which I need to give up for a couple of weeks to make any more progress.

Damn, for a woman who had nothing to say, I've managed to ramble on a bit.  Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend and I look forward to catching up with everyone.

February 24th - Thursday Thirteen

I have been trying to blog more - but oddly enough - as much as I intentionally structure my life....I sometimes feel the need to rebel against my routine.....and blogging (or rather not blogging) seems to be how I do that.

I mean, I can't not feed the cats or the fish, or not show up for my bowling team, or skip a weeks worth of classes..I've got responsibilities.

So today I have a few minutes to do more than a bit of facebook catching up- and since it happens to be Thursday, I can give you some snippets of recent life at Chez Em.

1.  A fish died.  Yes I know that's part of an aquarium owners life.....but it's a part that is generally invisible to me - the snails and the other fish take care of the remains and I generally don't know there was a death in the family unless I take a headcount.  However this was one of the bigger fish and maybe he (or she) just didn't taste good because the carcass just lay there and I had to net it out. 

2.  Pumpkin has decided he will only eat canned food, and not a whole lot of it.  I don't know whether it's because he has teeth issues or smell issues or if it just means he's not very hungry and is getting near the end of his time with me.  He's an older cat anyhow - and if you've known me for a while you might remember that last October the vet discovered an inoperable tumor on his leg.   All the furkids are off to the vets next week for shots - and maybe I'll be lucky enough to find this appetite/weight loss thing is something treatable.  But whateve happens, we've still had almost a year and a half of good times since the tumor diagnosis - and I'm grateful for that.

3 Financial Accounting class still sucks - but at least the homework gives me three chances to get it right - only three more weeks to go and I think I'll manage an A.

4.  Work kinda sucks too - there's a lot of it and we're shortstaffed and the big software project I'm helping with is busy as well so I feel like I never get a break anymore. 

5.  But I'm going on vacation in 23 days.....in a Spa Cabin with unlimited use of the giant hot tub and the thermal suite.

6.  And the ports on this trip are full of opportunities to do two of the things I love best - snorkel and look at archeological sites.

7.  I also booked my flight to  Nova Scotia to meet up with my friends Bundy and his GF in September.  And it was lucky that I went ahead and booked....I was doing this with airmiles - as it was the number required had gone up so I barely had enough - but I did, and that's what counts.

8.  I love this season of Survivor - I thought the show had gotten predictable - but the twist of Redemption Island is going to make things interesting....and I have to admit that Boston Rob is brilliant.

9.  A Facebook friend of mine had a great quote up this morning - I think I might needlepoint it as a wall hanging for my office.  "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it"

10.  My Safeway started selling naan again (yum)

11.  My state AND federal tax refunds arrived safely in my savings account this week - and I only filed on February 15th.

12.  I've got enough flexibility back in my right knee that I can do a proper quad stretch on that side.....and it doesn't hurt me at all anymore.

13.  I have a friend who works at Best Buy and he used his discount to get me a deal on a water resistant boombox - perfect for taking out to the hot tub...which is where I think I'll be heading shortly.

2/20 - Sunday Serendipity

The NASCAR Sprint Cup season starts today with the Daytona 500.   I've never seen a race there, but I've taken the track tour and it's one of those places that you really can't get a sense of without visiting.  The place is HUGE.  
As much as I enjoy being able to watch so much NASCAR on TV these days (it used to be that you had to hunt the races down on stations like FX)......I think that there is just too much chatter and not enough actual racing anymore.  Granted - it can be a boring sport on TV - long periods of cars going around in circles with an occasional moment of excitement from a wreck or a lead change.  I guess the networks feel the need to fill up every moment of airtime with commentary...but it really does sound forced....and I wish they'd shut up once in a while.  Granted, I like the incar cameras and the pit road coverage and the replays....but the rest.....let the driving speak for itself.

So for folks who find NASCAR boring - I understand.  It's one of those sports where you really do need to be there.  No matter how high you crank up your TV - it's still not the same engine rumble, or the smell of asphalt and tires.  The cameras can't show you everything happening on the track - you are at their merchy as to what they feel like filming....but if you are there yourself you can see most of what's going on and pick and choose who you want to focus on at any given time.  There is a lot of great on the edge driving happening that never shows up on TV unless it ends up in a wreck.

There I go off on a tangent again.....sorry about that. 

Today really was meant to be about all sorts of luckiness at Chez Em's.  First off - although we had some really nasty winds yesterday the pile of limbs I'd stacked yesterday stayed put and there are only a couple new ones to add to the collection.  The cover blew off my hottub - but I was lucky enough to think to check it and once weighted down - no more problems.  I got all my homework finished yesterday, so today is about relaxing....and I'm holding onto an A in the class with three weeks to go.

I headed out to Target this morning and happened upon some really good clearance buys (dollar shampoo/conditioner/lotion)......stopped off at the grocery store and found a rib special (a rack of ready to eat for five bucks).  I got home and turned the oven on to heat them up a bit more - only to find I was out of aluminum foil.  And when I headed out to get some - I found NY strip steaks marked down to 2.50 each.

