At last....it arrived

Remember the refridgerator debacle? Well, late on Tuesday afternoon I got a call from the delivery company and they wanted to deliver Wednesday. Nothing like notice...right? Anyway, thankfully it was the day before Thanksgiving so it was VERY quiet so I worked from home. I asked them to call me an hour before they were arriving to I could prepare.....that didn't quite happen, so the guys had to watch me empty the fridge at breakneck speed. Check out the pic below....that is one half of the crap we had in our fridge.

I know with confidence that this refridgerator is going to work just fine. I figured out in less than 15 seconds what was wrong with the old one! Can you believe that? What made it worse is that I asked the engineers who visited on multiple occasions and they said it was normal. At the back of the freezer there's a seal in the back left corner. On the old fridge there was about a 4 inch piece that was not stuck down properly - low and behold on the new one it's not like that.

At least this saga may now be over. Woohoo

Vegas and the Grand Canyon

It's been a while.... time has just flown by. First Jenny and Frankie came to stay, then Tim came into town for 10 days. You'll see the photos below. We had a great trip and got so much done.

Before we left for Vegas we spent the day before in China Town. We wanted to eat Dim Sum and then I wanted to see the Chinese doctor regarding my knee. The funniest thing that happened that day was that I wanted to eat meat...I'd worked out in the morning and I was flipping hungry. So we ordered some dumplings and ribs, and on the menu we saw "beef triple". Sounded fabulous, or so we thought. We had both imagined three different types of beef in a fantastic sauce. We had terrible service problems in this place, but when the food did arrive it was good. Anyway we kept asking about the "beef triple"....something turned up on our table that looked like furry fettucine (tagliatelle). We asked what it was knowing we hadn't ordered anything like that and was told it was "beef tripe"....yes, that's right? cow's stomach. We explained that there was a typo on the menu...ewww it was awful.

Our trip to Vegas was uneventful. We spent the first day getting our bearings - we did it in style and stayed at the Bellagio - you know, the hotel with the fountains outside it. We walked along the strip, did a bit of gambling and then rested. One of the coolest things is that if you're gambling on the slots or at a table then there are waitresses who come round offering drinks....and you don't pay. That's pretty cool. The first evening we saw Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Kevin James (King of Queens, Hitch) doing stand up. They were so good - and very very funny.

Next day we were up for the second day in a row at 5am -just this time it was 2 hours earlier because of the time difference. We slept on the 3 hour coach trip to the Canyon. The day was long, but fabulous. The weather wasn't the best - and it was cold and rainy at times. We keep telling ourselves that we're part of the select few who's been there when it rained:)

The last night we had a fantastic meal and finally plucked up courage to walk up to a table and play blackjack. None of us are experts so it was a little intimidating but we found an empty table with a nice looking dealer. We all put $100 down. We thought we'd be done in 20 minutes but we held our own, even when weird asses joined our table for a time. After about 2.5 hours I decided that if I made it to $500 then I was walking away. You'll find the picture with my single $500 chip.

Vegas and the Grand Canyon

We had a riot!

When we were back home we also took in a Cirque de Soleil show at Madison Square Garden. It was awesome. See my pics here....taken only with the little camera, but given we were at the back they came out pretty good.

11-12-08 Cirque de Soleil

The rest of the week was shopping and hanging out. What a great trip!

Work was crazy this week -more on that later.

The refridgerator

After 5 months, 12 half days waiting for the repair man, numerous phone calls and just one melt down on the phone last Thursday GE have finally agreed to replace our refridgerator.

Being British I don't often have an "American" approach to things, however it's quite cathartic to let rip.

So, within the next week I should have a side by side refridgerator that will produce ice and work for more than 3 days at a time.

Here's hoping.

I couldn't let today go by without comment on two things:

1) Barack Obama. After 8 years of a complete idiot being President I'm happy that there's going to be change. I hope it's going to be as good as he's promised while campaigning.

2) Guy Fawkes Day. It's Firework day in England! Yeah. I still think fondly of Christchurch Park and loads of fireworks. Even after all these years I still miss that every Autumn.

Hey ho.

9 words women use

Sent to me via email from my friend Diana. Was way too good not to share.....and probably very very very true - right girls? :)

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they
are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an
hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given
five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.


(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means
something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with
nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal
statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks
you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing
here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the
meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a
women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long
and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.


