Updating You on Stuff That You Probably Don't Care About

There's not much news to report from the weekend. Friday I went to a football game and Saturday I finished cleaning out the attic at my parents' house. On Sunday I went to church. That's about it. So, here's some updates on things you probably don't care or didn't know you care about. 

I'm two months into the fall semester of school and so far I am really enjoying it. I'm taking one full class and a half class that's required for the program; so, the load the semester hasn't been too bad. The full-time class has been great. The information has been very interesting and I've enjoyed learning about different styles of management and how to deal with different personalities, etc. I've done well on all my quizzes and assignments so far and right now have an A in the class. We have our big assignments, term test and group project due in the coming weeks so the majority of the grade has yet to be determined. I've laid out a schedule for myself so I can stay on track with everything. The next three weeks in particular are jammed packed with reading and assignments and quizzes so I'm glad I don't have too much going on socially and plan to keep it that way. 

The one thing I've disliked most about this class is the book we are reading for our case study. I just cannot get into it and am finding it to be exceptionally boring. So, I've made a day-by-day schedule of what chapters I need to read to be finished by November 1 so I can contribute to the group project which is due in late November. I'm hoping that if I just sit down and start tackling the book per the schedule I've made that I'll enjoy it a bit more. So far I've just been reading about how the company got started and it hasn't peaked my interest in the least. 

The one hour credit class, which is an intro to the MBA program, has been fairly easy. I've had to read some articles from Bloomburg Businessweek and discuss my thoughts about the articles. The quizzes for this class have been about our thoughts regarding the program and we had to complete an ethical leadership program. So, it hasn't been bad at all which has been great because the fall seems to be the busiest time of year and I was concerned how I would balance everything. I have decided that I will only take one class in the fall next year as well since I seem to have so much going on. I plan to take two classes in spring and summer, but haven't decided what those will be yet; although I need to figure it out soon because registration for spring classed takes place in a couple of weeks. Crazy!

The addition at my parent's house is complete. I did not do a very good job of chronicling it as it was being built, unfortunately. My granddad moved in a week or so ago and I wish I had taken a picture before he moved in because you would have been able to see it clean and nice and neat which isn't always the case when someone is living in a space. My dad is super thankful to once again have a bed to sleep on after sleeping on an air mattress or a couch for the last few months. 

We are almost finished with gathering and pricing items for my parents' upcoming garage sale. Y'all, this is my last garage sale of 2015 and for that I am thankful! We got the last items down from the attic last weekend and I started pricing things. We have a few more things to go through and price this upcoming weekend and then we should be done with everything except the actual sale which is taking place on October 24 from 7-11. I've put an ad on Craig's list with pictures so I'm hoping that helps bring out some people. We will have bicycles, a wheelchair, a hospital bed, dishes, games, puzzles and various and sundry other items for sale. I have a few items in this one as well and am hoping to clear about $50. I'm setting that as my goal. Fingers crossed. 

I think that will do for the random updates for now. Hope everyone is having a good week! 

Cold Weather and Lenten Season

This is going to be one of those rambling posts that some of you seem to enjoy so much because really, that's all I've got for now.

So, we've had a little dose of winter weather here in Huntsville lately and I think it's getting on everyones nerves more than anything. I, thankfully  haven't had any trouble getting to work in the mornings. Wednesday morning the Parkway was closed and as I was plotting out my route to work the Parkway was reopened and so I just took my normal route and had no problem at all. It's getting down into the single digits tonight and I think more snow or ice or something of the sort is expected on Friday.

All this cold weather means my HVAC unit is working overtime. It's been working so hard that I'm beginning to get concerned about its future. It's making a really loud noise but it is still keeping the house warm so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's not going to die. After new tires, new glasses and contacts, a year's worth of Pippa's heartworm medicine, a new washing machine, and an upcoming trip to the Biltmore and Washington, D.C.,  I don't really have the funds to have a problem with my HVAC unit right now. So, maybe you can keep your fingers crossed for me too.

Work continues to be completely insane right now which is great because I'd much rather be busy than not. I typically stay away from all the office drama and usually don't have a clue as to what's going on with everyone; but, lately I've found myself right in the middle of it all. We have a new girl that isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box and it's causing a lot of interdepartmental riff. Really, I don't know that the problem is her brightness or lack thereof, I think it's more that she feels entitled and that she has every right to sit at her desk and not do a thing all day long. Needless to say, it's been a less than pleasurable experience.

In other news, the Lenten season is upon us and while my church doesn't necessarily observe this period of sacrifice, it never hurts to give up something in our own lives to help us remember the sacrifice of Christ. So, this year I've made the decision to give up desserts for Lent. It serves multiple purposes really. Since I love all manner of dessert and sweet, it truly is a sacrifice and also I'm hoping it might help me lose a few pounds as well. Lent just started today and I can already tell you that every manner of dessert has come to the forefront of my mind today so this is definitely going to be a challenge and I hope I will be strong enough to stick with it.

Well, I suppose that's enough rambling for now. Stay warm and safe everyone!

Hello, Vicky?

So, a while ago, as in some time in October or November, I received a comment from a lady named Vicky; at least, I'm assuming she's a lady. At any rate, Vicky commented on a post from 2011 about my trip to France. As it turns out, she is planning a trip with Custom Getaways and she wanted to ask me about my experience and asked me to contact her. However, she did not leave an email address or any other way in which I could reach out to her. So, Vicky, if you are stopping by here, please contact me via email and I will happily answer any questions you have about your upcoming trip to le Tour de France and I may I also add I'm crazy jealous. I think half of my heart will forever be in France and I get a little "homesick" for the motherland every July. 

