Life is calming down?

Well, summer's over, and along with it all the family visits and visiting. Erick and I went to my sister's over labor day weekend, and had a blast. We walked through Congaree National Park with the kids, and Malena had to read all the points of interest along the trail. Since it was a swamp, there was a boardwalk all the way around it. And the Mosquito index was 2 (mild). I was glad of that, but still put on bug spray. Just so you know, the index goes up to 6 (war). On Labor Day Beckie took us to Charleston where we took a carriage ride and walked through the Market. I even bought a sweetgrass basket. Kind of expensive, but should last forever (unless Kitty decides to shred it for some reason). So that was fun.

I dropped Erick off at the airport, and it was time to get back to life. Rehearsals for the Mormon Choir of Washington, DC (MCW) have started up again. I auditioned for a duet, and was asked to come back again. I have to work on my breathing. Last week I had a work conference/workshop at Goddard Space Flight Center, so I drove to Greenbelt on those days. Not a bad commute, really. Took only 20 minutes to get there and back. The key is to only go on the Parkway for as little as you can get away with--in my case, from Powder Mill Road to 197. Worked very well.

Last Friday night (the 18th) I had so much fun. My Realtor, the McGinn group, was having a Customer Appreciation Night--an interactive viewing of The Sound of Music. I invited my friend Kelli to come with, and it was so fun. I wore one of the dirndl's I bought in Germany last year. We were encouraged to participate in the movie, so we sang along with each song, and tried to tell Maria to be careful. By the end a lot of the families with smaller children had gone home, and I think most people were getting tired, but I was having too much fun. I kept going, telling the Captain not to go out from behind his tombstone ("NO!!! Don't do it!!"), among other things. It was great. I do hope I wasn't too annoying, Bob McGinn and Chris (my realtor, the one that helped my find my house) both told me I'd done well, trying to keep it going. I also got to talk to one of my little nursery girls, and she even came to stay in Nursery on Sunday (she'd been having issues about going into Nursery, but not last week *g*)

Saturday I was supposed to go to the RennFest (Irish weekend!) but I had a headache. Now, don't think I was flaking out. I'd had this headache since about 6:45pm Thursday. Yes, I do remember exactly when it started. I just didn't have any time to slow down and try to sleep it off, and the headache medicine I take would make me hyper (imagine how hyper I would have been Friday night if I'd taken it). So I got up Saturday and went to my Pilates class hoping that would help, but when it didn't I took my medicine and laid on the couch watching tv shows all day. And taking a nap. Which may not sound like it made me hyper, but that's because the pain really didn't go away until mid-afternoon. Kitty was ok with the nap thing, but I think she was getting a little annoyed I wasn't playing with her.

This week, so far, we are indeed back to 'normal', whatever that is. I get up, go to work, count my points (I've re-joined Weight Watchers, and it's a good thing, too, since I gained back 10 of the lbs I lost last year just this summer), do some exercise, and watch my tv shows. I'm watching a lot less this year, though I did include Dancing with the Stars since Donny Osmond is on it. He's so cute. And Marie was in the audience, cheering him on. Of the men, I think there's only one or two of them that could be considered major competition. The ladies dance tonight. But I digress. And I can't believe September is 2/3 over. And I can't believe my birthday is on Friday. The number on the calendar is definitely not how I feel. I think my age should be 32 this year. Sound good? Think people will believe me if I tell them that?

Book Meme from Cami

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack? Sometimes. Chips, popcorn, sometimes fruit. Nothing sticky or messy. But usually it's too annoying to try to eat and read at the same time

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you? It horrifies me. Books are meant to be pristine, pure volumes that don't get messed up by the readers but are left in a condition that others can also read them without having to deal with the previous reader's opinions.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Bookmarks. Sometims I use the flaps of the dust covers. I never dog-ear. Sacrilige!

Laying the book flat open? My books don't stay open unless I hold them. Not sure why.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both? I read both, mostly fiction, and of that, mostly of the science variety.

Hard copy or audiobooks? both. Hard copy (i.e. actual books) the majority of the time, but I do like audiobooks for trips.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point? End of chapters, or if there's a break between paragraphs, or it's a good stopping place. I can't just put it down whenever or it takes too long for me to get back into it.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away? Nope. Like Cami, I do context.

What are you currently reading? Heir to Sevenwaters by Julliet Marillier.

What is the last book you bought? If I recall correctly, it was the Anthony and Cleopatra one by Colleen McCullough

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time? I've read up to 5 books at a time before, but anymore I find I just get confused about what I've read where. So I try to stick to just one at a time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read? I tend to read just before going to sleep, but I have been known to read on the couch, at the table, outside, at the beach... wherever I can properly lay down.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books? I like both, but if a series is more than 3 books long I don't want to start it because it will take too long to finish it.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? The Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. I just love wizards named Harry.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?) by genre first and author's last name second. Except for my Star Wars books. They are organized by chronology. But my physics books are organized by size (the big books to one side, the little books to the other). so I guess it really varies within the genre. The genre's are not alphabetical, more like each genre has a particular place in my house.

too much fun

My nephew Erick is here, visiting from California. This is kind of a graduation/vacation/birthday trip, as his birthday was last Sunday. We have been going all over.