(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just
say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true,
unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not
thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' ... that will bring
on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying F*cK YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement,
meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several
times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man
asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Flipping viruses

So, for those of you who have an email address in my contact list you will have received at least one dodgy looking email from us. Get this for a scenario

- We have 4 emails in our sent folder sent to EVERYONE.
- The email that was forwarded out was not in our Inbox or our Spam folder.
- We've run virus software and Ad-aware/Spybot and it found nothing really bad

I changed our password but my fear is there's a key tracker on one of the PCs and we don't know which one.

Any ideas on what to do next?

Needless to say I'm watching all bank accounts and credit cards like a hawk!

I am Thankful

Mum sent this through email - it's cool so thought I'd share. Some good thoughts to kick off the week.

I Am Thankful...

• For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.
• For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.
• For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home, not on the streets.
• For the taxes I pay because it means I am employed. For the mess to clean after a party because it means i have been surrounded by friends.
• For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
• For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home
• For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.
• For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means i am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation .
• For my huge heating bill because it means i am warm.
• For the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means i can hear.
• For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear. For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.
• For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.
• And I am thankful: for the crazy people I work with because they make work interesting and fun! And finally, for too much e-mail because it means I have friends who are thinking of me!

Diet, exercise and kicking it up a notch

This whole weight loss/get fit campaign is starting to annoy me. These days I've finally managed to accept that I'm fit and healthy - even if I'm not so accepting on my ass-size:) I really did think way back when that when I kick started my health regime (4 years ago now) that I would have dropped more dress sizes.

I am more than happy to watch what I eat - and I do. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to, but it's OK and I've got used to it. What I'm finding more frustrating is that my weight has plateaued no matter what I eat or how much exercise I do. Now, if I was doing a couple of cardio classes a week I'd just do more (or accept that this is how it is), but I spend upwards of 10 hours a week in the gym and I eat healthy food 99% of time the time. This frustration last Saturday translated to me yelling at my trainer (and my nutritionist in his spare time) that it's not fair and that I work too hard for no results. I must have got my point across because he said to write down what I ate, when and the quantities. So, that's what I did for Sun, Mon, Tues and Weds.

Yesterday I returned for my regular Saturday ass kicking (training session) and we spent a lot of time talking about my diet. Billy, as always, is honest and I love that. His view that was from a calorie standpoint that I'm eating just fine but that I was getting sloppy with the protein/carb/protein/carb alternating thing. So, I tried to explain why...and it really does make sense. So here goes. I'm usually pretty good with meals and they're protein based. I rarely eat potatoes/rice/bread at all. My carbs come mainly from fruit. The issue that I have when I'm doing a long stint at the gym is that eating protein just doesn't cut it. I need the fruit (ie bananas) to sustain the energy through 2 hours or so. That means that after a protein lunch I may have a yogurt or fruit around 2.30pm, then have bananas at 4.30pm or 5pm ready for the gym at 6. The fact is Billy's right - I'm not following it rigidly....but I am going to try. The other thing we talked about is that he doesn't think I'm getting enough protein - at this point I did tell him I thought that was BS. The reason being is that I usually eat eggs/turkey/cheese for breakfast, a meat salad for lunch and then meat/fish with veggies for dinner. That's like protein overload in my mind.....right? Anyway, I have to listen to the expert - especially as he's worked out for over a decade and has a body to die for (ladies.....trust me, totally enviable even if he is a guy).

Billy also gave me another option if alternating proteins and carbs wasn't fitting into my lifestyle. He said that what I can do is make sure that during the day I eat 100g (3.5oz) of protein a day and 200g (7.05oz) of carbs. I've been mulling this over since yesterday. While I reckon I could eat the protein I think I'm really going to struggle with the carbs. I have lots of questions before I decide whether to try this one instead:

1) Let's take protein. Does 100g mean 100g of chicken....or 100 g of the protein within the chicken. As an example I will use chicken. At this link http://www.hoptechno.com/nightcrew/sante7000/Sante7000_Detail2.cfm?ID=24110020 it says that per oz of chicken there are 12g in total, or 3.44g of protein. So, say you have a 8oz piece of chicken - is it 96g of the total allowed or 24g? I'm guessing that it's the latter....which means you have to eat crap loads of meat.
2) Carbs. So, if my assumption is true on carbs then I'm not sure I can at all hit 200g. Let's take this link http://www.hoptechno.com/nightcrew/sante7000/Sante7000_Detail2.cfm?ID=51101000. This says that a cup of white bread has 17.33g of carbs. OMG. That is a crap load of carbs.
3) For carbs, does that mean I could drink fruit juice and that would count towards carbs.

