Monday, December 17, 2007

Bizzy

Monday: Grocery shopping, clean the kitchen, do laundry, make Bleu Cheese Spread, finish decorating the tree and put away the Christmas Crap.

Tuesday: Make three batches of Magic Cookie Bars, clean the bedroom, put away laundry.

Wednesday: Make a batch of walnut chews and a batch of vanilla rum balls.

Thursday: Make a batch of Hershey's Kiss cookies and a batch of chocolate coconut snowballs.

Friday: Make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, make Baked Potato Soup, kill the lobsters.

Saturday: Wrap the presents for the family get-together, put together the cookie tins for the aforementioned get-together, go to the aforementioned get-together.

Sunday: Wrap the rest of the presents.

Monday: Grocery shopping. Stuff stockings.

Tuesday: Gift opening extravaganza. Make turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggie casserole.

Wednesday: Collapse in a heap.

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Monday, December 10, 2007

Day job

Today is the day that I catch up on the crap I didn't do on the weekend, because I would rather spend my time snuggling on the couch with Calvin. So, in addition to doing my day job, I always have a pile of other crap that make my Mondays exceptionally busy. And that's also why you guys tend to get a "to do" list as a Monday entry. So I can remind myself of what the hell needs to get done around here.

Today I get to do laundry, clean the kitchen, go grocery shopping, go to Pets Inc. to get critters for the critters, make fudge (hi Jen, female fudge!) (no nuts), crank out the Christmas cards that need to be mailed, put together the packets of fudge and cards for my co-workers, and dig through the Christmas decorations. Oh, and work out.

And work. Hello day job that makes all of this joy possible.

It's overcast, rainy, cool, and quiet. All of my inclinations are severely steering toward laying in bed with the cats.

I'm getting up. NOW.

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Monday, December 03, 2007

Tis the season for a schedule.

December 3rd - Place Christmas present order with Amazon
December 4th - 7th - Decorate house
December 10th - Mail Christmas Cards
December 14th - Acquire tree
December 15th - Buy stocking stuffers
December 16th - Make fudge
December 17th - Distribute fudge and cards to co-workers
December 18th - Make magic cookie bars for White Elephant gift
December 19th - Obligatory work-oriented celebration with aforementioned White Elephant gift exchange
December 21st - Lobster Dinner with Baked Potato Soup
December 22nd - Wrap presents
December 25th - Christmas/Turkey Dinner

December ? - Some family oriented event with food

December 21st - January 6th - 17 days of vacation bliss

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Monday, November 19, 2007

First thing's first.

I woke up at 7:30 this morning, which is only a half-hour later than the usual 7:00 wake up time that I have on normal work days. Why I can't sleep on my vacation is beyond me, but there it is. It's not so bad, really, sitting here with Zoe perched directly behind my head on the back of the couch, Oz eyeing her from the floor, coffee at my side, laptop at hand. It would be peaceful and serene if it weren't for all the flipping barking dogs in the neighborhood. At this moment in time I can count five distinct barks. None of them are our dogs, who if not smart, are at least polite. I could close the windows and door to block the sound, but I rather like having it finally cool enough to wear my robe.

A FANTASTIC dream about me and McDreamy (apparently I can hold my breath underwater for a long time in my dreams) was interrupted by my walnut-sized bladder (hmm, come to think of it, that's probably why I was dreaming of water), and from there the brain kicked in with thoughts of all the things I need to get done today. None of the tasks on my list were inflicted on me by Calvin in a fit of protest over my time off, though that's what I fully expected to happen. No, he was going to allow me my week of sloth, but I have discovered that I need to live a purpose-filled life. Thus I compiled a self-directed honey-do list.

First thing's first, though, so I have to write an entry about it. ("Wrote a song about it. Like to hear it? Here it goes.")

Ozzy's nose is out of joint because he just jumped up on the couch to discover that Zoe had moved to nestle against my hip. My lap is occupied by my computer, which means there is no snuggle space for him. He just raced off to climb up three separate doorframes and the column of the half-wall in the living room. Now he's trying to figure out other ways to get my attention and is playing Captain Explorer behind the television. With all the wires. A sure way to get hollered at. Any attention is good attention, I guess.