He got here Wed Aug 26, and on Thursday we went into DC. We went to the Smithsonian, and had lunch with a friend of mine who works at the Holocaust Museum. Erick just graduated with a Bachelor's in Art History, and was a little lost as to what to do next. Clare was able to give him some really good ideas, and he's already found two internships to apply for.

Friday we went into Baltimore, to the Baltimore Museum of Art. We had lunch at the Paper Moon Diner, which is a great little place close to the JHU Homewood campus. Better now that they've painted the previously naked manequins that cavort all over the ceiling, I must say ;) They're cute, and not doing anything bad, but now that they're painted I think they look better. Erick appreciated both the diner and the Museum, which I hadn't been to before either.

We went to Medieval Times that night, and gues what! I won four free tickets to the Renaissance Festival!! I may have to find a friend to go with me, I already bought the tickets I needed for this year, and now I have more.

Saturday we went to the Rennaissance Festival. Yay!! We saw Fight School! And then Don Quixote, this year's play. And then Johnny Fox, and O and some of the Medieval Babes. I atually hadn't made a point to see the Medieval Babes before, not sure what type of show they do, but it was really good, celtic music. Not bawdy like the O'Danny Girls (who are to be avioded by all those with children). I may have to look up their website, since this was their only weekend there. We also saw the Squire of the Wire, who is pretty funny, does a lot of 'little boy' humor as well as walking a tightwire in a kilt. Yes, a kilt. Pick your seats carefully. Then of course more Fight School! and the final joust of the day. Good as always.

Sunday we rested. Church too, but mostly rested. We was ti-red.

Monday I had to go back to work, seeing as I really don't have enough vacation time, but I allowed Erick to use my car, and he was able to do some stuff he wanted to do. He dropped me off and picked me up, and even made dinner for me!

Tuesday more work for me, back to DC for Erick. Went to Red, Hot, and Blue for dinner--a Southern BBQ place that is very good. Wednesday more work for me, Erick did his internet research, and for dinner we went to La Palapa Too, a fairly decent Mexican restaurant (and believe me, Erick would know!). Today I'm back at work again, he's meeting a friend for lunch, and tonight I have choir rehearsal in VA. He may come with me.

Tomorrow we head out to South Carolina. I still need a friend to watch my cat for me, otherwise I may fill the bathtub with water and leave her plenty of food for four days and see what happens. *cross fingers* Hopefully she won't tear the house apart while I'm gone, but I know there are no guarantees if I do that.

Just wanted to post a quick up date for what I've been doing. And leave you with this picture. Fires in California. Pretty dramatic.

Monday monday

not a bad day so far, managed to get up and get to work only 15 minutes later than I wanted to. I still have the Verizon DVR in my trunk that I need to send back to Verizon, so I'll do that this evening. Plus my three packages are ready to mail--one for my sister's birthday that was in July (oops), and two for my missionary nieces (missed their birthdays too--double oops).

Beckie and Dustie stopped on their way back from PA on Wednesday night. That was very fun again. The kids weren't quite so wiped out this time, so we were able to watch the end of their movie before they went to bed. They left the next morning after lots of hugs and kisses. I'll be taking Erick down there in a few weeks, so we'll see each other again soon.

Thursday I managed to *finally* go rock climbing again after several starts and stops (my own fault). I even managed to break my last personal climbing record. Almost made it to the top, but my arms were tired. If you haven't been rock climbing, you have no idea what that means, seriously. You try hanging on to the side of a wall with your arms sometime. Yes, you're supposed to use your legs too, but everything gets used.

Friday night was way fun. Took the sister missionaries out to eat--they requested chinese food so I took them to Hunan Manor, my personal favorite. They loved it. We each got different things and tried them all. After dropping them off it was time for Game Night at Jann's. That was way fun. Harry Potter Clue, do I need to say more? Maybe not, but I certainly want to go get my own edition. Then we played scruples, which was also very fun. The things you learn about people!

Saturday I did indeed start on my office--I'd set aside the whole day to work on it. Well, I actually watched tv for about 5 hours first, so I decided I wouldn't get my reward of going to the movies, but I did manage to clear out one side of the room and almost a whole shelf of books. I'm getting rid of some, but I'm also taking more of my college books to work where I might actually use them. I have two whole shelves of books I haven't read yet. I think I'm embarassed.

Sunday was nice, had the SA potluck that night. Somehow Tess and I ended up at the 'old persons' table. Which really wasn't fair since we sat down at that table first. They didn't go in to their various medical problems, though, so at least we were able to eat. And the food was all very good.

Ok, time to get back to work. For those who want to know what I think about movies I've seen, *cough*Cami*cough* please check the right-hand side of my blog for "Recently Seen Movies and/or DVD's" It's been there quite a while, and that's where I put short reviews of what I've seen. So if I mention a movie but not whether I liked it, just check there.

Had a nice weekend. Saturday went to see GI Joe with my friend, then met up with my other friend for another DVD of LOST. Sunday got my finances organized and bills ready to pay. Went to church and ran nursery--I was the only regular nursery worker there, so I got to set everything up and take everything down. It went well, but it made me remember the days I used to be in nursery, about 5 years ago, when I would come home exhausted from entertaining small children for two hours. The subs helped, but I still got to run the show. It was fun, and they were cute, don't get me wrong, but it made me appreciate just how smoothly Janet has nursery running these days. We all kind of take turns, so no one seems to get overwhelmed. Kind of nice.