Since there's nothing overly exciting going on in January, I thought I would update you on my knee because I'm sure you've been sitting there wondering to yourself how my knee is doing. The answer is great! Coming back to work after having two and a half weeks off was a little bit of an adjustment (in more than one way) and so it probably goes without saying that my knee has been a little sore in the evenings. I have walked a lot more since starting back to work and so there's been some swelling and soreness which is easily remedied with Aleve and a cold pack. There's still quite a bit of tenderness which feels like bruising which I'm sure will go away at some point. This tenderness is even worse when you hit your knee on a table, theoretically speaking of course. 

We finally got a dose of some decent weather over the weekend, but unfortunately, I didn't really get to enjoy it much. Saturday I spent the day inside waiting on the guys from Lowe's to deliver my washer. Plus, I was feeling really rotten and didn't want to do much other than lie around on the couch. I did let  in some fresh air along with lots of mud on Saturday afternoon when I left the back door open for a little while so Pip could go in and out freely. I also managed to finally take down the outside Christmas lights. Yes, that's right, I still had not taken them down. The weather has either been super cold or super rainy or a combination of the two and since I was trying not to get sick (funny how that didn't work out too well) I decided to wait until the weather warmed up to take down the lights. I have not turned them on since January 1 though, so that's my redeeming grace for leaving them up too long. I am glad to finally have them all put away. 

Downton Abbey started back about three weeks ago and it's about all I can do to not read message boards or episode recaps to find out what happens next. I have already pre-ordered the current season which will arrive next week and I'm afraid I will have no restraint when it comes to sitting down and just finishing up the season. So far, the season has been really good and the zingers from the Dowager Countess get better with each episode. It's certainly one of the highlights of my week. 

In other random and unrelated news, my dad and I are planning our next trip which will be this coming April. This time around we are heading to Washington, DC and plan to take in all the monuments, museums, etc. We went there when I was a kid, in 5th grade if I am remembering correctly, and it was one of the best vacations of my childhood. Since it's been almost 30 years since I've really visited and enjoyed the city, I thought we should go back and take it all in and I'm really looking forward to it. I think I will appreciate it all the more now that I am an adult and love history. 

Well, since I probably lost your attention a long time ago, I think I'll wrap things up here. I realize none of these things even remotely flow together, but I wanted to try and get something posted and try to get back in the habit of writing something lest this blog fall by the wayside and Erika has nothing to read on her lunch break. Hopefully more interesting days are ahead. Have a good evening, y'all! 

I Love The Winter Weather

Well, in case you missed it, the whole country has been under a massive freeze this week. Some of us are lucky enough to thaw out over the weekend and next week before the next round hits. Others of us, however, aren't so lucky. When I lived in Niagara Falls a long, long time ago, I saw my fair share of snow. I cannot even imagine the amount of snow they have right now. I wish I could see my old apartment building. I'd love to know how tall the snow was at my former home.

Here in Alabama w haven't had any snow, but we've had quite a chill. One day this week it was colder in Huntsville than it was in Alaska. That doesn't even remotely make sense. It's like we skipped fall all together. Admittedly I love the cooler weather. I'm a big fan of sweaters and coats and hats and gloves and scarves and all the other fun accessories that come this time of year.

The bad things about it being cold outside is that it is steaming hot at work. I'm tempted to buy a portable air conditioner it's so stinkin' hot! I (and others) have emailed the head maintenance man asking for him to turn down the heat; but alas, our pleas fall on deaf ears. Today, I wore a short sleeve shirt under my sweater and cost and early in the morning, I had already shed the sweater and despite the fact I was in short sleeves, I was still hot.

I don't know if it's the combination of cold outside and sweltering hot inside, but something had got a lot of folks at the office coughing and hacking and not feeling well, myself included. I stopped by the Quick Care after work on Wednesday because I had a sore throat and wanted to nip it before it got worse. I also want to make sure I'm 100% well before my surgery lest it be cancelled. As it stands now, it's scheduled at a perfect time and I want to do everything I can to make sure it happens when it's scheduled. I got a shot of antibiotics and oral antibiotics and hopefully I'm well on the way to feeling better.

Soon it will be December and I have not even had pictures taken for my Christmas card. My cousin (who usually takes our photos) has been busy getting married and setting up a new home and our schedules haven't meshed. So, this weekend, my friend Kristen is going to take photos for us. Fingers crossed we have at least one that's Christmas card worthy.

I've got a full weekend of random activities planned, including shopping for Thanksgiving and maybe even getting a head start on cooking. Speaking of which, we are having a little Thanksgiving potluck at work on Friday and I'm looking forward to enjoying some delicious food with my work family. It will be a great way to kick off the weekend and the holiday season!

It's The Fall of the Year 2014

Monday at 9:29 p.m. marked the official start of Fall for 2014 and I couldn't be happier that the season has arrived. I'm ready to put long hot summer days behind me and bring out the sweaters and boots. The weather has cooled off a little bit which is nice, but I'm ready for crisp breezy afternoons which will hopefully arrive soon. To be honest, I'm ready for the clock to fall back an hour as well. This is the time of year when I get up before the sun and I hate that it's pitch black when my alarm clock goes off. I'm ready for a sliver of sun to shine through the windows when I get up each day. 

I got to church really early Sunday night and was going to send off a barrage of random tweets but instead, I decided to write all my random thoughts down and put them in a blog post because for some strange reason a lot of you love it when I just ramble on about nothing in particular. 

Yesterday I mentioned that I had a great experience at the Publix pharmacy and so, I shall elaborate on that. After church Sunday morning, I stopped by to pick up groceries and some medicine that the ortho doctor had called in for my knee. When they rang up the medicine it was $64 and I said, thanks but no thanks. I told them to hold on to it and I would search the world wide web to see if I could find a coupon. That afternoon, I searched and found a coupon that would allow me to get the medicine for only $4. I went back to Publix before church that evening and as I was walking by the pharmacy counter to grab some vitamins I had forgotten that afternoon, the tech recognized me (kudos to her for that) and asked me what I wanted to do about the medicine. I told her I had found a coupon and was there to turn it in. When I gave her the coupon, it was missing a code that apparently didn't print out; but, the pharmacist was kind enough to look it up for me using The Google and I was able to get my medicine for $4 which is a heck of a lot better than $64. The folks there were so nice and helpful and it was just a great overall experience. The prescription, by the way, was for Celebrex. I'm sure I'll be dancing and doing yoga just like the old people on those Celebrex commercials in no time. 

