Not all the books I've read this year but only the ones I really enjoyed...
1. It's Not You, It's Me...Alison Rushby
2. I Hunger For You...Susan Sizemore
3. I Thirst For You...Susan Sizemore
4. Master of Darkness...Susan Sizemore (best one from Sizemore)
5. You Don't Know Jack...Erin McCarthy
6. A Taste of Darkness...Nina Bangs
7. I'm In No Mood For Love...Rachel Gibson
8. Scarlett...Cathy Cassidy
9. Atlas of the 20th Century History...Richard Overy
10. Salaam, Paris...Kavita Daswani
11. Indigo Blue...Cathy Cassidy
12. Just For Kicks...Susan Andersen
13. In Plain Sight...Tara Taylor Quinn
14. Abstract Painting, Concepts and Techniques...Vicky Perry
15. Dizzy...Cathy Cassidy
16. My Pet Virus...Shawn Decker
17. Hello Gorgeous...Mary Janice Davidson
18. Paths to the absolute: Mondrain et al...John Golding
19. Rogue's Salute...Jennifer Blake
20. Causing Havoc...Lori Foster
21. The Kept Woman...Susan Donovan
22. I Burn For You...Susan Sizemore
23. Somebody's Hero...Marilyn Pappano
24. Cold As Ice...Anne Stuart
25. Icing On The Cake...Laura Castoro
26. Extreme Bachelor...Julia London
27. The Perils of Persuing a Prince...Julie London
28. Sleepless in Savannah...Rita Herron
29. Natural Born Charmer...Susan Elizabeth Phillips
30. For a Few Demons More...Kim Harrison
31.Real Women Don't Wear a Size 2...Kelley St. John
32. Pushing 30...Whitney Gaskell
33. Desire After Dark...Amanda Ashley
34. Virgin River...Robyn Carr
35. Shelter Mountain...Robyn Carr
36. Blameless...Thom Lemmons (reading)
37. Whispering Rock...Robyn Carr
38. Never Too Late...Robyn Carr
39. Wicked Fantasy...Nina Bangs
40. Smitten...Janet Evanovich
41. Simon Says...Lori Foster
42. The Way Life Should Be...Christina Baker Cline
43. Steps Through The Mist...Zovan Zivkovic
Thursday, February 8
salsa, the perfect snack
Salsa is the perfect snack. It goes well with so many different chips and fruit. I've been adding fruit to my fav brand of salsa and I haven't been sorry yet. It makes it even more delicious. Tonight I had avocado salsa. This salsa is chunky and tastes really fresh - it has to be refrigerated - it calls itself "premium fresh salsa" and that is no lie. I always get the 'medium'. Mild is too bland and Hot is a bit much for me. Medium's got just enough of a kick. I've added mango - both ripe and half-ripe - both really good. Papaya's my favorite but it has to be almost ripe (fun fact, trinis say pah-paw not papaya :). I don't care for half-ripe/green papaya though I do enjoy green/half-ripe mango.
this week
This post is not entirely coherent, but I've decided not to fix all the errors like I normally would - getting it all out was cathartic so I'm just going to leave it at that.
I nearly had a fit just now - freaking spammers. I check my spam box regularly to make sure real email doesn't get lost/deleted if mistakenly sent there. I really need to just delete stuff I don't recognize instead of opening. Occasionally I have found legitimate email in there but most of the time it's spam. Tonight I saw an email supposedly from mcafee. So I click on it and it says that they've just billed my $78 for my renewal. I started to panic - thinking that I don't have that money right now and I hope it doesn't come out of an a/c I closed. Then I got a little mad thinking that they would just automatically renew without my direct say-so. I never authorized them to renew automatically so I was pissed that they'd try. So then I frantically call their phone help line - closed for the day until 6am tomorrow. Now I'm really panicky. Then I think that Maybe I should log into my account and check to see when my actual renewal date is. So luckily I don't click any of the links in the email (at least I'm smart enough no to do that). I go to my account and find that my renewal is not due until 2nd week in March. So now I'm certain it was sent for some nefarious purpose. I look at the email again (much calmer now) and notice that they have a date, my full name and an amt paid but no card numbers. They always have the last 4 digits of your card number. Huge sigh of relief.
Life lesson here: do not open spam! do not open suspect email! do not believe suspect email is real!
This week has been long but I've managed to get through most of it. The exercise is the only thing keeping me sane. The more I exercise the better I feel. Boy did I need the extra endorphin boost this week.
Mon - yearly evaluation...in a word...demoralizing. I don't want to talk about it. I only spoke to one friend about some of the details and I just want to forget about it now. It just left me feeling depressed and I realized that I will never get promoted. I thought my last boss was the best one I've had so far but he let/allowed our group leader to add some things that were mostly true but there were extenuating circumstances that he omitted. The result is that I can't deny what's written but to has a great year of work on just that without explaining anything...I just look incompetent...after 4 1/2 yrs of being there. My only consolation if that they haven't fired/issued warning/put me on probation. So maybe the upper managers will look at all the other evaluations I've had and realize that there must be some sort of discrepancy b/c surely such things would have been noted before if they were absolutely true. So with all those thoughts in my head, I had to go to the gym. I felt it would be the only thing that would help me take my mind off it. And it did help. I did weights then 45min cardio. This was a little too much at once I think b/c I hurt by the time I was done. But it at least it was body soreness and not heart-soreness.
Tues - boxing. That girl who really irritated me last week, still a weirdo but I'm less annoyed by her this week. Progress?
Wed - no gym, had Chinese takeout for dinner, my first of the year.
Tonight - weights then boxing. I feel really energized now.
My new project is going well. I'm getting my 1st product shipped out and I have 3 more that will go out soon. I have to take more of an initiative with this project/my new supervisor. It's new for me b/c I used to supervisor wanting to more or less dictate my day. This way I have to make more decisions on my own...not a bad thing. I felt really isolated when i first moved to my current lab but now I'm feeling more at home.
I've decided to make a commitment to exercising 4-5 days a week. I don't have a weight goal in mind per se. I would of course like to get rid of my love handles/backfat. I also want to reduce my BMI by 4 or 5 points. How likely is this? I'm not sure. I was talking to one of the ladies in boxing class and I told her "I work out so that I can eat what I want". This is basically true. I do try to stop eating before I realize I'm full. I eat when I'm hungry which works out to be ~5 times a day. This works when I do it. I usu forget to eat something around 4pm b/c I'm usu in the middle of stuff in the lab. tonight it was 5pm before I realized that I hadn't eaten. Not good since tonight was gym night. So I stopped and had bag of pretzels - the only low fat/low calorie food in our vending machine. I don't like to eat too close to my workout b/c I end feeling really ill once I start moving around. It was too bad but I did feel a little sick during my weights routine. I was fine by 7pm/boxing class so that was the main thing.
Tonight during my weight routine I saw my friend P. Well he's not really my friend exactly, he's a guy at the gym who works out usu on the same days I do. He and I often have a quick chat, sometimes I go over to the machine he's on and chat or he comes over to mine. He's a cute guy. I think he's gay though i'm not certain. Well as of tonight I'm not certain. He spoke to me more than usu and even let me listen to the tunes he was working out to. We also had kind of a flirty converstion.
Anyhoo, my friend G from boxing asked - so...who's the guy?
Me - what guy? oh that guy, he's just a guy I talk to here
G - hmmm, just a guy, I saw you two tonight and he seemed like more than just a guy
me - really? hmmm. maybe I should ask him out for drinks sometime?
G - definitely, he's very cute, you're both young, why shouldn't you?
Yeah well, I don't know. I could suggest it and if he is gay, then maybe I have a new friend and if he's not...who knows, maybe more. I've actually thought about asking him to hang out before b/c he seems like a really cool and interesting guy. And he's funny. I gleaned all this from our 5min conversations during our workouts. We don't always chat, mostly we just wave and smile. He's got these in his ears and quite frankly, they scare me a little. My ears aren't even pierced ordinarily so I cannot really understand why anyone would want such huge holes in their ears. I try not to look at them. To each his own I guess.
