Quick work observation...
They eat a lot around here. Every few days someone brings food. We've had kolaches, donuts (both Shipley's and Krispy Kremes) cakes and cookies in the past. Today someone brought bagels and another guy brought back breakfast burritos. They even go for coffee runs at the local Starbucks in the middle of the day!

I *really* need to get back to my aerobics - soon!

posted at 3/31/2003 10:03:00 a. m.

We've moved.
My company moved this weekend and the new place is really nice but there are boxes everywhere, the phones are not all up and running (causing quite a commotion), the fax is not picking up inbound calls and we have a lot more things to get done before we are completely settled in. At least all of the PCs are up and running without an issue as well as e-mail, internet and printers.

I spent Friday night helping the office move the wall art, PCs, printers and miscellaneous boxes we didn't want the movers to handle. Saturday afternoon I came back to unpack my stuff and set up my desk area.

Of course, I spent the rest of the weekend being social but I'll share more on the wedding and wedding shower in a later post.

Now back to the commotion I call work...

posted at 3/31/2003 09:55:00 a. m.

The A to Z's of Cybertoad
A - Act your age? That's no fun! Of course I don't!
B - Born on what day of the week? Tuesday ("...far to go...")
C - Chore you hate? cleaning bathrooms
D - Dad's name? Gerardo
E - Essential makeup item? lipstick
F - Favorite actor? For now, Jude Law.
G - Gold or silver? silver
H - Hometown? Houston, Texas (and I'm still here... :D)
I - Instruments you play? I used to play the piano when I was young.
J - Job title? Office Manager
K - Kids? nope - unless my dogs count
L - Living arrangements? 3 bedroom/1 study/2 bath home
M - Mother's name? Eva
N - Number of people you've slept with? Less than 10...
O - Overnight hospital stays? none
P - Phobia? none really
Q - Quote you like? "Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it." Jules Renard
R - Religious affiliation? none
S - Siblings? older sister (8 years apart)
T - Time you wake up? weekdays 6:45 AM, weekends 11 AM
U - Unique habit? collecting floaty pens
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat? tie between broccoli and brussel sprouts
W- Worst habit? messing with my chapped lips
X - X-rays you've had? dental x-rays at every check-up, once in high school when I broke my arm
Y - Yummy food you make? my simplified version of "bistec empanizado" (breaded steak) and homemade fries.
Z - Zodiac Sign? Sagittarius

(link thanks to Lynn)

posted at 3/28/2003 08:31:00 a. m.

Catching up with my blogging buddies...
Since I always seem to write about myself, let’s change the pace and look around at some (not all) of my favorite reads…

Kathy plays around with her new laptop and struggles with her wireless connection. It seems like she finally resolved some issues but will still need to go exchange a couple of pieces of dud hardware. She is also battling a lack of job satisfaction and only wish her the best!

Pamela writes about how her little boy has grown so fast – he turns 2 in April!! She also keeps us updated on her upcoming bundle of joy due in August. She recently found out she will be having a girl. Once again, congratulations!

Melanie stays busy at work, joins a Bunko team and also keeps us updated on her pregnancy. She is due in June and is also expecting a girl! Looking forward to the baby shower!

Hopefully Hanna survived her business meeting this morning – at least she had a good evening with friends last night even if the Rockets did lose to the Lakers!

EJ continues to excel at school (he recently aced his math test) and keeps us posted on his opinions of the war, always an interesting read since he is an ex-Marine.

Lynn - and the rest of her loyal readers - waits on pins and needles for news on a job she interviewed for. They should be making a decision very soon! Please send her all the positive karma you can muster her way!! This would be a wonderful opportunity for her.

Chris bounces honeymoon ideas off of his readers and writes about how he looks forward to the upcoming baseball season.

Shirl admits her love for Trading Spaces and tells us that is *still* cold up in her neck of the woods (Michigan). Here’s hoping spring finds its way up to her soon!

Now I need to get back to work! Cheers...

posted at 3/27/2003 09:35:00 a. m.

Pencams are fun!
I've tried to use my Pencam a little more lately and here are some of my more recent shots...




