The best menopause question EVER

Question:
How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to change a light bulb?

Woman's Answer:
One!

ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the #&%!* lightbulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!!

AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKING LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!!

IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATEDFROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL !!

I'm sorry. What was the question?

Just realized.....

that we both get 3 paychecks in October. Woooooo hooooooo!

The VERY best of British

So, a friend on Facebook posted this link - a website dedicated to the differences between American English and English English. This had me laughing hysterically - because it's so, so true!

As they say in England, this website is the Dog's Bollocks (ie flipping brilliant).

http://www.effingpot.com/index.shtml

Check out this sky...

Tonight we had some bizarre cloud formations outside our apartment - check them out. I thought they were just awesome.

Is it the 21st century?

OMG - this article has me so mad. Clearly it's written by a man who has had his ego shattered. Does it REALLY matter in this day and age whether the woman or the man is the higher breadwinner?

To blame women's equality and education for the breakdown of families is ridiculous. While there are more single families out there, there are also more single parents who can operate independently - and all power to them. Is it ideal? Probably not. Does it work? Usually. Does it affect the kids? Yes.... but the question is would it affect them more negatively if the parents stayed together? I think that's a yes (although no expert I might add).

I'm fiercely independent (ask my parents...or my husband!!) and the thought of being blamed for a change in society is nuts. Mind you, I'm sure there's loads of people out there who would disagree with me.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1063792/Bridget-Jones-generation-blame-breakdown-family.html

Happy Monday!

Snack cupboard

I'm so excited - I have a snack cupboard. Ever since we lived here we haven't had one as we've not had the room. All our snacks have been stuffed in other cupboards and while it was OK, it would have been better if they'd all been together.

Something else that I wanted to fix this weekend was some of the kitchen cupboards needed sorting out. When we bought the new fridge it JUST fit - and what we didn't realize when we bought it was that the hinges on the fridge stop the doors of the cupboard above opening. Now, we didn't really have anything important in that cupboard, but I did want to move things around so I was only moving the fridge out once or twice a year. I also had some spare shelves in another cupboard after I'd moved stuff when we bought the furniture earlier in the year. As I moved stuff around I ended up with a spare cupboard. Yippee!! All my crappy snacks are in one place:)

I can't believe how excited I've been all day just because I managed to organize myself.....weird eh?

Biscuits and gravy

This is a meal that you'll find in any diner in the mid-west. I spent years wondering what on earth it was, then a few actually ordering it. For those in the UK, it's a scone smothered in a spicy white sauce that has sausage in it. Sounds awful, but it's great!

Today is the first time I made it myself. Was pretty fantastic even if I do say so myself!! Yum-O

I just wish you could easily find it here....

Article

Penny, your town and mine is in this list. Here's an article regarding the homes hardest hit by this financial crisis. Scary eh?

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/09/0925_crisis_towns/index.htm?campaign_id=yahoo

Car issues resolved - maybe

I may have struck gold with our car issues. It's been an ongoing problem since we had the car. It's in the shop, we have to take time off work to collect it, we wait around, they don't return the old car to Lexus, they don't pay us our old lease payment as promised etc etc etc.

Anyway I lost patience this week and emailed the owner - found his email on the dealership website (have to admit I didn't know it was the own until after), but this seemed to have a pleasing response as all of a sudden the people were responsive. The guy responded within a couple of hours, had agreed to meet me and said he'd fix our issues.

When I picked the car up yesterday I decided to stop by the dealership (the service department is a few blocks away) to see if I could get the check. Anyway, while it was a slimeball who was there I did come away with:

a) the check
b) a credit of $110 that we don't have to pay for the car tax
c) a credit of one month's car payments that I'll see on the bill
d) 3 coupons for free oil changes, no expiry

It was pretty pleasing because this guy was a total idiot. He tried to tell me he answers his voicemails - think of me looking at him and saying "well....Brian....I've called you 3 times in the last 2 days and you've not responded once". He definitely was uncomfortable dealing with all my complaints.

Anyway, I could go on, but suffice to say we may have turned a corner!

Feeling like an old lady

So today I picked up my orthotics.....doesn't that make you sound soooooo old? This is for my ankle. When I went a few weeks ago to see the doc he said this was something we should try before considering surgery. Now, I've already said it's not bad enough to have surgery, but it's not good enough to be like it was before.

So...for the next 3 weeks I have to wean myself into these things. I have to tell you they're like putting your feet on concrete. I have to wear them an hour a day, then 2 hours a day until in 2 weeks time I can wear them all the time. He seems to think it may make a difference. Who blinking knows....

Anyway, we'll see. I think I've found someone who knows a personal injury lawyer so we'll see. As long as it's no win no fee what do i have to lose?

Finally! A vacation!

It's been a long time coming. Between work commitments and new jobs we've not had a vacation since we went to Jamaica back in July last year. We've been talking about it a lot but also didn't want to spend a huge amount of money because of the drop in income and some medical bills we've had to foot the bill for. I looked around for some other Caribbean island wher we could have an all-inclusive deal (it's cheaper in the long run) but the prices were huge (2k each for a week...not including flight!). We just don't have that kind of money right now. So I contacted the Jamaica hotel we stayed at last year directly and asked for their best rate. $78 a night per person, all inclusive and it also includes transfer to the hotel and back from the airport. Brilliant!

We have a busy few months coming up but we've managed to get in a holiday - I'm so excited!

End Oct - Jenny and Frankie visit
Nov 7-17th - Tim visits
Nov 27-30th - Thanksgiving with Melissa and Merina (in Connecticut or New Jersey)
Dec 3-7 - Carrieanne and Rachel visit
Dec 13-20 - Off to Jamaica
Dec 22-30 - Peter visits

Phew! Hopefully I'll drop a few pounds in the process!

Crazy week

It's been a crazy old week. The financial markets have imploded and the world has gone crazy. As you can imagine work has been nuts. With the banks going bust it's eventually going to translate to job losses for us as the company's revenue will go down.

I'm relatively philosophical about it all - things always have a habit of crashing and then coming back up - it's just a matter of time. The credit crunch was just waiting to happen. I remember when we first moved to NY that finding out how much you could afford to borrow was an uphill struggle - we went to 3 different financial people and it was always "how much do you want to borrow?" not "you can afford x". We went round in circles because we wanted to know how much we could afford to borrow and no-one would tell us. In the end we found someone and they told us that we could borrow well over a million bucks. Knowing what our mortgage is now I shudder to think how we would ever have paid that back. I'm glad that we had what we had, even though it's still too much and we're on a budget.

I wish I understood the finer details - and I know it's affecting everything from my 401k to whether we'll be able to borrow in the future - at some point I'll figure it out. In the mean time I'll start learning the new financial market in which we operate along with all my colleagues.

