To-Do List

Using the last e-mail as a jumping off point; I have a list of to-do's that I fear will never get done. Do you remember, way back in the day, when sitcoms would inevitably have the episode where someone would stumble across the list of things they wanted to accomplish before they die? Well, I'm about to reveal mine to you, so get ready...

1) Learn to speak another language - fluently
2) Become a photographer of the non-amateur variety
3) Travel... anywhere, everywhere!
4) Learn to cook, and I mean REALLY cook
5) Learn to speak another language - fluently
6) Become a phenomenal landscape architect
7) Win an award - all by myself - for my phenomenal landscape architecture skills
8) Live happily ever after

Yeah, pretty impossible to do it all. I dream a lot about these and then I realize that I lack the ambition to get the process started and finished. Dreaming is much easier.

Wedding Registries and All That Etiquette Jazz

Yes, I'm well aware that every time I start a new post I am most likely apologizing for my lack of something to say. What can I say? If I've been this busy at work, I must be doing something right... otherwise I would be joining the other half of my company that was, well, released.

Anyway, I have a question for my two, maybe three, readers. The finance and I have put together our registries with much love and maybe a few joke items (c'mon Snuggie!). I have been dreaming of a new camera for about two years now. And I'm not talking about a point and shoot. No. I have my little eye on something a grade or two above. However, this comes with a price tag that exceeds my camera budget (of $5). Hey, I's broke.

Since the finance and I have lived together for quite some time and since I have been the proud owner of a townhome since May of 2006 (Anyone in the market for a townhome?), we have accumulated most of the necessary items and therefore were at a loss of affordable items to place on our registries. In fact, for the past year I have been avoiding buying certain items because I knew we would have this problem. Still, our choices are ending up sitting on the higher side of the price tag subject.

So, is it wrong of me to place this expensive little prize on our registry?

Is it bad etiquette?

It will benefit the both of us in the end. I'm salivating just at the though of having this beauty in my hands! Otherwise, I may take some of that glorious cash people seem to talk about and buy a used Nikon or Canon DSLR.

Second question: If you know anything about digital SLR cameras - Do you prefer Nikon or Canon? Why?

"What medications are you on?"

Since I was thirteen years old I have had allergies. They have become progressively worse over the years while still not being as bad as the horror stories I have heard from others.

My dilemma is that I do not like taking medicine. Granted, if it is absolutely necessary to take something - if it were based on a life and death situation - I will take it, but for the most part I believe that it doesn't really do much good for my body and I have found that the more I bring this up, the more I learn of natural, home-remedies that are much more successful... in my opinion, than some of the over the counter pills/syrups/drops, etc.

I'm not super strict on my medicine opt out. Sometimes I try something for the sake of trying it and I usually end up not finishing the packet/bottle/what have you merely because it didn't impress me and I forgot about it.

My allergies flared up about two days ago when the wind had picked up and so sweetly swirled all of that delicious smelling pollen into the air and directly into my sinuses. Of course, I went into allergy flare up mode, which usually means that I became somewhat crabby and very stuffy. This, for some reason, has prompted EVERYONE to ask me what medications I am on. "None," I will reply nonchalantly only to get a stare of horror and a billion recommendations on what I should take. "No. Thank you, though. I prefer not use them". Repeat horrified stare and then a simple, "Why?"

In this over-medicated society where the drug companies rule the FDA and brains, leave me in peace to choose my "alternative" remedies. I just want to blow my nose in peace without your judgmental stares.

I'm tired, so tired

It's that time of the year again where my life becomes work and that's that. Already I have been putting in 10+ hour days and my energy level is zapped. It's been difficult to even attempt to go work out afterward, yet I must to keep my insanely cheap rates (thank you health insurance even though that's about all you are good for).

I always knew that I should cherish my years in grade school when I was set free for a few months each year to enjoy the sun and friends because some day I would have to work and not sit on the deck and tan my intensely white skin into a deep, skin cancerish bronze. Instead of riding my bike precariously through the streets for hours at a time. Instead of being booked solid for the day with soccer practice, games and camps. Instead of running through the sprinklers and the napping lazily on our front porch swing. Instead of taking the (yet to become fiance's) jet-ski around the lake until getting yelled at because it was about to run out of gas.

Now I work... and work... and work. And the fiance works about ten times more than I do. If this is being an adult, I quit!