(click on picture for larger image)

More pictures here.

posted at 3/26/2003 01:16:00 p. m.

I feel so bad...
We've had a mouse in the house for the last week - leaving behind messes on my counters. Last night we finally bought a mouse trap to catch it. This morning I checked it.

It's been caught. Dang. I feel so guilty. Why do I have to be so sensitive? I actually have a heavy heart as I write this. I guess I'll get Kenny to dispose of it.

(By the way, I have a pet snake who feeds on live mice. I don't feel as bad as I do about those mice as I do about our unwanted house guest. Maybe because I was getting used to the house guest?)

posted at 3/26/2003 07:04:00 a. m.

My weekly meme
This-or-That Tuesday:

1. Poetry or prose? Prose.
2. Funky modern art or the older, "classic" variety? Both but prefer modern if I were to hang it in my home.
3. Sculptures or paintings? Both.
4. Theatre: exuberant musical or serious drama? Musical.
5. Ballet or modern dance? Both.
6. Movies: major studio or indie? Both.
7. Authors: Shakespeare or Dr. Seuss? Both.
8. TV: PBS or A&E? PBS.
9. Music: Beethoven or Beatles? Beatles.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You are a contributing member of your favorite art museum, and visit on a regular basis. They announce a new, temporary special exhibit by an artist surrounded by controversy...this person's work and/or political views offend you. Do you stop supporting the museum, or just stay away during the time the exhibit is there? I am not easily offended by art but if by some slim chance I were, I simply would not go.

posted at 3/25/2003 02:27:00 p. m.

That was a strange film...
Finally watched Terry Gilliams' 1985 classic Brazil last night. That was f***ed up yet strangely appealing. Enough said.

posted at 3/25/2003 11:09:00 a. m.

Finally - the update!
This will be brief as the hubby is waiting on me to start a movie...

Friday: "Friday Night Group" outing to Niko Niko's (yummy Greek food) and cocktails at Prive's afterwards. A lot of discussion on the war but also managed to have a good time and quite a few laughs.

Saturday: Woke up at 11 AM and planted the remaining three shrubs in the front yard as well as pulled up four that I no longer wanted to keep. Keep in mind that I did this in the rain and got completely muddy! After I was finished, it actually stopped raining and turned out to be a beautiful day!

Afterwards cleaned up and went to a bridal shower, came back home, got dressed for a wedding, went back out the door, had a lovely time catching up with old friends and saw a wonderful couple get married (and that is there little girl). Passed by a friend's party to wish him a happy 30th birthday and finally went home.

Sunday: Had breakfast with another friend and her daughter at 10 AM, went home and got dressed and headed back out the door with Hanna, Michael, Robert and Kenny to go to the Alegria matinee. Struggled to find a place to have a late lunch/early dinner after the show but eventually ended up at Houston's where we all gorged ourselves on some excellent food (the prime rib was especially juicy).

That's about it - now I gotta run! Ciao!

posted at 3/24/2003 09:56:00 p. m.

Busy Monday
Had a busy weekend and am having a busy Monday. I'll post my regular update this evening along with a handful of pictures. Check back later...

posted at 3/24/2003 01:31:00 p. m.

The beer has arrived...
Remember one of the reasons why I liked my job? Well, a co-worker just walked in with a 12 pack of Shiner Bock with which to finish the work day off... LOL!

posted at 3/21/2003 04:58:00 p. m.

Finally!
Press Release: The Sims is to be released for Xbox this coming Monday, the 24th!

I've been wanting to play The Sims but wasn't too happy at the thought that I would get stuck at my PC, away from the dogs (my babies), cooped up in my office, addicted. Now I can get addicted from the comfort of my couch with my doggies at my sides, no longer whining at me for being on the computer so long - yes, Ginger does this )she mopes and whines when I am in my office and Kenny is not around)!

posted at 3/21/2003 04:03:00 p. m.

Oops.
Note to self: A car sun visor placed in the front windshield is rather useless if you leave the moonroof cover open, letting in all the sun you wanted to block.

posted at 3/21/2003 01:20:00 p. m.