Speaking of Publix, I don't recall if I ever mentioned this, but a few months ago, I went to my mailbox and had a surprise package from my friend Erika. She had sent me a "I Heart Publix" t-shirt and y'all I do, truly love Publix. The shirt made me laugh and I love it! Erika knows me very well!

After leaving Publix Sunday afternoon, I was stopped at the intersection of Whitesburg and Airport and there was a woman standing on the corner. No, not that kind of woman! This corner is known for protesters and so I was fully expecting this woman to have some kind of political sign. Instead, the woman (who was wearing a glittery purple mask to conceal her identity I assume) was holding up a sign that said, "YOU MATTER". I applaud this woman because you know what? You do matter and how awesome of her to spread some good cheer. It reminded me of Kid President. I think he would have enjoyed this woman and her sign as well. 

In other random news, the new season of Downton Abbey started in the UK this past Sunday which means there are only 15 more weeks until it will air here in the US. For the record, I do not care to rush through these next 15 weeks as this is the most wonderful time of the year (Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas); but, still, I am excited about the new season! 

As of Monday, there were only 100 days left in 2014 which means by the time you read this there will be less than 100 days left in the current year. Seriously, how and why does time pass so quickly? 

So far one of the best parts of my week has been planning out a play list for our upcoming road trip with my cousins Anna and Lauren. The three of us are going to a Pearl Jam concert in Memphis in about three weeks. Neither of them are PJ fans, but since the two folks who were originally supposed to go backed out for various reasons, these two cousins of mine graciously decided to step in. I'm looking forward to a fun road trip and anxious to see how our road trip play list comes out because there were a wide range of songs and artists requested. 

Thus began the first week of the Fall of the Year 2014! I have no doubt the remainder of the season has lots of good things in store.

Sometimes Life Is Uninteresting

I wish I had something very exciting to write about today; but, alas, I do not. The weekdays are rather boring and routine which doesn't provide great blogging material. This morning I went to the eye doctor for the third week in a row. The doctor and I had some trouble getting my prescription right. After eight years of the same prescription, I knew there would be a big change this go around and I was right. The first shot at my new prescription was unsuccessful, but we got it right on the second visit and on the third visit, I finally got to order some new glasses and contacts. Needless to say, I'm a wee bit poorer this afternoon than I was this morning. 

Thursday afternoon I head to see the orthopedist. I have probably mentioned at some point that I've been having trouble with my left knee. Back in July, I was working out with my favorite trainer Josh and went to do a squat and ended up yelling out in pain because of my knee. I've been hoping against hope that the pain would miraculously disappear but it has not and so I'm off to the orthopedist this week. I have no idea what he's going to tell me but I fear it won't be good. Mostly I've just got my fingers crossed for a diagnosis because knowing the problem is a lot better than not knowing. 

Speaking of my favorite trainer Josh, he has a blog and I promised him an eternity ago that I would share it with you all and I have failed to do that...until now! So, when you get a chance, check out JD the PT and leave him a comment or two. 

In other completely random news, people keep mentioning the fall weather and I think they've all gone mad. The last time I checked, fall weather was temperatures in the 60s, not the 80s. When there's a briskness in the air and I need a sweatshirt at a football game then, my friends, fall has arrived. Until then, we're continuing to experience a mild summer. If I'm sweating under the heat of the sun, it's not fall. 

I saw on the world wide web today that Birmingham is getting Alabama's first Trader Joe's. I'm jealous. That's all. 

Usually by this time of the year I am deep into my Christmas shopping and close to being done or at least I know most of what I'm getting everyone. This year, not so much. I'm struggling with trying to find some Christmas cheer in which to get going on the presents. I have bought a handful of things, but am not nearly as far along as I would like to be. Oddly enough, I'm almost finished with my mom's Christmas and she is the one who I usually have the most difficult time buying for. This year, however, I'm treating her to dinner and a James Taylor concert in Nashville and so that is taking up the majority of her Christmas allotment. We are both looking forward to spending some time together and enjoying a good show. 

I'm still on the lookout for a Diet Coke with my name on it so if you see a "Natasha" bottle, grab it for me. 

That's all the rambling I'm going to do for now. Have a good Wednesday evening and/or Thursday!

Three Years Later

As luck would have it, I'm still under the weather. This particular sinus infection has been a beast and it doesn't seem to want to go away. I'm hoping there are antibiotics still lingering around in my system fighting off the germs but I'm beginning to have my doubts. Actually, today I woke up feeling a little bit better but am still not at even 85%. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up back at the clinic this weekend. 

Some of you who have been reading this blog for a few years may recall my trip to France in 2011 and how one of the guys in my group, Bernie, saved the day with some stomach medicine. Later on during that trip, Bernie saved the day again by hooking me up with some nasal spray because I ended up with a sinus infection while I was in France too - apparently my sinuses hate me. So, for the past two and a half years, I've carried in my purse the nasal spray that Bernie gave me and used it for every sinus infection and period of nasal congestion during that time. Sadly, the time has come where that nasal spray is now empty. It served me well these past two and a half years and I thought of Bernie and his wife Catherine each time I used it. So, once again a big thanks to Bernie for helping me out when I was in a pinch. Who knew he would, in theory, be helping me out for two more years after he first gave me the nasal spray. 

In other news, February is coming to a close and our trip to Hawaii is only three weeks away. That doesn't even seem possible. Next thing you know we will once again be donning the Christmas trees and trimming the halls with boughs of holly. Times flies when you're having fun I guess. 