We're selling my motorcycle. I hardly ever ride it (I actually find that I prefer the bitch seat behind Calvin, because I'm a big ol' chicken in Arizona traffic), we could use the money, and I'd actually prefer owning one of these. I placed the ad last night and am grimly awaiting the round of telephone calls to begin. I hate that part about selling crap, but what are you gonna do.

Now Oz is trying to get into the cabinet underneath the snake's vivarium. That cat thinks that everyone in the household should operate under his schedule and won't settle down until I feed him. Bastard.

Okay, they're fed. Now maybe they'll leave me alone. CRAP. I forgot to grab the camera while I was up. Dammit.

OKAY. And now, for some pictures. Hover over them for comments.

Calvin took this shot from our backyard one evening.

Calvin took this shot from our backyard one evening.

Lucy playing on our bedroom floor.

Lucy, fascinated with the mirror.

Big Cheeto playing on our bedroom floor. The light was bad, so the pic turned out blurry.

Planes fly over our house all the time; we're near a public airstrip. We don't mind the air traffic at all because some of the planes flying overhead are really cool. Calvin captured this shot one afternoon.

These will be seeing a lot of use this week.

Man, I'm REALLY putting off getting started on my list.

  • Grocery shopping
  • Go to the bank
  • Sweep, vacuum, mop, dust
  • Clean the kitchen & bathroom
  • Laundry
  • Litter boxes
  • Adjust the sprinklers
  • Take the movies back
  • Dig up the motorcycle title
  • Empty and clean the hot tub
  • Work out


Alright, I'm outta here.


Momentary Thought: There's a massive amount of birds cheeping away in the backyard. I miss chickadees and whippoorwills, though.
High: It's actually chilly this morning.
Low: I have a craptastic amount of stuff to do today.
Obsession: I'm doing new pie recipes for Thanksgiving this year. I need to make them enough in advance that if they turn out like crap I can still run to CostCo and buy a couple.
Grin: The dream I had last night.
Playing: Birdsong and barking dogs.
Location: Living room.

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Yet another day in the life

I periodically like to record a "day in the life" entry. I like to go back and compare them and see what's the same, what's different, and what is proof positive that I am VERY FIRMLY set in my ways. (For instance, compare today's entry to this one, or this one.)

5:30 a.m. - Alarm goes off for Calvin. I grunt and roll over.

6:18 a.m. - Calvin's phone rings. And rings. He comes running in from the other room to answer it. I grunt and roll over.

6:25 a.m. - Calvin kisses me goodbye. I grunt and roll over.

6:36 a.m. - Zoe prrrrowts in my ear. And touches me on the face with her wet nose. And pat-pats me on my face with her paw. And reminds me of this entry. I scritch her and roll over.

6:40 a.m. - Oz jumps up on the bed. Zoe beats me to death trying to dive off the bed, and under it. Oz follows.

6:40:15 a.m. - Growl. Hiss. Growl.

6:40:25 a.m. - HISS. GROOOOWWWWLLL. SPAT!

6:40:30 a.m. - I holler at the cats and thump the headboard. One runs out, I don't see which but I assume it's Zoe.

6:50 a.m. - Zoe prrrrowts in my ear. And touches me on the face with her wet nose. And pat-pats me on my face with her paw. I squint at the clock, debate getting up 10 minutes early. Dismiss it as a bad idea.

7:05 a.m. - The alarm goes off again. I mutter something that sounds like, "This is bullshit." I turn off the alarm, start the shower.

7:05 - 7:15 a.m. - Wash face, shampoo, conditioner, wash body, rinse rinse rinse, dry. Pick out and put on clothes (blue jeans, white T, maroon zip-up hoodie, socks, sneakers).

7:15 - 7:20 a.m. - Acquire coffee. Coooooffffffeeeeee. Take vitamins and prescriptions.