Why I am happy at work

-- The boss checks in with me on a regular basis, asks me how I am doing and calls me “kiddo”.

-- My co-workers have a great sense of humor and the atmosphere is relaxed but busy. There is regular cursing, loud laughter and an occasional beer Friday afternoon.

-- Right now the guys in chartering have a couple of pink flamingos positioned between their desks holding a company flag. Our new office will have an even bigger space in the middle of the desks so my boss actually has considered setting up a baby pool, filling it with sand, adding some toy alligators and sticking the pink flamingo lawn ornaments in there. We don’t know if his wife will let that happen though…

-- We start our move next Friday. They will be serving us pizza and beer that night.

-- The whole company, including spouses and kids is being taken to the Astros opening night at Minute Maid Park April 1st. I am especially looking forward to this because I haven’t been to the new stadium yet (formerly Enron Field).

-- The boss’ wife, who as I’ve mentioned is my mentor, thought of me one afternoon while she was out shopping and remembered a conversation we had where I mentioned I needed gardening knee pads. She saw some and bought them for me!

As you can see, everyone in the office is very comfortable with each other and I seem to really fit in. You can’t be uptight or be super sensitive because they expect you to have a sense of humor and some intelligence. Everyone gets ribbing and it’s all very good natured. The people I work with are genuine and care for both each other and the company. My boss, the president and part owner, along with his wife really look out for us hence the employee loyalty. What a refreshing change from working with Japanese managers (wonderful people but very distant) and the stuffy CPA I worked with before this job.
I really look forward to settling in here!

posted at 3/21/2003 10:25:00 a. m.

Yet another fun quiz!
This one is for Boobka...


Results... The Lavender Leotard - You have been through quite
a bit and although at times clumsy, you always
handle yourself with grace.


Which Edward Gorey Book Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

posted at 3/20/2003 11:55:00 p. m.

I'm blue today...
I realized this morning at work that I am wearing all blue today which coincidentally matches the beautiful blue skies outside. I'm wearing a blue striped shirt, blue jeans, blue sandals and even... er... blue underneath. *blush*

OK. Was that too much information? Don't answer...

posted at 3/20/2003 01:39:00 p. m.

Supporting the troops
You may have noticed that I hardly ever talk politics here and this entry is no different. It is merely a small way of showing my respect and admiration for our U.S. troops overseas as the Iraq conflict begins. I will also be keeping a small flag to the left as a constant reminder as long as the war continues.



To all the soldiers out in the field,
"Thank You".
You and your families are in my thoughts.

posted at 3/20/2003 08:25:00 a. m.

Finally! The garden pics!
Look below pictures for a description...







(click on photo for larger image)

MORE GARDEN PICTURES...

Row 1: Snapdragons; Daffodil (or Narcissus)

Row 2: "Freeway Daisy"; Sweet Broom; daisy once again.

Row 3: The area coming up to the front door before planting the new bushes (see old ligustrum bushes already taken out in foreground); the Ballerina Indian hawthornes in their new home; comparison of the flowers of the new hawthornes (background) and some unidentified shrub I have in the front yard - see how they complement each other?

Row 4: The aftermath of a quick and furious afternoon storm we had in the area yesterday. Notice my overturned glass patio table (which was heavy but fortunately the glass did not break or crack) as well as my broken Chia Pets... *sniff* :(

posted at 3/19/2003 08:15:00 a. m.

Coffee anyone?


You're a Cappucinno!

What Kind of Coffee are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

(link thanks to Pamela)

posted at 3/19/2003 06:55:00 a. m.

Postscript
Yes, yes - the promised garden shots will be posted soon - come back tomorrow. I'll post them first thing in the morning along with a couple of pictures of what today's quick and furious afternoon storm did to my patio set...

posted at 3/18/2003 09:42:00 p. m.