In other news we went and saw the new George Clooney movie, Burn After Reading, which was pretty cool. I'm not sure Brad Pitt was convincing, but it was soooo bad it was great. Very funny if you want a chuckle. I also saw Charlie Wilson's War and that was pretty good too.

Just desserts

I seem to not have a lot of time to blog recently. One of the reasons is that I usually post first thing in the morning when I get to work - over the past few weeks I've had someone work for me, and she travels into work with my boss. This means she either arrives just after me, or on really bad days she is there first. It's kinda hard to blog when you're not alone:) There's also lots of moves going on right now so we are also sharing a desk. It'll get better this week I'm sure.


Anyway, I thought I'd post a story from this week. Trev's having a great time in his new job - after nearly two weeks he's settled and has his laptop and new phone (one of the fancy new Palm PDAs...very very nice). He's already making changes and he's like a pig in shit. It's great to see him finally happy in his job. We'll do OK with the drop in income, and he's taking it seriously - I just see small changes where he'll turn down an offer to eat out, buy Starbucks or get a massage. That's really nice...and I appreciate it.

Last March I bought Trev a half day driving session at Pocono raceway - I thought it'd be cool. It took a while to organize but originally we were going in June. Mum's surgery came through so we needed to postpone. Next we were going in August....and then I had a business trip. Then we booked for September, and I was supposed to go to Spain (even though it got canceled). For the final time we rescheduled for the end of October. Now, those who know Trev mean that while he tries to be understanding I did cop a lot of crap for the badly timed trips -and rightly so.

So......the other night I ask if he's OK while we're on the sofa....and he says "I'm plucking up courage" - now that sounded weird and for a few seconds I was perturbed. Then he said that he's been asked to go on a business trip at the end of October and once again we need to postpone the driving.

What a bummer eh? The other bummer thing is that Trev is now away for the whole time that Frankie and Jenny are visiting. That's even more of a bummer.

Now it wouldn't be fair if I said I was happy....but I think I laughed more than got annoyed and then asked "so, how much crap can I give you.....?" Anyway, we'll ge there eventually! It'll just be colder than we originally planned.

Will make you chuckle

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1057309/An-A-Z-woman-DOESNT-need.html

This had me howling......I think because it's so, so true.

I didn't make it to Spain....and I'm thankful that I'm home. I like being home, I've not been here enough this year.

Trev's enjoying his job, I'm enjoying b eing back at the gym full time, I still love my bike and am generally in a good mood.

More when I have time.

Remembering...

This is my first September 11th where I'm home and in the office in Manhattan for the day. Since I've lived here, I've always managed to be on holiday or a business trip or something - not planned, it's just the way it turned out.

Coming into the city this morning was surreal. There is an unspoken reverence here; people are going about their business as usual, but it seems quieter. Not as much chatting, some knowing glances and an overwhelming sense of honour and pride. I felt the same thing when I was in London the day after the 7/7 bombings a few years ago.

These days I'm definitely Amglish......I feel honour (or is that honor....!!) and pride for feeling both American and English all at the same time. I'll never lose my heritage, but I've come to love the country I call home right now.

How conservative or liberal are you?

Thanks Dory for this one...I guess I'm middle of the road:) No surprises there then!

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% Liberal Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

And so the fun begins...

It's voting season. Between now and November there's going to be a ridiculous amount of campaigning for both the Republican and Democrats to see who's gonna be the new president. Will it be the first black president or the first female vice president? Who knows....it's a nail biter. I don't vote in the US - I'm not allowed, so over the years I've always formed opinions. Is it really about politics and views? Or is it just personalities.....

This is not a post regarding one side or the other and I'm not planning on sharing my views either way. I definitely prefer UK politics. This US stuff goes on for years and years (or that's what it feels like). In the UK, the Prime Minister makes the decision on when the election will be; they can make that decision any time up to a 5 year period. Then there's only about a month's notice. Pretty cool eh? The rest of the time is spent complaining bitterly about whether it's the Conservative (ie Republican) or Labour (ie Democrat) party's fault.

I digress. The purpose of this post was to relay a story a colleague of mine told me this morning. She was at the bus stop and there was someone campaigning with a "vote for me" type thing going on. No idea what party BTW....it's just funny. Now....does this guy really really think that this question/statement would make you vote for him? She was standing in line for the bus and he said to her "you know, if you vote for me I can make the bus come more quickly". a) did he really think she was that shallow and b) is that really really possible?

Enough said. Bloody hilarious.

The one about the car and the fridge

I've not really mentioned ongoing issues we've been having with our refridgerator and car so figured it warranted a post all of its own, especially as between the two of them I'm eternally thankful I can work from home.

First the fridge, as this is the quicker of the stories. We bought the new washer, dryer and fridge back in May. Since then we must have had the engineer out between 6 and 8 times. This is our second fridge - the first one the water/ice dispenser didn't work at all. What happens is that the ice gets made and goes into the ice holder....but then what happens is that it melts. Over time the ice melts and refreezes so you end up with one big block of ice - and the dispenser doesn't turn. We have had a new motor, new ice maker bits, a new door. Today we had a new mother board. It's ridiculous - all the food has that icy fur on it tha tyou get when the door doesn't shut right....so I'm convinced I need a new one. I really hope this board works, but you can't help think if it does how much over time the poor thing has been doing and whether it'll last the distance. We'll see. The engineer has visited so much that I feel like he's moving in. that said, he's so helpful. We have also had issues with our washing machine. The last time we called service the guy said we were full of crap and it was a stabilization issue. As it happened today, the washing machine started to thump just as the engineer arrived:) He took a look and he's ordering new shocks, frame and something else. When the parts arrive I can book a service call for two guys. How helpful is that? I'm not sure I'd recommend GE Profile as we've had so many issues - but the service is fantastic. That alone is worth it (even though I'd rather not have met him in the first place!!).

Now onto the car. We've had this car about 6 weeks. It has 350 miles on the clock. We leased our car - they took our old one, said they'd pay our last month of lease. Since we took ownership of the car this is what's happened:

- the car has been in the shop for 2 problems every week except 1. The rear driver's window didn't work, now there's something wrong with the convertible part of the roof on the same side of the car
- they never paid our last month's lease. I paid it.
- they said I wouldn't have to pay a payment until September. They lied. I had to pay August (and given I paid the old one too....that was not funny)
- the manager has yelled at Trev and told him he didn't have to be helpful
- the financing was DEFINITELY dodgy

So, as always with purchases you get a survey to complete. Basically we've gone to town on it and it's now been escalated. The manager of the dealer won't return our calls or their calls. I got the woman to agree on Friday that we are due compensation. Right now we want them to take the damn thing away. While it's a very cool car, it's hardly practical. Think of it - when you go to IKEA you actually have to think about what you can fit in the car. With the last one we never ever had to think about things like that. Even with grocery shopping, if the roof is down (which it is almost all the time right now as it's so nice) there's only the back seat to put the bags.