Spent yesterday texting my sisters as I knew they were on their way. They left at 10:00am, and I figured they'd be very, very late, but they arrived at 7:00pm, just as predicted. I was amazed. And dinner wasn't quite ready. But it was shortly after they showed up, so no worries.

So Collin, the 4-year-old, runs in the door an immediately starts chasing my cat. I had to take him by the hands, look him in the face, and tell him, "Do NOT chase the cat." repeated three times. He got it, but was still a little overanxious. I let Kitty outside, and she didn't come back in until all was quiet inside (i.e. the kids had gone to bed (note I did not say, "asleep")). Bonnie, the 9-year-old, ended up on the couch in the living room, and Kitty even paid her a few visits in the night time--after I had kicked her out, but out of courtesy to my guests I didn't close my door on her, just shooed her away. She was ok with that. Kitty, I mean. Bonnie was thrilled that Kitty would condescend to sleep with her. On her. Whatever. JackJack was barely awake while he was there, so no worries from him, but Malena was on a tear. I'm thinking that girl has had ENOUGH traveling for this year (they've essentially been on the road for two months). Apparently she kept telling her mom to let her off at the next exit, she didn't want to be in the car anymore. I'm thinking I should probably count children tomorrow night when they come back to make sure Beckie still has four... (jk)

Projects to do tonight, or rather I need to go to JoAnns to get supplies for my projects. I've been putting off this trip for about a week now, for some reason. Doesn't help that the store closes at 9:00pm and I get my second wind about 8:00pm. Oh well. I'll go, it'll be done, and then I can finally send Kathy her birthday present. It's only 6 weeks late...

Just a quick note today...

Ok, so I suppose I worried a few people with my Three-word Thursday. I went to the dentist, he drilled out two teeth, then put a temporary crown on. It's a little achey today, but I'm ok, really. Even if I got really hungry yesterday because the Novacaine hadn't worn off and I hadn't brought lunch because I was supposed to meet the guys for lunch but the Dentist took too long. Fortunately I do have oatmeal in my desk from last winter. That was pretty yummy.

I just found out this morning that my sisters Beckie and Dustie and Beckie's kids are coming to visit me!!! Well, I suppose it's more of a glorified hotel stop, but I'm so glad they're going to come and stay with me! They're taking a trip to PA, which is a really long drive from South Carolina, so they're going to stay with me on the way there and on the way back. So fun! Hope Kitty doesn't mind too much. As long as the kids don't chase her too much she should be ok. Maybe it's time to set up that second litter box on the second floor, though...

A book meme...

Just for fun!

You don’t have to say who it is, but have you ever had a crush on a fictional (book) character? Yes

Favorite “classic” (published before 1950)?: Jane Eyre

If you like Shakespeare, what is your favorite of his plays? Much Ado About Nothing

If you don't like Shakespeare, why?

Favorite series of books? Lord of the Rings

List up to five favorite fictional couples: Beatrice & Benedick, Faramir and Eowyn, Jane and Mr Rochester, Harry and Ginny

If you are a Harry Potter fan, which HP book is your favorite? Order of the Pheonix

If you are a Harry Potter fan, do you think she killed off too many characters? I'm actually surprised she didn't kill off more.

If you have read The Lord of the Rings, how do you feel about Ents? Kind of fun once they get going. Most of them are just sticks-in-the-mud though.

Do you prefer to read the book and then see the movie, or the other way around? Movie, then book. That way I don't spend the whole movie going, "why'd they leave that out?"

Favorite book or book series read as a child (age 12 or younger)? Dragon riders of Pern

Favorite book or book series read as a teenager? The White Hart (not sure of series title, but this was the first book in the series)

Favourite fairy tale? Beauty and the Beast

Favourite comic strip collections? Prince Valiant, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Family Circle

List up to five all-time favourite fiction books: Lord of the Rings, The White Dragon, The Rebel Prince, Jane Eyre

List up to five favourite nonfiction books: Book of Mormon, Lost Moon, Rocket Boys, The Hiding Place, Anne Frank

The best reader(s) of audio books: Liam Neeson

The most overrated writer(s): Dan Brown, Arthur C Clarke, Issac Asimov

Choose one: Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights? Jane Eyre

Have you always liked vampires? No. They do have kind of a train-wreck type fascination for me though

If you're not into vampires, is there another type of fictional bad boy that you inexplicably like? Greasers (from The Outsiders), pirates

Best retelling of an old classic? Beauty by Robin McKinley

Most disappointing conclusion to a book series? Aisling, Louise Cooper's Indigo series

If you read media tie-in novels (novels based on movies or TV shows), which ones do you think are the best? Some of the Star Wars novels

Book you dislike but have been forced to read more than once because of school? A Separate Peace

Are book titles easier to remember than movie titles? No. I do better with movie titles.

Dentist, numbness, pain

Welcome to Three Word Thursday. Post your three words and leave me a comment with those same three words.

Not a lot new here...

Just been hanging out, enjoying my new a/c, my new garbage disposal, and my FIOS works again (oh yeah, that went out too). Kitty is unhappy with me, at least I assume so since she attacked my hand last night when I tried to pet her. I should really know better. She's not a dog, she doesn't want attention until she's ready for it. I did email the cat people on the purina website, but they didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Oh well.

