2/28/09 - Girls Night Out @ Jenni's House

Tonight a bunch of the girls got together at Jenni's house and a nice relaxing night, hanging out chatting and watching chick flicks. We watched Bridget Jones and something else that I cant' quite recall at the moment, but it's probably because I was playing Jenni's cat during most of it. Her cat is so cute! It fetches, like a dog. I couldn't get enough of it. Here's a picture of him bringing back the mouse. I took some video as well, but I need to edit it. It's really long right now and includes a bunch of me coaxing the cat (Peanut) to bring the mouse to me after her other cat (Stinky) jumped out from under the bed to scare him.

2/27/09 - Chiditerod Prep/MiC NMHH

Today David, myself, Karen and Erick (Team: Buddy Christ) went shopping for our Chiditerod Costumes and Cart decor. We hit JoAnns, Target and a Costume shop. I think we're all set. Karen is making the beards, Erick is going to make the "sacred heart" emblems and some signs for the cart and I'm making the costumes. More info on our Team selection: For those of you that are not familiar with the character "Buddy Christ" he is from the movie, Dogma. It came out in the mid 90's. Written and directed by Kevin Smith, the same guy that did Clerks, Chasing Amy, Mall Rats, etc. Buddy Christ comes from a scene in the movie where the Catholic church decides they want to reach out the younger demographic and make the church seem less depressing and more fun so come up with the slogan, "Catholicism Wow!" and a corresponding mascot, Buddy Christ. Well, here just watch this...



...and Team Buddy Christ was born!!

2/26/09 - Dinner at Sullivans Steakhouse

I'm being proactive! We're going to dinner tonight with our friend Chris and a few others. I'll update with more detials when we get back...

2/25/09 - Trivia!!

We almost won!! We were in first place the whole night, then bet nearly maximum points on the final question and came in well it doesn't even really matter because it wasn't first!! I guess I should back up a little. Tonight we got together with some friends of ours, Derek and Jamie, Katherine and Rich (our downstairs neighbors) and Jon and played trivia at Bridget McNeills. We were a pretty good team. Some knew the answers right off the top of their head and when no one knew we worked as a team to figure them out. It was really fun and I can't wait to do it again.

By the way the final question was, "What product made famous by (some middle eastern name that I can't pronounce let alone spell) after a December 2007 event, received 100's of thousand's of orders." The answer...was Shoes! The guy who threw his shoe at G.W. inspired people to go purchase the type of shoe he was wearing! (Apparently the guy's name is the same name of a guy known for designing Motorcycles so that's what we said, but we were WRONG!) Oh well, better luck next time.

2/24/09 - Wing Night

Tonight we went to "High Dive" to have wings. This was another event hosted by our friends Erick and Shar via the MiC site. Anyway, everyone has their favorite place for wings. This happens to be Erick and Shar's and I'd have to agree, I thought they were delicous! We go quite frequently to "The Rail" because they have .10 wings on Monday nights and they are pretty good, but I think I like High Dives a little better. Wings are very particular to people I've noticed. It's like Ford and Chevy, but with food. Some people like them dry and spicy, some people like them saucy and mild, some like to dip in bleu cheese and some in ranch-it's a science, really. I think I lean more toward dry and spicy and I'm a ranch dipper. This would explain why I was particularly fond of David's favorite place in Jersey. They were extremely saucey and more tangy than spicy, which is what he prefers. Speaking of, I've been realizing latley how "complimentary" David and are when it come to food. On one hand, we'll pick the same thing on the menu when at a restaurant, but on the other he likes very different things than I do. It's very interesting, then again my hobbie is human relationships and social psychology so perhaps only I find that interesting.

<---This is my friend Carl. I hadn't seen him in a while so I was glad he joined us.

2/23/09 - Girl Scouts of America, you are EVIL!

David called me a few weeks back, in fact I think I was in North Carolina at the time and asked me if I wanted some Girl Scout Cookies, so of course I said yes! The delightfully tasty gems are but once a year! Right? So we got a couple of boxes.