I nearly had a fit just now - freaking spammers. I check my spam box regularly to make sure real email doesn't get lost/deleted if mistakenly sent there. I really need to just delete stuff I don't recognize instead of opening. Occasionally I have found legitimate email in there but most of the time it's spam. Tonight I saw an email supposedly from mcafee. So I click on it and it says that they've just billed my $78 for my renewal. I started to panic - thinking that I don't have that money right now and I hope it doesn't come out of an a/c I closed. Then I got a little mad thinking that they would just automatically renew without my direct say-so. I never authorized them to renew automatically so I was pissed that they'd try. So then I frantically call their phone help line - closed for the day until 6am tomorrow. Now I'm really panicky. Then I think that Maybe I should log into my account and check to see when my actual renewal date is. So luckily I don't click any of the links in the email (at least I'm smart enough no to do that). I go to my account and find that my renewal is not due until 2nd week in March. So now I'm certain it was sent for some nefarious purpose. I look at the email again (much calmer now) and notice that they have a date, my full name and an amt paid but no card numbers. They always have the last 4 digits of your card number. Huge sigh of relief.
Life lesson here: do not open spam! do not open suspect email! do not believe suspect email is real!
This week has been long but I've managed to get through most of it. The exercise is the only thing keeping me sane. The more I exercise the better I feel. Boy did I need the extra endorphin boost this week.
Mon - yearly evaluation...in a word...demoralizing. I don't want to talk about it. I only spoke to one friend about some of the details and I just want to forget about it now. It just left me feeling depressed and I realized that I will never get promoted. I thought my last boss was the best one I've had so far but he let/allowed our group leader to add some things that were mostly true but there were extenuating circumstances that he omitted. The result is that I can't deny what's written but to has a great year of work on just that without explaining anything...I just look incompetent...after 4 1/2 yrs of being there. My only consolation if that they haven't fired/issued warning/put me on probation. So maybe the upper managers will look at all the other evaluations I've had and realize that there must be some sort of discrepancy b/c surely such things would have been noted before if they were absolutely true. So with all those thoughts in my head, I had to go to the gym. I felt it would be the only thing that would help me take my mind off it. And it did help. I did weights then 45min cardio. This was a little too much at once I think b/c I hurt by the time I was done. But it at least it was body soreness and not heart-soreness.
Tues - boxing. That girl who really irritated me last week, still a weirdo but I'm less annoyed by her this week. Progress?
Wed - no gym, had Chinese takeout for dinner, my first of the year.
Tonight - weights then boxing. I feel really energized now.
My new project is going well. I'm getting my 1st product shipped out and I have 3 more that will go out soon. I have to take more of an initiative with this project/my new supervisor. It's new for me b/c I used to supervisor wanting to more or less dictate my day. This way I have to make more decisions on my own...not a bad thing. I felt really isolated when i first moved to my current lab but now I'm feeling more at home.
I've decided to make a commitment to exercising 4-5 days a week. I don't have a weight goal in mind per se. I would of course like to get rid of my love handles/backfat. I also want to reduce my BMI by 4 or 5 points. How likely is this? I'm not sure. I was talking to one of the ladies in boxing class and I told her "I work out so that I can eat what I want". This is basically true. I do try to stop eating before I realize I'm full. I eat when I'm hungry which works out to be ~5 times a day. This works when I do it. I usu forget to eat something around 4pm b/c I'm usu in the middle of stuff in the lab. tonight it was 5pm before I realized that I hadn't eaten. Not good since tonight was gym night. So I stopped and had bag of pretzels - the only low fat/low calorie food in our vending machine. I don't like to eat too close to my workout b/c I end feeling really ill once I start moving around. It was too bad but I did feel a little sick during my weights routine. I was fine by 7pm/boxing class so that was the main thing.
Tonight during my weight routine I saw my friend P. Well he's not really my friend exactly, he's a guy at the gym who works out usu on the same days I do. He and I often have a quick chat, sometimes I go over to the machine he's on and chat or he comes over to mine. He's a cute guy. I think he's gay though i'm not certain. Well as of tonight I'm not certain. He spoke to me more than usu and even let me listen to the tunes he was working out to. We also had kind of a flirty converstion.
Anyhoo, my friend G from boxing asked - so...who's the guy?
Me - what guy? oh that guy, he's just a guy I talk to here
G - hmmm, just a guy, I saw you two tonight and he seemed like more than just a guy
me - really? hmmm. maybe I should ask him out for drinks sometime?
G - definitely, he's very cute, you're both young, why shouldn't you?
Yeah well, I don't know. I could suggest it and if he is gay, then maybe I have a new friend and if he's not...who knows, maybe more. I've actually thought about asking him to hang out before b/c he seems like a really cool and interesting guy. And he's funny. I gleaned all this from our 5min conversations during our workouts. We don't always chat, mostly we just wave and smile. He's got these in his ears and quite frankly, they scare me a little. My ears aren't even pierced ordinarily so I cannot really understand why anyone would want such huge holes in their ears. I try not to look at them. To each his own I guess.
Saturday, February 3
friday at last
The Nightguard stayed in my mouth all night and was much more comfortable (well as comfortable as having a piece of plastic in your mouth can be) than the one I'd used befor - it would fall out several times during the night or become dislodged and wake me up.
We had flurries tonight. SO much that I had to brush the slush off my car. Left work later than I wanted to and by that time it was really coming down. I was supposed to go over to C&Ts for dinner and Wii gaming but was thinking of bailing on the drive home b/c it was not very pleasant outside. Then I couldn't figure out what to have for dinner. Or what to watch on tv or if I should get a movie. So I went home, took my night meds and went over. They live 5 min from me, 2 by car when the conditions are perfect so I figured it shouldn't be too bad coming back home. I'm glad I went b/c I had a nutritious dinner-avocado salad with grilled steak topped with freshly made lemon-mustard dressing. It was delicious. T's on Atkins for a while. Then I played on the Wii with C for 3hrs. My arms are sore. First I made an avatar and that was very fun. then we played boxing, bowling, tennis and baseball. The boxing was fun and I knocked him out several times and won :) I didn't like the tennis very much, it was too confusing since you have to play doubles and it was actually true to life - in real tennis, I can serve no problem, I just can't volley. The baseball wa fun but only when it was my turn to pitch. I couldn't hit anything. the best was the bowling - highest score ever. I even beat C once. At midnight we decided to call it a night.
It's finally stopped snowing out and the neighborhood's very pretty. I love it when it midnight and the sky is so cloudy that it seems light outside. You can really see all the houses clearly. They're all snow-covered and there's a dusting all over the trees and ground. Wish I had my camera with me b/c I'd have pulled over and gotten some shots. My windows don't look out at anything cool anymore. All I can see are the windows of the houses on either side. I miss the great views I had from my old apt.
I am, of course, still too wired for sleep so I figured I might as well read some blogs. Going to bed soon b/c have much to do Sat. Hair appt at 11am then oil change/new wipers for my car. Then have to get a few groceries for party later - wine & cheese thing, should be fun. I'm hoping I can bum a ride there with E. Have to call tomorrow and ask but I'm pretty sure she won't mind. that way if I want to drink/taste more I can safely do so and just sleepover.
We had flurries tonight. SO much that I had to brush the slush off my car. Left work later than I wanted to and by that time it was really coming down. I was supposed to go over to C&Ts for dinner and Wii gaming but was thinking of bailing on the drive home b/c it was not very pleasant outside. Then I couldn't figure out what to have for dinner. Or what to watch on tv or if I should get a movie. So I went home, took my night meds and went over. They live 5 min from me, 2 by car when the conditions are perfect so I figured it shouldn't be too bad coming back home. I'm glad I went b/c I had a nutritious dinner-avocado salad with grilled steak topped with freshly made lemon-mustard dressing. It was delicious. T's on Atkins for a while. Then I played on the Wii with C for 3hrs. My arms are sore. First I made an avatar and that was very fun. then we played boxing, bowling, tennis and baseball. The boxing was fun and I knocked him out several times and won :) I didn't like the tennis very much, it was too confusing since you have to play doubles and it was actually true to life - in real tennis, I can serve no problem, I just can't volley. The baseball wa fun but only when it was my turn to pitch. I couldn't hit anything. the best was the bowling - highest score ever. I even beat C once. At midnight we decided to call it a night.
It's finally stopped snowing out and the neighborhood's very pretty. I love it when it midnight and the sky is so cloudy that it seems light outside. You can really see all the houses clearly. They're all snow-covered and there's a dusting all over the trees and ground. Wish I had my camera with me b/c I'd have pulled over and gotten some shots. My windows don't look out at anything cool anymore. All I can see are the windows of the houses on either side. I miss the great views I had from my old apt.