I can't decide what to do. I think I'm going to be more strict with the carb/protein/carb thing.....because the whole measuring thing is freaking me out.

Now, on the plus side my friend Sharon and I when we were in China Town last week asked the doctor for something for weightloss. We've both been taking a daily supplement of something (it's Chinese after all....) and it seems to be working. Now this, of course, could be working as a placebo but I dropped about 3.5lb this week - the first in about 6 months. We'll see as the holidays approach whether that continues.

I'm keeping up the detail of the diary as it keeps me honest....and I don't cheat as much. I really can't be bothered to fill in the other blog, so I'm going to disable it at some point today.

Watch this space for progress! With two weddings next year we've got to be looking our best so I'm determined to fix this and look freaking fabulous in the process!!

As an aside, I've also got another personal trainer at the gym who's courting me to work out. Given that I have over 20 sessions sitting in a bank waiting to be used I'm seriously thinking of adding a 3rd strength training hour to my weekly regime....my only concern is how to fit it into my life:) We'll see....I'm still thinking about.

Made me laugh

Read this article.....I thought this was sooooooooo funny!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1081607/Speeding-puppet-seat-British-car-makes-muppets-German-police.html

Hhhhrrruummpppffffss

Why is it that things that piss you off always happen on the same day. Here goes on my rant:

1) Trev is traveling on business somewhere for 3 straight weeks. This week he's in California Sat-Thurs (note the Sat.....not a Mon), next week he's somewhere else Mon-Tues then the following week he's in Florida somewhere Weds-Thurs. Usually I don't mind but this week we had friends in from the UK and on the 3rd trip Tim's in town. For such a significant pay cut that he took he better not be traveling every flipping week. he assures me this is a blip and (i quote) "I won't travel for the rest of the year".

2) A guy called Christian calls up on my cell phone just now asking for Trev. I say he's not available and can I take a message. He says in an aloof voice "do you have a pen?", I say "yes I do" and he proceeds to give me a phone number and told me he was from our bank. I then ask him if there's anything I can help with as I'm Trev's wife. Apparently he wants to discuss why we have so much money in our savings account and perhaps there are other things we can do. What pisses me off here is a) his voice got all nice once he realized I was a wife not a secretary (grrrrrr) 2) he called my cellphone and asked for my husband....note I happen to be the primary account holder and the one who works right next to the branch this Christian dude works in.....but apparently in the 21st century only the men can make the decisions. OMG - that totally pissed me off. In fact, I'm still so mad i'm hitting the keys so hard I think they're going to ping off. I'm also going for a record on how many words per minute I can type. I did make an appointment to see him next Tuesday just to see what this little upshoot looks like. What I find even funnier is that we really dont' have that much dosh in our savings account.....so maybe his records are 6 months old:)

3) Guy on the bus who ALWAYS sits next to me and then ALWAYS proceeds to take up two thirds of the double seat and the wave is freaking newspaper around. Not only does he irritate me, but the person who's closest in front also gets hit with the paper. Put the damn thing away, get an iPod and listen to the news via a podcast. Nutter. Why can't he sit elsewhere.

4) Ankle. Not sure the Chinese Dr helped. In fact I now a big red rash and it's still smarting. To make it worse my left knee has how started to hurt....right at the top. I think I just over extended in a gym class but we'll see. Hopefully it'll be better. I'm secretly hoping that I'm going to wake up one day and my ankle doesn't hurt anymore.....

I'm still mad as crap about #2.....but maybe typing it out will help

My visit to China Town

I had such a great day yesterday with my friend Sharon. After working out in the morning we drove into the City and spent several hours in China Town. The purpose of the trip was to go and see this highly recommended Chinese doctor regarding my ankle. While it's much better than it was it's not where it was before I had the accident. This trip was $20 for a consultation - what did I have to lose.

We started our afternoon with leisurely dim sum - I love it. It's so cool and there's loads of choice. While the weather wasn't the best (at times it was raining like crazy) we had a lot of fun. After that we headed to the doctor. Oh, now was THIS an experience.

Everything in China Town is tatty and run down, but there's such a vibrant energy it makes you go back time and again. We went and saw Dr Mak... oh my word, what a dump. It was dirty and very small. He had a little dog too that kept peeing on the floor (I kid you not!!). Anyway - he looked a lot, swabbed with alcohol, did a bit of massage, told me that my tendon was overstretched. Anyway, he moved it around a bit then he slathered on something that looked like dark brown peanut butter and told me to wear it for 24 hours, which I did. I have absolutely no idea if it's fixed yet, but if it's not I'm to go back next Saturday. We'll see - for $20 what do you have to lose. While I'm writing this it's aching a bit, but I did do a lot of walking yesterday.