I was working away today and needed some afternoon energy and was looking around the house for snack when I remembered I had some Thin Mints in the freezer, because everyone knows they are better when they are frozen! Anyway, I had about a 1/4 of sleeve left and instead of pulling the appropriate serving size, I just grabbed the sleeve because I was trying to be quick so I could get back to my project. Well about 1/2 hour later, I reach over to grab a cookie and realize that I had already eaten the sleeve. Now there were probably only about 2 more than the serving size listed on the side of the box, but still! These little cookies pack a big punch in the calorie department! So I ran up and down the stairs a few times. Not enough to burn all that I ate I'm sure, but it made some of the guilt go away! :)

2/22/09 - Movies, Chili and Stews

Our friends Erick and Shar hosted a MiC Event at their house today. We watched Blazing Saddles and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist while eating a variety of Chilies and Stews prepared by the attendees. It was good and a lot of fun. After that we came home and watched the the last hour or so of the Oscars.
I have to say something about the movie Blazing Saddles. It was released in the 70's, 1974 to be exact and although I remember it being fairly funny the first few times I saw it, I couldn't help but not find it all that funny this time around. I mean there were certainly scenes that made me laugh and I realize it is a Satire. It's making fun of a bad situation because the situation in and of itself is ridiculous, but still, I was kind of put off by it. Maybe it's just a different time and place now or maybe it's just me and who I am now? Basically what I'm trying to get at is that I can appreciate the movie's presence and Mel Brooks' comedic style as it manifested itself in 1974, but it's not a movie I'll be adding to my collection or watching again anytime soon. No offense, Mish, or anyone else that holds this movie on their "favorites" list! :) I was a huge of fan of "To be or Not to be" as well, but it has been a few years since I've seen that. I wonder if I watch now if I'll feel the same way? Hummmm, might have to test it out. Spaceballs, however never gets old!! :)



May the Schwartz be with you...

2/21/09 - Winter Hiking/Dave's Burger Challenge

Today we went hiking at The Morton Arboretum. We were suppose to go Snowshoeing and even though it snowed during the night, there wasn't enough so we ended up just going hiking instead. It was still fun. Afterward we went to Pete & Jonny's for lunch. They had a Burger Challenge that David decided to take on. Eat a 30 Oz. Burger in 10 minutes. David did it with a few seconds to spare and got his meal for free and this T-Shirt.

And here's the path to the T-Shirt:

2/20/09 - Last Stop...Atlanta Concourse

I'm finally at my last day in Atlanta. Today is at the Concourse Marriott. The classes went extremely well. I think they all got a lot out of the classes. It was funny because when I arrived at the hotel, the desk was pretty busy so I was waiting in line to check in when a gentleman, whom I would learn later was the Front Office Manager, came up to me, pointed at me at said, "LMS?" I said, "Yes?" and he then he introduced himself. He said he knew I was with Marriott, that I just had that look and to him I said, "oh and I thought I had on my best disguise today!!" It was kind of funny, but you probably had to be there. This property really treated me like a VIP, which is nice, but also makes me feel uncomfortable. I don't really think of myself as a VIP and the funny part is that as soon as the desk clerks realized who I was they immediately perked up and started being more friendly and such...I thought it was funny. Then I turned around and all these guests were looking at me, like who the heck is she?

They gave me access to the Concierge lounge so I went in there to grab some dinner and talked to the host for quite some time. He was so interesting. He mentioned he lived in Chicago for 5 years when he and his wife first got married and began telling about Chicago at that time and the places they used to hang out. He talked about his kids and his parents, it just really interesting to hear his story. I really wanted to get a picture with him, but I didn't have my camera with me. Bummer!! You'll have to settle for some pictures of the hotel.

2/19/09 - J.W. Buckhead

3 more classes down and three to go!! Yay! I'm almost done. Today I'm at the J.W. Buckhead. This is like the Beverly Hills of Atlanta. On my way over to the hotel last night I drove past some amazing houses, absolutely beautiful and HUGH! I was blown away by some of these places. I've seen some nice homes in my day, but these took the blue ribbon, they were incredible. I wish I could have gotten some pictures, but it was a small country road and I couldn't really stop. I just looked on in amazement.

I can't wait to be done...my feet are KILLING me! I love facilitating, but when I don't do it for a while and then have to do a full week, especially a full week of classes as opposed to a mix of classes and one-on-ones, it really takes a toll on my feet. I'm just not used to standing on my feet all day, everyday! I soaked them in the tub and propped them up on a pillow for a while.

