Christmas has been and gone

It's over - quick as a flash. We had a vacation, Peter visited, we hung out, ate, drunk, visited and now it's New Year's Eve - already! See the pics...it sums up our week.

The first pic is my favourite Christmas tree decoration - a bulb lights it up and my camera captured it beautifully. Next to that is Rudolf - he takes up a chair all on his own.

Next, is our one and only pic of the 3 of us together - note we never actually got dressed on Christmas day. Peter cooked everything - it was a lovely treat.

We had many visits to Manhattan, this next pic is of Peter in Times Square.

The last two pics are of Chris Botti. We went to a concert of his on the 29th at the Blue Note Jazz Club. While we weren't allowed flash photography (hence the darkness) my camera didn't do too bad a job of taking pics - these are the best.

We also went to see a play on Broadway last night - The Scene. It had Patricia Heaton (the mum in Everybody Loves Raymond) and Tony Shaloub (best known as Monk) in it - was very very good. I love going to the theatre - I just wish Trev like musicals because then I think we'd go every week. Even Trev enjoyed this play so I'm looking for others. I'm hoping we'll get to go and see Butley with Nathan Lane, but I may not be able to get tickets as it's finished on January 14th.

I got new glasses today - we have flexible spending plans here (tax free money for heath stuff) and we hadn't used up our plans for the year. Like usual, I had to wait until the last day of the year before deciding to spend the money. I got 2 pairs and Trev got 1 (he got his first back in October). I'll take pics in the next couple of days so you can see mine - one pretty conservative - the other quite wacky for me! They're purple:)

I've decided two things for 2007
1) I will finish my MBA
2) As I'm turning 40, I'm going to get a body of which I'm proud

The first one is a case of applying myself and getting it done. The second means not only will I continue to work as hard at the gym as I have, but I'll not eat chocolate and fatty food. I'm serious - I've talked about it enough - time for action.

Some updates:
- My friend Diane got in touch - finally. I'm so glad she emailed and that we're exchanging again. I've missed her. Hopefully we'll get to visit sometime soon.
- I've booked some trips to Cedar Rapids, Chicago and England for January and February
- Work is crazy; I'm still doing the reviews but should be done in the next day or so
- We still have a long list of stuff for the builder to fix; hoping we're meeting them this coming week to get resolution finally

OK, I'm off out to the bar round the corner to bring in the new year!

Happy New Year everyone - love you!

Back to work and wired...

OK, so I'm back to work and getting all my stuff together for the reviews for my team (all 54 of them!!). One of my team leads asked if I wanted a coffee - I said yes, and gave them my usual Starbucks order (decaf, skinny, triple shot, grande latte please). Well....I order an extra shot because with decaf it makes it taste like real coffee. So what does he do? He gets me a triple shot fully leaded.

To say I'm jittery and wired doesn't even come close...........

OK, back to my reviews....:)

Happy Christmas!

We're back! We made it. Had a fabulous holiday - check out these pics....sorry they're so small....but you get the idea!

It was very relaxing - no email, no phones, no TV....just us. The island was pretty small - there were 37 rooms on the island and about half were full. If you wanted a big party then this was not the place to be. If you want to recharge your batteries and do nothing other than eat, sit, sleep, swim then this was it.

The bar was amazing - different concoctions of rum punch every day using local fruit. The bananas were just so sweet and bananary...I don't know how else to describe it.

Now we're back - I'm being treated this year - peter is cooking the whole dinner. Duck, sprouts w/bacon, walnuts and cream, asparagus, roast potatoes, yorkshires, cauliflower, carrots etc followed by pie and custard. Yum. All I had to do was make the yorkshire pudding batter....so i did pretty well I think.


We went into Manhattan yesterday - we met up with our friends Heather and Bruce and tried out the english chip shop in Greenwich Village. Not bad at all....not brilliant, but pretty good given that's our only option. We went to the grocery shop too and spent $100 on chocolate, sausages and marmalade. Well, it's Christmas, right?

Penny, I hope you're having a good day...sorry it's been a tough time for you this year. I'm thinking of you.

Mum, Dad, Tim - you sound like you had a ball with Jamie Oliver's roast beef that Tim cooked. Can't wait to taste in when i visit in February.