After visiting the doctor we visited a tea shop (where I bought some plum tea....I'm trying to kick my Crystal Light addition!!) and then we spent ages going round grocery and kitchen shops. There's so many cool things, but while I did buy a few things I decided to wait for Tim to come over because I know we'll end up getting sucked into loads of stuff.

When we were done we headed back to Hoboken we met up with another friend, Carla, for dinner.

By the time I got home at 9pm I was knackered!

Today friends from England, Jenny and Frankie, arrived. They're here for a week so we should have a lot of fun.

Have a great week!

Busy week

Friday again, and I keep thinking about all the things I wanted to post about. Here's a brain dump.


- Brown water. It got fixed. It affected a few towns. I only went one day without a shower, then we realized our neighbours have a filter on their water tank. I know I posted the water company said it was ok to drink but I have to tell you it was nasty to look at. Weird, that had never happened to me before. I am more aware of what you shouldn't take for granted - and have a far greater appreciation for what it must have been like for you guys back in Iowa during the floods and losing water for days.


- Fitness. I decided that clearly I'm still eating too much as I'm not losing any pounds at all. You'd think with all the exercise I did i could, but obviously not. My thyroid was tested in the summer so I'm just guessing that I have bad genes and slow metabolism. I have worked my bootie this week, and have taken an additional 3 classes this week. I was rewarded with a whole 0.6lb off the weight. Woop di do. This is driving me nuts. My friend Sharon suggested I meet with a nutritionist to see if I'm screwing myself over with what I eat. I can honestly say I've so limited the treats I eat, I'm assuming it's down to the sheer volume of food I eat. Is it really that bad to eat 5 pieces of fruit a day and a turkey/cheese omelet? Who knows. We'll see. As an aside I did a Columbian Salsa dance class last night. That wasn't really a work out (ie I didn't really break a sweat) but it was pretty funny - they feed you a couple of shots of rum to loosen up. One things for sure - I have two left feet and I'm crap. Still....I think I got it. I just can't wiggle my arse like you're supposed to:) We'll see...I may try again just for the social bit....

- Ankle. Saw the lawyer on Monday so we'll wait and see. It's been hurting like crazy this week, but a lot of that is probably due to the additional exercise classes. Today I'm actually off to China Town to see a Chinese Doctor - it's $20 so what do I have to lose? I've heard great things so we'll see. I'm going with my friend Sharon from the gym - she's driving because I refuse to drive in Manhattan (it's nuts) and we're going early so we can have Dim Sum for lunch. Yummo.

- Work. My boss has been driving me nuts lately. It's not her fault particularly, there's just so much to do and not enough time. I've also been training the lady who works for me (note: it's my boss' best friend's sister....the great thing is she's fantastic) and that means that production of stuff takes longer. She picks things up quickly which is great and after 6 weeks she's at the point where I think she's going to be a real asset. My boss has asked me to put a job description together with a possible view to hiring her full time come January. I'm excited about that for sure! There just seems to be more to do than there is time for. While I'm quite rigid about the hours I work

- Refridgerator. Well...the guy came last week and I was quite hopeful, but it's not working again. My ice bucket is one big ice cube. Joy for us. They've now been 10 times - I think it's time for a new one. I'm fed up of "trying" something and not actually just replacing the unit. They have already offered me an additional 6 months on the warranty - that tells you something, doesn't it.

- Apartment. It's been Ok for a while...but my lovely vanity I bought on ebay the tap (faucet) has stopped working. I've had to brush my teeth in the bath all week. Oh joyfulness...I guess I'm calling Jose this weekend.

Ok I'm off to have my arse whooped by Billy....gives me the approval to go and eat Dim Sum.

More on brown water

Now....see below the press release from the water company. Now you tell me - would you drink or wash in dark brown water?

JERSEY CITY, NJ, 10/22/2008 10:19:10 AM – United Water customers in Jersey City, Hoboken and parts of North Hudson may have discolored water today. Even though the water is discolored, it meets safe drinking water standards. Customers may prefer to wait until it runs clear before drinking or washing clothes or dishes. United Water crews will be flushing hydrants throughout the day in order to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Tom Neilan, project executive, explained that the discolored water is the result of harmless minerals in the water mains. Yesterday, the company was testing large 48-inch valves in Little Falls on the Jersey City aqueduct system as part of its routine maintenance program. That activity caused large amounts of water to flow through the mains which disturbed the sediment. We apologize for the inconvenience, said Neilan. Please be assured that we are working diligently to resolve this issue for our customers

Shoot me now....!