This is taking up soooooo much time!

End of an era

Trev has worked for his company for 2.5 years - this pic is of him on his last day with his phone, PC, blackberry etc etc all boxed up and ready to go. Can you see the smile?

We've had a lovely extended weekend doing almost nothing - back to work tomorrow.

In other news, we've got everyone's tickets booked for this year to come and visit. Peter's coming over Christmas for a week. Rachel and Carrieanne are coming for a long weekend at the beginning of December. In addition to that Jenny and Frankie are visiting last week of October and Tim is coming for nearly 2 weeks mid November. Soooooo......we have to book a week's holiday for ourselves before the end of the year. As it looks like we're on our own for Thanksgiving we might pick that week....or, make it between the girls and Peter visiting. I know Mum and Dad are thinking of visiting too - not sure when we have time free....but we can always find time!

It's so exciting to have all these visitors. We've also invited some of my work colleagues round for dinner sometime in October... and I'm off to Spain next week. It's madness - it'll get quiet sometime in January I think.

Loving my bike

I love it. I know I wanted a bike for my birthday but I was a little worried that I'd only use it a few times and then I'd give up. I have to tell you it's great. I went out uptown tonight (yeah well.....a whole 10 blocks) and actually biked to the restaurant. It only took about 10 minutes tops and I wasn't even knackered. The one thing I realized tonight was that I need lights for it! Good old Amazon....will order them tonight.

I'm getting more and more confident and don't stop on every corner any more. I even feel OK navigating around people.

I'm soooooo excited. It's brilliant.

Back

So I have hurt my back. It hurt a few weeks ago before I went to the UK but I smothered it in massages from the Chinese place around the corner and all seemed to be well. Coming back from England last Monday about half way through the flight I realized I was in quite a lot of pain. I think the culprit was the size of bag I took back with me....it was about 50lb in weight (well, maybe a tad more....but don't tell the airline!) and I was pulling it with one hand. I can only assume that's what made my back hurt.

So, this week I decided to smother it again with massage - it worked last time, it should work this. Gotta love this Chinese place. Cici is wonderful. I did worry a bit on Wednesday night when she was kneeling on my lower back, but it made an instant difference and it started to get better. I went again this afternoon and once again can feel it progressing. Hopefully by tomorrow the pain will be a distant memory.

Not only is it the weight of the bag from my trip but I'm sure that the fact that I sit on the sofa all the time using the computer. I'm either laying back or I'm bent over the ottoman. I really need to have better habits......either that or keep getting massages.

Which one should I choose? hahahahah - I think I already know the answer:)

Where did the week go?

I was full of lots of stories to post and things to write and then time just got away with me. I got back from the UK safely and was back at work before you know it. Trev's in Brazil (he left the day before I arrived home) so I didn't even have him to keep me company.

Jetlag hasn't been a problem for me this time at all - I really do find that if I go to an exercise class the day I get back it helps a lot. I've been good this week too - 2 sessions with Billy and a spin class.

That's right.......a spin class. I went anyway on Tuesday just to see how my ankle would cope. It wasn't too bad. So, by the time I got to the doc on Thursday I was ready to talk seriously with him about next steps. I have a chronic condition on the ATF ligament. He was pleased with the progress I had made but did say that I may need surgery. I'm really really against that. My ankle is not what it was that is for sure, but do I think it's bad enough to go under the knife? Certainly not. So, he agreed that I could start testing the waters with regard to exercise - I can start spinning again "half as much as you did before". So, my weekly plan is going to be:

Monday - Billy
Tuesday - Spin
Wednesday - Abs class
Thursday - Billy
Friday - Off
Saturday - Bodypump
Sunday - Shawn's class

What the doc has done has taken moulds of my feet and he is going to have insoles made for my shoes. We talked at length and even though I don't wear heels very often, it would be nice to have the choice - right? I'm very conscious that while it's OK....it may not heal properly. It's time to get one of those personal injury lawyers off the TV - if I get a no win no fee person then it should be good.

The other cool thing is that I've started using my bike to get to and from the gym. It's pretty cool - so easy to ride. I really thought I'd find it difficult, but I get around no problem, and I don't get puffed out or anything. I'm really pleased about that. At least I'll be able to use the bike for the next couple of months. What a great birthday present!

Work was mad this week - and I think finally, 8 months after I took this job I'm getting into a groove. I was given authority to hire someone to work for me to assist with more admin type stuff so have been interviewing. My 3 choices were 1) quiet guy 2) enthusiastic hungry guy and 3) my boss' best friend's sister (lots of experience BTW). Number 3 was a late contender - I'm always worried about how career limiting NOT choosing her would be. I started the interview process thinking I wanted a mini-me...but after careful consideration I realize that I need a plodder who has attention to detail so I can be sure that what's produced is accurate every single time. I went with number 3. I think it will be a good match so I'm really looking forward to get rid of all the scheduled BS I deal with - and spend more time doing more creative stuff. I'm having to learn that while I feel it's administrative no-one else seems to think it is - weird huh?

This weekend is pretty quiet. I have a couple of things planned - but mainly I'm finishing all the sorting out we've been doing. Most of it was done - my job while Trev was away was to get to all the boxes under the beds and make sure that it's all wanted. I've binned really really old duvet covers and sheets (you know, the ones you keep just in case but never ever use). With all the storage we'd bought at IKEA I managed to completely empty the dresser in our bedroom - so, that's going to go on Craigslist or eBay. That'll mean we'll be able to have the TV on the wall and give us much more room in the bedroom. I'm really looking forward to that.

OK, it's late and need to sleep.....have a great weekend.

Frankfurters in Frankfurt

This week has flown by. I'm sitting here after just having a lovely meal with Mum, Dad and Tim and it's the day before I leave. Remember the Animal House movie from 1978....way too many similarities with the American Pie movies. Still, it is quite funny.

Germany was great. A friend showed us around - we sat in a square, drank apple cider and sampled many different frankfurters. It's such a clean and clinical country. The coffee was amazing - it's quite funny to be somewhere where "decaf" is not an option. I really never have any caffeine except for a cup of English tea in the morning, and while in Frankfurt they had these wonderful machines that dispensed espresso and cappuccino all the time. I didn't think much of it until yesterday when I had a foul headache most of the day - but I'll be weaned off the coffee by the time I return.

I've enjoyed catching up with friends and family. Mum and Dad are off to Turkey for a few months in a week or so, I'll be really excited if they mnage to get broadband access at their house - it'll mean I can talk to them more regularly than I usually do when they're there. Tim has time booked to come over in November, and Jenny is coming over in October.

