Checking in

Ok, so last week another long one I didn't care to mention. Last weekend was our annual Trunk or Treat activity, though. That was fun. I was golidlocks. No, I didn't get any pictures, but other people did. I may have to go find them. I told everyone that I break into people's houses, eat their food, break their furniture, and then go to sleep on their beds. One little boy, dressed as a police officer, gave me a ticket. Cause I was bad.

I went to the doctor yesterday to get the results of the tests I did about a month ago. Results are, he couldn't find anything wrong. Whew! I'm thinking diet and exercise may clear up my problem (now where have I heard that before?). now I need to call the Red Cross and let them know I'm ok to donate blood again.

As for other things, life's about to get crazy again...

At work we have our Critical Design Review coming up, and I get to present (stand up in front of the room and talk to my 7-8 slides). Speaking in front of a group is really not a problem having been a Mormon all my life--they start us when we're very small giving talks and stuff. It's good preparation, really. The tricky part is that the review board gets to ask you questions and interrupt you and stuff like that. Practicing a talk no problem, but the ad libbing stuff gets to me sometimes and I say thoughtless things (those HOPE guys!). Whatever Nicky says, I did NOT use the 'd' word to describe those HOPE guys (HOPE is the name of one of our instruments). Although it does make for a better story when she tells it. So the next month I get to prepare for that.

In the Mormon Choir we have a fireside coming up, and after that the Interfaith Concert. That's pretty cool because choirs from all over DC, all religions and aspect, come and perform. It's done to encourage cooperation and peace between people of different faiths. But what this means for me is Tuesday Night Rehearsals. And Thursday Night Rehearsals. Not to mention we have the Temple Lighting Ceremony the week right after Thanksgiving, so the first week of December will see me at rehersals and performances. Yay. Busy busy busy. No time to sit and watch tv :(

Speaking of TV, November is Sweeps month. Which means all the best tv episodes will be played. Can't miss that, but I don't think my DVR can hold more than 40 shows at a time, so exactly when will I be able to watch them? I'm at rehersal twice a week, remember? Yikes.

but I may have my weekends off. That would be nice. Stay home and veg. Oh, wait, clean house, that's it. I have to clean my house. And get ready for Christmas.

So if I don't blog quite so much the next few weeks, you know why.
Have a great day!

I work in a scary place...

Now don't get me wrong, I love where I work and what I do. I'm in the Space Department at JHU/APL. I get to fly satellites for a living.

This week I had PSOP--basically orientation for new employees. I know, I've been at APL for over 2 years now, but this is the first time I haven't had a conflict. It's a four-day orientation, with presentations in the morning and tours in the afternoons. Every department at APL gives a presentation so you get an idea of what goes on in the other departments at the lab.

Really cool stuff, for the most part. There's a lot of work going on for development of a prosthetic arm right now. There's also a lot of work on building a human-like mannequin they can stick sensors into and see how it reacts to different types of trauma. Like what happens when a person puts on a bullet-proof vest and gets shot. Ok, so the bullet didn't go through, but what happened to the person's innards?

Scary stuff too, though. I learned that, during the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962 at one point the guy in charge of the arrmed forces went into President Kennedy and told him that we had a huge command and control problem. There was no way to stop some guy out in a sub from starting the next nuclear war. Up to that point our focus was just to have more bombs and whatnot than the Russians. Once the crisis was resolved they decided we just needed enough to insure total anihiliation. I.e. the guy who shoots first dies second. APL was asked to step in and do some of the command and control work. Like I said, scary stuff.

I knew there was a lot of military stuff going on here--it was formed during WWII for just that purpose--but I had no idea what. I like my nice, safe, little bubble in the space deparment, working on the civilian space side of the fence (i.e. NASA). We do cool stuff too, discovering new things on other planets and determining the environment outside of our atmosphere. I'd much rather be involved in the work I'm doing. Far more positive. Though it is kind of nice to know some of the things we're doing to help our troops overseas. And under the seas as well. And I'm thinking I really need to get my brother (the unemployed one) to take a look at applying here. I think he would do well in the technical services department.

As for the rest of my week, it's just been long. So glad it's the weekend.

Oh hey, I didn't mention my trip to NYC! Shannon and I went up last Saturday on the train. We had lunch at a place serving New York Pizza, and then went to the theater. The play ("A Steady Rain") was ok, I think it suffered a little by being so time constrained, but there are no complaints at how well it was acted. Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman did FABULOUS!! They're so cute. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go. I'm really glad Shannon keeps up with what's going on around here. Next month we're going to the Star Wars concert at the Baltimore Maritime Arena. So cool!