Last weekend I saw HP in IMAX. Actually, not that impressed with the technological differences between the normal, theater version and this. The extra scenes they brag about are just the first 10 or so minutes in 3-D. More of a tease, if you ask me. Now if the whole thing had been in 3-D, that would have totally been cool. Don't misunderstand me, I really like the movie, but the larger screen and cool 3-D effects weren't worth the extra 5 bucks. In my opinion.

tonight I get to go see Julie & Julia. My friend at work called in to a radio station and got free tickets, and gave me two. My friend Helen will go with me. Haven't had a chance to really talk to her for a while, particularly since she just got back from her trip to Japan (and simply must tell me about it!). This weekend Shannon will come up and we'll go see G.I. JOE. So lots of movies, but not a lot else.

Also trying to build up time at work so when my nevvy comes on Aug 26 I can take some time off to play with him :D It's going to be so fun!! I have to keep reminding myself that the 10-hour days are for Erick... but it's worth it. And in about 2 years I'll be getting another week of vacation so that will help matters immensely.

Ahhh, it's cool!

The guys from BGEHome came yesterday and installed my new HVAC system. It's a little bigger than the old system, I hope the HOA doesn't complain (I have a fenced in back yard so what do they care anyway, right?). They also installed a programmable thermostat. I'm sure that will be much more useful in the wintertime, but it's fun to play with now. I think I'm so used to it being hot in my house I got cold when it was still 78 degrees! Needless to say, I slept very well last night. Kitty did too. Although I had to kick her out this morning since she was scratching my bed. I guess I'll have to get some stuff for that. I don't mind her on the bed, I just mind when she uses it for a scratching post--and completely ignores the other three scratchers I have in the bedroom! Time to pull out some catnip for them I guess. That sort of helps.

Not much going on this week. Tomorrow I'm going to work in the yard until I'm tired or it's too hot, and then I'm going to go into my cool house and clean up the basement. Yeah, one of those goals I blogged about but haven't done much with. It's been too hot in my house. Yeah, that's it. Too hot.

The other good news is that tonight I have a handyman coming over to fix my garbage disposal. We're just going to replace it, it's really not worth it to me to try to fix it at this point. I came home from vacation and it wouldn't turn on. So I've been living with it for three weeks because I just couldn't get myself motivated enough to take care of it. So I'll be able to cook again--don't ask me why I couldn't cook just because my garbage disposal wasn't working--it has something to do with not being able to put the vegetable scraps down the sink. Someday I'm going to have to figure out how to put a compost heap together. Yes, I've read the instructions online, but it just seems like a bother to get it started. And then take care of it. I don't have a garden at the moment anyway.

I also managed to make myself call the doctor. I have an appt next Friday morning. I've been getting all sorts of things taken care of this week. Yay for me!

A Day of Remembrance

July 23, 1982

A day I don't even remember. I was in transition between Jr High and High School (we had 3-year schools, elementary included 6th grade), going from being the top of the class to being nothing at all. I worked at the movie theater that summer, the same one my Dad and two of my brothers worked at. Lots of popcorn to be had. And there was a cute boy too, but I no longer remember his name.

This is the day that Vic Morrow lost his life. He was the star of the first segment of The Twilight Zone movie. The director decided to do this really stupid stunt with the real actors instead of stunt people. Vic and the two children he was carrying were killed by a helicopter in a tragic accident.



Why is this important to me now? Well, Vic Morrow was one of the two stars of Combat! which is my current focus. In trying to find out everything I could about the show, I found out a lot about its two stars, Vic and Rick Jason (I had an earlier post about Rick). I somehow managed to fall for this guy who was always the underdog, always cast as the villain. Except for in Combat! where he got to be the guy everyone turned to whenever they needed something.

His fellow actors always described him as a very generous, giving actor. They all loved to work with him. The producers of the show not so much, since Vic had a tendency to do what needed to be done on the episodes he directed, no matter how long it took. He was apparently quite difficult for the management to handle. But he watched out for his fellow actors and used his power for good. (I got most of this from the combatfan.com website, but there are articles and commentaries on the DVD's and other things out there too.)

It's probably a very idealistic fantasy that I've produced about him, romanticising someone who can't defend himself anymore.



It just makes me sad that I missed out on many of the Combat! actors--at least three of them are gone now--just because it took me so long to find them. Not that I even knew what I was missing.


And the movie Vic died for wasn't even that good.


But 5 seasons of Combat! surely were. Love you, Vic, wherever you might be.

Incidents

My life seems to be a series of incidents lately. Let me fill you in...

The Kitty Incident
Yesterday morning I let Kitty out as I am wont to do when the weather is nice. Because it was nice I had the windows open. About ten minutes after letting her out, I heard the distinct noise of two cats tangling, then the mournful sound of a cat crying. I hurried outside, then around my house and down the street. Kitty has tangled with one of the neighborhood cats before, so I wasn't surprised to see the grey cat slinking away. Kitty came out from underneath one of the cars, and allowed me to pick her up, although she was hissing and claws were extended. She really hates that other cat. Both were fine, though, no visible damage. I made Kitty stay inside the rest of the day, though.