So it really has been a serendipitous day for me - and I hope it has been for you as well.

February 19th - Caturday

I get a lot of that around my house..........perhaps we should change the

Infinite Monkey Theorem to Infinite Kitteh Theorem.

Yesterday was an unseasonably warm winter day - we had temperatures get into the 70s (22C).  Why do Americans insist on using a different measurement system than most everyone else?  Fahrenheit was German, Celsius was Swedish - so it's not like we have any particular loyalty to one over the other.

But I digress - because it was such a nice, warm day I got the opportunity to collect some of the branches that had fallen in that heavy snow storm of a few weeks ago.  Objects down the hill are larger than they appear.....and there was a LOT of debris to haul up and eventually bundle and send off (they don't start collecting again until April 1st).

Of course today we are getting 30 mph winds with gusts of up to 60 mph......so it's likely that I'll find myself picking up branches again next weekend if they aren't covered by the snow expected to fall on Monday/Tuesday.

Yesterday left me yearning for a tropical vacation - the 28 days before I leave seem like an eternity.

Hope all of you are having a great weekend wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

2/16 - Slippage...

I've blogged about the big computer system upgrade switch that I have been helping out with for the past year.  It's been frustrating - I'm not particularly good at working in teams and the people I was assigned to work with aren't my favorite folks......but I have figured out how to distance myself enough that I can be cooperative without taking any of the crap part personally.  I rarely venture an opinion - only when I see a serious potential problem, and that approach seems to be effective - when I do comment, it's taken seriously, while others are considered Chicken Littles.

And the target date for a shutdown/switchover was the end of this month.....meaning that I've been really busy trying to do my regular job while helping to test our new system and trying to pretend that I care what font we use for printed documents and whether we teach keyboard and mouse commands together or pick one.

All I care about is that my coworkers and I can get the necessary information into and out of the system so we can do our jobs. 

And that must not be happening yet because this afternoon we were informed that the schedule has slipped and we don't anticipate the switchover until the end of March with a start date of April 8th.

So pardon me while I do a short happydance.

You see - since we aren't shutting down in nine days I can get the piles of work on my desk finished.......and if the new schedule holds, by the time we get new piles of stuff that must be rushed though.....I'll be a thousand miles away on my cruise.....and if they do decide to try to start the new system on a Friday (which I personally think is not a smart move)....I'll be wandering DC with my houseguest Susan and friends Jaime and Matt.

Yep - you try your best and you get rewarded.........

2/14 - Happy VD to all

Actually, I have nothing against Valentines Day except that it seems to come with all sorts of expectations.......I remember an ex calling me at the last minute to invite me out to dinner and I just KNEW that his friends had badgered him into it (but I went anyhow and ordered something ridiculously expensive, lol).

In fact one year I was just so tired of all the competitiveness among the women in the office that I sent myself flowers just so I wouldn't get those sympathy looks from all the coupled folk.

I'm older and wiser now.......and I admire (and envy a bit) the folks who have truly good relationships with or without the VD trappings......and I feel sorry for those who have settled for less.

My life works for me - and although there are occasional moments of "what if"......I have to say that overall it's been an amazing ride so far - and there is a lot to be said for not limiting yourself to one partner for life. Every man I've been involved with has taught me something - backpacking, dancing, boating, grilling, home repair, etc etc etc.  I adore men - and when you aren't wrapped up in trying to seduce them (or vice versa), they make the best friends in the world.

Don't get me wrong - I have amazing women friends as well.....and I wouldn't be where I am without them......but female friendships generally involve more work, more give and take.  And at the end of the day if George Clooney showed up at the door - I'm not sure even my best bud would say "Go ahead Em, you can have him".

Its odd how blogs go - this was not at all the direction I was intending to go today.....but sometimes I guess my thoughts just don't respond well to commands.

Since I'm already so far off track - let me pose a question to all of you.

What was (or is now, if you prefer) your go-to makeout song?  What would you  put on the turntable/cassette/CD player to set the mood?

Back in my teenage years it was all Frampton, all the time..Baby I Love Your Way..(I'm misting up a bit hearing it in my head).

Now.....lets just say when I get that feeling, I want..........Marvin Gaye ;).

So - I told you mine - tell me yours....

2/12 - Caturday and catching up

This is not my Batcat but it looks (and acts) just like him...he definitely makes it clear when enough is enough.

I have been bad about blogging lately but its not because I haven't been thinking - more that I wasn't sure I wanted to share what I was thinking because it was all about being moody rather than rational....made worse by the fact that I HATE being irrational.

OK  - so its getting close to VD which, along with New Years Eve is one of those Noah's ark holidays where everyone is supposed to be paired up with the one they love.  I know that it's acceptable to include friends and family in the lovefest......but frankly - if I was to get a box of chocolates and/or flowers from any of my male friends - I'd assume there was romance on their minds and probably throw up a little in my mouth, because all of my opposite gender relationships are right where they should be right now.......I'm not pining for for any of them and it would be quite freaky to discover any of them were pining for me.