I'm sure I could ramble on and on about nothing of great importance, but I'll spare you the boring details and stop here for now. I realize the blogging this year hasn't been my most stellar effort, but in my defense, not a lot has been going on and it's not easy to write about the boring day-to-day activities. Thankfully, March is shaping up to be a more eventful month and as the weather warms I'm confident my schedule will pick up as well which means there's sure to be better posts in the near future. Until then, I hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay warm and stay safe!

The 1,000th Post

Not only did I hit the milestone of keeping up this blog for five years, but this, ladies and gentlemen is my 1,000th post. How crazy is that? I should host a giveaway of some sort but with all the people I know getting married and having babies, there are no funds left over for a giveaway at this time. Sorry, folks. I also wish I had something really fantastic about for this 1,000th post, but, alas, I don't. Life hasn't been that exciting lately; and so, I'll just ramble, which really isn't much different than any other day.

I mentioned yesterday that we have warmer weather. In fact, it's warmer than the average high. I've even turned off the HVAC unit - no heat, no air - and should be able to go for the next few days without using it which will hopefully save me a few dollars on the utility bill. We have apparently reached the time of year when it's hard to decide what to wear and most of the time it ends up being layers of some sort because it's cooler in the mornings than the afternoons and who wants to wear their heavy coat when it's 60 degrees outside?

Along with the change in weather, it would seem that some demon form of pollen has also been released. I feel like everyone I work with is sick in some shape, form or fashion. Everyone seems to be coughing or sneezing and I've apparently joined them because I woke up with a sore throat on Wednesday morning thanks to copious amounts of sinus drainage. I'm thrilled, as you can imagine. I'll try to steer clear of the doctor with all manner of medication and home remedies, but I'm sure a co-pay is in my near future. 

There has also been an increase in the amount of daylight we are receiving which has been a nice blessing since for the past few months I arrive at work and leave work when it's dark outside. It always amazes me how quickly the daylight starts pouring in after the Winter Solstice and I must say it's nice to not feel like a vampire and maybe even grab a small dose of Vitamin D every now and then. 

We had our second women's Bible study this week. I previously mentioned that we had decided on a study by Kelly Minter which dives into the book of Ruth. This week was the first week we studied from the book and we made it all the way through three verses. None of us are upset about this. We've decided that if it takes us a year to study Ruth, then so be it. We study and discus for an hour and then spend 30 minutes or so on prayer requests and praying for those requests. I think the format is really going to work well and I'm hoping the study will be successful and that everyone will keep coming. It's a good group of girls (well, women - even at 37 I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a woman) and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and getting to know them all better. 

I suppose that's all the rambling I have for this, the 1,000th post. A big thanks to all of you who come back day after day to read what's going on in my corner of the world! 

All Thawed Out

Things are back to normal around this part of the country; and by normal I mean we don't have any snow. In fact, the temperature this week is forecasted to be in the 60s and maybe even 70s. I guess the saying is true - if you don't like the weather stick around for 24 hours - or however that goes. I'm thankful that my dear ole HVAC unit is getting a break this week, but I love the cold weather so I can't really say I'm sad that the snow and low temps are gone. Soon, though, it will be time to break out the sandals and admittedly, I do love wearing sandals. So, all is not lost. 

We've got a month to go until we leave for our Hawaiian vacation. This will be the first time I've ever been on a cruise ship and I really hope I like it. I started thinking about showers on the ship recently. Where does the water come from? Does it come from the sea and then is it filtered before it comes through the showerhead? What about the heat of the water? Does the boat have a lot of hot water heaters so that no one is ever without hot water because a cold shower does not even remotely sound appealing. What about the toilets? When you flush does it go to sea? What about the toilet paper? These are all questions for which I would like an answer. I guess I've just really become interested in the plumbing of the ship. So, if you know anything, please share. Maybe there is a tour on the ship I can take that will answer all of these questions. I'm just very curious about all of this.

I'm curious as to how much of the Olympics you all have been watching because I've been watching close to nothing and this is very surprising. I've always been a big fan of the winter Olympics. In fact, I love the winter games more than the summer games, but this year, I just cannot seem to catch the Olympic spirit. I've watched just a few segments here and there, but overall I've found the games just haven't caught my interest. The few times I have watched, it's mostly been on the weekends in the morning and then if I happen to turn on in the evening, the same thing I watched that morning is on again and so there's no point in watching. I will say, though, that it's been great for catching up on the DVR,

Speaking of the Olympics, a few years ago when I mapped out my vacation plans for the next five years, going to Sochi for the Winter Olympics was my plan for 2014 and I'm here to tell you that I've never been so grateful for a plan falling through. It seems that all the stories we've heard from people traveling to Sochi have been horror stories and I, for one, am glad that my plans changed. I think Hawaii will be a lot more enjoyable than Russia. Call me crazy. 

In Other Insignificant News

I realized the other day when I was rambling on about nothing in particular that I have not yet mentioned the results from the 2014 Parker Bowl Challenge and I'm sure you all have been pondering the outcome. It was a super close competition this year. I started strong out of the gate, and then dwindled some in the middle and had a strong finished, while my dad and Justin were steady throughout, although I will say my dad went on a losing steak there at the end. By the time the last game of the bowl season(the National Championship game) came around, the three of us were in a dead heat, all tied up. 

My brother and I both picked The Barn to win the National Championship and my dad picked Florida State and as you probably know, Florida State won and therefore so did my dad. Had Auburn won the game, it would have come down to who picked the score closest to the game, but it didn't come to that and for the second year in a row, my dad gets to be the keeper of the trophy.

In other random and completely unimportant news, cycling season is upon us once again and I couldn't be more pleased. Recaps of the Tour Down Under are airing in the afternoon on NBC Sports and soon enough it will be time for the spring classics. I did notice on the NBC Sports Cycling Schedule that a couple of the first rounds of the Tour of California are not scheduled to air and this is rather perplexing. Usually they air every stage live so I'm hoping it might be a mistake. 