The Harry Incident
My friend Shannon and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Saturday morning. We went to a 10:45 show, then to lunch afterwards. I really enjoyed the movie, I felt it was faithful to the book even though there's no way all the stuff from the book could be put in the movie. It occured to me that Harry and his friends followed the same basic principle that is encouraged in my church--no dating until 16. Ok, so maybe there was some dating before that in the books (Harry and Cho and Valentines Day anyone?), but there's definitely some hormones raging in the 6th year. It was very cute, I thought, and very well done. I also liked that it got the PG rating again. Not a lot of violence, though there is a lot of sadness at the end (and I won't spoil it if you haven't read the books). I prepared for the movie by watching all the previous movies, and now I've decided to re-read books 5, 6, and 7. Just because. I find if I read a book right before the movie, I don't enjoy the movie as much. I spend the whole time going "they missed that, they didn't put that in." So now it's time to re-read the book for my comparison:D

The Air Conditioning Incident
My air conditioning is broken. It broke before I went on vacation, actually, but I really didn't have time to deal with it then. So I waited until I got back home. I called BGEHome, mostly on the recommendations of several friends, and they were very good. The repairman came out, looked everything over, and told me I could replace the coil (the part that is broken), or I could just replace the whole system. Given that after January 2010 I will no longer be able to get parts for the 10-year-old system, and that it's about $1700 to just replace the coil, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new system. The salesman came over, measured everything, and on Thursday this week I get a new HP/AC system. Should be a lot cheaper for my electricity, I get a tax rebate, and a new programable thermostat. Never did get around to installing the one I bought at Home Depot last December. Oh well, don't have to worry about it now. In the meantime, they loaned me a window AC unit that keeps me nice and cool during the night. Kitty's not sure what to make of it, though.

The "Savior of the World" Incident
My friend and his daughter were in a production of "The Savior of the World" in Silver Spring Stake. It was really good. They both did fabulous, and I even got to sit by his wife and 4-year-old son for the performance. I love being able to go to things like this.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hope things are going well for you!

Goals

Kristen inspired me with blogging about her goals, so here are mine.

I've created a few over the last several weeks to replace the ones I haven't been working on from New Years (and prior to New Years). A lot of this has come with the realization that I'm where I want to be, doing what I want to do--so now what? I no longer have major responsibilities at church (for me, showing up every Sunday and playing with small children is not major, its fun), work is going well (except for that I'm really, really tired of writing documents, reading documents, and going to endless meetings discussing said documents), and even my tv schedule has calmed down. Like I said, now what?

The big, over-arching goal is to put my house in order. I've been letting a lot of things slip for far too long for me to want to admit. So now it's time to put the house, the yard, and me in order.

For the house, I intend to go through every room, spend at least a half hour at a time until it's straight. I may have to have a yard sale or several trips to Goodwill/Salvation Army when I'm done.

For the yard, I really need to get the weeds out of the back yard. My wonderful patio from last year is kind of lost with all the greenery. So evenings and Saturday mornings I need to spend some time out there.

For me, I'm going with lifestyle changes. I'm taking a break from Weight Watchers right now--I had to admit to myself that I haven't been following the program for probably a year, and if I'm not going to follow it, I need to not pay for it. So I'm going with morning walks for exercise and watching my portion sizes--but I'm also not restricting what foods I'm allowed to eat. I'm going for healthier foods, but eating a 4-oz bag of my favorite potato chips is not 'forbidden' anymore. I think this will help me not have to eat the 10-oz bag just to satisfy the craving. We'll see.

Along with all of this is getting my financials under control. I still struggle with buying whatever I want when I want it, instead of budgeting properly and getting what I want when I can afford it--and by that time maybe it's not something I really want after all. Today, of course, I found out that I need to get my air conditioner/heat pump replaced. That should be fun.

Wish me luck!

July... what happened to June?

Greetings,

So I'm finally comnig back to the blog after a bit of an absence. I went on vacation for two weeks, and of course couldn't be bothered to blog, although I facebooked quite a bit. And went through my email. After all that I was kind of tired so I would go to bed.

I spent the first part of my vacation actually working. We had a meeting for my satellite mission in Redondo Beach, California. We stayed at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club. I would just like to say that if I am ever in a position to have a honeymoon, this place is on that List. It was fabulous. My room faced the harbor, and the seals would come in at all hours and bark for us. I loved it. Many people did not like to hear the seals, but I did. I even caved and bought the seal they left on my bed each night (a stuffed one). My excuse is that part of the proceeds goes to help the seals. It was wonderfully relaxing--I think I spent most of my time there (when I wasn't at my meeting) sleeping!

My sister Dus picked me up on the last day of the meeting, and we went to her house. Apartment. Whatever. It's cute and small and absolutely stuffed with books and movies. My kind of place. We watched a lot of movies, mostly on DVD. She had quite a few I hadn't seen. We also went to the movies. We saw The Proposal at the Arc Light in Hollywood. I absolutley adore that movie theater. Apparently there's opportunity to see tv and movie stars there, although there weren't any that day. Afterwards we went to The Grove--kind of an outdoor shopping mall. I got the cutest skirts! I wore one on Sunday, I may wear the other this coming weekend. We also went to see UP. I really liked this one too (see reviews to the side). This was in a normal, AMC theater, though. I had some passes, so it was free for us :)

After about 5 days of movie overload, we got back in Dus's Honda CRV (it wants to be silver but it's only aluminum) and drove to Southern Utah. We met up with our sis Beckie on the way, in Barstow, and took Malena with us for a while. We switched kids at a rest stop and had Bonnie the rest of the way. We even ran into a thunderstorm. In Las Vegas. 400 miles of empty desert and where does it rain? Where there's the most traffic, of course!