Diane - so glad you emailed me - finally. Stay in touch!

Love you to all - have a fabulous holiday and will write more later.

Off to sunny climes

Well we're here. We made it. Tomorrow morning we leave for The Grenadines for a week's R&R. No internet, no TV, no phone. Yippee! It'll be nice to take stock of the year and get back on track. I think Trev and I need that - with all the traveling and upheaval i feel like we've lost our equilibrium.

Had another achievement tonight at the gym. For the first time ever ever ever I did 30 minutes hard cardio on the wave machine (think skiing). Not only did I do 30 minutes (10 at level 11 and 20 at level 20) I managed to burn 480 calories in one shot. i thought I was going to explode:) Anyhow, that was before i was supposed to meet Billy who didn't turn up hence the longer than usual cardio session. Anyhow, we tried to track him down at the front desk, and found out he had stuff to do at school (he's a teacher). Anyway a masseuse was standing by.....so instead of lifting weights what a way to start my vaca....I got a massage!!!!!!!

Anyhow - I may post tomorrow if I get stuck at the airport. Love and cuddles!

Waste of a weekend

Well...so much for plans. Trev's project that was rolling out this weekend where he'd only have to spend a couple of hours working was complete rubbish. He has spent almost the whole weekend tied to conference calls. What was worse is that each time it ended it would be "just another call at and then we'll be done 10 mins after that. so being the good wifey that I am I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited. it's now 7.19pm - and he's STILL on the call.

I could have shopped.....an IKEA trip, the outlet mall etc etc.

I did a bit of work on the reviews etc, but quite frankly it's the weekend. I did go to the gym yestrday but Billy canceled our appointment for today so I've really don't nothing (other than cook and tidy up after him).

I couldn't even get my holiday clothes out as they were in the same room as his office is. Oh well, we've all been there so I understand - I just was so excited to get plans.

We have tickets to go and see the play The Scene. It's a comedy. It has Tony Shaloub (Monk) so it should be pretty cool. doing that when Peter's here at Christmas.

OK, I'm off to watch more telly.

Plans for the weekend

So this weekend Trev and I are checking out some British stuff in NYC. We're going to try "A Salt and Battery" - a British chippy (fish and chip shop to the uninitiated!) and then we're going to "Myers of Keswick" which is a grocery shop. they sell bacon and cumberland sausages. We are drooling. I can taste all the food even before I get there. It better flipping live up to standards.

Trev also has a big migration project this weekend so he's working for most of it - well today at least. i'm tidying up, getting Christmas cards created, printed and written (late with the UK stuff that's for sure). I'll also get some work done - i still have all those reviews to do so I may as well take the time today. It's freezing cold outside so don't really want to go out on my own.

The other thing that'll keep me from work is that I've finally joined the ranks of the IPOD owners. I have a cute little black Nano. So while I've already got the music downloaded etc etc....i still have to set up playlists. One for fast walking to work, one for the train when i've had a couple of gin and tonics (ie mellow), one for partying, one for 80s music, one for Christmas music etc etc etc. Oh what fun.

Ok, that said, I'm off to IPOD!

A near miss

So, read this on yahoo....and bear in mind that this is where Trev and Rachel work on the 21st floor. Eeeek
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061209/ap_on_re_us/chicago_shooting

BTW - my guilt is over. I had my butt whooped last night by Billy, followed by me doing 20mins cardio with a kick-ass pilates class (love the Saturday teacher!!). Tomorrow I'm seeing Billy again.....so the guilt is gone!

It's blinking cold... and feeling guilty.....and I miss Judy

Trev's been in chicago this week and I've been hearing about how cold it is there. Here's we've been doing great with 45 degrees and sunny. This morning, I put my "middle" coat on, headphones and started walking to the train. I can honestly say I thought my butt was going to drop off. It must have dropped 30 degrees.