Cycling makes a comeback to the DVR Line-Up!

The temperatures have turned frigid once again this winter; but, sadly, the snow is either south or north of Huntsville. I do not even begin to understand. While I'm grateful not to be stranded on a road in Birmingham like my cousin Anna was, I would like a little snow to play in. Is that too much to ask for? 

Thanks to the the extreme cold, the gals I workout with have abandoned me for the night and so I will be working one-on-one with Josh The Trainer and tonight and there has been mention of mountain climbers which is one of my least favorite exercises. I'm tempted to call in sick. I'm sure I'll tough it out though because if I just go home and do nothing I'll feel guilty. 

Over the weekend, my dad, brother and I picked out some excursions for our upcoming trip to Hawaii (we leave March 20). In the mix is para-sailing, rappelling down a waterfall, riding in a helicopter, biking down a mountain, walking on a black sand beach and climbing close to an active volcano as well as a submarine ride and zip-lining. In other words, by the time I get home, I might need another vacation just to rest up from the one we are taking. I'm getting excited about the trip and it's shaping up to be a rather adventurous one which is exactly how I like it! 

Don't forget to enter the blogiversary giveaway! You have until Thursday evening to enter! 

Electrical Problems and an Incomplete Set

January continues to be the slowest of all months and yet, we only have one more week left before it is February. It's a bizarre phenomenon. So, in an effort to, you know, continue posting, I'm just going to ramble today and see where it takes us. Some of you like that kind of thing and so do I because I don't have to think too hard. 

Last Friday, I plugged in my curling iron, pressed the "on" button, and nothing happened. It was perplexing. I was bewildered and then I was full of dread at the thought of having to go shopping for a new curling iron. If you're anything like me, then you probably don't like shopping for a new curling iron or hair dryer. It's hard getting used to the feel and the ways of a new one. Then I decided to plug it in on the outlet in my hallway and lo and behold it worked. Sadly, this meant something was wrong with the outlets. I didn't have time to tend to it that morning, so I filed this nugget in the back of my mind and for the next few days, curled my hair in the comfort of my bedroom. 

Finally on Monday night, I remembered to take a look at the breakers and see if there was anything I could do with the outlets. I was unsuccessful. So, Wednesday night, my friend Meri and her husband Miko stopped by to check out the  situation. Miko, while not a licensed electrician, does know about electricity and dabbles in voltage (or something like that). Long story short, Miko was able to solve the problem by replacing both outlets in my bathroom and miracle of miracles, I was able to curl my hair in the bathroom once again. 

I think I mentioned I took Pip to get her nails trimmed at the local pet shop over the weekend. The toy I bought her was made by Planet Dog and looks like a hockey puck. The Planet Dog toys have a peppermint smell and this one also has a slot for treats. Let me tell you, this was a great $10 investment. Pip has been playing with that thing a lot and it has been a great distraction for her. 

Speaking of Pip, lately she has been gathering some of her favorite things and placing them atop the guest bed where she leaves them and then goes and plays with them when she takes a notion. It's really quite hilarious - almost as though the guest room is her room and you'd better not move her favorite things. Yes, the aforementioned hockey puck is also placed atop the bed when not in use. 

The other night, I was laying in bed watching TV and Pip would not leave me alone. I sat up and turned over and kind of pushed her with my body and she proceeded to fall of the bed. I felt terrible. I had no intention of making her take a tumble. She then walked off and went to play in "her room" and didn't want to have anything to do with me for the rest of the night. I'm hoping she will find it in her heart to forgive me as I still feel just awful about the fact that she fell off the bed. 

I started playing Candy Crush on New Year's Eve thanks to my mom. It seems like I had looked for it on my Kindle before but either couldn't find it or didn't realize it was called Candy Crush Saga - who knows? At any rate, I'm very late to this addictive game. In the three weeks I've been playing, I've managed to get to level 85. I realize others of you are in the 190s or the 300s, but I'm rather pleased with reaching level 85 in three weeks' time. 

Back in the fall, I ordered four College Game Day Bobblehead Dolls from  My Coke Rewards. I ordered the Desmond, Chris, Lee, and Kirk and was so excited when I got a notification earlier this month that they had shipped. Meri and I had big plans for these guys in our cubicle. Sadly, they shipped me two Desmonds and zero Chris Fowler (my favorite) and so now our set is incomplete and the excitement has been replaced with melancholy because it's just not the same without Chris. 

I suppose that's all I have to ramble about today. Come back soon for more posts about nothing in particular because that's what January is all about! 

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs

As I was driving around town on Saturday, I happened to notice a couple of signs and for whatever reason, those two signs have made an imprint on my brain. So, despite these signs being a small portion of today's rambling on, they prompted the title of this post. 

The first was as I was driving Pippa to PetSmart. I saw a person dressed as a clown on the side of the road holding a sign. I looked over and the sign read, "Honk if You Love Halloween!" and since I do, in fact, love Halloween, I gave a honk and then I gave a little laugh because I thought it was hilarious - it clearly doesn't take much to amuse me. 

The second sign I saw was after we left PetSmart and were on the way to pick up a pizza. I saw a lady on the side of the road waving a sign. She was standing in a driveway and there was what looked like a yard sale that had taken place earlier in the day. I figured the sign would say something about a yard sale but was surprised when I looked over and saw that the sign said, "Free Stuff". So, either there had been a yard sale earlier in the day and the lady had decided to just give the remaining things away for free and if that was the case then the people who bought stuff at the sale earlier in the day got a raw deal. The other thought that crossed my mind was that perhaps this lady got mad at her husband or boyfriend and decided to drag all his stuff out and offer it for free. I doubt this second scenario was the case, but thinking it might be gave me quite the chuckle. 