My day is not going well.

First, I got up this morning, went into the bathroom, turned on the shower, cleaned my teeth, took my glasses off, opened the shower curtain and screamed.... now, you might think that there was a spider/mouse...but oh no. The water was DARK BROWN. Ewwwwwww. Worse, I had cleaned my teeth in that water before it had turned brown. So, at 6.04am I called the condo manager - he called me back and made a complaint.

So, I'm at work not having had a shower.....oh yuk! Can you remember the days when you didn't shower daily? I remember as a kid having a bath on a Sunday....the rest of the time it was a flannel ove the face - right? When did we turn to needing a shower daily? I feel horrible.

Here's an article on the water situation. That picture is EXACTLY how my bath looked this morning. And still we have no news when it'll be fixed. Oh joy for us!

http://hoboken411.com/archives/14467

Second, I'm in reporting hell at work. The server is slow, the application worse and of course my Q3 report is still not complete. In addition I'm trying to train someone, and while she's doing an awesome job it's the 22nd and the report is not out. This is total nuts.

I'm ready to shoot myself........or just have a gin and tonic:)

Lawyers and stuff

Today I signed an agreement with a lawyer to sue Budget - the price is steep (30% after all the costs - ouch!) but I'm sure I'll end up with more than if I tried to do this all myself. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I have to say that I have clearly got used to not using a car much. It was a mere 20 miles away and I felt like I'd gone on this huge trek. It was like being back in Iowa - and being autumn it was beautiful. A clear sky and cooler weather - it was lovely.

We're a few days away from our busy holiday season - have friends coming into town next weekend, then we're in Atlantic City, then the week after that Tim arrives and we're off to Vegas. In between I have to get all my work done so I can take time off. Phew! It's freaking me out already....

A sign?

My ankle is still not back to where it was before my fall last May. It's annoying. I'm fed up of the aching when I'm sitting on a bar stool or at the theater, or when I want to kneel and can't.

So, I've been looking for a lawyer, and yesterday I spoke with one. He's looking into my case and will get back to me. I'm really upset I can't wear heels, and it's been almost 6 months.

Even funnier, here's an article from the UK about a woman who had a fall at an airport and can sue for damages as she can't wear high heels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077900/Payout-businesswoman-hurt-airport-slip--200-pairs-shoes-useless.html

Is this a sign that means I can sue? Hope so...

Would YOU be happy with this?

OK, am I the only person who's freaked out about this?????

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077800/Airport-admits-strip-search-body-scanners-WILL-people-naked.html

Cooking overload

I've been absent for a few days. The financial markets continue to decline; from a personal and business perspective it's totally nuts. With money both in the UK and US it's crazy trying to understand where money is safe. I'm thinking that under the mattress is the best place.

Anyway we had some work colleagues of mine over for dinner last night - there was a total of 10 of us. I had a basic menu organized but it still took a while to put it together.

My pierce de resistance was a trifle. It turned out perfectly. I think someone took a photo of it - if I get it then I'll post it - because it did look amazing. Tasted good too.

It's been a long time since I've cooked for 10 people - the sheer quantities were huge. We have soooooo many left overs. Needless to say our colleagues will see them tomorrow!

New hair

Check it out.... in an effort to be more cost conscious I wanted to change where I got my hair done. At Trev's encouragement I went to his local place...whaddayathink? It's been a few years since I've had such funky hair.

I do think that red matches my personality....that said, I'm hoping it fades a little bit. But, I do think I've broken my addiction to the Manhattan hairdressers.

The little things

I'm a geek, I've admitted several times. I've been trying to figure out how the Direct TV DVR Scheduling works - I keep seeing ads that say you can do it online.....there are always shows I forget to record so I finally figured it out.

How flipping cool is that? I don't have to use the slow box at home to record stuff. I can organize online.....yippee!

Sometimes it really is the smallest thing to make your day:)

Pictures on the walls

So, I bought new frames weeks and weeks ago so I could hang some family pictures on the walls. I never got around to it - probably because I couldn't decide what arrangement I wanted, where to hang them etc etc.

I bought 8 frames the same and had put pictures in a while back - and realized I had 4 portrait and 4 landscape pics - check out the layout above the table in the kitchen. I think it looks VERY cool.