I am, of course, still too wired for sleep so I figured I might as well read some blogs. Going to bed soon b/c have much to do Sat. Hair appt at 11am then oil change/new wipers for my car. Then have to get a few groceries for party later - wine & cheese thing, should be fun. I'm hoping I can bum a ride there with E. Have to call tomorrow and ask but I'm pretty sure she won't mind. that way if I want to drink/taste more I can safely do so and just sleepover.
Thursday, February 1
mixed bag
Long day. I miss my old group. I'm not part of it anymore and I know this b/c when I go visit, the jokes are often on me instead of about others for us all to enjoy :(
My new group is ok. I'm friends with one of the girls and she's cool. The other's are ok but they are still...the others. I don't feel comfortable with them. At least not comfortable enough to joke around in the same way I was able to in my old lab.
Also, I've been working 1-2hrs more a day on average than I did in my old group. Even though I've also been getting to work 20-30min earlier than I used to. It's 5pm and they are all there chit-chatting, as if it were 2pm. Bizarre, no?
My stuff is ready for me to prep to ship-1st compound out, Yay! I have a couple others that should also be ready soon. Good news. I've decided that I need to give my new supervisor as little info as possible, ask him as few questions as possible. this can work b/c he's in the adjoining lab and they are others in my lab who are working/have worked on similar targets. So at least I can go to them for some advice. He does not know how to give general advice. He keeps focusing on shit that I know or have figured out already...4 years ago. So my new plan of action is: just do/don't ask unless absolutely necessary.
I used to have this saying that I said for the general amusement of my friends whenever they asked me about my job:
Drones don't think. Drones don't ask. Drones just do. I'm a happy drone.
So now I'm going to just be a happy drone.
Went to gym tonight after much deliberation with myself...went to the library, wandered around in there for a while. forgot my watch so couldn't keep track of the time. Left and went out to the car. still had more than enough time to get to the gym for class, so I figured I might as well go. I was really worn out after it all. I'm a bit sore now. That's what I get for being a lazy bum and not going to the gym for 2 weeks. My treat for making it to the gym...probably negated all the work I did tonight...buffalo chicken kickers/garlic bread from Domino's. I love Dominos.
What I really wanted tonight was Mallowmars but I didn't realize this until I was 2min from my apt so that's when I thought of Dominos instead.
At the dentist office: i love my dental hygienist. She very pleasant and always compliments me on my regular flossing. My dentist did some filing/polishing on my teeth to help improve "my bite" which he thinks was most likely causing some of the sensitivity I was having. Main reason though - I'm probably grinding my teeth at night b/c of all the recent stress. So he suggested I get Nightguard and see if that helps. I do have a history of teeth-grinding that I only know of b/c when I was visiting my sis, she said it woke her up...she insisted I wear the Nightguard thing. It was one of the most uncomfortable things I've had to use. I hated it.
A fitted nightguard from the dentist cost ~$300. Way out of my budget and my insurance doesn't cover it so I got one from CVS tonight. It's a different brand or at least looks different and seems like it'll be more comfortable as it can be molded to my teeth. Still looks weird though, not that I have to worry about anyone looking at me-who knew living alone could be a blessing.
My new group is ok. I'm friends with one of the girls and she's cool. The other's are ok but they are still...the others. I don't feel comfortable with them. At least not comfortable enough to joke around in the same way I was able to in my old lab.
Also, I've been working 1-2hrs more a day on average than I did in my old group. Even though I've also been getting to work 20-30min earlier than I used to. It's 5pm and they are all there chit-chatting, as if it were 2pm. Bizarre, no?
My stuff is ready for me to prep to ship-1st compound out, Yay! I have a couple others that should also be ready soon. Good news. I've decided that I need to give my new supervisor as little info as possible, ask him as few questions as possible. this can work b/c he's in the adjoining lab and they are others in my lab who are working/have worked on similar targets. So at least I can go to them for some advice. He does not know how to give general advice. He keeps focusing on shit that I know or have figured out already...4 years ago. So my new plan of action is: just do/don't ask unless absolutely necessary.
I used to have this saying that I said for the general amusement of my friends whenever they asked me about my job:
Drones don't think. Drones don't ask. Drones just do. I'm a happy drone.
So now I'm going to just be a happy drone.
Went to gym tonight after much deliberation with myself...went to the library, wandered around in there for a while. forgot my watch so couldn't keep track of the time. Left and went out to the car. still had more than enough time to get to the gym for class, so I figured I might as well go. I was really worn out after it all. I'm a bit sore now. That's what I get for being a lazy bum and not going to the gym for 2 weeks. My treat for making it to the gym...probably negated all the work I did tonight...buffalo chicken kickers/garlic bread from Domino's. I love Dominos.
What I really wanted tonight was Mallowmars but I didn't realize this until I was 2min from my apt so that's when I thought of Dominos instead.
At the dentist office: i love my dental hygienist. She very pleasant and always compliments me on my regular flossing. My dentist did some filing/polishing on my teeth to help improve "my bite" which he thinks was most likely causing some of the sensitivity I was having. Main reason though - I'm probably grinding my teeth at night b/c of all the recent stress. So he suggested I get Nightguard and see if that helps. I do have a history of teeth-grinding that I only know of b/c when I was visiting my sis, she said it woke her up...she insisted I wear the Nightguard thing. It was one of the most uncomfortable things I've had to use. I hated it.
A fitted nightguard from the dentist cost ~$300. Way out of my budget and my insurance doesn't cover it so I got one from CVS tonight. It's a different brand or at least looks different and seems like it'll be more comfortable as it can be molded to my teeth. Still looks weird though, not that I have to worry about anyone looking at me-who knew living alone could be a blessing.
Wednesday, January 31
chocolate
Right now, I could really go for a ritter sport. It's dark chocolate with whole hazelnuts...German chocolate...yum-my! It's my favorite of the moment. It's 210 calories per serving and it contains 4 servings. I'm usu able to control my self and stick to 1 but no more than 1 1/2 servings at a time. Well after I read what the serving size was/amt of calories :)
For you chocolate lovers out there looking for something new - check out the Ritter Sport site.
No chocolate for me for a while. Or nuts for that matter. Both tend to aggravate my asthma especially when it's out of control. Saw my doc yesterday and she incr my dosage of flovent(my controller medication that I take twice/day to keep my asthma in check). So I'm going to see if that helps knock out whatever it is that's caused me to wheeze/need my emergency inhaler(albuterol) almost every day for the past 12 days. Sadly, no antibiotics as I'd hoped. I can understand why...I've not been bringing up anything and when my nose runs, it's clear...no antibiotics for me :(. I always feel like they would be great to get but my docs are never free with prescribing them to me. Maybe I feel that way b/c the few times I've taken them, I went from feeling like crap to feeling great within a couple days. She thinks it's fine for me to go workout as long as I take my albuterol before. I haven't felt like going to the gym at all. That's not a new feeling, I feel like that all the time but have still managed to go anyway. No more excuses though. Definitely hitting the gym tomorrow. Don't know if I'm up for boxing class though but I might as well get back into the swing of things. My muscles have lost most of the definition they had before my holiday in Dec. I want that back.
Have my 6mth dental cleaning tomorrow. Lately my teeth have been really sensitive. At first it was just the 2 adjoining teeth that my dentist filled about 6mths ago. They never really lost their sensitivity. this is why I can't enjoy many things I used to like to munch on - no hard pretzels, tostitos are almost bearable if I eat only on one side, potato chips. Tonight was really bad, they were really achy all through my dinner - I call it the anti-gym dinner i.e. Popeye's spicy chicken with Cajun fries. Don't even want to think about the calories there. I barely enjoyed it, my teeth were weirded out the whole time, no matter what side I tried to chew on. I've tried sensitive toothpaste and it seemed to help for a while but tonight's the worst it's been-almost too sensitive for me to brush...the horror! I hope the dentist has something useful to give me to fix this.
For you chocolate lovers out there looking for something new - check out the Ritter Sport site.
No chocolate for me for a while. Or nuts for that matter. Both tend to aggravate my asthma especially when it's out of control. Saw my doc yesterday and she incr my dosage of flovent(my controller medication that I take twice/day to keep my asthma in check). So I'm going to see if that helps knock out whatever it is that's caused me to wheeze/need my emergency inhaler(albuterol) almost every day for the past 12 days. Sadly, no antibiotics as I'd hoped. I can understand why...I've not been bringing up anything and when my nose runs, it's clear...no antibiotics for me :(. I always feel like they would be great to get but my docs are never free with prescribing them to me. Maybe I feel that way b/c the few times I've taken them, I went from feeling like crap to feeling great within a couple days. She thinks it's fine for me to go workout as long as I take my albuterol before. I haven't felt like going to the gym at all. That's not a new feeling, I feel like that all the time but have still managed to go anyway. No more excuses though. Definitely hitting the gym tomorrow. Don't know if I'm up for boxing class though but I might as well get back into the swing of things. My muscles have lost most of the definition they had before my holiday in Dec. I want that back.