Combine that with my attempt to lose weight (10 lbs down a lot more to go - I need to FOCUS)...and chocolates are NOT a good idea anyhow.

I've also been thinking about the situation in Egypt.....and although the culture is dramatically different from ours, I'm not sure about the whole "military in charge" being a good thing.  I mean, isn't that why our own forefathers stuck that second amendment right to bear arms thing in the constitution ?  I totally understand and applaud the desire for freedom from despots.......I just hope that the majority doesn't forget the minority in the new government.

And I've been thinking aboutg mundane things - like why the Airwick Vanilla Snow smells like popcorn to me - and whether or not I should banish it to the basement.......or perhaps the guest room so Susan can enjoy it when she comes to visit in April for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Yep, I'm getting a houseguest - and then my best bud is coming to visit in May - and then in July I'm going to visit Carol in British Columbia and then in August I become a grandma - hopefully not while I am at Watkins Glen watching the NASCAR race. (though it does happen to coincide with her due date - I am SUCH a bad mother in law).

Then there's the trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland that I hope to be taking with my Oz pals Bundy and his GF....followed by my cruise to Europe on a brand new ship with my friends Sandy and Judy and 3000 or so yet to be made friends.

I truly do lead a charmed life......and I try very hard to remember that and pass on good things when I can.  Tonight a friends son (the one who looks after my cats) came over so I could do his taxes for the first time.  I've known him since he was a kindergardener, so I've gotten to watch him grow up.   One of the things I admire most about him is that he is intensely loyal and he's stood by his father through difficult times.  I'd told him years ago that if he got good grades I'd buy him a laptop. 

Well the good grades didn't come -but this year I know he tried hard and he's on track to graduate and he got a job and his birthday is coming...so I bought him a computer, not because we had a deal, but because he deserves one.

The smile in his eyes repaid me a thousand times over - I hope that he will always remember that if you do your best - good things will happen.........

2/8 - Hey Silver Civic - they say that imitation is the

sincerest form of flattery - but I wasn't impressed by your need to drive beside me on that 3 mile stretch of highway.....and I'm pretty sure the folks backed up behind you in the fast lane weren't impressed either.

February 7th 2011 - Weekday Wine Garnacha de Fuego

Dear Steph's friend Leslie

I finally got a chance to try the Garnacha de Fuego that you were kind enough to let me have a bottle of......and all I can say is you are a much better woman than I because I would have kept this yummy under ten dollar wine to myself.  I can taste the rich dark jamminess that comes with old vines.

And the experts agree:

"The grapes for this new project were sourced from 60- to 80-year-old vines whose already low yields were reduced an additional 70% by the weather conditions of the vintage. A glass-coating opaque purple, remarkably deep for a wine of this price made from Garnacha, the wine offers a nose of brooding black cherry and blueberry. Concentrated, ripe, and balanced on the palate, this flavorful, lengthy effort will drink well over the next four years. It is an outstanding value."-Jay Miller Wine Advocate 89 Points

February 4th - I splurged on a vacation

Yep, I booked another cruise for next month  I admit that I take a lot of vacations, but that's because I'm a frugal traveler who looks for good deals and chooses the least expensive options that get me where I want to be.

And that works for me - fortunately it also works for the friends who invite me to travel with them.  I don't need to stay in a Radisson - I'm content with a Motel 6 - and I've never rented a convertible - though I grant it might be fun.

When I cruise, it's the least expensive times of year and the least expensive cabin.....because I'm not in it much anyhow.

For the past few years I've cruised in January or February....its a nice break from the cold.  I used to book these trips a year in advance so that I could get one of the inexpensive window cabins....they were few and far between.  But with a major software upgrade on the horizon, I knew I didn't dare plan a winter trip.....managing to get away with Amy to the Grand Canyon was a mini miracle on its own.

But the project should be up and running the first week in March....and I have a break between classes in mid March....so I can get away.  In my usual frugal way, I've been watching for last minute bargains and debated a few....but in the end I went with what I knew and loved.

The Thalassotherapy pool and

The thermal suite with its heated loungers - all overlooking the ocean.

Did I mention the adult only serenity deck with bar service and hot tubs?

This is not just a vacation - this is a week of treating myself well.......and so I chose to pay for a spa cabin which means that I'm just a spiral staircase (or private elevator if I feel lazy) away from all of these things.

Which is not to say I (or rather we, because you know I always take you along) won't leave the ship.....its a Western Caribbean itinerary and that means snorkeling and ruins and perhaps a bit of drinking (who am I kidding with the perhaps)?

But I've been to most of the ports before so there isn't the urgency to see and do everything - it's quite alright if I decide to sleep in late or not book an excursion - or if I choose at some point not to get off the boat at all (though I doubt that will happen).