In other news, Trev has a new job. While the dosh isn't as good he will be in NY full time and we'll be able to have a normal life again. That will be very very cool. In order to make sure we can survive financially (as you know any loss of income is horrible) I've signed up for Quicken.com who now have an online option. I really want to make sure that we can have all the things we love (Billy the Trainer, massages, eating out, holidays etc) and not kill ourselves. That'll be my job while Trev's in Brazil next week. His current employer has been horrible - he has over 2 weeks of accrued vacation and they're only compensating him for a week of it. It appears his boss is an arse. I'm really happy he's leaving.

For Labor day I'm on my own. I have plans on the Saturday night, but other than that I think I'm just home hanging out. I'm sure I'll find something to do....at least shopping at the outlet mall for a day....given that Trev's not around:)

OK, I'm off to have my final drink with Tim before I head out.

Visit to the Ingolds

Last weekend we visited my cousin Caren and family. Her husband Lee did a fantastic job on the barbie, and the kids (Luke 7, Ryan 5 and Lucy 11 months) were fantastic. Mum, Dad and Tim came too and Caren's Dad, Frank (my Dad's brother) and his other half Gloria were also there - here's a selection of pics.

You can see a pic here of me with a baby - enjoy it, it doesn't come along too often:)

Little facts about me

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE
not that I know of

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED
quite a while ago

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
if i'm using the right pen or pencil

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT
turkey

DO YOU HAVE KIDS
3 step children....I consider them my own

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU
Yes

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT
depends what mood I'm in

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Yes

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP
Yes

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL
Kashi 7 grain......or if I'm in England, Shreddies

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
no

12
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
yes - both emotionally and physically

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH?
Yes

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
orange

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE
Eyes

RED OR PINK
Red

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF
my body

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST
Gran

DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU
Always

ARE YOU RIGHT OR LEFT HANDED?
Left

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE
Small doner kebab (sooooooo bad for me but sooooooo good)

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Lara Croft Tomb Raider is playing on the TV

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE
blue

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SMELL
fresh laundry

WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY PERSON TO RESPOND TO THIS
Penny....followed quickly by Carrieanne

DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU
Of course....I wouldn't answer if not

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH
none - I'd rather get a massage

EYE COLOR
blue

WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE
UK5.5, US8

FAVORITE FOOD
Sushi

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS
happy endings

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN THEATERS
Batman

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING
Pale pink

HUGS OR KISSES
Definitely both

FAVORITE DESSERT
Lemon meringue pie

LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
Mum

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW
I'm not

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD
Don't have one

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT
Nothing - was in Frankfurt

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES
Neither

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME
Australia

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT
I can email, instant message, hold a conversation and watch TV all at the same time:)

WHERE WERE YOU BORN
Hemel Hempstead, England

An honor...and "oh crap"

So this week I had a big surprise. It was an honor and while it's exciting I have lots of trepidation, not to say it's messed up some personal stuff.

I'm currently on my trip to the UK. I'm here for two weeks, having meetings in the middle of each week. In order to do this trip I had to move some stuff that Trev had organized. We were going driving round a racetrack (it was his birthday present) - and I had rearranged it for Sept 21st so i could do this current trip.

Two days ago I get an email out of the blue inviting me to attend the Women's International Networking conference in Sitges, Spain (near Barcelona) in September. it's a fully paid up trip. Wooo hooooooo! I don't even know who nominated me. 15 people are representing our company around the world - I'm the only person from the Americas. Isn't that cool? I was so shocked - stuff like this never happens to me. I feel so strange. Now, I do chair the women's network and do a lot of work each month with meetings and stuff but I didn't really think anyone noticed - I guess I was wrong.

The "oh crap" comes in when I think of traveling to a country that doesn't have English as its native language. I feel awful feeling that way, but i can't help it. I'm already freaking out about going to Frankfurt next week....and now Barcelona. I feel even worse when I spend most days talking to people whose second language is English. I need to get over it.....I just don't seem to be able to.

The second "oh crap" is that remember I rescheduled our driving because of this current trip? Well guess what? This Barcelona trip is smack bang in the middle of the rearranged trip. So......thankfully they're flexible enough that it's now booked for October 29th.

So....more traveling.... yippee!

The rest of our week off

We didn't do any of the things we'd planned - like a trip to Six Flags or a day at the Jersey Shore. That said, we have a VERY organized house with some very cool IKEA gear. Trev had his third interview on Thursday afternoon which went very well - they've asked for references and requested he fill in an application. His recruiter is handling the other negotiations. We're very very excited!

We had two parties over the weekend, both hosted in our building - AWESOME from a "how do you get home" perspective. Firstly at Rich's - it was great to see his parents again, and to get some new people around the city. It's quite funny how those that live in Manhattan see a trip to Hoboken as some kind of Indiana Jones experience:) You'd never think it was a 20min train or bus ride. Then at Nick and Jackie's they had Nick's parents visiting so we grilled out yesterday.

Today we needed rest. We got it for the most part - and I'm writing this bored witless at the airport waiting to go on my trip. Aloha my friends!

My bike

Finally! It arrived and I've ridden around on it. I think it looks a bit flipping nerdy, if you ask me but it's very comfortable and easy to ride. The colour is also not my favourite but it should hide the dirt very well. My goal when I get back from the UK in a couple of weeks is to ride it to and from the gym and off to the store for a couple of things. I'm being moaned at to get a hat (by Trev, the shop guy and Billy) and I thought Trev would have got one at the store given we'd picked it out, but he didn't. I also need something to hold a bottle of water and a tyre pump. I can feel the shopping spree coming out already.....Mum was asking me what I wanted for my birthday - I think that I've found it. Rachel bought me a chain so it can't be stolen.

My confidence isn't that high though. It's been years and years since I've ridden a bike - at school it was every day, and then when I first started work it was the same. I think since I've had a driving licence biking took a back seat. It feels kinda cool that I'm starting up again - I just hope that I keep it up.

ColorQuiz

Thanks Penny for this....do you think this is accurate? My take - about 80%

Your Existing Situation Exercises initiative in overcoming obstacles and difficulties. Either holds, or wishes to achieve, a position of authority in which control can be exerted over events. Your Stress Sources Has an unsatisfied need to ally herself with others whose standards are as high as her own, and to stand out from the herd. This desire for preeminence isolates her and inhibits her readiness to give herself freely. While she wants to surrender and let herself go, she regards this as a weakness which must be resisted. This self-restraint, she feels, will lift her above the rank and file and ensure recognition as a unique and distinctive personality. Your Restrained Characteristics Demanding and particular in her relations with her partner or those close to her. but careful to avoid open conflict since this might reduce her prospects of realizing her hopes and ideas. Egocentric and therefore quick to take offense. Sensitive and sentimental, but conceals this from all except those very close to him. Your Desired Objective Urgently in need of rest, relaxation, peace, and affectionate understanding. Feels she has been treated with a lack of consideration and is upset and agitated as a result. Regards her situation as intolerable as long as her requirements are not complied with. Your Actual Problem Wants to be valued and respected, and seeks this from a close and peaceful association of mutual esteem.