Today's Meme - better late than never!
Today's This-or-That Tuesday:
1. Cold frosty ski slopes or warm sandy beach? Cold frosty ski slopes.
2. Chevy or Ford? Neither - I want my BMW!
3. Mac or PC? PC.
4. Dial-up or high speed internet access? High speed (cable).
5. Small *family-only* wedding or large 200 guest wedding? Medium? (we had 150 guests)
6. Would you rather be the bridesmaid or the bride? Bride.
7. AC/DC or ABBA? ABBA!
8. Roses or daisies? Daisies if I have to choose but I love all flowers!
9. Trashy romance novels or classic literature? Classic.
10. NEW! Thought-provoking question of the week...If you had to choose one...would you rather be blind or deaf? Why? As many of my friends have chosen, deaf. I too am visual and think I would need that particular sensory input to get along.

posted at 3/18/2003 09:35:00 p. m.

Well – it is just getting more difficult to post here at work and what I have been doing is just composing these entries the night before and posting them before I leave in the morning. Unfortunately, I have slacked the past few days as my life becomes more and more hectic. In short – I have something planned every weekend between now and the end of April, many times both Saturday and Sunday events. Upcoming events include 3 weddings (and one I am missing), a bridal shower (for the wedding I am missing), a birthday party, another wedding shower, a bridal shoot (I am the photographer), volunteering for the MS150 on behalf of my company, Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria, and an office move. There is one sacred weekend where nothing is planned - the long 3-day weekend that starts with Good Friday – during which I intend to hole myself up at home, sleep in and continue working on my garden.

I’m not complaining since all of these events are joyous and happy things but darn, I can’t slow down to breathe! Now to catch you up on this past weekend…

Friday: Dinner and drinks at Market Square Grill out on the patio. The weather was wonderful! I was also happily surprised by EJ when he gave me his father’s old Polaroid Model 80 Land Camera, complete with original case, which he found in the garage when he was cleaning it out. These cameras date from the late 50’s and he thought I would get more appreciation out of it. It looks like the film has been discontinued but either way it will look nice on a shelf in our "lounge".

Saturday: Spent shopping with my hubby. Bought all the wedding gifts we need for the upcoming 2 months and even spent some money on ourselves (and the garden)!

Sunday: Worked in the front yard pulling up 5 ligustrums and replacing them with much prettier “Ballerina” Indian hawthornes. This was a lot of hard work but we took a break and attended the annual homeowner’s meeting. Now that was interesting! Didn’t know beforehand that there was some friction between the retired folks and the family folks in regards to a green space we have left empty. It seems that deciding what to do with the space has been a contentious topic ever since the neighborhood was built 6 years ago! Boy did tempers fly! Meow!

The evening was spent having dinner with a good friend who was flying into Houston on his way back from a weekend away. He lives in College Station (1 1/4 hours away) but called us to visit for a few hours before he drove home.

Tonight: Quick trip to Target, some Tuna Helper and the couch. If only I could get rid of this splitting headache! Time to grab the Advil!!

P.S. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures from the garden.

posted at 3/17/2003 09:29:00 p. m.

Will post later
Busy this morning - and lots to write about so I will try to get the entry in at lunchtime but no guarantees.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

posted at 3/17/2003 09:12:00 a. m.

Is it 5 o'clock yet??
A little over an hour to go till the weekend! My honey is in the air as I type this, flying back earlier than expected from his business trip in Atlanta. They worked hard but he also had a little fun and made me jealous at the same time! He went and saw the new Cirque du Soleil show Varekai. As he and his co-workers came into the city they saw signs advertising the show so they looked into buying tickets. It was not sold out as expected and they were able to go last night!

I am jealous for two reasons: 1) I love Cirque and 2) Varekai is extra special because I have been following some of the performers personal lives and the show's struggles on Bravo's documentary, Fire Within. I asked Kenny if he recognized any of them and he said yes... he was close enough to see their faces and identify them.

The show travels to Chicago this summer... and I have been talking about going there anyway since I have never been to Chicago. If only I could convince him to take me... hmm...

Well - I hope everyone has a great weekend!

posted at 3/14/2003 03:54:00 p. m.

Recent Acquisitions
I haven't bought myself any fun clothes in a while so this week I hit Target and got a few things. Since I have nothing better to write about I thought I would share the details...