Hoppy Easter - Ah yes, that's so corny and you love it.

SO, this weekend we are jetting up north to the great place where we got engaged to spend some family time and eat (and drink) copious amounts.

We will be visiting the very specific spot where the big question was popped and having a fun hike through the rest of the area. I'm so psyched!

Lenten Promises

Of course it is Lent and those of us who practice the many rules of Catholicism have given something up in preparation for the big Easter celebration. Most people understand the rules and understand that these rules run along the same lines as new year resolutions. During Lent, you give up what you give up and that's that.

Of course, there are those who aren't very bright and think that there are about a billion exceptions to the rules and have different definitions to, well, most everything and therefore are claiming to be achieving their Lenten ambitions and in all reality broke their promise within seconds of making it. But, that one doesn't count... right?!

One of those people happens to be in my office. He gave up fast food for Lent... but, you can't count eating McDonald's on Friday's for their Fillet O' Fish and you can't count when you are traveling on the road (like he does every day) and have nowhere to go except Wendy's... or Culver's... or Arby's... because packing a lunch ahead of time would never work!

I'm still up in the air about his breakfast this morning because it came from the gas station and involved a can of pop, a bag of chips and those grotesque little sandwiches called Chuck Wagons. Telltale signs that this guy has made another "exception" to the rule: he brings the pop cup back to work and places it on his desk where it screams to the high heavens which fast food restaurant he has deemed to be fast food no more.

One "exception" to the rule. Subway. Or, any other sub sandwich from any restaurant whether it be fast food or not. I am not kidding, he proclaimed that any and all sub sandwiches were not to be considered fast food because they are "healthier" (I'm not sure what constitutes as healthy in his head, so create your own adventure on this one). Please refer to the fact that many of the subs on Subway's menu that are not included on their "6 Grams of Fat or Less" menu are easily comparable to a McDonald's hamburger, nutritionally speaking of course (Let's compare a Tuna/Chicken Bacon Ranch Sub to McDonald's Big 'n Tasty). But no!! This sandwich is healthy because it's a sub! Everyone, disregard all of the brain cells you cherish that make you smart and throw them out the window! This man is on to something!

He then proclaimed today that he was pretty much on track and has only slipped once. Congratulations, you're a genius.

Rainy Monday Bliss

Rainy days make me feel one of two things, either A) hungry or B) sleepy.

Today, I feel both and to top it off I had no one to go to lunch with and ended up eating a rather delicious microwave meal of cheesy potatoes and broccoli with some sugar free (wouldn't have it any other way) raspberry chocolate pudding. In fact, as I am typing I am attempting to secretly lick the cup.

I'm feeling pretty good because I completed my first ever 8K with a time that I feel was pretty good for my first try (okay, so I ran a 10:35 mile, but for the first race of the year and having only run outside one time... the day before the race, I'll call that good. Plus it gives me a time to beat).

*Warning: Slightly off-subject material to follow*

Last week I decided to make plans for an early dinner and a movie with some friends on Friday and wanted to check out this new wine bar that opened a few months ago. I was a little scared that I may be dragging them into the depths of food hell and since the place is so new that it had no website, I was on a mission to find some reviews that weren't related to the restaurant that used to be in the same space.

Well, I found my review and it turned out to be even better than that (the review, that is) because it's an entire blog of EVERYTHING in the south metro! The writer is a little crass, but highly entertaining and he reviews everything from city council meetings to restaurants. So, on my sleepy, starving afternoon I have been attempting to read some of his entries and learn a little more about the place that I live (and find some good date night adventures).

The jury is still out on whether I always agree with the writer or not, but it's always worth exploring another point of view, isn't it?

So for your reading pleasure, I give you this...

Also, were you aware that hotel room pricing is highly negotiable? Man, I am the most under-traveled person in the world!

My New Neighbor

Well, I have a new neighbor in the cube next door and I am just thrilled (take with full sarcasm).

Back story: This "lady" (I use that term loosely) used to work at our office for years and years and years and she scared the pants off of everyone for years and years and years. She's what the French like to call le crazy. She's a wonderful combination of high strung, immature, a suffocating control freak and bad tempered. One blissful day in early spring, she was finally terminated. We are not fully sure of what the "reasons" were, but we definitely know what the reasons were (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) and celebrated joyously.