I finally got around to decorating for Halloween over the weekend. I was wondering how it would go with Pippa trying to be all up in the decorating business, but it actually went okay. I only had to chase her a few times when she grabbed paper that various items had been wrapped in. I purchased some pumpkins and mums and got those all set out on the porch. I am officially ready for cold weather and changing leaves as well as ghosts and goblins. 

Speaking of Halloween, some friends and I are having a Downton Abbey costume party later this month and I am very excited to see what kind of costume everyone comes up with. It's sure to be a fun evening and I will definitely be sharing some photos. 

Monday night I got into the baking spirit and made some pumpkin cookies and brought them in to work the next day. They are actually more like little cakes, but they were very good and the recipe can be found here if you are interested. The weather has been cool at night and so I also decided on tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner. It's a classic and I love it! It's perfect for cool fall nights!

Nuggets of Random Tidbits

We've reached another Friday in 2013, and can you believe it is the last one for September because I certainly can't! This year has zoomed by and much of it seems a blur.I don't have much of anything in particular to blog about today but wanted to try and post something and so what you now end up with is me rambling on about a whole lot of nothing.

 

This coming up weekend is sure to be fun. Jackie's kiddos have reached another birthday and we are celebrating tonight and tomorrow. Tonight Pippa and I will be joining Ashlyn and her friends for a slumber party and tomorrow I'll be putting my bowling skills to the test at Troy's soiree. It promises to be a lot of fun. I've also got plans for highlights and a much needed haircut and somewhere along the way I hope to get my DVR cleared out for another week of shows. 

 

Speaking of shows, the new TV season started this week and it's the moment I've been waiting for since last season ended in May. The summer TV shows were a complete bust this year in my opinion and I have been anxiously anticipating the arrival on the new regular season. Along with the return of some of my favorite shows (Parenthood and Chicago Fire to name two), there is also a slate of promising new shows out and this television season is shaping up to be one of the best ever, in my humble opinion anyway. So far I am intrigued and cannot wait for the next episodes of Hostages and The Blacklist, both of which come on at the same time on Monday nights. I've also really enjoyed Sleepy Hollow which, as luck would have it, is another Monday night show. I'm sure I'll have more to say about these and other TV shows before too long; but, for now, I still need to catch up on a lot of the show premiers that came on last week. 

 

Thursday night after working out for an our with the personal trainer in my WOW class, I got home and took Pippa for a walk for 30 minutes. I was hoping against hope that this walk of ours might relieve her of some of her energy. The evenings have been increasingly frustrating as all she wants to do is bark, bark, bark and bite. I've come up with various solutions, all of which last only a night. So, I took her for a walk and her behavior was a little better in that I was actually able to watch a little TV while she attempted to gnaw the skin off my bones. Lately I've gone to the extreme of putting an oven mitt on my hand which worked beautifully one night, but not so much the rest of the week. It's still working okay, but she's not as intrigued by it as she was on night one and now mostly just attacks it with vigor. Before I went to the gym, I stopped by PetSmart and signed her up for some training classes. I did not wand to dish out the money, but we both need some help and I'm hoping these training classes will be the solution, or at least get us on the way to a solution. I have no doubt, this will provide me with many new blog posts. 

 

In other random news, I've finally made an appointment to see a doctor about my foot. You may or may not recall that I had a bone spur removed from my left foot in December 2010. I was scheduled to have the spur in my right foot removed in October 2011 but my doctor had a heart attack and the surgery was never rescheduled. Since that time, I've heard a lot of people I know have had problems with this doctor and so I asked some co-workers which doctor they went too and they have all recommended a Dr. M. and I have scheduled and appointment for October 24 and am hoping he will be able to take care of my foot such that I will no longer be in pain. Sadly, if I require surgery, it will most likely be a few days before Christmas, thus putting me out of commission during the holidays. I'm sure I'll find a way to do some cooking though because I wouldn't want my people to starve. At any rate, I'll keep you posted on the saga of the foot.

 

Since October is right around the corner, I'm really itching to get my decorations out and, of course, buy some pumpkins. I'm not sure how the decorating and decorations will work out with Pippa around. There is just no telling how she will react or what she will eat. I'm not sure if I will have time to get it done this weekend, but if not, then I'll definitely drag it all out next weekend and get the house in the fall/Halloween spirit. If only we had some crisp/cool weather to go along with the decor. 

 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Let's Talk About The Bathroom

By no means do I consider myself the queen of etiquette, but I do try to play by the rules and for the most part I think I do rather well. Today, I would like to talk with you about bathroom etiquette, specifically, that of the public bathroom. I realize this isn’t the most appealing topic in the world, but I need something to write about and told my friend Meri I would be putting this up on the blog after she and I had a conversation about it at work one day. 

Occasionally when I stop in the bathroom at work, there is someone who more or less has her pants and/or panties on the floor of the bathroom. I do not understand this in the least. A couple of weeks ago, in fact, I walked in and one of these offenders had dropped her drawers all the way on the floor and it was hard not to notice as they were bright blue leopard print. I assure you, this is not anything I wanted to see and am still trying to erase the memory from my mind. What I do not understand is why these people need to drop their pants/panties all the way down to the floor. I mean, I have never felt it necessary to do this; so, why do they?

Another peeve Meri and I have regarding the bathroom is people who do not flush the toilet until everything has gone down the sewer. I mean, no one wants to see your left over tissue or other unmentionables when they walk into the stall. Please, I beg of you, check to make sure it’s all been flushed down before leaving the bathroom stall. It’s the right thing to do. 

 Talking on a cell phone is another thing that is annoying in the bathroom, and admittedly I have done this before, but it is rare and is when it does happen I’m typically heading home for the day. I also know Jackie has done this before (not to call her out or anything, but her work bathroom is rarely occupied).  What I find annoying are those people who sit in the bathroom for minutes upon minutes just talking away as if they were sitting on their couch at home and not in a stinky public restroom with flushing toilets. Most of these people talk really loud as well as I suppose they are trying to speak over the loud toilets and people doing their business. I have no interest in your family drama, so please leave it out of the bathroom.