I actually found a couple of casual skirts that I thought would be a great change for the summer (I typically wear drawstring pants). I bought two actually: a knee-length drawstring-waist khaki one and a knee-length denim one that looks good enough on me to wear out for a night of bar-hopping. Both are super comfy since they made of somewhat stretchy material. I also bought a top that I saw on my British friend the day she was over - she had a pink one but I bought the green one. It's really cute!

Then last night I walked by Ross and had to walk in. There I found another great shirt. It was a junior's shirt so I had to buy the XL - and it still fits me tightly. It's so cute though!! It's black and has a shimmery design on the front chest and two sleeves of a blue turtle with a jet-pack on its back shooting flames. It brings a smile to my face when put it on. I just love the turtle (and the shirt was only $7.99)!

Oh, one more thing. I also walked by Michaels and went in to buy a dried flower arrangement for an empty vase in the bedroom. While in there I remember Katie's entry back in December about making your own wine glass charms (sorry, I can't find the entry anymore) so I got the supplies and in less than 10 minutes at home I had made some charms for all of my wine glasses. I still have a ton of rings and beads left so maybe I'll make some more for my martini glasses too...

posted at 3/14/2003 08:15:00 a. m.

Router problems this time.
Of course, the computer always seem to break while Kenny is out of town (he is in Atlanta this week for business).

Once again my connection at home was down last night due to router issues on Kenny’s computer. We have cable modem and a wireless network connecting our two PCs (which are in 2 different rooms in the house). All of this goes through a router on Kenny’s computer. Well, first my connection at my desktop gave up then the actual router went belly up after the firmware upgrade failed miserably. We had almost given up hope on it after changing various settings on it but with the help of Kenny’s fact-finding internet search on his laptop in his hotel room in Atlanta and myself seated at his computer at home, he guided me through some convoluted steps and after another hour, the lights on the router that should be blinking were doing so and the red light that shouldn't have been was finally off. More importantly, both of our computers could once again see the internet and receive mail!

I know this is silly, but I find it kind of sexy that Kenny is so good at this computer stuff! I love my geek! :D

We didn’t fix it till late though so once again, another night where my e-mails didn’t get answered. *sigh*

posted at 3/13/2003 10:27:00 a. m.

Yummy lunch and tapioca balls!
Just got back from eating yummy vermicelli (Vietnamese rice noodle dish) with a co-worker and afterwards had my first tapioca smoothie. I am still getting used to the squishy, gelatinous tapioca balls that come through the huge straw! Anyhoo...

I haven’t written about work in a few days so I thought I would share with you a few pictures of our current office space. We will be moving in 3 weeks to a place over twice as big as our current office but I still wanted to remember what the old office looks like. Here are my pictures. My desk is the one under the sign.

As far as work goes, things are going well. A few projects I am working on:
-- Updating the employee handbook to reflect policy changes.
-- Managing the IT contract including suggesting a solution to our huge e-mail storage issue. I think the boss was extremely happy with me for offering such a simple and practically free solution to a problem our IT guys wanted to throw $6,000 at!
-- Coordinating the printing of our new stationery and business cards with both our new logo and our new address. The logo was designed in our Germany office and I need to play around with it today and get it the way we want.
-- Following up on the immigration status for two new employees who will be coming over from Germany and Denmark in the upcoming month.

Some upcoming projects include helping with the fundraising for our MS150 riding team, assisting with the move and helping out with the vessel statistics.

I am really enjoying my new co-workers and feel that my boss really respects us and takes care of his employees. My benefits may not be as good as I’ve had in the past but the office culture suits me so much better. Let’s hope I am right!!

posted at 3/12/2003 01:43:00 p. m.