Getting home tonight will be fun...I may have to drop into the store and buy a hat. either that or take cabs everywhere! OK, so winter has arrived. Yippee! NOT

I can't believe I"m even writing this. Those of you who know me know that I'd always rather socialize than get my ass to the gym. It's taken a lot to get in the groove in the past two years and I think I must be finally getting there. Tuesday, Billy called and canceled my hour's training that evening. Now, any good fit person would have said "no matter, I'll go and work out alone!!". Me? Nah..........talk about giving myself the guilt trip all flipping week. If you remember I had Tuesday on vacation as I had a doc's appointment about my cough (still there...nothing to report). It was also the morning after the night before (Christmas party). So I was planning on Billy kicking the crap out of me and getting me back on the straight and narrow. Yeah...well. I had every intention of goingto the gym....except I couldn't get my ass out of the apartment and to the gym. I stayed home. I watched TV. I ate. A lot. Talk about being lardy.

Usually I would have got over that really really easily. But I haven't. I've been feeling guilty all week. I think it's because I DID manage to get my butt to the gym yesterday, and I while I managed the ski machine for 10 mins (rather than 20) and get to the pilates class...the new teacher sucks. Judy was my favourite pilates teacher. She was awesome - it was a Power Pilates class, she kicked your ass, and you really felt that you'd had a good workout and felt energised. Not this new teacher. You lay around waiting for her to stop talking, watching the clock. Not a good sign. I'll give her a couple more weeks, then I'll be changing classes. the nice thing is that the teacher on a Saturday isn't too bad - still not Judy...but still OK.

Needless to say I'm getting over it - tonight I"m meeting Billy....and by the end of that time, I'll be wondering why I even had this guilt thing going on.

Mind you....I still can't believe I even wrote all that!

Holiday party been and gone

It's strange having a holiday party on a Monday night, but we did. It was at the Copacabana in NYC - the company took the place over. It was the biggest employee holiday party I've ever been to. It was a great do - good food, loads of people, full wet bar and loads of dancing. I didn't win an IPOD, but had a good time anyway. It started with us trying to hail a cab from Times Square....ended up with a school bus stopping by and for $60 took 15 of us to the place. Pretty flipping funny - I'd never before been in a school bus so it was a first. $4 each was very cool. So, to some pics....

The first pic is of Jennifer, the manager in my group and me.

This next one is of Quack with me. Quack and I used to work together in St Louis. He's now someone who trains my group on the company's products.
This picture (from L-R) is Bill, Jessica, me and Gina. We're all part of Training - 2 in my group, 2 in the other group.
This last pic is of my boss, Debbie. Figured you might want to know what my boss looks like. She organized the event and did an awesome job.
We had fun - I was home and asleep just after midnight....I am definitely too old to hit the bar after the party as many of my colleagues did. The beauty of being 30 mins from home is that I could walk to the train and then catch a cab at the other end. Beautiful.

Our Tree

Here's a pic of our tree this year - if you look closely at the top left, you'll see the Empire State Building in the background.

My friend Diane - where is she?

I'm hoping Diane will read this....she moved to Florida from St Louis in the summer....and for the past 6 weeks I've been trying to email her and I'm getting the emails returned. Her cell phone isn't working either. She's not been on IM or anything. Diane...i don't want to lose touch - if you read this...send me your address and new email.

Meme

Penny did this meme before me....I combined both of hers into one. You can get to know more about me:)