What about the rest of you? How do you feel about bathroom etiquette? What are your pet peeves when you go in to do your business? Am I the only one feeling this way?

A Cornucopia of Unrelated Information

Well, it's Tuesday night and I just got home from my WOW session and my arms and legs feel like jello. I guess that's a good thing. I'm also hungry and hope to be eating dinner soon. The WOW sessions are going great and I would love it if this group would sign up for another six weeks after the first six, but they probably have things to do in the evening, unlike myself.

Other than painting the shed this past weekend, I really didn't have much else going on. I think I mentioned that it was free Showtime weekend and the entire season two of Homeland was one Saturday and gave my DVR a workout for 12 straight hours. I re-watched season one starting early last week and finished up on Saturday morning and then started on season two some time in the afternoon.

After all was said and done, I watched about 18 hours of Homeland over the course of four days, including six hours on both Saturday and Sunday. I think it probably goes without saying that I was rather consumed with the plot line and even dreamed about it at night. Now I'm completely caught up and really sad that there are no more episodes to watch. Here's looking forward to the next free Showtime weekend.

Sunday morning on the way to church I saw a black Volvo station wagon parked and for sale in a lot at the corner of Governor's and California. I thought it looked like a newer model and decided to go take a look at the price after church Sunday afternoon. I pulled out of the parking lot about as fast, or faster, than I pulled in. The Volvo was in fact a newer model and the price tag was $25.6K. If anyone wants to buy it for me, contact Peter.

Speaking of cars, it really would not surprise me if Blue killed over at some point. I did manage to repair the missing side view mirror on the passenger side a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully the one I bought was the right size and it was no trouble at all to fix. Lately it seems that I sometimes hear what sounds like crickets in the car and then at other times I hear a bzzz like a bee, which never ceases to make me jump. I'm beginning to wonder if Blue is being operated by scores of insects under the hood instead of an engine. I mean, Jackie did find a roach in the back floor board a few weeks ago when we were out at a garage sale. We ended up driving to the car wash to suck it up in a vacuum, but when I couldn't see it, she used something (I can't remember what) to flick it out of the car. It landed on it's back and Jackie turned it right side up and then the roach came towards me and I screamed at the top of my lungs and and ran away. It was quite hilarious and got me moving at an early hour. Thankfully, there have been no other roach sightings in the car, otherwise, I might have to set it on fire and cut my losses.

In closing I would like to let you know that I'm currently in the process of a boot experiment of sorts and I am looking forward to reporting on that next week when said experiment has been completed. Until then, may your cars be bug free!

Make Up Your Mind Already

There's really no rhyme or reason to today's post. Let this be a warning.

Wednesday the USPS announced it was going to continue Saturday delivery after all. Really? Why? I didn't read anything in-depth about it but the headline I saw said it was because of Congress. Seriously, I don't see what the big deal is in giving up Saturday delivery. I think the postal workers might enjoy being able to watch a full day of football in the fall or go to a cookout in the summer or whatever else they might decide to do with their newly found Saturday free time. I for one would not be opposed to doing away with Saturday delivery and I really don't see what all the fuss is about. I will say this though - if the postal service wants to save money, they might find a better way to ship packages. I recently ordered a few items from Lands End and my package went from Illinois to Nashville (logical) then it went to Birmingham, then to Montgomery and then to Huntsville. Huh? Did they forget where Huntsville was? Then , after it arrived in Huntsville it took another whole day before it arrived in my mailbox. Seriously, seems to me like it would have saved a lot of gas money for my package to come from Nashville to Huntsville. 

We are experiencing another round of storms and tornadic (apparently this isn't a word or I can't find how to spell it if it is) weather this afternoon (Thursday). As luck would have it as soon as I walked out the door to leave work the tornado sirens started going off. I went ahead and left anyway because I needed to stop by Wal-Mart to pick up some Drano and muffin mix. Drano because the bathroom sink isn't draining well and muffin mix because I've been craving Blueberry muffins all week and I didn't have any mix or anything which is extremely unusual for me. 

I made it to Wal-Mart before it started raining and while inside the bottom fell out. Thankfully when I left a few minutes later it wasn't raining too bad. I headed towards home and at one point it felt like I ran over something in the road only there was nothing there. Then I thought I smelled gas and before I reached home my service engine light was on. Y'all I wouldn't be surprised if I end up stranded on the side of the road some time soon. At the moment the service engine light it on, the driver's window is taped up, the passenger side view mirror is missing and the passenger side headlight cover is missing. That's all I can think of at the moment. Usually when the service engine light comes on I just have to put some gas booster in the tank and it's fine before the next fill up, but since it felt like I either ran over something or something fell off the car, I'm doubting it's going to be that simple this time; but here's to hoping. 

In the afternoons, around 3:45 or 4:00, the night janitor comes around and empties our trash. Listen, I don't like to complain about folks, but really, this gets on my nerves. When I'm working, I don't want the janitor all up in my personal space trying to empty my trash or recycling bin. I'm most likely going to be leaving by 4:30 - can't you just wait until then? I like the janitor, he's a nice guy, and I'm nice to him and say hello, but if he would just skirt around me until I'm gone, I would like him a whole lot more.

In other news I'll be getting a new shed soon - oh yeah! My dad's friend Buddy is going to build one at his workshop and then they will bring it over to my house in pieces and put it together. It's going to be wooden and hopefully won't blow away in the next wind storm. 

Hope everyone stays safe through the rain and storms this evening!