Today's Meme
Today's This-or-That Tuesday:
1. Married or single? Happily married for 4 1/2 years.
2. Knit or crochet? Neither (I can't even sew a button on!)
3. Homebody or world traveller? World traveller.
4. "Star Search" or "American Idol"? "American Idol"
5. Dancing or karaoke? Dancing.
6. Elvis Presley or Elvis Costello? Presley.
7. Bus or train? Train, definitely!
8. Batman or Superman? Superman (I love Smallville).
9. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla with chocolate syrup.
10. Which came first...the chicken or the egg? I say the chicken egg!

posted at 3/11/2003 12:46:00 p. m.

Belated Weekend Update
Wow! It's already Tuesday and I haven't had a chance to get in here and type up an entry... sorry! Well, here it is, another day-by-day recap:

Friday: Low key evening with friends as usual. Met the gang up for dinner at Pappadeaux's and then a movie at our place afterwards.

Saturday: Woke up before Kenny and took my car in for some minor repairs (install a new antenna and fix the driver's side window which was off track). Returned and went with Kenny to run errands in preparation for my friends' visit on Sunday. Had a blast shopping at Central Market where we spent too much money but got some yummy stuff including sushi-quality yellowfin tuna fish steaks. Also had lunch at a colorful diner called The Pig Stand.

Saturday night: Pooped from shopping all day we came home and took a nap. We conked out but woke up around 10 PM. At this point we got our second wind and did some stuff around the house. Kenny upgraded my computer - my internet is lightening fast once again and I am now using Windows XP which I am having to get used to - while I swept and mopped and did laundry. Didn't get to be till past 3 AM. Are we crazy or what?

Sunday: Got up and did some last minute grocery shopping and cleaning up. My friends' arrived around 1:30 PM and we had a blast spending all day together (they spent the night here).

Background on my friends: Paul is a college friend of mine (yes, we dated) who took up his British residency once again after graduating from Texas A&M by moving to London. A couple of years after being there he met a wonderful woman called Michelle and they have been together for the last 5 years. They spent 2 years together traveling the Eastern hemisphere and returned a year ago. They bought a flat together at that time and became engaged this past fall. The wedding I often speak about that is taking place in London is theirs and Kenny and I are really looking forward to it! We had such a wonderful time with them this weekend and have been offered their home as a place to stay when we come.

Back to Sunday... So Paul & Michelle come over and the weather is absolutely perfect for spending outside. We catch up outside on the patio while Kenny makes a wonderfully delicious and beautifully presented lunch of grilled tuna fish topped with a cream sauce and capers on a bed of wild rice with a side of fresh steamed asparagus. Add some wonderful Australian wine and we spent several hours outside enjoying the 70 F weather and blue skies.

The four of us continue talking, sharing stories and pictures all afternoon into the early evening at which point we call up another couple and head out for cocktails at our favorite lounge, Prive. Afterwards we hit a 24 hour Greek restaurant and have a late dinner. Come home pleasantly tired and very content to have spent a day in such good company!

Monday: Wake up to my alarm and to some icky stomach cramps. Without going into details, I find that I would prefer to stay close to home for a couple of hours while whatever got to me passes through my system. I ended up calling into work and telling them I'll be in a few hours late. With my stomach still not happy I say my goodbyes to our guests with promises of seeing them in September. Another hour or so and some Pepto-Bismol and I finally feel confident that I will be OK at work and head out!


Monday night: Celebrated a major milestone in my good friend EJ's life at Mikado's with 10 of our closest friends. Suffice it to say, EJ can now move on to the next stage in his life which involves his marriage to our good friend Sherry. Kenny and I are honored to be part of their wedding next month and are proud that the children have made us their new aunt and uncle. They all deserve the love and happiness they have found with each other.

OK - I think that about summarizes it... And now that my PC is back up to speed I intend to catch up on all of my regular reads so look for me in your comments in the upcoming days! :D

posted at 3/11/2003 06:54:00 a. m.

PC issues at home
Well - I am unable to surf the web easily at home these past few weeks and it has gotten so bad that I am practically paralyzed. It's extremely slow to load pages and I keep getting time out errors. As a result my blog surfing has been limited. Between not really wanting to do it here at work and my computer at home having an unstable connection (which also affects my e-mail) I haven't been visiting as many of you guys as I would like.