Well, she's back as a consultant to help us clean up after her disastrous replacement and, as I said before, I am just thrilled. That's right, after terminating her we now have to insert foot in mouth and hire her on an independent contract to fix the boo-boo that was created by hiring someone completely incompetent to do our accounting.

She's supposed to be working remotely from her own office (her home) while we live in harmony at our office. Unfortunately, she has so much damage to repair that this will not be possible for months.

At first she was in a different office in a place far, far away from my quiet santuary, but due to musical offices, which we seem to play about once every other month, she has now relocated next door to me.

Let me just say that when she gets stressed out her evil personality comes out of hiding. You can see such behavior as screaming violently and then falling into her office chair in a pile of heaving, sobbing, messy tears or slamming doors, stomping throughout the office stabbing people with her dagger eyes and loudly adjusting papers on her desk. She is also notorious for eaves dropping and popping in on conversations with no shame of repeating what she was illegally listening to.

As I type, she is berating someone on the phone for not knowing that she must be given the best quote for a service because then she will make their life easy (I kid you not, her exact words).

Let us all celebrate the day (Wednesday, March 18th of 2009) when I became the proud owner of a drinking problem as the result of the new neighbor!

Sections & Page Numbers

Well, I'm not the most Microsoft Word savvy person in the world, but today I conquered my issue and became a little more proficient... and it's only 9:30 in the AM!!

Long story short, Word and I had a little falling out over formatting a document and how this would effect the page number sequencing. Word won and I was reduced to making two columns by using tab instead of the column formatting (ah, just like in seventh grade... cue music - memories, like the corners of my mind, misty water-colored memories... of the way we were). Silly, really.

However, I stumbled on the most delicious little train wreck in the help/troubleshooting section and it made my morning.

Obviously, when creating help sections, any company makes it blatantly obvious that giving you helpful info is not worth their time and therefore leave you more confused with their lack of direction and explanation. Once you are thoroughly confused and disgruntled, they invite you to leave a question that will either be answered by them or by some other user who has nothing better to do than to peruse the question boards and give helpful advice.

I began to click on these questions when I realized that the help section was incorrectly titled. I fell upon a question from a woman who claimed that Microsoft Word 2003 was the "bane of (her) existence". This made me laugh as I could relate. Another woman (with a confusing name & title which made it appear that she worked for the loathed company) replied with a short and simple "the program has not changed" and then posted a link to an article that answered the question with step-by-step instructions. Apparently, clicking this link was missed by another disgruntled user, whom replied that said woman from the previous reply was unhelpful and snide. The fight that proceeded was beautiful and I read the entire set of posts from beginning to end.

Next time I need a little entertainment, I know where I'm going!

Gray Hair and Wedding Weight Loss

1) Gray Hair: I'm getting them and it was pointed out by my hair stylist. However, I feel very fortunate to have made it this far without having more gray hair than I do. My mother, at the ripe old age of 22, had a sizable percentage of her locks in the silvery hue of maturity. I count my blessings for being 26 and having only 10 of those nasty little suckers.

2) Wedding Weight Loss: I'm getting there!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had another meeting with good old personal trainer lady and it was another round of high fives for me! I'm down another percent of body fat and this time I actually dropped a couple of pounds and more inches than usual. Of course I immediately drove over to the 'rents and tried on the dress.

Let's reminisce for a moment, shall we? When I picked up the beautiful gown a mere six weeks ago, I had to try it on before leaving the Wedding Shoppe premises. No big deal, right? Well, even though I had lost some weight since ordering/purchasing my attire for the big day, it took my matron-o-honor and the blushing mother of the bride to hold both sides of the back together while I sucked in as hard as I could. After getting my dream dress all zipped, snapped and buttoned, I felt like I was going to burst through the seams! My shoulders were scrunched into football pad proportions. There was some puckering on the hips that could be seen from a mile away and the seamstress said that would need to be let out.

Okay, back to the present, I slipped the dainty little frock over my head and began talking about the hair clip that I will be attempting to make for the ceremony when ziiiiiiiiippp!, without so much as a single breath or thought! It took one person and no sucking in! There's a little bit of puckering, but not bad at all! I may be able to do this thing!

New Goal: Instead of having the dress let out, having it taken in! How wonderful!