The purpose of this trip was to go to our family's very first Andersen Family reunion. My dad and his kids. All 9 of us. Well, 8. Mike didn't come. We found out when we got there that he had a job interview on that day, and since he's been out of work for over a year (just temp stuff, really), it was a good thing. Two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law weren't able to make it, and I do have a couple nieces on missions, but for the most part everyone was there, at least for part of the time. Even the great-grand-kids were there! Ok, so there's only two of them (so far!), so it wasn't too hard, but it was so great to see everyone! yes, I have pictures, but not with me! I took a lot of casual shots.

The first full day there (Thursday) we went up to Zion's Canyon. They've closed the canyon to traffic and will now make you take a tram all the way up and back. It was so cool that my whole family took up an entire bus all by itself! Ok, there were like 4 people there that we weren't related to, but it was great. Collin made me sit by him (he's Beckie's 4-year-old), which of course I was happy to do. As we rode up, I got that special feeling in my heart that I only get when I'm surrounded by my family. I love them so much.

We were supposed to go to the temple that evening, but only three of my sisters made it. I think one of the things that really worked was that everything was optional. One major activity was planned per day, meals were assigned to family members, and everything was kept low key.

The next day (Saturday) we went to Overton, NV, where my Mom is buried. We went to the cemetary, then drove around to various places. It was sooo hot!! Dry heat my foot--after 110 degrees it doesn't matter if there's humidity there or not. My head got sunburned! I felt kind of bad for Nancy tho, my dad's second wife. She came, and she was a sport, but she really isn't a part of our family. Having us ask Dad about Mom and how they met and stuff, that had to be hard for her.

That night we had our 'family meeting' where some things were decided, but Kathy suggested we all go around the circle and tell what's going on in our lives. It was fun. Afterwards I stayed to watch Bolt in my brother Glen's back yard. I hadn't seen it before, and I really liked it.

Sunday some families had to return to their homes, but some of us stayed for church and a final dinner. I was about burned out, so when Dus was ready to leave I went with her (we were staying at a time-share in St George--Glen lives in Ivins, over the hill from St George to the West).

Monday Dus and I went with Kathy and her kids to go Letterboxing. Thats' this thing, kind of like GPS cacheing, only older. Someone will leave a box with a book and a stamp (usually home made) somewhere near where they live, then post directions on how to find it on letterboxing.com. Then other people go find the boxes and put their stamps in the book and put the letter box's stamp in their books. Kathy let me use one of her stamps (she has a big one and a small one) and a blank piece of paper. We found two stamps around St George. It's a good way for someone to give a little background on their territory to someone else. It was alot of fun. I'm thinking maybe I know what to give Kathy for her birthday (now that it's past--oops!)

Dus and I finally returned to her apt in CA, and the next day she dropped me off at LAX. It was a good trip, but I was ready to come home. Kitty was happy to see me, too. I think. She hasn't scratched me yet, so that's a good sign.

I'll try to get some pictures up soon, I promise!

So cool

Some days I am reminded of just how cool a job I have, and how nice it is to be surrounded by people who love the same things I do. I'm sitting in a Science Working Group meeting for work, and we just took about 8 minutes to watch the launch of LRO--the Lunar Reconnassance Mission. It was so cool. Launched really nicely on an Atlas V rocket. Got to watch it all the way to second stage separation--there was a camera on the rocket. Even got to watch the fairing blow leaving the spacecraft open to space. Everyone in the room just sat and watched in silence. Then the smart comments began. I even made one about it being a hoax, and everyone just laughed.

It's good to be reminded of why we're here in the first place.

I have friends on the Mission Operations Team for LRO. I'm going to have to send them an email. In another month or so they might be less busy enough to meet up for lunch...

...and now it's June...

so I think I actually posted more recently than I thought I had. After Memorial Day weekend and all the movies then, there hasn't been a whole lot going on. I did go to a Tuppeware party on the 30th, though. That was alot of fun. I love to buy stuff for my kitchen.

This past weekend was a very rare one--I didn't have anything planned!! I came home from my Pilates class on Saturday and CRASHED. I decided to rewatch Gilmore Girls from the beginning, and actually went through two of the DVD's. I watched some Combat too (of course). For some reason I didn't watch any movies. I was supposed to work in my yard, but didn't. It's still in horrible shape (the back yard, which fortunately has a fence so the Homeowners Association can't get too crazy). And today it's raining, so probably not going to work on it tonight either.

I'm also getting ready for my trip. I know I've alluded to this before. My work is sending me out to Redondo Beach, California, for a meeting next week. Since I'll already be there, I'm going to just stay and hang out with my sister for a while, then we'll make our way up to St George for our first Andersen Family Reunion. I've talked the family into doing soldier quilts for a service project--hopefully it won't get in the way of any of the activities my brother has planned. It should be really fun.

After going back and forth a few times, I'm thinking I may pass on the SA conference July 4th weekend. It sounds really fun, but I'll only have two days from the time I return from CA to the time I'd have to leave for the conference. Ok, so it's only in Alexandria so I could commute from my house, but seriously, I don't think my cat will have forgiven me yet for the first trip.

All this trip stuff has me remembering the trip I took last year, to Europe. That was such a great experience. I so have to do that again. Oh wait, Lori and me have a pact for next year, to England! :D I guess I should start saving money for that now, huh?

