March 31, 2010

Snowless

Remember this post? Well we've had NO snow for the entire month! We typically receive about 10 inches here in the arctic tundra each March. The last time we were without snow in March was 1878 — 132 years ago. Thank you mother nature!

March 28, 2010

Pains

I have two big pains at the moment. The first is that I have to take our clothes to the laundromat to dry. I wash at home - shifting the first load into the non-functional dryer for "holding" while I wash a second (and sometimes third) - then haul to the laundromat. Thankfully it's less than a mile away, but it is not exactly the classiest joint. Good people-watching though. The second is that the whole left side of my head/face hurts. A lot. I had a temporary crown put on nine days ago and the pain is getting progressively worse each day. I mentioned to my dentist that I had some slight (underscore "slight") discomfort when drinking hot or cold beverages. He suggested a crown as I might have a small break inside (not visible, even on x-rays). In hindsight I should have bought some old-lady sensitivity toothpaste and called it a day. I could barely think straight yesterday and the only mild relief I got was after two drinks and four ibuprofen. I awoke this morning to a throbbing headache that won't quit. My father-in-law gave me one of his prescription pain pills earlier today. I cut it in half and that - along with the three-glass wine flight at dinner - has put me in a happy place. I will definitely be making a call to the dentist in the morning.

On a brighter note, Sassy and I watched MPB's beautiful baby girl for a few hours today. She is the sweetest thing. Sassy said she wanted a baby sister. Me too - the baby, not the sister!

March 27, 2010

Breaks and Links

We are all on spring break. Woohoo! My last class of the winter term was last evening. I received an "A" for my call to action speech (why you shouldn't shop at Wal-Mart) and turned in my position paper (same topic). The paper is 40% of my final grade so let's cross fingers that I get at least a "B". I'll start school again in July for a two-week intensive course: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Leadership. My cherubs will go back to school after Easter. Speaking of which we're going to have brunch on Easter at one of my places - St. Paul Grill - which is in the historic Saint Paul Hotel.

On a random note, the annual girls NYC trip is gearing up for mid-May. We've confirmed flights, hotel and are thinking of taking in two plays: Billy Elliot and Rock of Ages. We've also confirmed another walking tour - Chocolate, Desserts & Wine of New York's Upper West Side.

Discover some of the newest, best, and coolest eateries, shops & restaurants in Manhattan while eating and learning about some of the most delicious desserts and wines you've ever had!Taste a wide variety of treats such as: Artisanal Chocolate Truffles & Bon Bons Crunchy, Gooey Fresh Baked Cookies Decadent Pastries & Savory Bites Varietal Dark Chocolates from South America Creamy Hazelnut Gelato A Selection of Fine Red & Sparkling Wines from Around the Globe

I'm hoping we also make it back to two favorite eateries from last year: Rosa Mexicano in Union Square and Cuba in Washington Square. Mrs M and I may take a break from the rest of the group one night to visit a comedy club or take in live music. A co-worker who is a local jazz musician had some great suggestions:

March 25, 2010

Happy Hanami

aka Cherry Blossom Viewing

I need a little happiness today. Sadly my dryer needs a new motherboard. My initial reaction was a different word starting with "mother". Here's the best part - it will be a week, 8 full days, until they can get the mother in and remedy my current issue. We set a rendezvous for next Friday. Unfortunately that's not how I planned spending the day. I took the day off because I didn't think I should have to work on my birthday. A new motherboard is EXACTLY what I wanted. How did Sears know?!