7:20 - 7:40 a.m. - Hold conversation with Zoe (who likes to sit on the edge of the tub while I perform my ablutions) while moussing and combing out hair, moisturizing face, cleaning out ears, putting on deodorant, putting on makeup, drying and styling hair, brushing teeth.

7:40 - 7:55 a.m. - Put water in snake's tank, turn on waterfall and UV light. Put water in dog's dish outside, give them a cookie and pets all around. Put canned food in dish in Oz's closet, put canned food in Zoe's dish in the weight room. Fill up indoor water dish. Shred summer squash and tear up dandelion greens, put a handful in Cheeto's dish and a handful in Lucy's dish. Turn off A/C, lock bedroom doors, defrost two slices of spelt bread and slather with cream cheese, put in baggie and then in work bag. Take pork chops out of the freezer to thaw for dinner tonight. Grab bag, keys, badge, out the door and in the truck and on the way to work.

7:55 - 8:00 a.m. - Drive to work. Listen to one of the TUS mix CD's.

8:00 - 8:10 a.m. - Get to desk, put down bag, dock and start up laptop, grab water cup and tea mug, rinse them out in the bathroom, head down to the cafeteria to fill up water cup and get hot water and honey for tea, head back to my desk, log into the network, put tea bag in hot water, settle down with my baggie 'o breakfast.

8:10 - 8:30 a.m. - Answer e-mails, eat breakfast.

8:30 - 9:00 a.m. - Start this journal entry and update with morning activities.

9:01 a.m. - Stop! Potty time!

9:05 a.m. - Start balancing checkbook and paying bills.

9:15 - 9:35 a.m. - Life is interrupted by an AcronymCo fire drill. Lights flashing! Alarms blaring! People filing out of the fire exits like lemmings! Lots of standing around in the parking lot while the building sweep is conducted. Then, more filing! More lemmings! Aaaaaand I'm back at my desk.

9:35 - 9:40 a.m. - Take a phone call and answer questions.

9:40 - 10:30 a.m. - Resume paying bills and balancing checkbook. Run a Quicken report to show Calvin how much money we spend on groceries and on going out to eat. Boggle a bit.

10:30 - 11:00 a.m. - Enough of that nonsense. Answer e-mails, place PO's, field phone calls (hi, Calvin!), get annoyed by a new cube neighbor moving into our territory, NOT OF OUR GROUP. Grr.

11:05 a.m. - Stop! Potty time!

11:07 - 11:15 a.m. - Go down to the cafeteria, procure a Caesar salad, stand in the LOOOOOONG line forever as the POS system dials out for each individual credit card transaction. Contemplate that the flow of purchases is faster with cash, in direct contradiction to the current Visa commercials.

11:15 - 11:25 a.m. - Back at my desk, start to eat, phone rings. Chat with Calvin. He tells me things about an FX 40 and a Niagra something and sensors and whatnot. I'm lost.

11:25 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. - Continue eating. Read Bitchypoo. Peruse ICHC. Read Dysfunction Junction. Read Chaos Theory. Check in on Laurell K. Hamilton. Read 6YearMed. Read Because I Said So. Read Crazy Aunt Purl. Read Miss Britt. Determine that I shall use the phrase, "What le fuck?" in the near future. Read Avitable. Read BurtsStache. Pry off my wedding ring, take off my watch, apply hand lotion. Put ring and watch back on. Read Sunday Undies. Update this entry.

12:05 - 12:25 p.m. - Turn, with a sigh, back to the 140 e-mails awaiting response, deletion, and/or categorization in my in-box. Method involves sorting e-mails by subject to group all of the FW's and RE:'s and RE:RE:RE's together to find the latest message in the string, and delete the others. Manage to weed e-mails down to 87 by using this method. Then I start back in chronological order, oldest first, and disseminate as appropriate.

12:25 - 12:30 p.m. - Recall something Calvin mentioned to me, and check Hotmail. See message from Maine Lobster Direct about a deal on live lobsters. Place our Christmas dinner order (6 1-1/4 pounders, 4 lbs of king crab legs) for nearly $80 less than I was expecting.