My week off so far

I'm not sure what I expected of these few days at home, but I think I was expecting more down time. That said, we've accomplished quite a lot this week and I am really happy about that. I did have to go to the office on Tuesday, but that was planned. It ended with going to see a show called [name of show]. The cast were the writers which was even funnier. Very good show, if a little different.

Our biggest project of the week was to rearrange the second bedroom and make as much storage space as possible while trying to keep the bed and chest of drawers for visitors. This isn't as easy as just doing it because a) you need to sort out the crap you've accumulated and b) half of it is Trev's wardrobe and he has even more crap. The final goal was not to spend a lot of money - the quote for getting the closets done by a professional company was about $1000 a pop - way way too much for now, especially after all the work we've done this year.

The saving grace is IKEA. I even got Trev to agree that this would be a good start for the cheapness factor. It also has a fantastic cafeteria - i just love those meatballs!!!! Problem I have is get swayed by everything else and want to spend hours just looking and dreaming....you know what I mean, right? You'd think I'd go often given it's only a 20min car ride away but I really don't. We started looking at the wardrobes and closet bit on the main floor, then quickly realized this was ridiculous given we already had the closets. So, we headed to the marketplace and find some pretty cheap storage drawers and stuff. We bought a couple of mats as well - $300 was a lot better than the $2000 we were looking at. Not the prettiest stuff in the world, but it hold such a lot, it's sturdy and fits in the space we had. So, so cool. Very happy with that.

At the same time I sorted out the master closet (ie mine) as it's so small. I think I'm still going to buy some kind of shelves for the top of the closets, but for now we're doing ok. I love having more places to put things - it's refreshing not to see stuff out all the time.

I've also put our master bathroom back together. We only just found a light fitting online that we liked. Issue here is that the sink leaks and the builder hasn't been here all week to fix it. Even so, it's looking pretty good. I promise to post pics when the light is delivered and it actually works. My issue here is the vanity. I bought from eBay ages ago but the top is awful. It's stained already - and it wasn't cheap so I'm not very happy at all. Right now I'm trying to get in touch with the manufacturer and complain.

I leave for England on Sunday so we won't get to the pictures before I leave, but that'll be the job for September. I have a lot of the photos and stuff but I have a couple of places where I'd like some nice art - not really sure what, but probably contemporary/abstract type stuff.

The other reason we've not done too much this week is that the job interview Trev had last week is actually leading to something. He had a formal face to face second interview on Monday afternoon, and he's back there today assessing some documentation. So much for getting to see the Jersey shore or heading to Six Flags. It's just not gonna happen. It's Ok though - it's giving us time to do things together - even if it's just tidying up.

Rhubarb progress

Look how it's coming along. It's growing like crazy - I can't even count how many stalks now. I'm so excited - it'll be my first home grown food in the States. Cool eh?

Outlook scare

This just happened. We have at work limits on how many emails you can store. This is a challenge as I like to keep EVERYTHING just in case someone says "do you have...." - which happens at least once a quarter. I am well versed in getting around the disabled data file functionality (i have a template the tech guys gave me years ago and use it all the time) but even with only 2 weeks worth of emails on the server I was getting the dreaded "you can't send email as you're over your limit".

So...on checking I realize that my Calendar is taking up about 40% of my limit. this must be due to the fact that either I or people who organize meetings put huge attachments in there. I thought it'd be cool to archive it. Never having done it before I had to check the Help. That didn't work. It says do "File, Archive" - that didn't exist. More disabled functionality I'm sure. Anyhow....I found a way to "delete all offline content" - I thought that'd be cool, because I could always resynch my laptop.

The shock of the morning was having done that my calendar was COMPLETELY EMPTY. Like totally. Nada. Nothing. The shock - i don't know where to go, who I'm meeting, when, on what day etc etc etc.....my blood pressure went through the roof.

Having calmed down a tad I thought that i could just ask IT to reinstate my calendar from backup. I was half way writing that email and I thought maybe it'd work if I closed Outlook and restarted. Nope. That didn't work. Carried on writing my email....and then, just before I clicked send I check today's calendar again. It appeared. Everything is back.

I believe this is what is known as a "Microsoft Feature".

New Car at The Police Concert

I know we went last November to see The Police in Atlantic City but we had the opportunity to go to Holmdel, NJ and see them in an outdoor concert. We took the new car (the pics show the car with the roof down and up) with our friends Nick and Jackie to the concert and had a great time. My little camera (with a bit of help from Photoshop) did a great job capturing the event. We had a ball - and The Police were fabulous. I was bummed we got caught in traffic and we missed Elvis Costello...but hey ho, still had a great time.

I'm off to work tomorrow for the day, then have the rest of the week on vacation. The hardest thing we have to do all week is pick a vanity light for the master bath. I'm really looking forward to the time off.

Dinosaurs and health checks

I've been meaning to post for days. So much has gone on - we seem to have been so busy and I've had no time to post. To explain the pics first - we went out on Saturday night to Madison Square Garden and saw "Walking with Dinosaurs". It was phenomenal (if short) - if you look closely you'll see a guy walking around who was the narrator and he did a fantastic job. So you know, the dinosaurs were life size...so the guy is really small. I wasn't sure I would enjoy it but it was so cool and they did a fantastic job. From the pics you'd never know we were in the gods.

While we're on the subject of pics I'm ALMOST a convert to Adobe Photoshop Elements. Dory was good to put me onto that and while I think it's quirky and not particularly intuitive, the pics do turn out. Luckily I got a free trial for 30 days and I've been loads of places so I can check it out and decide if I want to buy it. I'm getting better slowly but surely and don't feel such an ameteur any more. The pics in this post were taken with a little ultra Sony point and shoot. Given it wasn't a big kick ass camera with loads of gizmos I think they turned out pretty well. Dory....you'll have to give me your expert opinion.

One of the other things we did last week was get health checks. My company's benefits this year allow for a full medical and because next year it's going away we both went to Rockafella Center and got the works. To give you an idea, it takes about 4 hours.... you get tested for everything, you talk to a doctor, you get weighed (urggggh), then mammograms etc. I have to tell you I was dreading the mammogram never having had one before. I've heard horror stories. There are clearly benefits to big boobs.....because while it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world it didn't hurt either. Anyway, I'm clear - yippee! One of the coolest things was that they told me I'd lost 22lb since the last time I went a couple of years ago. Yeeeeeeehaaaaa! While this isn't a huge amount of weight in two years I was pretty impressed. Made me eat healthy all day! We get all the full results this week so watch this space.

On the chinese massage place round the corner, Trev got his first massage on Saturday. It didn't go so well and he was very upset as I'd said it was so great. On Saturday night on the way back from the Dinosaurs I went in and complained. It's pretty flipping funny when the guy masseuse is crappy - and the small women are the best!