Have my 6mth dental cleaning tomorrow. Lately my teeth have been really sensitive. At first it was just the 2 adjoining teeth that my dentist filled about 6mths ago. They never really lost their sensitivity. this is why I can't enjoy many things I used to like to munch on - no hard pretzels, tostitos are almost bearable if I eat only on one side, potato chips. Tonight was really bad, they were really achy all through my dinner - I call it the anti-gym dinner i.e. Popeye's spicy chicken with Cajun fries. Don't even want to think about the calories there. I barely enjoyed it, my teeth were weirded out the whole time, no matter what side I tried to chew on. I've tried sensitive toothpaste and it seemed to help for a while but tonight's the worst it's been-almost too sensitive for me to brush...the horror! I hope the dentist has something useful to give me to fix this.
Saturday, January 27
These are the funniest things I've heard - these talking-ring-tones. if you are only going to listen to one then you must check out Snoop's.
Don't know if I'd actually want one of these on my phone but still funny all the same.
Went to see Catch & Release today. I loved it, sad but really cool movie. It was less cutesy/cliched than I expected it to be. Worth seeing.
Don't know if I'd actually want one of these on my phone but still funny all the same.
Went to see Catch & Release today. I loved it, sad but really cool movie. It was less cutesy/cliched than I expected it to be. Worth seeing.
Thursday, January 25
is it friday yet?
It's been a rough week. Sun night I felt like I was coming down with something dire - took some cold medicine. Woke up in the middle of wee hours coughing/wheezing - not good at all. So I took my inhaler and tried to get back to sleep. Oh did I sleep...until 9:30am...Monday! Woke up groggily, my mind in a fog, wheezing again and coughing. Took more medicine, called in sick and spent most of the day in bed.
Went in to work the rest of the week. Still have residual cold crap going on in my lungs. Been on my inhaler all week 3-4x/day. Only needed it once today but probably need to take it before I go to bed (so I don't wake up at 2am wheezing). My hands are not quite shaking yet but they feel weird - pre-shaky...side effects from my albuterol inhaler.
Plus in addition to feeling under the weather all week, my new supervisor has been a pain in my side all week. Today was the worst though and several times times I came close to telling him to "leave me the eff alone" or "for feck's sake, give me a break" or "must you be up under my arse all the time". Normally I would not even be close to saying such things to my supervisor. I wanted to ask him to back off, let me do my job and when I had results I would let him know. I did this reaction and it was quite slow - I was actually repeating one I did before that still wasn't complete after 4days. yet he expected to see it done after 1 day. So he kept asking me - literally every 5min - to check it using different systems. It was not freaking finished, no matter how many times I checked it, I had done it before. He kept questioning me about the spot on my TLC that was my product - I knew which one it is b/c he's made me repeat similar reactions to make the same product 6 times. I know where the damn thing is by now. He was not convinced. Then I ran a purification on some other material I had and was trying to find a system that would let me differentiate between the product I wanted and the by-product I didn't want. This sometimes takes time. SO I was trying different methods and did find one that worked well enough for me to identify my stuff. This man was acting like I'd never purified/identified/isolated a product before.
I have only been working there 4 1/2 years. I have only shipped 30-50 compounds a year - all pure. Purified by me. Isolated by me. Analyzed by me. Somehow I managed to do that without having him up under my arse. NOW it seems that I must be too incompetent to accomplish it now. I just got really quiet. I spoke to F and she said I should probably talk to his supervisor about him. I didn't want to do that b/c I know I need to address it with him first before I think of doing that. I was at my wits end today and had to tell someone - normally I would keep all this to myself.
He must have picked up on my anger...either that or he heard me complaining to F or someone else heard me and told him or it may have been my fervent prayers that I could keep my mouth shut and not say all the things going through my head to him directly. Whatever it was, after pestering me all day....from 3pm till I left he was suddenly not around - even when I was looking for him to give him an update when I finally had results. He seemed to almost be avoiding me. Doesn't matter what it was, I'm just glad I got through today without losing it completely.
Skipped the gym all week - that must be part of the reason why he got to me all this week and today especially...not being able to vent in boxing class...no endorphin- high from the exercise. I've been wheezing/coughing too much this week. I didn't want to chance it getting worse than it is. Hopefully, this crap will be out of my system soon and life can get back to normal.
Bed for me now, really tired.
Went in to work the rest of the week. Still have residual cold crap going on in my lungs. Been on my inhaler all week 3-4x/day. Only needed it once today but probably need to take it before I go to bed (so I don't wake up at 2am wheezing). My hands are not quite shaking yet but they feel weird - pre-shaky...side effects from my albuterol inhaler.
Plus in addition to feeling under the weather all week, my new supervisor has been a pain in my side all week. Today was the worst though and several times times I came close to telling him to "leave me the eff alone" or "for feck's sake, give me a break" or "must you be up under my arse all the time". Normally I would not even be close to saying such things to my supervisor. I wanted to ask him to back off, let me do my job and when I had results I would let him know. I did this reaction and it was quite slow - I was actually repeating one I did before that still wasn't complete after 4days. yet he expected to see it done after 1 day. So he kept asking me - literally every 5min - to check it using different systems. It was not freaking finished, no matter how many times I checked it, I had done it before. He kept questioning me about the spot on my TLC that was my product - I knew which one it is b/c he's made me repeat similar reactions to make the same product 6 times. I know where the damn thing is by now. He was not convinced. Then I ran a purification on some other material I had and was trying to find a system that would let me differentiate between the product I wanted and the by-product I didn't want. This sometimes takes time. SO I was trying different methods and did find one that worked well enough for me to identify my stuff. This man was acting like I'd never purified/identified/isolated a product before.
I have only been working there 4 1/2 years. I have only shipped 30-50 compounds a year - all pure. Purified by me. Isolated by me. Analyzed by me. Somehow I managed to do that without having him up under my arse. NOW it seems that I must be too incompetent to accomplish it now. I just got really quiet. I spoke to F and she said I should probably talk to his supervisor about him. I didn't want to do that b/c I know I need to address it with him first before I think of doing that. I was at my wits end today and had to tell someone - normally I would keep all this to myself.
He must have picked up on my anger...either that or he heard me complaining to F or someone else heard me and told him or it may have been my fervent prayers that I could keep my mouth shut and not say all the things going through my head to him directly. Whatever it was, after pestering me all day....from 3pm till I left he was suddenly not around - even when I was looking for him to give him an update when I finally had results. He seemed to almost be avoiding me. Doesn't matter what it was, I'm just glad I got through today without losing it completely.
Skipped the gym all week - that must be part of the reason why he got to me all this week and today especially...not being able to vent in boxing class...no endorphin- high from the exercise. I've been wheezing/coughing too much this week. I didn't want to chance it getting worse than it is. Hopefully, this crap will be out of my system soon and life can get back to normal.
Bed for me now, really tired.
Sunday, January 21
turtle turtle turtle
I got a book on turtles from the library. I think I still want one. I was talking to C&T about how I want one but was waiting until
a)I'm sure I can actually touch them
b)learn how to set up tank/what food to feed/etc and
c)I can afford to get all the stuff - tank/heater/filter/UV lamp
Well, they have a whole set up they don't use anymore - aquarium/heater/filter that they are looking to give away and they said I could have them if I wanted it.
Maybe it's not such a great idea - I can use gloves to change their poopy water so that'll help. Plus you're not supposed to handle turtles more than necessary so I think it'll be ok.
My mission this week: to go to an actual pet store and see if I can touch the things.
Plus I need to decide where I'm going to get them from. The guy at work who offered me one of his turtles-which I would rename Houdini b/c he routinely escapes from his tank and goes walkabout. They usu find him days later in a corner of the house. I think I want my first real pet to be less troublesome than that.
a)I'm sure I can actually touch them
b)learn how to set up tank/what food to feed/etc and
c)I can afford to get all the stuff - tank/heater/filter/UV lamp
Well, they have a whole set up they don't use anymore - aquarium/heater/filter that they are looking to give away and they said I could have them if I wanted it.
Maybe it's not such a great idea - I can use gloves to change their poopy water so that'll help. Plus you're not supposed to handle turtles more than necessary so I think it'll be ok.