2/18/09 - The Waverly

Today was day 2 at the Waverly, a Renaissance hotel. 3 more classes down, 6 to go!! Our Renaissance properties all have story or theme associated with them. The Waverly's is centered around the bells you sort of see in the background of this picture. --->

I can't remember the actual story now, but it had something to do with bringing people together with the ring of the bells. The hotel is quite nice. I actually did some training here a couple years ago as well so ran into some familiar faces during my visit. Here's a close up of the bells...

2/17/09 - Ooohhh so tired....(Picture Added)

So, it's only the end of day two in Atlanta and I'm beat! I basically have back to back classes all day and have not really been able to take breaks in between. I left Alpharetta last night and drove to the Waverly property. I was so tired that when I got checked in I laid down on the bed and figured I'd just rest for a few minutes before getting settled and I completely zonked out. Still in my clothes, T.V. going, etc. I woke around 3am, brushed my teeth put on my jammies, set my six alarms so I wouldn't over sleep and went back to sleep!! I feel exhausted tonight too! In fact, I'm going to bed as soon as I'm done posting this, so guess what? I'm done. :)

~Kelli

2/16/09 - Alpharetta (Picture Added)

My first day in Georgia I find myself in Alpharetta. The good news: I was actually pleasantly surprised because the website said it was 40 miles and the directions I printed from google said it would take me 47 minutes to get there, but it good'ol Neverlost said it was only 22 miles away and it only took me around 20 minutes to get there. The bad news: my car was stinky. I always request a non-smoking car and they gave me non-smoking car or so the contract and "no smoking" sticker said, but it smelled really bad. Apparently the person that had the car ahead did not head the signs. Usually I would go exchange it, but I just feel like dealing with it so I just drove with the windows down to try to air it out a little. No offense to my smoking friends that might read this, but there is nothing worse than that stale, thick, remnant smoke, especially in Atlanta when you have the humidity which just adds dampness to it. Ewe!

2/15/09 - Updated: Sitting next to a Country Song

Okay here's the whole story, in her words pretty much...

Jessica, the girl in this photo with me happened to seated next to me on my flight to Atlanta. Our conversation started as any other would on a plane...she said she was so excited to be going home so I asked her where she had been and she said Alaska. I mentioned that I had been there before and I asked her how long she had been there. She said she flew up on Thursday so just a few days. She said she had gone there to visit her boyfriend. So far, nothing unusual, then she continued...

Jody, the boyfriend in Alaska, and her met in High School. She was 13 and he was 16. They lived in a really small town in Alabama and had grades K-12 in the same school. She and Jody had sex during school one day and Jody, as I'm sure most 16yr olds would do, told all his friends and his friends told their friends and so on until it was finally told to the Principle and both their parents were called. The result was they were forbidden to see each other. Jody was even sent to a different school. Well, they continued to keep in touch via email/phone over the next several years, but ultimately lose touch.

In the meantime, Jessica continues school until her Junior year when she drops out and moves in with a friend. That friend and her then start dating. He cheats on her and starts smacking her around so they break up shortly there after and she moves in with another guy that she met shortly before she broke up with the previous guy and they start dating. She also gets her job at Sugar & Spice at this time. It's a bikini bar so she doesn't have get all the way naked so it's "okay". Anyway, the new guy is a drug addict and dealer, but she loves him unconditionally so sticks around even though he cheats on her with "crack whores" (her words) until low and behold Jody contacts her. The very next day she breaks up with "crack whore, dealer guy" and arranges to go to Alaska where Jody is in a Military Training Camp preparing to go to Iraq. She gets to Alaska and immediately re-kindle their relationship, but he refuses to tell his mother because he knows she will disapprove. Even considering this, they talk about getting married, but ultimately decide to wait until he gets back from Iraq. Plus he doesn't know she's a "dancer" and she's afraid to tell him. Plus she's afraid to get tested for STD's as result from her activities with "crack whore" cheater guy because if she has one, she thinks he wont want to be with her. I encouraged her to get tested and told her it would be really unfair for her to subject him to that to which she responds, "I know, that's true, but we already had sex so he probably already has it. I also suggested to her that how does she know if doesn't already something from someone else?? They haven't seen each other since they were 13/16 and she's been dating /sleeping with other people, certainly he as as well. She agrees says she hadn't thought of that, even thought talked about an ex-girlfriend and decides that she'll get tested and ask him to do that same just to be sure.