Fortunately, Kenny is rebuilding my computer this weekend. It seems my problem is not with the DSL connection itself - that is fine - but rather my wireless network card in the PC itself (we have wireless set-up in the house so we wouldn't have to run cable between our two offices). Either way, we started to back-up my files onto CD last night and he will essentially reconfigure his old PC for me. For the record, he hadn't upgraded in a while so he built himself an awesome gaming PC with the latest video and sound cards. He even has a cool green case with a see-through window, a fan that has a blue neon lights and 6 surround sound speakers. Yes, I'm what I like to call a "gaming widow" (similar to a football widow but all year-round). He can easily play games till 4 AM...

Anyway, I hope to have my new PC before he leaves for business next Tuesday! Woohoo!

posted at 3/07/2003 08:29:00 a. m.

The day is half-way over!
Less than 4 hours to go and we are all stuffed with turkey thanks to the office. Actually - one of our clients gave the company one back at Christmas and we finally had it smoked for us. It was real yummy!

The weekend is almost here and I am really looking forward to it despite the tedious errands I'll have to run: take my car into the shop to fix my antenna and my window (it's off track and I can't open it) as well as take Heidi to the groomer's.

I am also hoping to host a friend of mine who is in town from London. He and his fiancee came in for his brother's wedding. This is the couple I hope to visit in September and attend their wedding!

In preparation I have been getting stuff done around the house during the week. Last night I did some laundry, went to the grocery store, tidied up our master bath and closet area, put away all of our clothes and cleaned up the kitchen. Tonight I hope to finish the laundry and clean up any other areas that need it.

Well, must get back to work so toodles!

posted at 3/06/2003 01:54:00 p. m.

At work early...
Well, for the past 2 mornings I have struggled with traffic and drizzly weather and have made it to work at least 20 minutes late each day. Fortunately for me, the boss was out of town and did not notice. Today he was going to be back in so I made a concerted effort to leave the house a little earlier (10 minutes earlier actually). Now I think because the weather is better - it's actually dry and fog-free - I arrived at work 15 minutes early!

An hour commute Tuesday and Wednesday was a 30 minute commute this morning! I'll try the 10 minutes early thing again tomorrow and see what result I get.

And as for my weather complaints - it's been forecasted that the sun may make an appearance tomorrow! I know it's there. I see it lighting up some of the clouds that are covering the city today. The weekend also looks like it will be just "partly cloudy". The rain will probably start Monday once again though. Oh well! I'll enjoy it while I can!

posted at 3/06/2003 08:12:00 a. m.

Sing with me!
"Rain rain go away...come again some other day..."
- from Nine Inch Nails, "Down In It"

OK. Enough with the rain, the drizzle, the fog, the overcast, gray days. My plants need some sunshine and my backyard needs it too so the ground will dry up. I think a week and a half of this crap is sufficient. Unfortunately, rain is forecast for this weekend as well. Aaaaah!! I miss the sun! Make it stop being so icky around here!

posted at 3/05/2003 03:08:00 p. m.

What do you get when you cross a dachshund with a frog?
I realize that Mardi Gras is over but Hanna sent this to me a couple of days ago and I forgot to post it. It appeared on the front page of our local newspaper and combines two of my favorite things: dachshunds and frogs!


For the record, the dog was down at Galveston's Mardi Gras and the the theme was the rainforest, hence the frog on its back.

posted at 3/05/2003 08:24:00 a. m.

I hate re-runs.
What a bummer. The show I always look forward to on Tuesday was a re-run tonight. It will also be a re-run next week. Wah! So I watched American Idol instead...

posted at 3/05/2003 12:12:00 a. m.

Is it 5 PM yet?
Just a few more minutes and I'll be on my way home to a nice relaxing evening of TV (my favorite Gilmore Girls and then Smallville). It hasn't been a difficult day but for whatever reason, I am tired. The heat in the office isn't helping energize me nor did the Coke. Maybe the last bit of yummy King's Cake will (the office has been through two already and there is third in the freezer thanks to our customers)...