Happy dreams of your favorite person, and I'll ttyl!

movies and more movies

Ok, so my friend Shannon loves to go to the movies as much as I do. The biggest problem is that she lives in Northern VA and I live in MD. But when the movie is big enough, or desired enough by both of us, one of us makes the trek to the other's state and we go to the movies. On the 16th I met up with her at Tyson's Corner and we saw Angels and Demons. It was good. I liked it a lot, although I'd read the book so I already knew how it was going to end. I was a little surprised by some of the things they left out, but it is only a 2 hour movie. I loved the location stuff at the Vatican, and I really didn't think it painted the Roman Catholic church in a bad light.

Then last Saturday, May 23, we did a double feature in my neck of the woods. We went to Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian first. It was really funny. I laughed almost through the whole thing. There were a few things that were unreallistic--like he only had an hour to do a certain task, and went from Lincoln's Memorial up to the Air and Space Museum including a couple of fights and interactions and made it back in time (honestly, it's about a mile from the memorial to the A&S museum). It was fun to see Abraham Lincoln's statue get up and stretch--he's been sitting there for such a long time!

The second movie was Terminator: Salvation. Also very good. There were a lot of tributes to the first two Terminator movies--I've only seen the first one and commercials for the second, so I'm afraid I missed anything from the second movie, but I did get the first movie references. They did a really good job with it. I'm hoping for a sequel, actually. Should be quite good if the same people are involved.

What else have I been doing? Catching up on LOST. Well, sort of. I decided I wanted to rewatch the entire series from the beginning before the next season starts. I have 8 months, it can be done! My friend has never seen it, having been told rather strongly that she needs to start it from the beginning. So we're watching it together. We're already up to episode 7. I have forgotten quite a bit in the last 5 years. I'm enjoying the refresher course.

I also broke down and ordered season 3 of Combat! from Amazon. The Powers That Be on American Life TV Network have determined to stop playing Combat! altogether, and there is one episode in Season 3 that I HAVEN'T SEEN!!! It was going to show on June 2, but they're taking it off the air on June 1st!! Well, my first set came yesterday, so that's the episode I sat down and watched. Sigh. I just love when Sarge gets all cagey and saves someone's life (in this case Hanley, as he was captured by the Germans). I love Lt Hanley, too. He is so beautiful. And Kirby is so dang cute and funny. Ok, I'm pretty sure you've stopped reading this paragraph now.

What next? I've been reading books (I had to do something after all my tv shows ended for the season!). I'm currently reading "The Company of Good Women", a trilogy by a trio of LDS writers, about three women who meet up by chance at BYU Education Week and stay friends. Over the years they have a lot of different things happen in their lives, and they help each other get through it. I'm quite enjoying it--the portrayal of how life can be for LDS women in various life stages matches what I've experienced and what I've seen through my 20 years of being an adult in the church. There do seem to be quite the number of problems in their lives, major problems that most of us don't have to deal with, but they get through them the same way we get through any of our problems--prayer and friendship.

I'm still getting attacked by my cat (still not sure why she does that). Last night she was cute, though. I have a little Moses basket for my baby doll (the one that breathes), and the baby has been moved to the rocking chair to be with some other dolls. So last night Padme Kitty climbed into the basket and curled up. I covered her with a baby blanket I made for me (just in case I ever had one), and she actually stayed there until 4:00 in the morning. When she woke up, jumped up on the bed, and started attacking my feet. I guess she thought it was time to play. So I did the expected thing and threw her out (well, not physically, just verbally). But her being in the basket was very cute.

Oh, and I'M RELEASED. I am no longer the Single Adult anything in my ward or stake! I feel a little taller, now that that weight is off my shoulders. I suppose I still have to participate, but at least I don't have to find people to take over when I'm gone next month. Yay! And no more conflicts with the choir! Well, after this season, anyway. I'll go back in the fall to see if I like it any better. Christmas and Easter music is always so wonderful.

Well, I should get back to work now. I'd write more during my lunchtime, but someone's been scheduling meetings during lunch!!!

Oh, and Kellie and I did make it back to Earth Treks last week, and we're going again this week. We're not going to let 6 weeks pass by before going again, right??? ;)

bloging bloging

Ok, so I know I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging, but I've found like 5 people to add to my friend list this week! How on earth did I miss them?

Well, my sister Dustie just started her blog, my niece Danja is on a mission and my niece-in-law/Danja's sister-in-law updates her blog for her, and I just found Nicole's blog since they moved a while ago. Ok, so maybe only three. I was sure there was more though... I have it sorted by how frequently people have posted so I don't have to scroll through blogs that haven't been updated for months.

Plus catching up on what my friends have been doing has been great fun. I missed a lot. No worries, though, RL has calmed down and I'm starting to run out of Combat! fanfic to read. I even contributed one of my own (Squirrel's Story) Yeah, I have a call sign. I'm Squirrel. Because Claude Akins calls Kirby Squirrel in Season 5. Like you care, I know. But I have a thing for short scrappy guys who constantly get into trouble (hence my fascination with Pippen from Lord of the Rings). Although this story may not make sense if you haven't seen the show, but it might.

I'm currently in a meeting at work--a telecon, that I didn't have to fly out to Boulder CO to attend, so I get to sit in a confererence room with some other guys from my project and make smart comments while the mute button is on. Best part about remote meetings. And no one cares if I actually get some work done during the meeting, either. Or blog, as the case may be.