Long boring week

Hmmm, nothing of note really happened this week either.

Saturday and Sunday I watched General Conference on TV. It was good, per usual. I need to work on noticing the Spirit more in my life and temperance. I also did some yard work and let the lawn guy cut my lawn. I do pay him for it...

Monday I went to work then went home and crashed on the couch and watched TV. Donny danced very well on Dancing with the Stars. I really like Louie and Chelsie too.

Tuesday I went to work then went home for dinner before going to the Chiropractor. He straightened me out. Oh, and Donny's safe for another week.

Wednesday I went to work then went home and crashed until time to go get my vegetables. Got these weird bulb things attatched to what looks like chard. No idea how to cook that. Maybe boil it and eat with butter, salt and pepper? A stir fry? Hmmm. Spent the evening watching NCIS on USA. Totally hooked. Yikes. Seven seasons to catch up on. Not clear if the current season is 7 or 8.

Thursday I went to work and then went home for dinner, programed my DVR to record NCIS off of USA, then went to Choir Rehearsal. Tried really hard not to be jealous of the beautiful talented alto that gets all the solos. Not her fault she's so talented. Not her fault the directors don't seem to choose anyone else for the solos, even with auditions. Not her fault I have no breath control (I did audition, just in case you were wondering).

Today I'm taking the Sister Missionaries for dinner before going to the store to get some stuff. I've been on restriction from shopping this week, but I got paid today so all is well. And I really need some new pants. Oops, not going to make the RS Social. Not a very social person anyway, so I guess that's ok. I do better in small groups. Large groups, even if I know everyone, intimidate me.

Tomorrow I'm going to NYC to see Hugh Jackman on stage. Live, in person. In a show. With Shannon, my partner-in-crime. Well, not crime. She's in Law Enforcement, so no illegal activities. Then again, she did tell me to bring restraints to make sure she doesn't leap over the balcony onto the stage to get closer to the Most Handsome Man Alive. Must remember to take credit card in case I need to bail her out of jail... Oh, and don't ask me what the name of the show is, it's enough that Hugh is in it. I'll know more when I return tomorrow night. Yup, quick trip, on the train, up and back. You won't even know I was gone...

Wish me luck!

Ahh, October!

I just have to say, that I love Fall. I love the cool crispness of the air, I love being able to leave my windows open all day and all night (with a good comforter and my kitty for warmth). I love when the trees turn briliant colors. Hasn't quite started yet here in MD, unless you count my poor tree in my front yard that's been losing leaves all summer. Poor thing. It gets so confused and doesn't know what season it is.

Last weekend was pretty tame. I was on a committee for the Relief Society dinner before the broadcast on Saturday, so I spent most of the day at the church setting up and helping out. Sunday was nice and laid back, complete with a visit from my HT and his wife (my other HT was in the hospital :( ) This week has been fairly calm too. I know a lot of that is due to my recovery from my cold--I just don't have the inclination to do a whole lot. I am much better now, though, and all ready for a night of singing. Choir rehearsal, you know.

This weekend I have the opportunity to listen to General Conference at home. I'll spend time before and between sessions in my yard, trying to make some sort of order there, but for at least four hours I'll sit on my couch and listen to the General Authorities in Salt Lake and try to get a feel for what I should work on for the next six months. I just love Conference Weekend.

Kitty and I had a cat-fight the other night, though. I sat on the couch and was drinking some juice when she latched on to my leg with both front claws and her mouth. I don't think she was trying to hurt me, she didn't draw any blood, but my juice spilled all over the place, including me, and I was unhappy. She knew it. She ran down to the basement to escape my wrath. I am really tired of her attacking me. She might find herself with a new home. Actually, what I will try first is to get a cat trainer over to my house to help us. And maybe play with her more.

I've gotten into NCIS now, too. My Fall TV-Watching schedule is greatly reduced from last year--mostly because half my shows were cancelled and part of the others don't start until January. I have two whole nights where I'm not recording anything. That is just amazing. Throw in the fact that I'm only recording one or two shows on about two other nights, and now you really get a sense of it. fortunately (unfortunately?) USA runs up to 6 hours of NCIS nearly every day. That's a lot. That's more than I can do, actually, but I usually only catch one or two episodes. Lori is going to laugh at me when I tell her. She told me to try it last year (or maybe the year before) but I didn't. She was right.

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!