12:30 - 12:35 p.m. - Update this entry some more.

12:35 - 12:50 p.m. - Do work stuff: run consignment inventory usage report for the last 12 months for one of my suppliers; approve request for new part number to be added to inventory; set up new part number in the stockroom database.

12:50 - 12:55 p.m. - Stop! Potty time! Grab a piece of candy from the dish on the admin's desk on my way back.

12:55 - 1:40 p.m. - Do more work stuff: Check my queue for any purchase orders that need to be placed, find three and submit them; dig out iPod and headphones to combat the boredom ("I believe it's time for me to fly..."); take pain pills to combat the headache I've had since I woke up, curse being a woman; terminate a requisition; ("I've heard people say that... too much of anything is no good for you..."); weed through e-mails some more, enlist a CM's assistance for an issue with a non-responsive supplier; ("Tell me whatcha eat, I might cook for you..."); determine if a discontinued chemical is going to effect the factory; ("Spent my days with a woman unkind... smoked my stuff and drank all my wine..."); request a quote from a vendor for a needed part; ("Welcome to your life... there's no turning back..."); research a vendor payment issue and try to communicate clear instructions in a different way than the clear instructions I sent to them last week; curse Accounts Payable; ("Every time I look in the mirror, all these lines on my face getting clearer..."); ("You own the money, you control the witness..."); revise the prices on a purchase order; ("Now if you're feelin' kinda low 'bout the dues you been payin'..."); adjust part prices in stockroom database; ("You know what the midwest is? Young and restless...").

1:40 - 1:45 p.m. - Stop! Potty time! Then walk down to the windows and press my nose against the glass before returning to my desk. Contemplate the lack of Vitamin D in my life.

1:45 - 2:25 p.m. - Do more work stuff: ("I can play the guitar like a motherfuckin' riot."); adjust a purchase order; request tracking information for an overdue shipment from a supplier; ("She's a craze you'd endorse, she's a powerful force..."); complete a feedback survey for my manager; ("And she won't give up, cuz she's seventeen. She's a frozen fire..."); reconcile an on-time delivery report; ("Far four winds blow, there's trouble and it won't go..."); approve a Level 2 purchase order; ("I got the call today, didn't wanna hear, but I knew that it would come..."); make updates to yet another purchase order; look up status of requested order; ("And here's to you Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know..."); make change to yet ANOTHER PO; ("Well I fight authority, authority always wins..."); research parts in inventory to see if we can share with another site in need; compile shipping memo to share parts; ("Oh what a night, late December back in '63..."); edit a form for a new part request.

2:25 p.m. - E-mail count is now down to 23, eleven of which are in "green flag" status (my code for "waiting for someone to get their thumb out of their butt and respond to me").

2:26 - 2:35 p.m. - Sigh heavily. Update this entry some more. Think about going home early, because, well, feh.

2:35 p.m. - Stop! Potty time! Which strangely coincided with fourteen other women's need to pee.

2:40 - 3:10 p.m. - Decide a mental break is in order. Read Draw the Girl. Read Body of Work. Check ICHC for new pics. Look at pictures of Chuck on Dooce. Go back to where I left off yesterday in my Colloquial archives.

3:10 - 3:15 p.m. - Talk to Calvin on the phone. He's mad at me because he wanted me to make ANOTHER phone call to the title company (we're still trying to get the "free and clear" title for Michael's motorcycle) to find out the status. I've mailed them once, faxed them twice, and had phone conversations with them FIVE different times. So today? I just... didn't. I don't know why, I just didn't do it.

3:15 - 3:45 p.m. - Talk to a manager at the Oregon AcronymCo plant. Discuss a training plan for a new buyer over there. Discuss plans with my manager. Decide upon a series of teleconferences rather than a face-to-face meeting.

3:45 p.m. - Close enough to 4:00. Shut down my computer, grab my stuff, and I'm outta here.

3:45 - 4:10 p.m. - Drive home, again listening to one of the TUS mix CD's. Arrive home, dump my bag on the bed, say hi to Calvin, get run over seven times by Portia saying "Hi! Hi! Hi there! Hi!" Change into comfy clothes.