My mission this week: to go to an actual pet store and see if I can touch the things.
Plus I need to decide where I'm going to get them from. The guy at work who offered me one of his turtles-which I would rename Houdini b/c he routinely escapes from his tank and goes walkabout. They usu find him days later in a corner of the house. I think I want my first real pet to be less troublesome than that.
prom aka company party
Went to my work holiday party last night. I carpooled with C&T, it was easy b/c they only live a couple minutes from me so I drove over to their house and we left from their. This was great b/c I was certain I was going to get lost on my way there - I always do whenever I have to go to that town. My own personal Bermuda triangle.
It was so freaking cold last night - not the best night to be in a skirt. The shoes I meant to wear work great without tights but were not easy to walk in without, especially with snow/ice on the ground. So I had to use the second pair I bought which worked just as well and looked great with tights. I was still cold though. By the end of the night my feet were killing me but they stilled looked cute though :)
If you want pics, email me and I'll send them. Don't want to post them.
It was a fun night. The DJ played quite a mix. Not that I danced though. I never dance at these things - I like to keep social life separate from work life so no dancing in front of managers and other section heads.
We got pictures taken by magnet-man. They hire a professional photographer who takes as many pics as you want, groups/singles/couples/etc and he puts them on magnets. They make copies for every person in each picture. Kinda cool and totally free. The food was good. I have 5 such magnets. The food - pasta, roast beef(skipped those), international table with mostly fried foods like samosas, fish cakes, veggie rolls; also stuffed grape leaves. I ate all the fried thingies twice and also had several grape leaves things. Maybe too much b/c my stomach made much noise last night and this morning. At least it wasn't bad enough that it made me ill though so that was a relief. There was also desserts upstairs which I'd have saved more room for if I'd thought of it before I got my 3rd plate of fried things.
I still managed to scarf down 3 mini cheesecakes, 1 mini tiramisu (which I don't even like much) and 1 mini pumpkin pie. Also had a glass of wine and 1 cosmopolitan. After that I figured I'd had enough and called it quits.
They also had a mini casino set up with roulette wheel, blackjack and poker tables. Everyone got a chit worth 50 chips. We didn't feel like playing (were really too busy eating :) so we just entered our chits into the raffle. The prizes - wind breaker with company logo or food basket - can take or leave them.
All in all a good night. A friend a work decided to through a party at the same time as the company party. Why? I suspect she didn't really want some of us to come to her party. Whatever. She and a couple other people who were bailing on the company party suggested that we could stop by before or after the company party. I don't think so. Plus at her party would be 3 couples and no new single guys for me to meet. Same old people that I could hang out with any other night. Plus they live in the opposite direction and not at all close to me. And I had new dress and shoes. No real contest.
It was so freaking cold last night - not the best night to be in a skirt. The shoes I meant to wear work great without tights but were not easy to walk in without, especially with snow/ice on the ground. So I had to use the second pair I bought which worked just as well and looked great with tights. I was still cold though. By the end of the night my feet were killing me but they stilled looked cute though :)
If you want pics, email me and I'll send them. Don't want to post them.
It was a fun night. The DJ played quite a mix. Not that I danced though. I never dance at these things - I like to keep social life separate from work life so no dancing in front of managers and other section heads.
We got pictures taken by magnet-man. They hire a professional photographer who takes as many pics as you want, groups/singles/couples/etc and he puts them on magnets. They make copies for every person in each picture. Kinda cool and totally free. The food was good. I have 5 such magnets. The food - pasta, roast beef(skipped those), international table with mostly fried foods like samosas, fish cakes, veggie rolls; also stuffed grape leaves. I ate all the fried thingies twice and also had several grape leaves things. Maybe too much b/c my stomach made much noise last night and this morning. At least it wasn't bad enough that it made me ill though so that was a relief. There was also desserts upstairs which I'd have saved more room for if I'd thought of it before I got my 3rd plate of fried things.
I still managed to scarf down 3 mini cheesecakes, 1 mini tiramisu (which I don't even like much) and 1 mini pumpkin pie. Also had a glass of wine and 1 cosmopolitan. After that I figured I'd had enough and called it quits.
They also had a mini casino set up with roulette wheel, blackjack and poker tables. Everyone got a chit worth 50 chips. We didn't feel like playing (were really too busy eating :) so we just entered our chits into the raffle. The prizes - wind breaker with company logo or food basket - can take or leave them.
All in all a good night. A friend a work decided to through a party at the same time as the company party. Why? I suspect she didn't really want some of us to come to her party. Whatever. She and a couple other people who were bailing on the company party suggested that we could stop by before or after the company party. I don't think so. Plus at her party would be 3 couples and no new single guys for me to meet. Same old people that I could hang out with any other night. Plus they live in the opposite direction and not at all close to me. And I had new dress and shoes. No real contest.
dating...not really
Recently, decided to create profile on one of the online dating sites. I've done the internet dating thing before without much success but creating a profile was the only way the stupid site would let me continue scanning other profiles for free.
I've gotten more hits(profile views/ice breakers/emails) in the last week since I created the profile than I did when I was on the site before for 6mths - go figure.
Maybe it's partly because I wrote the profile in 5min and it's kinda snarky. When I was on the site before, I took a long time to write my profile and it didn't make a damn worth of difference b/c they never read them.
No really good prospects though. Many pics/profiles I've seen before a year ago when I last did this. The ones with interesting profiles who have contacted me have no photo attached. No good - my pic is there, I think I deserve to see theirs before I decide to contact them or not. The other ones are horrible. Their profile is written in all caps - most annoying, if you don't know that means shouting online then why should I be wasting my time. Or their profile has obviously been written by someone who may/may not have finished high school. I'm an elitist when it comes to this, not that it's right to be so snobbish but I can't help it. Especially when they have a spell-checker program linked to the profile now. They have no excuse for having a profile like the one below - sent to me by a guy who says he'd like to know more about me...that's nice but I don't think so.
"Iam respondsable,but laid back,romantic,fun loving,honest&kind of shy sometimes.I love the outdoors,pets,movies,dinner,sports&music.Ifeel good helping people less fortunate than me.Iam an all around nice guy. Iam looking for someone who would enjoy what i do&may offer more to enrich our lives for the better.Someone thats honest,fun to be with&down to earth.Someone thats looking for a relationship.NO GAMES R PLAYERS"
I copied and pasted it as is. Bad spelling, no spaces in logical places. No surprise that he has "finished high school" as highest education. Do these guys not even look at the part of my profile that says I'm looking for someone who's at least a college grad. Obviously, they don't read anything. Then there are all the guys who live with their parents (at 39). Yeah and I mustn't forget to mention all the 39-45 yr old when it clearly says that I don't want anyone over 36. They must think that's a rough number. I don't want a smoker nor someone that doesn't mind dating a smoker. A true non-smoker will only want another non-smoker imho.
I've gotten more hits(profile views/ice breakers/emails) in the last week since I created the profile than I did when I was on the site before for 6mths - go figure.
Maybe it's partly because I wrote the profile in 5min and it's kinda snarky. When I was on the site before, I took a long time to write my profile and it didn't make a damn worth of difference b/c they never read them.
No really good prospects though. Many pics/profiles I've seen before a year ago when I last did this. The ones with interesting profiles who have contacted me have no photo attached. No good - my pic is there, I think I deserve to see theirs before I decide to contact them or not. The other ones are horrible. Their profile is written in all caps - most annoying, if you don't know that means shouting online then why should I be wasting my time. Or their profile has obviously been written by someone who may/may not have finished high school. I'm an elitist when it comes to this, not that it's right to be so snobbish but I can't help it. Especially when they have a spell-checker program linked to the profile now. They have no excuse for having a profile like the one below - sent to me by a guy who says he'd like to know more about me...that's nice but I don't think so.
"Iam respondsable,but laid back,romantic,fun loving,honest&kind of shy sometimes.I love the outdoors,pets,movies,dinner,sports&music.Ifeel good helping people less fortunate than me.Iam an all around nice guy. Iam looking for someone who would enjoy what i do&may offer more to enrich our lives for the better.Someone thats honest,fun to be with&down to earth.Someone thats looking for a relationship.NO GAMES R PLAYERS"
I copied and pasted it as is. Bad spelling, no spaces in logical places. No surprise that he has "finished high school" as highest education. Do these guys not even look at the part of my profile that says I'm looking for someone who's at least a college grad. Obviously, they don't read anything. Then there are all the guys who live with their parents (at 39). Yeah and I mustn't forget to mention all the 39-45 yr old when it clearly says that I don't want anyone over 36. They must think that's a rough number. I don't want a smoker nor someone that doesn't mind dating a smoker. A true non-smoker will only want another non-smoker imho.