In addition to the "redneck" love story she also tells me about her family life. Her mother is messed up and they don't really get along very well even though they are exactly the same. Her mother was 15 when she had her. Her biological father, referred to as "Daddy" is a pot head that left her Mamma when she was a baby. Her and her Daddy reconnected a couple years ago, but all they do is smoke pot together and she talks to him about issues she can't talk to her mom about, sex, included. Her step father, referred to as Dad, is a good guy, but a truck driver and therefore is not around much. She has three sisters from the step dad, but they all have different mothers. Her mother is the most recent and so they've been together for a while now.

Now, an additional twist to all of this is that the guy she broke up with to get back together with her ex from High School also landed himself in Jail with 8 counts of Vehicle breaking and entering the same night they broke up . So when she gets back she says she has to go visit him and try to smuggle him cigarettes and pot, which isn't a big deal because she used to do that with one of the other guys she used to date (I'm not sure which one and she didn't specify). She thinks he innocent because he makes plenty of money dealing pot and he's a mechanic as well so why would he break into cars?

I think there was more, but I just can't remember everything. She basically spilled her entire life and I couldn't help thinking to myself, wow! you hear about these people, you hear the redneck jokes, but I've never really met anyone like this in person. She fit every stereotype about "rednecks" there is all the way down the beat up car sitting on blocks on the front lawn. She herself even referred to her and her family as rednecks so its not just my interpretation. She was extremely friendly and I really enjoyed talking to her, I was just half in amazement and half in shock at the stuff she was telling me, this stranger, she just met on a plane!!

2/14/09 - Happy Valentine's Day!!

I'm happy to report that I'm break/sprang and more or less pain free after my day of skiing in Wisconsin. David, myself (of course) and our friends, Shar and Eric, went skiing at Chestnut Mountain in Galena, WI to celebrate V-Day and just to have a good time. David has wanted to go skiing for a while now and was disappointed that we didn't get a chance to go while we were in Utah.

Galena is very quaint. A fun little city. As for the slopes? They are certainly different from what I grew up with though not necessarily easier (for me at least). I was a little nervous about going on this trip. First of all, it's been nearly 15 years since the last time I went skiing. Yes, I grew up in Utah and skied occasionally, but most of the skiing I did was in my backyard. Then in college I went maybe 7 or 8 times at the resorts. Not to mention the fact that I'm probably in the worst shape I've ever been in my entire life and I had to go to Atlanta on Sunday for work. That in and of itself made me more nervous than the 15-year Hiatus and being out of shape because it's not like I have "regular" job where I can call off if I break my leg. Broken Leg or not I *have* to be on that plane.

Truthfully, I did better than I thought I would, but I wouldn't say I did well. I think I managed about 5 runs. On the beginner and bunny slopes. Three of them David went down with me, guiding me the whole way and then 2 I did on my own so David could go do his own thing. The first one on my own was not good, I basically snow plowed all the way down, but the second one was better. The last one I did was on a bunny slope and it just about killed me. My knees were killing me by this point so by the time I got to the bottom I wanted to just build a snow cave and stay there. Getting back up was nearly the worst part. It was this tow rope thing that you grabbed onto and it pulled you up the mountain. I felt like I was water skiing, which I suck at because I could never hold onto the dang bar-thingy! I just about let go twice, but managed to finally make it to the top. I knew when I got there that; I'd had my last run of the day. I just had no strength left in my knees and I knew if I kept trying I would injure myself for sure. Had I not had to go to Atlanta, I probably would have gone a couple more. I was really starting to feel comfortable.

I hung out in the lodge for the next hour or so while David, Shar and Erick took a few more runs, then we all met up and walked to this lookout point and watched the sunset. Then Shar and I headed back to the lodge and waited for the boys to take a couple last runs. Later on we went to dinner at a place called Benjamin’s in Galena, then headed home. Shar's B-Day is 2/15 so we also had a little mini-B-day party for her at the restaurant.

2/13/2009 - Stay tuned...

2/12/09 - Costco & Dinner with Pallavi

Pallavi, David and I went to Costco. We usually go with each other about once a month. Occassionally, David and Pallavi go on their own and somtimes all three us go and sometimes Marcus joins us too. Sometimes we share our purchases which saves us all money, but mostly it's just fun to go together and then we usually either go out to dinner or go back to one of our houses and cook dinner. This time we went out. We ended up at a Mexican place. It was pretty good.

2/11/09 - Dinner with the Downstairs Neighbors

Our Downstairs neighbors invited us to dinner at their place tonight. Along with some other friends of theirs. We had a great dinner and a really good time hanging out.