The day has including sending our printer the new company logos so we can order new stationery and business cards, lunch with Kathy with a quick stop by the copy center to pick up a new custom order return address stamp afterwards and then this afternoon I un-installed and reinstalled Adobe Acrobat on my boss's PC so he could open a PDF document. Once that was done I spent some time trying to figure out how to enroll new employees with our two insurance companies. I struggled with an on-line enrollment site, having to change securities involving my cookies and then guiding myself through their awkwardly laid out site. Still, I believe I was successful and that is all that matters.

(Speaking of Kathy, it looks like we still work close enough to continue meeting for lunch on a regular basis... yay!)

What made me smile though was being complimented twice today - once by the boss's wife, my mentor and trainer. She stopped at my desk and told me that she was glad I was here, that I have fit in really well and that I have shown a good take charge attitude. Yay for me!! Then my boss called in from NY and said my directions from the airport to the shuttle to the train into the city were perfect and that he appreciated it. Add to this that he sent me an e-mail last Friday telling me that my first week went well and he was also glad to have me "on his team."

Ack! I've written so much that it is now past 5 o'clock - gotta go and hit the traffic!

posted at 3/04/2003 05:09:00 p. m.

Today's Meme
Time for Tuesday's This-or-That:

1. Soup or salad? Depends on my mood.
2. Hot or cold sandwiches? Also depends on my mood.
3. White or whole wheat bread (or rye, etc)? I eat white-wheat (texture and flavor of white but as healthy as wheat).
4. Pack a lunch for work/school, or buy it? Combination.
5. If you eat out...fast-food chain, or mom & pop type place? Again, a little bit of both.
6. Tuna or chicken salad? Tuna salad.
7. Cheese: Swiss or cheddar (or American, etc)? I love all cheese!
8. Mustard or mayo? Mayo.
9. Sandwiches: wrap/pita pocket, or regular bread/roll? Regular.
10. Sweet stuff: cookie/cake or fresh fruit? I'm bad. Cookie (unless it's fresh pineapple).

posted at 3/04/2003 11:33:00 a. m.

A weekend full of good friends!
Wow! What a busy weekend full of friends I hadn't seen in a while!

Friday: Dinner was great, the play was good (straightforward storyline, nothing artsy-fartsy), and the company was nice as well.

Saturday afternoon: This started off early as I had to take Ginger, my dachshund, to the vet for a regular visit. They also drew blood as part of a "geriatric" exam since she is over 7 years old (actually, she's 9 years old). I should get the results today but don't expect any problems.

Afterwards I had to get ready for my friends to arrive. I was hosting a mini-reunion of sorts. Three old co-workers and their respective partners were coming over. Many of you recognize Hanna but Melanie and Pamela also came over. We all worked together at the Japanese company I was at for four years. What made this even more special was that both Pamela and Melanie are expecting (remember my list?)... and Nico, Pamela's little boy, was also there to entertain us! He'll be 2 years old next month!

We had a wonderful time catching up and eating a healthy meal of lasagna. We only wish we were able to do this more often! Unfortunately, we live far apart. Melanie lives all the way down in Clear Lake and Pamela is now in Dallas. At least I have a couple of baby showers to look forward to!

Saturday night: I have yet another wedding to add to my wedding/baby list. My good friends Jennifer & Erick announced their engagement this weekend and we joined them to celebrate. The wedding is scheduled for later this year on the last weekend in September. We had a blast and ended up at IHOP afterwards trying to sober up (yes, I got drunk - the drinks were strong)! Kenny and I didn't get home till 4 AM. Here are more silly pictures...

(Coincidentally, a couple of girls at this get-together were also from the same company I mention above. Jennifer B., the recently engaged girl, and Jennifer M. They worked at my old company towards the end of my tenure there while the girls who came over in the afternoon worked there more towards the beginning.)

Sunday: Kenny and I slept in late. We ran a couple of errands and came right home to relax. Got nothing productive done but that's OK! I was bad though yet again and went to bed too late. This morning I am once again exhausted. Ah! Why do I do this to myself!!??? *yawn*

posted at 3/03/2003 01:24:00 a. m.