4:11 p.m. - Lay down for "just a minute" on the very comfy bed.

5:14 p.m. - Wake up with a snort. Zoe prrrrowts in my ear. And touches me on the face with her wet nose. And pat-pats me on my face with her paw.

5:15 - 6:10 p.m. - Go out into the living room, sit on the couch and put Calvin's feet in my lap, tickle his feet while he naps. Watch last week's episode of Bones.

6:11 - 6:15 p.m. - Get a call from Marie about some "weird shape light thingy" lighting up on her dashboard. I have no idea.

6:15 - 7:35 p.m. - Ride the motorcycle over to DarkHorse with Calvin. Have some Moosedrool and some grub. Watch the Suns lose. Watch a couple of poker games going on in front of the bar. Get annoyed by the guy sitting next to us. Pay up and head home again.

7:35 - 9:00 p.m. - Hug Marie for cleaning the kitchen - a task I didn't look forward to doing when I got home. Be amused as she cannot stick with just washing the dishes, but also has to reorganize all of the cupboards and closets. Feed the dogs. Get the mail. Flip through "Cover and Bake" and "Baking Illustrated". Get the coffee ready for tomorrow. Change into my jammies. Sit on the couch typing this while half-watching "Let's Go To Prison". Shut down the snake's and beardies' tanks.

9:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Watch miscellaneous TV. Get Calvin's clothes together for work tomorrow. Put my breakfast and lunch together for tomorrow. Set the alarm. Go to bed.

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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

tannenbaum

Continuing in my freakish tradition to have all Christmas-type purchasing finished before mid-November, I have:

  • Picked out both of Calvin's gifts and both of Marie's gifts (I just have to click "check out" on Amazon).

  • Picked out the non-candy portion of the stocking suffers (again with the "check out" clicking).

  • Determined cost of lobster and crab leg extravaganza, and just have to firm up the Christmas Dinner date.

  • Added up the money going to my sister's kids and Calvin's sisters' kids.


Really the only things left are to figure out what the heck we're getting Michael (sticking with the two-gift-limit, in an effort to downsize the loot now that we're all grown-ups), what we're sending the grandsons, and how decorative we're going to get this year (not very, I'm sure, but there will at least be a tree this time - we didn't have one last year OR the year before).

CALVIN: I'm going to have mercy on you and make this easy: please buy me perfume and this, and I shall act surprised. Oh, and please put Ferrero Rocher chocolates in my stocking.

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Monday, September 24, 2007

honeydew


  1. Work (natch).

  2. Fold last week's laundry.

  3. Wash this week's laundry.

  4. Spend approximately three hours cleaning the kitchen.

  5. Put away the twelve-foot pile of crap that is on top of my dresser, having been removed from top drawer of said dresser in our weekend search for the key to my motorcycle.

  6. Figure out dinner menus for the next week.

  7. Author a grocery shopping list of epic proportions.

  8. Go grocery shopping.

  9. Go to the pet store and purchase cat food, dog food, litter, litter box liners, new cat food dishes and a new litter box. We have a NEW ARRIVAL coming to live with us on Wednesday, at which point all you curious people will be regaled with the adoption story and pictures. It will bring tears to your eyes.

  10. Go to the bank.

  11. Work out - 40 minutes of cardio, and upper body weights.

  12. Line up the DVR schedule for ALL THE DAMNED TV WE WILL BE WATCHING THIS SEASON. Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, CSI, Criminal Minds, Bionic Woman, Carpoolers, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Dirty Sexy Money, Big Shots, Moonlight, Journeyman, BSG: Razor, and fifteen others that I can't think of right this second. Thank God for Ducky Does TV.

  13. Tonight, specifically - Heroes, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, and Journeyman. I think we need another DVR.

  14. Do all the night-time chores - cook dinner, feed the dogs, feed the lizards, get the coffee ready for tomorrow, get my lunch together for tomorrow, lay Calvin's work clothes out.

  15. Collapse in an exhausted heap.

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