My Neighbor Katherine (right)

Marcus & Katherine's friend Dave playing some Guitar

David and I lounging at Rich & Katherine's Place

2/10/09 - Stay Tuned...

Catching up...stay tuned for more exciting stuff that happended on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.

2/9/09 - Nice Day! Hooray!!

So I normally LOVE winter and I still do, but I also have a time limit and that limit seems to be much shorter here in Chicago than it was in Salt Lake or Seattle. Perhaps it is because it's so much colder here. I don't know, but I'm ready for it to warm a little. I'm tired of being cold!

Monday was a tease. It was so nice on Monday I actually sat out on the deck and worked for a while. Here is an awful picture of that experience.

I really don't like my picture taken, especially right now when I'm not feeling like I look very good in general. So this photo blog thing is more challenging that you might think. I look at Ken's pictures and they're so cool. He always looks good and comes up with really creative shots and mine always look like crap. I'm just not photogenic at all. I have to be posed with the just right angle, just the right lighting, etc. in order to look even half-way decent. So I apologize to all those that might be following this for hideous shots.

2/8/09 - MiC Event: New Member Brunch

Every month or so, we host a New Member Brunch with our MeetinChicago group. Lately, I am the host of this event usually along with another regular member, Irv. This month we went to O'Donnovans on Irving Park and just a block West of Lincoln, whatever street that is. Anyway, the brunches are designed to give newer members who are not into the bar scene a way to meet new people and check out a new restaurant/pub they've never too. We had several newer members attend this brunch so it was a success I'd say. Sometimes it ends up just being the regulars, but at least it's a good meal. I would recommend brunch at O'Donnovans. It's all you can eat for $13.95 and the food is decent. I wouldn't great, but good. Stanley's is still better as well as a couple other places, but there are places that are worse.

Brunch is a big thing here in Chicago. I've never seen it as predominant in any other place I've lived. In both Salt Lake City and Seattle, brunch is something rich people do. It's usually quite expensive and only offered at high-end hotels or restaurants. If people go to breakfast/brunch in these cities, to my knowledge it's usually at IHOP, Village Inn or Denny's with the occasional splurge on brunch at the Grand America (Utah) or Seattle Waterfront Hotel. And I've never seen brunch offered at a bar before, but several of the bars here in Chicago open early on Sunday's and offer a brunch. Initially a scary thought to me. When I think of bar food I think of mozzarella sticks, potato skins and deep fried foods; not waffles and pancakes and omelets. Ya know? But so far, most of the ones I've been too have been pretty good.
I'll upload a picture when I get them. I forgot to bring my camera, but Irv took some pictures so I'm waiting on him to upload the pictures into the Meetin site, then I'll snag one and post it here.

By the way, I'm like a week behind in my posts so I'm playing a little catch up here. Sorry for the 6 or 7 posts all at once.

2/7/09 - Happy Birthday Dad!!

Today is my Dad's birthday so first and foremost I wish him a Happy Birthday, I'd sing, but that talent really lies more with my brother and sister. So how did I celebrate my Dad's B-Day? I went to lunch and for a walk with my friend Denese. It was such a nice day, it was great to be outside, we even ate outside at the deli we went to. Technically it's illegal to have seating outside at this time of year, but the owner of shop didn't care, he's this 40ish Italian guy, very nice and said, "who cares, let them come arrest me" in an Italian accent of course. Anyway, after we ate, we headed out to explore the Andersonville neighborhood, well, I don't know if explore is the right word, but we walked up and down Clark street. We went into a few shops here and there. There is a place called, "In Fine Spirits" which is a wine shop that several of my friends frequent. They were having a free wine-tasting so we went inside. Yes (family), I tried them. I think there were 4 or 5 different varieties. They were okay. After that we headed back to Denese's place and chatted a little more, then I went home.

Later that evening Shar, Erick, Shar's sister Crindy and Jennifer came over and David and Marcus cooked dinner for us all. It was really good. Marcus made some Korean BBQ beef and Kimchi and David made Thai Chicken Curry. YUM-O! Both were soooo good. After that they cracked open the beer that they all had made a few weeks back. I tried that too. Again, I thought it was just okay, BUT again not a beer drinker so don't let my opinion reign. They loved it. Aside from the exploding upon opening it actually tasted pretty good to them. So I guess that's a good thing. Again, giving the family a warning for what I'm about to write next...they actually named the beer "Great Head" beer because each bottle they opened would explode and a whole bunch of foam would spurt out so they'd have to suck it right away to keep it from going all over the place. Anyway, it was pretty funny. We couldn't stop making jokes about it.