Wednesday, January 17
more AI
Ok so Meesha(sp?)...where do I start
-her Mom clone (in the uneven skirt above her knee)
-those pants(no one should wear pants like that)
-why pair those pants with those sneakers
-why no bra
And then there was the singing - don't ya wish she hadn't sung that song.
Simon was really nice though, all things considered.
-her Mom clone (in the uneven skirt above her knee)
-those pants(no one should wear pants like that)
-why pair those pants with those sneakers
-why no bra
And then there was the singing - don't ya wish she hadn't sung that song.
Simon was really nice though, all things considered.
what I'm watching
Most of the guys in my lab rave about the show "24". I just can't get into it. Why? Plausibility. I require this in a show. I can't suspend my judgment long enough to enjoy it. Same deal with CSI.
What I watched on Monday night instead - "Eleventh Hour" (cool review here). It's on BBC america. And stars Patrick Stewart(captain Jean-Luc Picard himself :) as government scientist Ian Hood. Very entertaining. I taped it b/c they started the marathon at 3pm. I watched the last one Mon. And have been catching up on the rest of the eps as the week goes by.
My other guilty pleasure show (besides AI :) is "Doctor Who" (cool guide here). I like the 9th doctor better than the 10th. It's chessy at times - even though there's much more available in the way of technology nowadays, the aliens are still kinda cheesy. I love it.
Also watched some American Idol last night. Went to the gym so I missed the 1st hour. What I did see though was pretty funny. Personally I think the best parts of American Idol is the auditions - the bad auditions. You wonder how it's possible that they don't know they can't sing/are tone deaf. How? How? You'd think that after 16-20yrs someone would have been kind enough to tell them. More tonight, Yay!
Contestant Jennifer - I don't know which was more disturbing...her singing, her fake tan or the way she grabbed her belly with every note?
What I watched on Monday night instead - "Eleventh Hour" (cool review here). It's on BBC america. And stars Patrick Stewart(captain Jean-Luc Picard himself :) as government scientist Ian Hood. Very entertaining. I taped it b/c they started the marathon at 3pm. I watched the last one Mon. And have been catching up on the rest of the eps as the week goes by.
My other guilty pleasure show (besides AI :) is "Doctor Who" (cool guide here). I like the 9th doctor better than the 10th. It's chessy at times - even though there's much more available in the way of technology nowadays, the aliens are still kinda cheesy. I love it.
Also watched some American Idol last night. Went to the gym so I missed the 1st hour. What I did see though was pretty funny. Personally I think the best parts of American Idol is the auditions - the bad auditions. You wonder how it's possible that they don't know they can't sing/are tone deaf. How? How? You'd think that after 16-20yrs someone would have been kind enough to tell them. More tonight, Yay!
Contestant Jennifer - I don't know which was more disturbing...her singing, her fake tan or the way she grabbed her belly with every note?
Monday, January 15
no more ice please
I hate ice storms. I hate ice on my walkway to my car, I hate ice sheets covering all the surfaces of my car. I finally bought some de-icer tonight. Trying to scrape ice sheets off the windows and windshield sucks. I don't mind the rain so much as long as the temp stays above freezing. I wouldn't even mind 4-5in of snow instead of this crap ice.
My joints hurt tonight. Don't know what is up with that.
When I went boxing last Thur, it was first real workout in a month. I felt fine on Fri and thought I'd gotten away from the usu pain after not exercising for so long. Nope. Could barely take my shirt off Sat morning without pain - my ribs, my shoulders, my back muscles all ached. Better today. Went to yoga today and we did several new positions that I didn't care for much. I was having a bit of wrist trouble and one position in particular, I think it was triangle or some sun salutation (hard to keep them all straight :) really hurt while I trying to get in position but I wasn't sure how to get out of position without falling over so I just waited for instructions from S. She told me I should have said something, that I was in pain. She always tries to find ways to help us change/alter position so that we're doing the positions correctly/in such a way as not to cause pain. It was still good though. We also did a bit of abdominal work. S was impressed with how long I could hold certain positions - all training from my boxing class :)
I finally got a chance to listen to the T.e.a.d.a CD I bought after I saw them live late last year. I love, love, love it. Track 4(3rd link on their site ) is my favorite.
I did major cleaning of my apt Sat, even put up pictures, finally unpacked and put away the suitcases from my trip. My apt is so neat and tidy - trying to keep it that way.
I want a turtle but with all the stuff I'd need to get, it just doesn't seem so practical to me anymore. Sadly, no turtle :( At least not in the near future. Instead I will have to transplant my 2 plants whose leaves are turning yellow. I know it's b/c they need more room. Maybe I also get a couple more plants as well. Not the same as turtles I know but still something.
I also went shopping with Z Sat evening. Very productive. Found perfect shoes to go with my dress for prom aka company Holiday party. And they were on sale(50% off). Also bought a 2nd pair which made my feet look so cute and dare i say sexy that I had to get them. Z agreed. They were 65% off. Total was $71. Not bad at all.
Still on my all-cash diet = credit money even with my debit card doesn't seem like real money to me. So no more of that this year. Only using cash, except at the pump b/c it's a pain to go in and out of the serviec station when I can just swipe, get my gas and go. But I have budgeted the money for it. Also keeping track of my expenses - so I can figure out what the hell I spend my money on and why I never seem to have enough. Actually I kinda know why I don't - mostly b/c I buy tons of crap I don't really need. That's all well and good but this year is all about control and curbing my excesses i.e. impulsive spending.
My joints hurt tonight. Don't know what is up with that.
When I went boxing last Thur, it was first real workout in a month. I felt fine on Fri and thought I'd gotten away from the usu pain after not exercising for so long. Nope. Could barely take my shirt off Sat morning without pain - my ribs, my shoulders, my back muscles all ached. Better today. Went to yoga today and we did several new positions that I didn't care for much. I was having a bit of wrist trouble and one position in particular, I think it was triangle or some sun salutation (hard to keep them all straight :) really hurt while I trying to get in position but I wasn't sure how to get out of position without falling over so I just waited for instructions from S. She told me I should have said something, that I was in pain. She always tries to find ways to help us change/alter position so that we're doing the positions correctly/in such a way as not to cause pain. It was still good though. We also did a bit of abdominal work. S was impressed with how long I could hold certain positions - all training from my boxing class :)
I finally got a chance to listen to the T.e.a.d.a CD I bought after I saw them live late last year. I love, love, love it. Track 4(3rd link on their site ) is my favorite.
I did major cleaning of my apt Sat, even put up pictures, finally unpacked and put away the suitcases from my trip. My apt is so neat and tidy - trying to keep it that way.
I want a turtle but with all the stuff I'd need to get, it just doesn't seem so practical to me anymore. Sadly, no turtle :( At least not in the near future. Instead I will have to transplant my 2 plants whose leaves are turning yellow. I know it's b/c they need more room. Maybe I also get a couple more plants as well. Not the same as turtles I know but still something.
I also went shopping with Z Sat evening. Very productive. Found perfect shoes to go with my dress for prom aka company Holiday party. And they were on sale(50% off). Also bought a 2nd pair which made my feet look so cute and dare i say sexy that I had to get them. Z agreed. They were 65% off. Total was $71. Not bad at all.
Still on my all-cash diet = credit money even with my debit card doesn't seem like real money to me. So no more of that this year. Only using cash, except at the pump b/c it's a pain to go in and out of the serviec station when I can just swipe, get my gas and go. But I have budgeted the money for it. Also keeping track of my expenses - so I can figure out what the hell I spend my money on and why I never seem to have enough. Actually I kinda know why I don't - mostly b/c I buy tons of crap I don't really need. That's all well and good but this year is all about control and curbing my excesses i.e. impulsive spending.