Next month will be different since I'm going out to Redondo Beach, California for a meeting. And extending my stay so's I can go to my family's first reunion the following weekend. Oh, tres terrible!

Ok, gotta go now.

And the Biggest Loser is...

Helen!!!

I was so shocked! She was never presented as a threat, but she just kept plugging along the whole time. She worked with both trainers, so it's a victory for both of them. And the best part is, she's 48 years old!!! But the real shock of the night was Jerry. 64 years old, lost 177 lbs, took home the at-home prize. I couldn't believe it. No one could. Since I've started watching, it's usually been the person who had the most time on the ranch before getting sent home. Jerry was there for two weeks. He passed out during his first workout.

So if you think you can't lose weight or make changes because of age, you are just wrong. Find another excuse. As for me, my Weight Watchers is doing well. I've been plateau'ed for a while, mostly because I just love to eat potato chips, but I am determined to lose 10 lbs before June 16--and NO more chips until the Family Reunion!!!

The funniest thing happened last night. I'm going to have to take back what I said about learning to say 'no' in the last post. A woman came to my door, doing deliveries in my area for a meat-supply thing. I didn't even get the name of the company. They were looking to unload frozen steak and pork. Said she'd give me about $700 of steak for free if I bought the pork for $250. I'm not supposed to tell my neighbors about this, though. I told them if they could fit it in my freezer, I'd take it. Darn if the guy didn't stuff all that meat in my little freezer atop my fridge. So I'm thinking I should probably have some people over to dinner now. Good thing my nephew is coming in August, he can help, I'm sure. And when it gets down a ways, I may give her another call--they also sell chicken and seafood, although I'm positive I won't get that good of a deal again. What were we saying, Tracy? When a good deal comes along, you can't just pass it by! And hey, now I won't have to buy any meat for about a year...

This morning I also had a major blessing. I had made an appointment to take my car in for its next service, which turned out to be an oil change. I typically drop the car off, have their shuttle take me to work, and then they pick me up later. Well, the shuttle driver didn't come in. So the Service Manager told me if I could wait, it would only take them about 20 minutes and my car would be done. I knew my first meeting was at 10:00, so I figured I had the time to wait. So I did. And when it was done, they didn't even charge me! Ok, so it would have just been like $30, but still! Did I mention I love my car? It's a Saturn, and one of the main reasons I bought a Saturn was because of their service reputation. They're really good. They've always been good to me.

Ok, I need to go get my lunch now--I ran out without it this morning, running late, of course.

Another weekend gone past

I've been seeing alot of movies lately. I went to see Wolverine with my friends the weekend it came out, and last weekend I went to see Star Trek. I enjoyed both movies. I can see that some Star Trek fans might be a little upset, but they did say it was an alternate reality... and with JJ Abrams at the helm, can you really expect anything less?

Saturday night I watched "Time after Time", a movie from 1979 with Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells. Rather slow paced, and I do remember watching it when it came out (helps that my dad worked at a movie theater so I got to see lots of movies for free when I was little). I wanted to see it again after seeing Malcolm at Shore Leave last year.

Sunday I watched movies all day long. I started with "Miss Potter", a movie about Beatrix Potter and her life (yes, the one of Peter Rabbit fame). I can highly recommend this movie, and it was certainly suitable for watching on a Sunday. I think I watched something else next, but I can't remmember. Rat Patrol episodes, I think. I also watched "What Happens in Vegas" (less appropriate for Sundays, but oh well). I saw this first at my brother's house in February, and just loved it. I've decided that one of my guilty pleasures is watching Cameron Diaz--she always dresses inappropriately, but she's also quite charming. As for this movie, if you've seen it, "You know why!" :D I also watched some Combat and a couple other recorded tv shows.

Why wasn't I at church on Sunday, you may ask. Was I sick? No, I was not sick. Some years I can "do" Mother's Day, and some years I can't. This year was a "can't" year. Now before you go trying to console me about my lack of children, remember that this day hurts for two reasons. One, ok, I'm not a mother, which was my life-long ambition from the time I was a small child. Two, my mom passed away 9 years ago. It's really difficult for me to watch other people get things from their kids, or give things to their moms, and I just can't participate. Getting a Mother's Day gift just because I'm female seems so pathetic some years. So I stayed home and watched movies and cried. ("Miss Potter" was really sad at one point).

Last night I had a guy from Long Fence & Home come over and try to sell me new, energy efficient windows. Sigh. I liked the windows, but the price tag was rather hefty. They do their own financing, but just the thought of spending that much money really just hurts. Although they would give me a discount if I could get them a referral (anyone out there thinking of redoing their windows?). It's about the amount of a small car. Maybe not quite that much. On the other hand, my monthly electric bill would go down. so much to think about. He really wanted me to sign right there and then, but I was really good and said I wasn't ready to make a commitment that night. I'm getting better at saying 'no'.

Tonight is the Biggest Loser finale, and I'm kind of anxious to see Carla again. I bet she looks fabulous. Although I'm also pretty sure we won't be seeing Joelle. I rather rexpect Tara to win, but I would like Mike to win--the prize money would pay for his college and then some (he's only 18 years old). He could go to any college in the country. Provided his grades were good enough, though.

Ok, time for me to get back to work. Have a great week!