So even with all that action, the only photo I got was of me walking to the bus stop from Denese's house and it's not that great of photo. I look mad, but actually I was just concentrating on where I was walking so I didn't slip on ice and crack my head open. Plus people were looking at weird that I was taking a picture of myself while walking. Oh well.

2/6/09 - El Lano...Again! This time with Friends

David and I love this place so much that we decided to host a MeetinChicago event there tonight. We do a monthly event called "Ethnic Eats" where we go to or try a different ethnic restaurant. We've done everything from Korean, to German, to Vietnamese, to Irish to Columbian and much, much more. We capped the RSVP's at 8, but had so many people on the waiting list, we ended up increasing it to 14! and we still had people on the waiting list. I guess I sold it pretty well.

I think I've written about this place in previous blogs, we go there A LOT, well at least once a week, it seems or pretty close to that. It is really good and the portions are huge! I always end up bringing half of it home, which is great because I can make at least two lunches out of it. Ultimately I think everyone had a great time and seemed to enjoy it too.

2/5/09 - Elaine! Ohhhhh

Today I got an email from my friend Elaine. We've been friends since we were babies. Her Dad, Carl, and my Dad were friends growing up, roommates in collage and remain friends to this day. We used to go camping every summer and we'd sleep over at each other's houses throughout the year as well. I remember it was always such a big event and it seemed like (to both of us) that we lived so far apart from each other. We'd learn as we got older and got our drivers licenses that it was really only about 20 to 25 miles between our houses. We also used to hand write letters to each other all the time and now days we both seem to get so busy that we can't even find time to scribe a quick e-mail. But, we've decided to do better and stay in touch more often. If her Dad and my Dad can remain friends for 50 years and counting...so can we!! It was so great to hear from her. I think about her all the time and although we've gone through long periods where we haven't talked/emailed much, we always seem to be able to pick up right where left off.

The photo is a picture of Elaine and her family. I think it's from 2006 so little outdated, but no matter what city or apartment I'm living in, I always have a picture of her and family up somewhere close by, this time it's in my office. It's my way of keeping her close even though we live A LOT more than 25 miles apart now.

2/4/09 - Speaking of being grateful...

I have an AWESOME boyfriend!!

My day started out pretty much the same as every other. Checked email, had a conference call or two, general work stuff, etc. Then after work, David and I went to the grocery store. Here I am picking up some pepper. Not just any kind of pepper though, the Peppercorn, "Grinders" variety. I highly recommend it. A little more expensive, but much better than just regular pepper.

Anyway...after we left the store, got home and put all the groceries away, David asked if he could give me my Valentines Day presents early. He has a hard time waiting. Now, I already knew he was getting me a Barbie, because he had basically told me that's what he got me, but I had no idea he got me this many...

My Dad had gotten me two of the "Grease" Barbies for Christmas, which I of course loved! He got me the Rizzo and Sandy varieties from the "At the Ball" series, so David got me the other two "At the Ball" dolls, Frenchy and Cha Cha. Then he also got me Cha Cha from the "At the Bridge" series. It didn't stop there. He also got me the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz Collection, the most recent release of the Lucille Ball Collection, two from the Barbies of the World Collection, Scotland and France, and last but not least and my current "Barbie of Month", "Went with the Wind" The Carol Burnett Show Collection (designed by Bob Mackie). Crazy! I love them all. He asked me if I wanted Barbies or Jewelry for Valentines Day and I said, Barbies of course! I know most girls would be cringing right now, but I don't really wear a lot of jewelry and the only piece of jewelry I would want from him, we're not quite ready for so the Barbies are perfect!!

Thank You David, you're awesome and I love you!

2/3/09 - Conference Calls...Ugh...