Birthday blog

I promised that I'd post a pic of dinner for my birthday. We celebrated with (L-R) Jackie and Nick, Monica and Billy and ourselves.

We went out to Les Halles in downtown NYC (http://www.leshalles.net/ny_downtown.php). I was so psyched to be there - the Executive Chef is Anthony Bourdain. He has a TV show on the Travel Channel called (Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations) where he travels the world and checks out the food - I'm a total addict to this show. Love it. The food was fantastic. Certainly will take anyone there who comes to visit. Thanks Peter for recommending to Dad to take me there. Loved it. We had several cocktails, all 3 courses and then went out to club after. Rolled in at home around 2.30am.....see, I'm not old really:) Took all of Sunday to recover though....

So, in case you were wondering Nick and Jackie are our neighbours (the ones who lived with us earlier in the year), Monica is Billy's girlfriend, Billy is our trainer and friend. You can pick us out:)

I'm really looking forward to a week on holiday next week. We're going to bum around home - Trev has a job interview, have a couple of summer parties and generally laziness. We're going to explore the jersey shore and even get a trip into Six Flags Theme Park.

A new indulgence

I promise that I will post a birthday entry - I'm struggling with editing the pictures. Dory suggested using Adobe Photoshop Elements - so, I have my trial downloaded and last night was trying to fix red eye. It did an auto-red eye thing - the only problem is that for poor Trev he's got one fixed red eye....and one not. I've looked on help and it seems really clear on how to fix that - but can I find it on that applicable? Can I crap.... so, Dory if you read this can you pop me an emaiil and tell me how dumb i'm being and how to fix it...? Thanks!

Back to my new indulgence. We had a flashy pilates studio round the corner from us - and I had to admit while it looked lovely it was always empty. Last week I noticed it changed to Chi First - it's a Chinese massage parlour. They have another shop the other end of town and every time I've gone past on the bus I'd always wanted to try it. I didn't really need much of an excuse - I hurt my back last week and it's driving me crazy. I have gone through loads of Icy Hot patches and while they're good while they're on, they have fixed anything. I'm walking around like a little old lady - and to top it off my face allergy came back, so I look like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle again. How crap is that? One of the coolest things about this place is that it's $60 for an hour's massage. Not sure what it's like for you but that is really really really cheap - and i couldn't resist. Last night I went round, got an appointment - and oh my! All I can say is that I'll be a regular - Lisa the therapist was awesome. I did get a bit scared when she jumped on the table and stood on my lower back (you know...the bit that hurts) - but I do think I feel better. I can certainly move better - although still quite sore. I'm going to go and stretch at the gym tonight and see if that helps. i know I just don't want to fly to England with a bad back - if that doesn't work then it'll be a chiropractor next.

On a totally different topic, we broke down and bought the second sofa (can't remember if I said that) - so hopefully it'll be here in a few weeks. We just decided that no-one ever wants to sit on the leather chairs so it's really not fair. I think it'll look nice.

Our place is in a mess right now - we're having new tiles laid in the master bathroom as the others were so, so horrible. I can't believe our toilet is on the balcony....but I guess that's better than anywhere else:) They did a lot yesterday - they're part way complete. Hopefully by tomorrow it'll all be done!

Went and saw the Batman movie. I thought it was pretty good, although long. Certainly better than Hancock!

Rachel now has a confirmed date for her wedding - Saturday November 14th 2009....so let the planning begin!

OK, back to work...think that's it for now. I promise I'll post a pic or 2 from the weekend!

Thinking of Rach

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038368/Here-comes-bargain-bride-In-2-50-bespoke-wedding-dress-bought-eBay.html

What a cool article. This woman got a made to measure gown for $5. Amazing eh? Gotta love the internet:)

Children or not children

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1038090/The-great-taboo-Why-childless-women-treated-like-second-class-citizens.html

An interesting article here from a woman who feels like a second class citizen because she doesn't have children. I don't have that feeling at all so I guess my take on it is a little different on a number of fronts:

As a child I never felt the urge to have a family. Ever. I played with dolls but it never felt like I wanted any of my own. Maybe it was because I fought tooth and nail with my brother - we're best buds now...but it was not like that when we were little. I have never understood the urge and even today while I think babies are cute I really don't feel the need to run up and cuddle it. At the same time I wasn't a particular tom boy - babies just didn't interest me.

I've thought for the longest time those feelings were mother nature's way of helping me with the fact that I couldn't have children. Having a hysterectomy at 31 I always wondered what would happen if I woke up one day with those maternal feelings. It freaked me out for a day or so back then, but then I rationalized it by telling myself I could always adopt one from China (or wherever...). As I approach 41 it hasn't happened yet. Maybe it will, maybe it won't - all I know is that if you raise teenagers then babies probably don't attract you.

Maybe I didn't have that urge because I met someone who had 3 kids already and they needed a mother figure. I can't imagine loving a child I'd given birth to any more than I do those 3 so maybe I have my kids already - just not the usual way. They're all grown up now - but I do remember being holed up in Cedar Rapids (don't worry - we grew to love it!!) wondering how on earth I was going to survive looking after opinionated teenagers while their Dad was off on business. Today I'm still proud of the fact that no matter how difficult it got they never, ever once told me "you're not my mother". We worked it out the old fashioned way - talking, arguing, agreeing - oh yeah and the regular hug and "I love you". We all came out the other end and they're all independent and successful, each in their different ways. I'd like to think that I had something to do with that.

A lot of that came from my own upbringing. While I might argue my parents were too strict. they instilled a lot of good values that I used. Eating together every day at a table with the TV off talking about things that happened that day. I do think the fact that I gave up my job for a few years to become "mum" helped - I did a lot of cleaning, laundry and cooking in those day.....still can't believe I did it - but hey, what else are you going to do? I'm really not a housewife at all.... I guess I treated it as a job in a weird kind of way - and I guess it was. Seemed to work though. Even though we're now spread out over 4 states we all talk/email/instant message frequently about stuff. Sometimes it's for a reason, but usually it's just a hi. We also try and get together at least a few times a year.

What I learnt from being part of that family was how to interact with my own....Mum, Dad, Tim and I are closer now than we ever have been. I've never doubted how we feel about each other - we're close without smothering each other. It's cool. Now I'm in NYC it's even better as I'm getting back more frequently than ever and like the last few months when I wanted to be back for Mum's surgery I could work remotely. I have such a great family. I'm blessed.

So, back to the article - why does this woman feel like a second class citizen? And why does she feel you can't be a mother unless you give birth? I guess I just don't get it.

Now, remember boys...

....use the toilet. If you don't you could end up like this polish fella.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1453527.ece

Ankle and other stories

So, it's been 5 days since I've not had the bootie, and I've been in sneakers. While it aches quite a lot I don't have much of a limp any more - yippee! I think....it's getting better! Get the flags out, let's have a par-teh:) I'm really really hoping that it will continue to get better. If the aching would go away I'd be in heaven.