March 24, 2010

Holy Chat Batman

I have issues. Yes, we know - too many to count Currently I am focused on my clothes dryer issue. It's not working. Praise the Lord it decided to quit working AFTER I had completed my tenth and final load of laundry last Sunday. I do laundry almost every day - my people take an inordinate amount of showers and change clothing twice, sometimes three times a day. Mixed with the assorted critter clean-ups means I do multiple loads of laundry every day. Laundry is my life - I've embraced it I promptly scheduled service on Sears.com Monday morning. I scheduled said service for Wednesday (today). I took a half day off of work to complete my paper which is what I should be doing instead of typing this post, but better late than never! and rendezvous with the repair person. I had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right when I didn't receive a phone call interrupting my lunch. You see it is my lot in life that any scheduled repair person (between a span of 4-8 hours) will call to say they're in my driveway during the few moments I've planned during the adjacent timeframe. This means most often the repair person is very early and says they will leave if I'm not on site within seconds. So I was surprised not to receive a call at Noon since the repair person was expected between 1:00 and 5:00. As I raced home, I thought perhaps my luck had changed. Silly rabbit I turned on the computer as soon as I arrived home to confirm the time in my email response from Sears and couldn't find the email. First red flag I looked on Sears.com to see if there was a way to check my scheduled service. Couldn't find it. Sinking feeling I opened a chat with a Sears rep and explained my sad tale. The rep asked if I scheduled the service with an "agent". Unless the web site is considered an agent - and I mentioned "web site" or ".com" at least twice in my tale - then that would be NO. Second red flag Of course "George" can't find my service order and no one is coming today to see my dysfunctional dryer. George asks if I want to schedule service for another day Um, yeah then proceeds to tell me about a million different payment options. Over the course of 10 minutes as each option is a l-o-n-g, separate post. Now I get it - it's going to cost me something, but good gravy could I get date and time options for the service so I can coordinate with my schedule before I open up my wallet?! The whole thing was a 40 minute chat. 40 minutes of my life gone - poof, just like that. Oy vey! You will all rest easy tonight however to know that someone is making a housecall tomorrow between the hours of 8am and Noon. And here's the best part, I am also getting a washer tune up at a VERY reduced price while the repair person is here for the dryer! that George is quite a salesperson Guess my luck has changed afterall!

March 22, 2010

Homestretch

I am in the homestretch for my current grad school class - last assignments due in four days and then done. I have been putting off the big paper - I have not looked at it since the first draft was due a couple of weeks ago. I will be taking a half day off from work to get down to business. How pathetic, right?

Woes me, my life has been so hectic that I've decided to take the Spring term off. Again, pathetic. I will start up again mid-summer with an intensive two-week course. Which means I'll be stuck with Accounting in the Fall. Oh how I love numbers. NOT!

March 20, 2010

A Room with a View

I recently got a promotion. I worked my ass off (if only that were literally true) and one of the rewards is an office. It's a little too quiet, but hopefully I'll have many visitors so I won't be lonely at the top.

March 19, 2010

You Gotta Have Friends

Thank you to my dear friends - you've laughed with me, consoled me, bolstered my spirits or kicked me in the ass when needed.

"A person is only complete when she has a true friend to understand her, to share all her passions and sorrows with, and to stand by her throughout her life."

THANK YOU!

March 14, 2010

Games People Play

We spent all day at a volleyball tournament - thankfully it was at Sassy's high school so we didn't have to drive all over creation. They took first place, winning all 6 games! Here are a couple of scenes from the day -

It was 65 and sunny here so while we were happy the team was doing so well, it sure would have been nice to enjoy the weather.

Here is Chunky's community basketball team - he's second in from top right.

March 11, 2010

TNT

We are talking 'n trying - without explosives. Baby steps, but steps nonetheless. In two days it will be our twenty-third wedding anniversary. Hard to believe so much time has passed and that we're still hammering away at old demons. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

March 8, 2010

The High Cost of Low Prices

Just one of the gagillion sources for my position paper/call to action speech -
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view/

Very enlightening!

March 7, 2010

The Ps

I came across this while preparing a "values" statement for my position paper - Sources of Personal Ethical Power. I think it ties nicely to my relationship secrets.

Purpose
I strive to be an ethically sound person; I let my conscience be my guide. I want to be able to look in the mirror and feel good about what I have done.

Pride
I feel good about myself. I know I do not need the acceptance of others to feel important. I work on maintaining a healthy and balanced self-esteem.

Patience
I believe that things will eventually work out well. I do not need everything to happen right now. I am at peace with what comes my way.

Persistence
I stick to my purpose especially when it seems hard to do so. When it comes to important issues and values, I follow Churchill’s advice: “Never! Never! Never give up!”


Perspective
I systematically take time to reflect. I develop inner resources that help me to be focused and think clearly.


Practice
I take a “habits of the heart” approach by striving for ethical quality in all my choices. I apply systematic steps for making the highest quality ethical decisions.

March 3, 2010

Trouble in Paradise

I won't be blogging much for awhile. I am WAY behind in preparing for my big speech/paper for grad school and my marriage is unraveling. I'm processing a lot and trying to get through each day - going to work and being available to kids. Not sure when I'll come up for air but I'm looking forward to better days. I'm sure they're out there somewhere.