1. Do you like someone? I like lots of people. I love Trevor.
2. The last song you listened to? Sting – Sacred Love
3. What time of day were you born? No idea
4. What’s your favorite number? 7
5. Where did you live in 1987? In Ipswich, England
6. Are you jealous of anyone? No
7. Is anyone jealous of you? No idea
8. Where were you when 9/11 happened? Working at APAC in Cedar Rapids. For the first part of the morning everyone was watching in conference rooms – then we all went home.
9. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Nothing. Well, I curse a little bit – but really, it’s only a dollar. It also stops me eating something I shouldn’t anyway.
10. Do you consider yourself kind? Yes
11. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Lower back
12. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? Spanish
13. Would you move for the person you loved? Already have
14. Are you touchy feely? Over the past decade, more so
15. What’s your life motto? What goes around, comes around
16. Name three things that you have on you at all times? Driver’s licence, medical card, credit/debit cards
17. What’s your favourite town/city? Heron Island, Australia
18. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? Tip for the Fresh Direct guy
19. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? Thank you note (can’t remember what for though)
20. Can you change the oil on a car? I’m sure I can…although I have never actually done it. Isn't that what guys are for? LOL
21. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? He gave my parents a carved candle stick – but that had to be 20 years ago.
22. How far back do you know about your ancestry? Couple of generations
23. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? Christmas party last year for work. Black pants, sparkly black top.
24. Does anything hurt on your body right now? My throat – from my coughing
25. Have you been burned by love? Oh yeah
26. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? That eye cream is not getting rid of my dark circles
27. How much cash do you have on you? $50
28. What’s a word that rhymes with “DOOR?” more
29. Favorite planet? No blinking idea
30. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? Carrieanne
31. What is your favorite ring tone? Mission Impossible
32. What shirt are you wearing? White t-shirt, dark green sweater over the top
33. Do you “label” yourself? Not really, although I consider myself more "cuddly" than I'd like
34. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently wearing? Asics
35. Bright or Dark Room? Sunny and bright
36. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Love her to death
37. What does your watch look like? Don’t have a watch. I have a phone and PC that can tell me the time
38. What were you doing at midnight last night? sleeping
39. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? 2pm OK? (I was confirming a massage appointment)
40. Where is your nearest 7-11? No flipping idea - although have a deli nearby
41. What’s a word that you say a lot? Fabulous
42. Who told you he/she loved you last? Trevor
43. Last furry thing you touched? My Rudolph cuddly toy that Mum and Dad bought me a couple of Christmases ago when they were visiting in St Louis.
44. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? Not too many. Just an Advil cold and flu as I’ve been feeling yukky today. It worked.
45. How many rolls of film do you need developed? None – that’s Soooooooooooooo 20th century!
46. Favorite age you have been so far? 35...although between then and now it's cool
47. Your worst enemy? Me
48. What is your current desktop picture? Work Logo (well, it is a work PC)
49. What was the last thing you said to someone? I love you
50. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be? Money – then I can pay to learn to fly.

Thank goodness for Rubbermaid boxes

Remember a few weeks ago I said that our basement lockup had been flooded and everything was ruined? Well, we found out today that it's not as bad as we thought. Yes my old piano is damaged at the bottom, but only at one corner. My piano stool has had to go, but everything else is OK. Our Christmas Tree was fine and dandy, just the box damaged, and the decorations pretty cool too although some of the glass ones were damaged (sorry Penny, your gifts from a couple of years ago had to go). for the most part though we were OK. See separate post for pics.

We've taken apart the patio table which has given us a bit more room, and all the stuff in the plastic boxes is just fine - that is awesome. Never again will i store stuff in cardboard boxes. So, we've sorted it out a bit and we got the tree up. Yeeeeha!

Mum's doing OK too - she had knee surgery last week. Sounded quite perky when I called - I have to say I wish I recover from anaesthetic as well as she. While her knee is "OK" and it's been washed out she has arthritus and been told that a knee replacement is in order. The thing that sucks with the UK Health system is that she's got to lose about 50 lb before they'll consider her. Now, while the ladies in our family have always been cuddly, and technically we're all "obese" - I've seen much much bigger people in the world. Since Mum's had diabetes she's been very rigid in her diet and has steadily been losing. I think it sucks that the NHS are making her diet before they'll do the surgery. I'm really hoping this clean out will mean they can at least visit us here in the UK in 2007....if not, then I'll be over there.

We've had another set of neighbours move in - an all-male couple upstairs - can't remember their names but they seem very nice. We've done well so far, all people i nthe building are social and I think we'll all get along great. Only 2 more condos to go to get the full set. We'll see how that goes!!

Made me laugh

OK, so I have to post this...but you'll need some imagination.

Yesterday on the way to work I was in the subway (it was raining so couldn't walk)... there's usually homeless people around but they're asleep. I almost wet myself this was so funny.

So, sitting on one of the seats, skinny homeless guy wrapped up in his coats and stuff, bottle of something sitting next to him, almost asleep. He's sitting there with a drinking straw in either ear, they were still in the paper. Poor guy....but it was pretty hilarious.

Funny or what?