My only bad thing is that I'm wearing sneakers around at work - never before have I felt that I need to stick a post-it note on my toes with a "doctor's orders" sign. I keep getting those eye rolling looks of disgust, but feel very silly saying "the doctor told me to do this". I will probably give in and go get proper lace up shoes - I know, I'll look like Mary Poppins, but hey you gotta do what ya gotta do.

I'm also excited - for the first time in 10 days I dared get on the scales....and I'm below where I was when i went to England. Not at my lowest this year by 2lb, but still - I lost it! Anyway, more of that on the other blog.

Oh yeah, and we love our green sofa so much we bought another one to go with it. It'll look better than those leather chairs. They are soooo bedroom chairs. It's not the nicest sofa to look at in the pictures....but trust me when I say this - from a sitting down and relaxing perspective it's freaking awesome. So excited about that.

Talking of sofas, remember last week when I told you that Trev spilt a hot chocolate all over the sofa? Well, we tried cleaning it, that didn't work - so we took the cushions (and my down throw) over to our fabulous cleaner across the street. I'm not saying it was a cheap trip, but they got the pillows clean - they look great. It took them 4 days, but it's all good. Now, had Trev told me that the down throw alone was going to cost $80 I would have tossed it - esp as I think I only paid a max of about $20 for it. Oh well....not much i can do now.

On the ebay/craigslist project i've been pretty successful. I sold the last cream chair and ottoman at the weekend, have sold a number of printer cartridges, cables, picture frames etc so very happy. Still have a lot to go, but our usual plan is to either give it away or toss it. Here's the total money made so far:

$375 Sofa
$125 Chair & Ottoman
$125 Chair & Ottoman
$325 Washer & Dryer
$150 2 IKEA Red Chairs
$30 Printer cartridges
$15 IKEA frames
$10 Cable
$15 Cable

Total: $1170. Not bad eh?

I still have the fridge to go as a big ticket item, then I've lots of other smaller stuff that's either on ebay or craigslist (or both).

Last thing - the rhubarb. Leaps and bounds. We water it every night - we now have 6 new stalks. Yippee!

Rhubarb progress

I'm soooooo excited - check out the rhubarb. After less than two weeks we have four new stalks. So while some of them the original stalks died we have new ones.

I can't wait to eat our home grown rhubarb. If this goes well I may just have to grow green (runner) beans.

How cool is this?

Frying our brains...

Check this out. Thanks Nikki for sending this one over. Quite scary when you think about it. Might have to try it out for myself though:)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5odhh_pop-corn-telephone-portable-microon

When I'm 63...

....I want to look like this:) Not gonna happen, but I can dream....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1035786/Why-Helen-Mirren-sexy-sixties-role-model-growing-old-gracefully.html

Bye bye bootie....but

Had another appointment at the ankle doctor yesterday to get the results of my MRI I had last weekend. The good news is that I didn't break anything, the bad news is that I tore a few ligaments. So my ATF (Anterior talofibular) and some other "..bular" was torn and now it's trying to heal - and there's scar tissue.

The deal is that I wear trainers (ie sneakers) for a month keeping the ankle wrapped. I minimize walking and sitting/standing (apparently that aggravates it) as much as possible. If that doesn't work then I need surgery to repair it.....aaaaggghhhhh

So, no spin classes, no squats when working out with Billy, and I have to walk really really slowly. It sucks.

I go back on August 7th, right before I leave for England for the results. So, I'm looking after myself - I'm not moving too much and hoping against hope I don't need surgery. Wish me luck!

Flipping Budget can sit and swivel!

Knew it!

I always thought that women have a more positive outlook than men - here's an article that proves it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1035579/Women-happier-men-better-quality-life-older-study-finds.html

New one word meme

This one is from Penny...so here goesNew one-word MEME
This is definitely a challenge to try-- You can only type
One Word!
Not as easy as you might think. Now copy or forward, change
the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one
word answers.
You can only type one word. Send it to 7 people including
the person that sent it to you:


1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair? blond
4. Your mother? home
5. Your father? home
6. Your favorite thing? ipod
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? security
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? gym
11. Your fear? health
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? beach
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. What you're not? thin
15. Muffins? ok
16. One of your wish list items? marathon
17. Where you grew up? England
18. The last thing you did? eat
19. What are you wearing? pants/twinset
20. Your TV? fabulous!
21. Your pets? none
22. Your computer? Thinkpad
23. Your life? good
24. Your mood? excited
25. Missing someone? Always
26. Your car? Pontiac G6 Convertible (as of this evening!)
27 Something you're not wearing? socks
28. Favorite store? overstock.com
29 Your Summer? quick
30. Love someone? yes
31. Your favorite color? blue
32. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
33. Last time you cried? month ago
34. Who will resend this? Errrr....Carrieanne

New car

We bought a new car.....I can't believe we did this - the saving grace is the payment is $200 cheaper than the Lexus and it's sooooo cute. We literally sat in this car yesterday and knew within about 30 seconds this was the one for us. We even went and looked at other....and nothing compares.

http://wwww23.pontiac.com/g6-convertible/


What amazed me is that it's a convertible - you'd never know with the roof up. We're giving up a lot of space in the trunk but that's just tough. We also don't have GPS - we have to use onstar....no idea what that's like but we'll figure it out.

Soooooooo excited!

Play along

Thanks Carrieanne for sending this. Here are my answers.

Hit forward and place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Answer the 30 questions at the end and send it to your friends (including me).

(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
() Watched someone die
() Gone to Canada
() Gone to Mexico
(X) Gone to Florida
(X) Gone on a plane
() Jumped out of a plane
(x ) Been on a Helicopter
(X) Gotten lost
(X) Gone on the opposite side of the country
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops and robber
() Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
( ) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x ) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Gotten kissed under the mistletoe
() Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone Skiing
( ) Gone skinny dipping outdoors
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Gone to a drive-in movie

I want to know more about you....

1. Any nickname? In the old days, Fred - nothing recently (that I know if!)
2. Mother's name? Ruth
3. Favorite drink? Surfer on Acid
4. Tattoo? 0
5. Body Piercings? Yes, 2
6. How much do you love your job? A lot - most of the time
7. Birthplace? Hemel Hempstead, England
8. Favorite vacation spot? Heron Island, Australia (check it out www.heronisland.com)
9. Ever been to Africa? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes
11. Ever been on TV? Yes
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? No
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? Today 4 door, tomorrow 2 door
15. Favorite salad dressing? Asian Sesame
16. Favorite pie? Apple and Blackberry
17. Favorite number? 7
18. Favorite movie? Rocky Horror
19. Favorite holiday? Christmas
20. Favorite dessert? Rhubarb crumble and custard
21. Favorite food? Sausages
22. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
23. What do you do to relax? Gym - it works out all the stress, then you feel great!
24. Favorite toothpaste? Sensodyne
25. Favorite smell? Fresh cut grass

28. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Thinner, thinking about retirement
29. Furthest place you will send this message? England
30. Who will respond to this the fastest? Penny

Venti hot chocolate no whip...