Saturday, January 13
no more blog roll
Tonight I read a post on Ann's blog about blogger faux pas - she mentioned taking away her blog roll while she was on vacation and not putting it back until recently. Well I noticed this trend on several other blogs as well. At the time - I thought "I can do that?" So I removed mine as well. I found it more freeing than anything else. Less pressure somehow. I don't mean to slight anyone but I just figured that I'd comment on people's blogs when I felt I had something to say. Otherwise, I'd just enjoy their blogs - no pressure from them or from me. I'd gotten into this habit of checking my stats and wondering why people who used to read my blog weren't here anymore. I also was glad that some of you were still reading. All this though - just too much stress for me. So I've stopped checking the stats. Haven't checked it since before my vacay last year. The feeling I have now is really good. This not having a blog roll/having to constantly update my sidebar every time I found a new blog/worrying whether I'd offend someone if I took their name off my blog roll if I didn't go to their blogs anymore - all that gone. So if I offended anyone by doing so then I'm sorry. But I started this blog for me and so I choose to keep it the way that works for me.
maybe
I'm thinking of getting a pet - I know, even I am amazed that I'm seriously considering it. I even have an offer of one I could adopt from a colleague at work. He has one who's a loner (does not play well with others) so I wouldn't have to get him a companion. What kind of pet? A turtle. Why? My younger sibs have turtles and they are are the cutest things. They stick their heads out of the water and look at you when you talk to them - I did much talking to them. I think they liked the attention. 2 of them are very neglected by my youngest sis. She thought they were cute until she had to change their water(won't do it without gloves). She also says she feels funny talking to them b/c they can't talk back. To which I said "you don't really want them to talk back to you, that would be freaky". She laughed of course. I was delighted by them and maybe if I got one i'd feel a little less lonely. Of course, being in Trinidad, the turtles only need a tank and regular feeding. Here, I'd need to get a tank, filter, heater, lamps, etc. Big step. Also need to run this idea by my lanlord and make sure he would be ok with it. No pets in my lease but I think fish/turtles don't really count b/c it's not like they make noise or can ruin the hardwood floors. I also need to go to a petstore of some kind and see if I can really do this.I took many pics of the turtles. Each sis has a pair and they like to climb on each other. So cute. I never realized how cute turtles can be especially when they are asleep. See for yourself! So cute!
Sunday, January 7
Finally the details
My vacation in T&T
19 Dec: The Plane
Seated next to a guy who talked the entire 5hrs of the flight. Told me his whole life story including his age(mid 40s)...currently single(divorced)....dates Black, Indian, White, anyone(he's Indian)....his fav foods...his job and current salary...# siblings...that he owns a house....etc, etc, etc. I could hardly get a word in edgewise which is really saying something b/c I can be quite chatty.
I tried to read my book, even made a half-hearted attempt at using my headphones but he just kept on talking and I guess I'm just too polite to be openly rude. He also gave me a gift-a silver chain. you might be wondering why I would accept such a gift from a stranger...well it's beautiful and he got all offended when I tried to refuse it. So I accepted it. Didn't know what else to do.
I told my Mum about it and she said that maybe the universe wanted to give me a gift and they used him as a medium.
He seemed like a perfectly nice guy if a bit chatty, just not for me. He had rings on every finger of each hand, a couple fingers even had 2 rings and he also had a couple bracelets on each hand as well. My kind of guy will not feel the need to wear that much jewelry at once. And he also wore his shades...on the plane for the entire flight. Odd, no?
They served the most disgusting meal I've ever had on a plane - turkey/cheese/unidentifiable chewy thing in an overheated bun which was too hard in some places and very soggy in others. Too gross for me to eat it all.
20 Dec/21 Dec: Food Poisoning
Ate Chinese food which was one of the things on my list of foods that I wanted to eat while I was home. Well, I got a horrible case of food poisoning within 20min of eating it. I threw up for a long time. Was in and out of the loo all night and most of the next day. The horror, the horror! 4 other family members also ate the same food I ate but no one else was sick. mu Mum said that maybe they were used to the bacteria.
I spent the next few days doing some shopping and seeing various uncles/aunts. Christmas was a really good day but we did miss my older sis who couldn't make it home this year. Got great presents, really nice pieces of jewelry as well as cool accessories for my iPod. Also got the Love Actually soundtrack. I love that movie and the soundtrack is great.
I spent most of my my time sitting in front of the fan. I was so hot. When I wasn't in front of the fan I was covered in a sheen of sweat, literally. It was not pretty. My body is just not used to the heat anymore.
My Mum sewed a couple outfits for me and I also bought a few long skirts. I can never find anything dressy that fits right normally so I was really glad to find the skirts. One of the outfits my Mum made is a really cool 2-piece top/skirt in a silvery purple Chinese silk (so beautiful)- I'm planning to wear that to our Holiday party at work which is in 2 weeks. All I need now are shoes.
Went to church with the family New Year's Day. Spent the rest of the day at the beach. My sisters ate bake and shark while I had kingfish and fries. No shark for me. Bake and shark is standard beach food in Trinidad.
3 Jan: time to fly back
Woke up at 5am to get ready to go to the airport. While checking in my bags, my Mum asked where my jacket was and I told her it was in one of the bags I was checking in. She suggested that I take it out and keep it in my hand luggage. Being the good daughter that I am, I did as she suggested. Boy am I glad that I did. Here's why.
Normally it takes 2-3 hrs from the time I get off the plane in Newark to get through immigration and customs b/c there are usu 100s of people in line ahead of me and we all have to be fingerprinted/photographed/etc. So instead of booking my connecting flight at 330pm, I booked the next available one at 9pm. I figured it'd only be about 3-4hrs wait and that way I wouldn't miss my connecting flight. The best laid plans of mice and men, isn't that what they say? Well my flight from Trinidad got in at 1:30pm and i was actually done with immigration and customs by 2:30pm. I think our flight was one of the first international ones to arrive so for once the line only had 3 people ahead of me. My luggage came out in no time as well. So I rechecked my bags (you have to pick up your luggage from international flights, go through customs with them, and then re-check them to your final destination) and decided to go to my gate and hang out there until my flight. I was so sick of Newark airport by 7pm. So tired of the waiting. At 8:30, I still can't see my flight on any of the screens, so I go up to one of the gate security guys and he looks at my ticket and tells me that it has wrong gate on it. He then tells me that I need 114B. So I ask if that's in Terminal B and he says yes. So he puts me on this shuttle bus (along with a few other people) which is supposed to take me from where I am (terminal A) to the right place. When the bus drops us off is, it's at Terminal C and that time is 8:45pm. So I stop one of the workers there and ask if I am in the right place for gate 114B-terminal B. They tell me no and that I have to take the air shuttle back to terminal B. I ask them if they are sure, tell them my destination and that the shuttle bus just brought me there. They insist that I need to take the air shuttle. I take the stupid air shuttle to terminal B and look around only to find out that there is no gate 114 in terminal B, it stops at gate 68. So I ask someone again, where I should be and they laugh and tell me that I need terminal C. I race back to terminal C and have to trek to the back of the damn terminal to find stupid gate 114B. It's now 9pm and my flight has just left...without me...after I waited 7 bloody hrs. I was so pissed off - partly at the incompetent workers who could have told me that 114B doesn't exist in terminal B and not sent me on a wild goose chase. I was also pissed at myself for not checking with someone earlier about my gate/flight since it was not on the departure boards at all in terminal A - should have been my first clue really that something was wrong. At first I thought it wasn't there b/c it was so early. Then I couldn't find an agent to ask. The service desk there for continental had a really long line and I figured I was in the right place so didn't bother to recheck to make sure I was in the right place. So I blame myself as well.
It took some more running around freaking terminal C before I could get to a service desk that was open. After waiting 45min I finally speak to a service rep who gives me a voucher to stay in hotel for the night. The next flight was leaving 8:30am Thurs. She was really nice and also gave me directions to the service office where I was able to toiletries. Totally needed b/c I'd forgotten to pack my toothbrush (even after my Mum reminded me about it) and when I got to the hotel at midnight, the gift shop was already closed. Another good thing was that she also gave me vouchers for dinner and breakfast. i had 1 clean shirt and basic underwear in my hand luggage. I couldn't sleep - probably due to all the stress/feeling like I'd miss flight in the morning. I woke up at 5am, showered, dressed, took the airport shuttle. It took an hr to get through security. Why don't people know the basic protocol for passing through security? Take off your shoes...put phones in bag, not in pocket...yes, your jacket/vest/belt need to be taken off...yes, you have to take your laptop out of the case...yes you need to have your ID out with your boarding pass. These are not difficult rules to remember, especially since there are video screens up saying all this in addition to the TSA security guards who also keep repeating this info for the idiots that don't seem to grasp these rules.