Today I had 3, which actually turned into 4. I realize they are needed, but sometimes my ear hurts at the end of the day and I didn't get anything we talked about actually done! Life in a virtual world. I still wouldn't trade it though. I am very lucky to have the job I have. Not only do I love what I do (most of the time), but I get to work from home or I get to travel to various destinations (mostly in the U.S.). My commute most times is down the stairs (at my house) or an elevator ride down to the Lobby of whatever hotel I happen to be at that week. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of drawbacks as well. Working from home is not always easy or as fun as you might think and traveling for work is not as glamorous as some might think, but compared to other things I could be doing...I certainly can't complain much. Especially as I listen to many of my friends or friends of friends talk about layoffs at their companies. I've had to make my share of changes and accept cutbacks and such, but so far we haven't had to visit the layoff option so for that and many other things, I am grateful.

2/2/09 - Dirty Laundry

I had a pretty busy day actually. I worked on more Articulate/Quizmaker stuff and finished a Microsoft Sharepoint module, which can I just say sucked! Not necessarily the module, but the test at the end. I took it twice and scored a 50% both times. Now, this is just extremely unfair. The test is multiple choice, but a couple of them have multiple answers that work, but you can only choose one. After the first failure, I went back through and re-read all the modules to figure out where I went wrong, but all the answers seemed like I was correct so I took it again answering some of them differently (but still correct based on the module reading) and again I scored 50% so I have no idea whats going on. I think its a system glitch.

Around 3pm, Marcus got home and helped me arrange to get my towed. He had a free tow coupon he let me borrow, but it turned out that we didn't need it. The tow truck came, but was able to jump my car where others had failed. So I drove it down to the mechanic, then Marcus brought me back home. Hopefully the car doesn't have anything wrong it too expensive to fix.

Lastly, throughout the day in-between the modules and the car and a few other mundane tasks I did laundry. Since I didn't think to take my picture dropping my car off I took it while getting some clothes out of the dryer and I thought it fitting that it turned out kind of sultry-looking, though it was completely unintentional.

2/1/09 - Miss Anti-Social

I broke the cycle today. I didn't take a picture today. I don't know what it was about today, but I just felt like I didn't want to see/talk to anyone. I think my social meter hit the top and I needed a break. Of all days to hit a social wall, Superbowl Sunday. I had kickball games, and Superbowl parties to go to, but I didn't go to any of them and I was perfectly happy and content with that. I slept in until around 10, which is something I rarely get the chance to do anymore. I watched a little T.V. and had some breakfast then cleaned the kitchen, which needed to be cleaned in the worst way, after that I started cleaning up the dining room and living room etc. I was just in the mood to clean so I figured I'd better get as much done as I could. I would've done more, but David got home from the Kickball game so we talked a little about that and the other, etc. It sounded fun, but I was still glad I stayed in. Besides, it's not like I stayed in and did nothing. I kept busy with things that I wanted/needed to get done, but just don't get a chance to do during the week. I even got caught up on my postings of this blog. I was about 3 or 4 days behind. I had taken the pictures, just hadn't had a chance to post them yet.

I read a book a few years ago called "Please Understand Me" and it was loosely based on the Myers Briggs testing. In the beginning you took a test. The results are totaled and you're given a 4-letter identifier. This identifier is to summarize your personality. I think mine was IFNJ. Anyway the "I" actually stands for "Introvert". I didn't believe it myself, at first . I would have never put myself in that category, but when I read the explanation, it all made sense and explained so many things. I wanted to go back to all my old friends and boyfriends and tell them, "hey, this is why I acted this way or that way!"
I can be outgoing and I can get up in front of a room of strangers and talk to them like I've known them for years and I could dance on tables if I wanted to, though most times I've chosen not to...but I'm still an introvert. Being and introvert doesn't mean I'm incapable of engaging a stranger in conversation or make me a hermit (at least not most of the time), but it does mean that it takes a more energy for me to be outgoing and engage people in conversations. Some people, "Extroverts" are energized and feel alive when amongst groups of other people, they thrive on it, prefer it even, but for me it depletes my energy and makes me feel run down after a while. Every now and then I need a break; some time to spend with myself and not worry about having to entertain or please anyone else. I need this time to re-charge if you will. It doesn't mean that I don't like people or that I don't want to spend time with them, I just need a little break, that's all. Lately I've been feeling like my social fuse, for lack of a better word, is much shorter than it used to be and I also feel like it takes me longer to "recover". Maybe it's just getting older. I don't know.
Anyway, I hope everyone had fun at their respective Superbowl parties and I apologize to those that invited me only to have me not show up. I think I told most of you I wasn't going, but in case I forgot or you didn't get the message in time, please don't take it personally. "It's not you, it's me! :)