Flipping drink..... well, it was only a matter of time before the new sofa got christened. A shame it was with a kick ass, full hot chocolate!

Poor Trev fell asleep holding his drink of choice! We'll be taking the cushions to the cleaners tomorrow - I tried to clean them, but it's not worked so well.

Things for sale

We've had a blitz today - I have buckets of stuff up for sale on both ebay and craigslist

- arm chair and ottoman (last one!)
- dining room table and chairs (this has been hard to shift)
- Nintendo Gamecube and 2 controllers (no games)
- Bose wireless thingy for rear speakers
- Bose speaker stands (we now have ours on the wall)
- Playstation 2 controller
- Printer cartridges
- Cables, cables, cables (Trev had a spending spree...and we didn't use any of them)
- IKEA picture frames
- My Philips VOIP phone - we just don't use it, I have a headset for Skype
- Wireless converter for a PC (found it, totally unused....)
- refridgerator

And that's just for starters - can you believe that? It's soooo theraputic to chuck stuff away.

Trip to Melissa's

Last weekend for July 4th we went to Glastonbury, Connecticut to stay with Melissa. She has two beautiful dogs - Lily and Maggie. We didn't do too much for the weekend -hung out, shopped (of course!) and ate a lot. Check out the pics of the dogs - Lily is the black one, Maggie the other - the last one was Melissa and Trev digging up the rhubarb!

Belated Pictures

So...I did promise ages ago pictures of the apartment in all its glory. Now, bear in mind that there are no pictures on the wall or many ornaments yet, but I'm working on that.
There are loads here in no particular order - you can check out the new green sofa (same as the old, just darker and soooooooooo comfortable - it may look crappy, but it makes up for it in comfort!) and all the other furniture changes, the new kitchen and there's a pic of the new washer/dryer in our tiny laundry room.
It's soooo exciting. I'm now focusing on cushions, pictures, art and stuff. Oh yeah, and rearranging the kitchen now all the crystal is out of the cupboard and in the new cabinet!

The keys to your life

The Keys to Your Life

Anything good in your life comes from you having the strength to make good decisions. You know how to assess a situation before you leap into action. Anything bad in your life comes from sinking to the level of those around you. Remember to lift people up, and refuse to participate in anything petty.

The Keys To Your Life

A.A.A.D.D.

I received this from my friend Nikki and I had to share - this is sooooooo ME!

A.A.A.D.D. - KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ!
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Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.
Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!!
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Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,
Put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
And notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back
On the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think,
Since I'm going to be near the mailbox
When I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table,
And see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
So I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,
But first I need to push the Coke aside
So that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm,
And I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
A vase of flowers on the counter
Catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and
Discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk,
But first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,
Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
But I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
So I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
But first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,
But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table,
Get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to
Remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn't washed

The bills aren't paid

There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter

The flowers don't have enough water,

There is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day,
And I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,
And I'll try to get some help for it,
But first I'll check my e-mail....

Ankle Update

On Monday, I brought my doctor's appointment forward to today as it was hurting. The shot really didn't do too much good and my foot has ached a lot in the last few days. I was not in the best frame of mind today. Not really sure why - it started when I bit a chunk out of my cheek at lunch and it went downhill from there. My doctor's appointment was at 3pm. By the time I got there I was definitely "Mrs Grumpy Head" (as Tim would say!). My foot was aching etc etc. Anyway, initially the doc has put me back in a cast for 2 weeks and then if it wasn't better to have an MRI scan. Given this whole debacle is not my fault, I asked him to bring that forward. So....my MRI is on Saturday. That will tell me if this is just time or if there's something more serious going on.

Hopefully it's the first....

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is one of my favourite fruits. It annoys me that it's a) expensive and b) crappy when I buy it. While I was in England I really enjoyed having it straight out of Dad's garden (yummy!) and also being able to buy it as a yogurt flavour.

While at Melissa's this weekend for the holidays I mentioned that I wanted to grow some rhubarb in a pot on our balcony. How it was when she said that there was some in her garden. So...check out my new project. I'm hoping it'll fill the pot over the next year.

I'm soooooo excited!

Dragon's Den

New TV program from the UK is going to be available next week on BBC America. It's called Dragon's Den. Basically it's a bunch of investors (think millionaires) who interview inventors. It's the inventor's job to convince the investors to invest. I've watched it a lot when I've been in the UK and it's great.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/323/index.jsp

So, if you get BBC America - give it shot.

Ankle Update

I went to the docs again today and I'm off exercise again. He put me in plaster, told me to wear my big ass bootie but not before he snuck in a kick ass shot of cortizone. Owwwweeeeeeee. He says that it should work miracles so here's hoping.

I'm writing this rather than going to my super spin class on a Thursday night with Carla. Hopefully though, when I visit the doc next Thursday he'll let me go then.

Welcome to Harry

My cousin Emily had her baby this week - Harry arrived in quick time (30mins start to finish!!). I'm looking forward to meeting him - the pic is of Chloe, Jack and Harry. How cute they look!

On other news, I'm happier - rather than the 7lb I put on while in England, it's down to 4lb - I had a really good healthy day yesterday so am feeling a little more positive. I also worked out with Billy so I had my ass whooped - I didn't realize how much I miss exercise when I'm not home. I really have to find a way to motivate myself to exercise when I'm away from home - I can do it, I know I can.

I added links to my blog of all my favourite ones....including my self-analyzing BS of diet and exercise. Happy reading!

Home again

I made it. I'm home. I was so torn to come back when Mum's not 100%, but Dad and Tim are there and the doc is Ok with progress, although it's not perfect. I've decided to call every day i can, rather than rely on email or instant messaging. It's much better to hear people's voices, right?


I did manage to get on the scales this morning. All I can say is that I'm embarrassed and fat. So much so, that i'm taking a leaf out of Penny and I'm starting a whole new blog dedicated to my fight against fat. Check it out at http://britchik96fitness.blogspot.com/. I'm going to post both my exercise regime and also what I eat. I've committed with my friend Debbie that we're going to lose 10lb before I head back to the UK in mid-August. So, happy reading!

My ankle hurts still - but i did get to a spin class last night. I didn't realize how much I missed it - it was nice to chat with Carla (the instructor), and hear a few "welcome backs" from some friends at the gym.

I'm so happy to be back home. Trev went out and got some balloons which was soooo cute. I'm taking next Monday on vacation and I'm going to spend some time making my home, home again. Yeeeeeha!