So I called my boss at work to let them know I was still in Newark but would be in to work around 11pm. My flight was supposed to get in at 10am. E came to pick me up at the airport; luckily my luggage was waiting for me (it had arrived on the flight I missed). I decided to just go into work instead of going home. I had quite a bit of corrections to do on the reports I did before I left for my vacay last year. My old project ended and I’ve been transferred to another project. I know most of the people on this project and my new supervisor is ok so far. I had to move my lab stuff to their lab. I also have to move my writing area stuff downstairs as it’d be closer to my new lab. It’s kind of a pain b/c I’ve been in the same writing area for 4 ½ yrs and have accumulated a fair amt of crap. So I’ll have to do some shredding of old project paperwork. I’m ready for a change.
19 Dec: The Plane
Seated next to a guy who talked the entire 5hrs of the flight. Told me his whole life story including his age(mid 40s)...currently single(divorced)....dates Black, Indian, White, anyone(he's Indian)....his fav foods...his job and current salary...# siblings...that he owns a house....etc, etc, etc. I could hardly get a word in edgewise which is really saying something b/c I can be quite chatty.
I tried to read my book, even made a half-hearted attempt at using my headphones but he just kept on talking and I guess I'm just too polite to be openly rude. He also gave me a gift-a silver chain. you might be wondering why I would accept such a gift from a stranger...well it's beautiful and he got all offended when I tried to refuse it. So I accepted it. Didn't know what else to do.
I told my Mum about it and she said that maybe the universe wanted to give me a gift and they used him as a medium.
He seemed like a perfectly nice guy if a bit chatty, just not for me. He had rings on every finger of each hand, a couple fingers even had 2 rings and he also had a couple bracelets on each hand as well. My kind of guy will not feel the need to wear that much jewelry at once. And he also wore his shades...on the plane for the entire flight. Odd, no?
They served the most disgusting meal I've ever had on a plane - turkey/cheese/unidentifiable chewy thing in an overheated bun which was too hard in some places and very soggy in others. Too gross for me to eat it all.
20 Dec/21 Dec: Food Poisoning
Ate Chinese food which was one of the things on my list of foods that I wanted to eat while I was home. Well, I got a horrible case of food poisoning within 20min of eating it. I threw up for a long time. Was in and out of the loo all night and most of the next day. The horror, the horror! 4 other family members also ate the same food I ate but no one else was sick. mu Mum said that maybe they were used to the bacteria.
I spent the next few days doing some shopping and seeing various uncles/aunts. Christmas was a really good day but we did miss my older sis who couldn't make it home this year. Got great presents, really nice pieces of jewelry as well as cool accessories for my iPod. Also got the Love Actually soundtrack. I love that movie and the soundtrack is great.
I spent most of my my time sitting in front of the fan. I was so hot. When I wasn't in front of the fan I was covered in a sheen of sweat, literally. It was not pretty. My body is just not used to the heat anymore.
My Mum sewed a couple outfits for me and I also bought a few long skirts. I can never find anything dressy that fits right normally so I was really glad to find the skirts. One of the outfits my Mum made is a really cool 2-piece top/skirt in a silvery purple Chinese silk (so beautiful)- I'm planning to wear that to our Holiday party at work which is in 2 weeks. All I need now are shoes.
Went to church with the family New Year's Day. Spent the rest of the day at the beach. My sisters ate bake and shark while I had kingfish and fries. No shark for me. Bake and shark is standard beach food in Trinidad.
3 Jan: time to fly back
Woke up at 5am to get ready to go to the airport. While checking in my bags, my Mum asked where my jacket was and I told her it was in one of the bags I was checking in. She suggested that I take it out and keep it in my hand luggage. Being the good daughter that I am, I did as she suggested. Boy am I glad that I did. Here's why.
Normally it takes 2-3 hrs from the time I get off the plane in Newark to get through immigration and customs b/c there are usu 100s of people in line ahead of me and we all have to be fingerprinted/photographed/etc. So instead of booking my connecting flight at 330pm, I booked the next available one at 9pm. I figured it'd only be about 3-4hrs wait and that way I wouldn't miss my connecting flight. The best laid plans of mice and men, isn't that what they say? Well my flight from Trinidad got in at 1:30pm and i was actually done with immigration and customs by 2:30pm. I think our flight was one of the first international ones to arrive so for once the line only had 3 people ahead of me. My luggage came out in no time as well. So I rechecked my bags (you have to pick up your luggage from international flights, go through customs with them, and then re-check them to your final destination) and decided to go to my gate and hang out there until my flight. I was so sick of Newark airport by 7pm. So tired of the waiting. At 8:30, I still can't see my flight on any of the screens, so I go up to one of the gate security guys and he looks at my ticket and tells me that it has wrong gate on it. He then tells me that I need 114B. So I ask if that's in Terminal B and he says yes. So he puts me on this shuttle bus (along with a few other people) which is supposed to take me from where I am (terminal A) to the right place. When the bus drops us off is, it's at Terminal C and that time is 8:45pm. So I stop one of the workers there and ask if I am in the right place for gate 114B-terminal B. They tell me no and that I have to take the air shuttle back to terminal B. I ask them if they are sure, tell them my destination and that the shuttle bus just brought me there. They insist that I need to take the air shuttle. I take the stupid air shuttle to terminal B and look around only to find out that there is no gate 114 in terminal B, it stops at gate 68. So I ask someone again, where I should be and they laugh and tell me that I need terminal C. I race back to terminal C and have to trek to the back of the damn terminal to find stupid gate 114B. It's now 9pm and my flight has just left...without me...after I waited 7 bloody hrs. I was so pissed off - partly at the incompetent workers who could have told me that 114B doesn't exist in terminal B and not sent me on a wild goose chase. I was also pissed at myself for not checking with someone earlier about my gate/flight since it was not on the departure boards at all in terminal A - should have been my first clue really that something was wrong. At first I thought it wasn't there b/c it was so early. Then I couldn't find an agent to ask. The service desk there for continental had a really long line and I figured I was in the right place so didn't bother to recheck to make sure I was in the right place. So I blame myself as well.
It took some more running around freaking terminal C before I could get to a service desk that was open. After waiting 45min I finally speak to a service rep who gives me a voucher to stay in hotel for the night. The next flight was leaving 8:30am Thurs. She was really nice and also gave me directions to the service office where I was able to toiletries. Totally needed b/c I'd forgotten to pack my toothbrush (even after my Mum reminded me about it) and when I got to the hotel at midnight, the gift shop was already closed. Another good thing was that she also gave me vouchers for dinner and breakfast. i had 1 clean shirt and basic underwear in my hand luggage. I couldn't sleep - probably due to all the stress/feeling like I'd miss flight in the morning. I woke up at 5am, showered, dressed, took the airport shuttle. It took an hr to get through security. Why don't people know the basic protocol for passing through security? Take off your shoes...put phones in bag, not in pocket...yes, your jacket/vest/belt need to be taken off...yes, you have to take your laptop out of the case...yes you need to have your ID out with your boarding pass. These are not difficult rules to remember, especially since there are video screens up saying all this in addition to the TSA security guards who also keep repeating this info for the idiots that don't seem to grasp these rules.
So I called my boss at work to let them know I was still in Newark but would be in to work around 11pm. My flight was supposed to get in at 10am. E came to pick me up at the airport; luckily my luggage was waiting for me (it had arrived on the flight I missed). I decided to just go into work instead of going home. I had quite a bit of corrections to do on the reports I did before I left for my vacay last year. My old project ended and I’ve been transferred to another project. I know most of the people on this project and my new supervisor is ok so far. I had to move my lab stuff to their lab. I also have to move my writing area stuff downstairs as it’d be closer to my new lab. It’s kind of a pain b/c I’ve been in the same writing area for 4 ½ yrs and have accumulated a fair amt of crap. So I’ll have to do some shredding of old project paperwork. I’m ready for a change.
new year
Resolutions:
Make a budget and stick to it
Manage my money better - no more random spending/no more using credit cards
Don't go shopping without a list - only buy stuff on it
Get to work before 8am every day
Cook more often - prepare meals that are simple(no stress) but healthy and by doing this eat less preserved food/takeout
Make a budget and stick to it
Manage my money better - no more random spending/no more using credit cards
Don't go shopping without a list - only buy stuff on it
Get to work before 8am every day
Cook more often - prepare meals that are simple(no stress) but healthy and by doing this eat less preserved food/takeout
Friday, January 5
Thursday, January 4
home sweet home
I'm home at last. Had a great vacay! I'm actually missing the heat now.
Nightmare of a return journey. More details tomorrow. Must sleep now.
Nightmare of a return journey. More details tomorrow. Must sleep now.
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