The Conclave Begins and I'm Blocked

The rest of my weekend was about as eventful as my Friday night as in it wasn't eventful at all. Saturday morning I got my hair trimmed and went right back home afterwards. I managed to do some more cleaning and laundry and then took a four hour nap because apparently I was really tired, or maybe I was trying to prepare myself for the impending time change. Either way, by the time I woke up, it was basically time for me to go over to my parents' house for dinner. My dad grilled pork chops and they were delicious. I think it might have been one of his best batches - either that or I just have not had any in such a long time that I forgot how good they can be. 

While there, my dad and I booked our flights (again) for our trip to California in May. As luck would have it, when my dad originally booked our flights on January 21, something went awry and the flights didn't actually book. So, here we were almost two months later, with no flights. So, instead of flying out of Huntsville, which was the original plan, we are now flying out of Nashville for two reasons. Reason number one is that it is now a little over $200 per person cheaper and reason number two was because there were no return flights to Huntsville that didn't involve flying overnight and arriving on a Sunday morning. This would have been a-okay by me, but my dad didn't want to do that because we should really be at church instead of flying the friendly skies. So, Nashville it is. At this point, I'm just happy to have a flight and in case you're wondering, I logged on to my Sky Miles account on Monday and indeed, I am confirmed for the flights we booked on Saturday, which is a huge relief because Ellen is waiting for us to show up on May 16.

Sunday was the usual - church, grocery store and lunch. I did not have my little cousin with me because she went to see her dad for the weekend. I was disappointed too because it was kid's day at church and I knew she would enjoy all the festivities. Jackie brought me a soup mix to church which I proceeded to put in my purse and then forgot to take out when I went grocery shopping. Thankfully no one saw it and accused me of stealing soup. Then Sunday afternoon/early evening I went over to my friend Meri's house to crash the eighth grade devotional. Yes, this is the same Meri I am training at work. We also go to the same church and she was hosting the eighth grade devotional and invited me to come. So, I did because free food was involved and also because I like Meri and also because I like eight graders...ha, just kidding, that was kind of creepy. The devotional was a good time and there were actually more adults than children there which was kind of odd, but we adults had a lovely time. I met Meri's husband and also her sister and brother-in-law and we all got along swimmingly. Meri's mom Claudia (who also happens to work where we do) made her famous spaghetti sauce and it was delicious - we even had it for lunch on Monday. Afterwards I moseyed on home because I like to lie on my couch and watch TV. I am the definition of a couch potato. 

In some very exciting news, the conclave begins today (Tuesday) and we will soon know who the new Pope is going to be. Listen, I'm not Catholic (and you probably already knew that), but I find this whole Pope bit to be rather fascinating. I never in a million years would have guessed we would be witnessing another conclave so soon after 2005. This is only the second conclave I can remember but the third since my birth - the first being in 1978 and I probably wasn't even talking then - and so it's just an interesting and fascinating process, or at least it is to me. So, I'll be waiting along with the rest of the world and tuning in each evening to see who will be elected the next pope. 

After four years and two months of blogging, and often posting from work, the Blogger web site has now been blocked by the company for which I work. I guess they decided that after four years and two months of me occasionally logging in from my desk, they should maybe block the page. It's extremely frustrating and also stupid because what's the harm in logging in during lunch to post a little something for my loyal readers? So, now, I must work harder to write in advance so I can post from home in the evenings. I guess it's a good thing I decided to get internet service at home in July 2011. Not only is the Blogger login page blocked, but also eBay! Again, it's not like I log on to eBay all the time but I do like to occasionally peruse the site during lunch hours. I feel like I've been grounded or something. 

A Ghost, Harry, Pecans and a Suitcase, For Lack of a Better Title

Here are some more random ramblings for you to close out the week...

This afternoon at work, I thought I heard someone whisper something and I said, "Huh?" loud and professional like and when I turned around, no one was there except for my cub mater who swears she didn't whisper anything. then she proceeded to tell me how two or three times this past week she felt a presence and then felt someone poke her in the back and turned around and no one was there. So, now I'm thinking maybe there is a ghost that hangs out in our cubicle; although I can't understand why any ghost would want to hang out there. On the other hand, I could be totally delirious from the combination of cold medicines and hot toddies I've had this week. I'm not sure what excuse G would use.

Harry Connick, Jr. has a new CD out and while I would love to give it a rave review, I've got to be honest and say that I pretty much hate it. Well, hate is a really strong word, but I dislike it - a lot. It's not his best work in my opinion. I like more of the old school jazz/big band sound and this one has more of a Cajun flair to it. You've disappointed me, Harry. I expected better of you.

My friend Janet invited me over for dinner last week. We don't see as much of each other as we used to since I changed churches (yes, I know I still owe this story to you all) and it was really great to visit with her. As I was leaving, she sent home with me a large bin of pecans. Someone had given them to her and her sister and they had already had some cracked for themselves and she asked if I wanted some. I took a bin home with me and took them to be cracked the next day. When I brought them in the guy asked me if my mom had brought some in - I said no, my friend and that she had given me the ones I had. As it turns out, the bin I got ended up being about 25 pounds of pecans (in the shell). I have been shelling them sever since and feel as though I may never be done. I'm very grateful to have them though as pecans are now around $10 per pound and it's rare that I buy them. Maybe I'll have them all shelled by the end of the month.

My grandmother recently let my dad and his siblings go through some of my grandfather's things - clothes, hats, etc. - and they all were able to get some things they wanted and some of the grandkids and grandkid-in-laws got some things as well. The item I wanted is something my grandmother is not yet ready to part with and that's okay by me. The following Saturday, I went over to visit with her and ended up taking home two sweaters that no one wanted (and I have since worn) and also a binder with a Bible study in it that has my grandfather's handwritten notes. My mother suggested I ask for it and I'm glad she did because I'm really thankful to have it. Another treasure I got was a piece of luggage that belonged to my great-grandfather. It even has his initials on it. I don't really have any plans for the luggage but am really glad to have it and can only imagine the adventures it has been on in years past. Who knows, maybe I'll take it on an adventure or two myself.