Now all I need to do is get some bigger frames for some of the pictures I've had printed from Australia, Spain, Caribbean etc.

I managed to do all this while a) waiting for the fridge guy again and b) supposed to be working!!

Messy or clean?

You Are Not Messy

You're so clean, people have accused you of being a clean freak! You like things tidy, organized, and smelling fresh. Messes drive you crazy, especially when you didn't make them. It's hard for you to live with a slob - or someone who leaves their dishes in the sink.

Are You Messy?

Are you boring or interesting?

You Are 68% Interesting

You are a fairly interesting person. Many people find you to be intriguing. You have a dynamic, adventurous life... a life that others envy. You are genuinely interested in and open to the world. You love making new friends, and you're always up for an unusual experience. Like everyone else, you can get a bit boring from time to time. That's normal. But unlike everyone else, you can pull yourself out of a rut. You don't stay boring for long.

Are You Boring or Interesting?

Delia's way

For my American friends Delia Smith is the equivalent in England of Julia Child - ie she's a cooking institution. My friend Lorraine sent this ages ago and as I was cleaning out my email I found it. So, so funny and even more true!!

Delia's Way
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice-cream drips.

The Real Woman's Way
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for God's sake. You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it anyway.

Delia's Way
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

The Real Woman's Way
Buy Smash and keep it in the cupboard for up to a year.

Delia's Way
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking tin, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

The Real Woman's Way
Morrisons sell cakes. They even do decorated versions.

Delia's Way
If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a potato slice.

The Real Woman's Way
If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's tough. Please recite with me the Real Woman's motto: 'I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes.'

Delia' s Way
Wrap celery in aluminium foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks

The Real Woman's Way
It could keep forever. Who eats it?

Delia's Way
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead.. The throbbing will go away.

The Real Woman's Way
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and drop it in 8 ounces of vodka. Drink the vodka. You might still have the headache, but you wont give a flying banana!

Finally the most important tip - my favourite

Delia's Way
Freeze left over wine into ice cubes for future use in casseroles

The Real Woman's Way
Left over wine???? Hellooo

I will never complain again....

...about big boobs.

Check out this poor woman! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1760007.ece

Push ups

I'm not sure why I'm excited about this - especially as I work out quite a lot. However, last night for the first time I did 20 pushups in a row, no stopping. That's the full ones, rather than resting on your knees.

I'm blown away..... still, pretty though, huh?

Feeling broke...

I know as I write this things are not as dire as I might feel right now. Penny, just ignore this because this is NOTHING like you're going through and I apologize for writing this. However, I've got to vent before I go completely nuts.

I feel like we're hemorrhaging money right now. We've done a lot this year - almost completely redone the apartment (bathrooms, decorating, living room) which wasn't cheap and while we've not had a vacation yet we have organized ourselves a week in Jamaica (where we went last year) as it was the cheapest place I can find and we know what we're going to get. In addition to that I've bought several flights this year to the UK and elsewhere for ourselves and also over the past few weeks sorted the kids out for the holidays. We're off to Vegas with Tim, Atlantic City with Jenny and Frankie and who knows what else. We've also had medical bills from Peter's surgery last May......tuition fees, and oh yeah a wedding. It's totally nuts. All of it we deemed necessary.....

I guess I'm freaking out more than usual because we also took a big income dip with Trev's job move. I'm so happy he's finally happy in his job and it's definitely worth it....but it just seems that no matter what we plan our savings are getting depleted. I guess I'm used to being able to plan stuff and also be able to save without a lot of effort. Not working right now.....

Now.... I say this knowing that a) I have a personal trainer and so does Trev b) I pay someone to clean my apartment c) Trev has his work shirts laundered d) I get a massage relatively frequently. I really have nothing to complain about at all....and given that Penny is going through the toughest time I feel so guilty even writing this.

Things I'm doing to cut costs
- I take lunch to work every day (saves at least $7/day)
- I don't buy coffee out at all (I use the free stuff at work)
- I never buy magazines or newpapers out (I can use the online websites)
- I don't eat out during the week, we have food at home, we eat that (no matter how tempting the pizza at the end of the street is)

I started to use Quicken.com - and Trev agrees. That way we can at least understand where all the cash is going. Hopefully that'll help us get back on track. I'm definitely creating a budget, and starting today we're keeping to it.

With any luck, Trev will get great bonuses and I won't have to worry like I am right now.

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!