Let's start small:
1. Talking to Hannah on Skype any minute now.
2. Friday (tomorrow). Let me clarify- whatever time it will be when I leave work. I've worked 11.5 hour days the past 2 days.
3. Hanging out with my 11-year old cousin this weekend.
4. Seeing the Rangers win tomorrow's game and go on to the WORLD SERIES!!!! WHOOP WHOOP!
5. ...this event I'm working on to be OVER (next Thursday).
6. ...going to BIRMINGHAM 2 weeks from today and getting to see my London Ladies and celebrate Cait's engagement and see my sister and any other old friends I can possibly squeeze into a weekend.
7. ...there's something the next week but it's a surprise, so I'll let the suspense kill you and maybe I'll blog about it.
8. NOVEMBER 19TH- I have tickets to go see the WEEPIES!!!! *sigh*...can't WAIT
9. December 18th I'm going to Nashville for Caitlin & Preston's wedding and all the London girls will be together for the first time since....well...maybe since we were in London together, but for sure not since Spring 2009.
10. The next big Anthropologie sale :)
Thursday, October 21
Friday, October 15
I HATE smoke detectors!
I honestly hate them! I understand their life-saving purpose, but they haven't done anything for me except scare me and cause me to lose sleep!
I was probably an overly-fearful child. I was scared of a lot of things- elevators, lightning, fire, death, spontaneous combustion....I couldn't even watch ER because, even as a young child, watching an actor fake a heart attack gave me chest pains. I was such a hypochondriac.
I distinctly remember one of my first encounters with smoke detectors. It was back when my family lived in the house we moved out of when I was 4- so I'm guessing I was 3, which proves just how traumatic this was, because not many people have memories of when they were 3.
It was the time of year for my dad to change the smoke detector batteries. I couldn't BEAR the sound it made when he pushed the little green button to see if it worked. Mom collected us girls like little chicklings on the couch, but I just couldn't handle it- I went outside and stood on the sidewalk so I couldn't hear him test the smoke detector!
Luckily, I have grown up. I can handle elevators, lightning, (some) fire...so far I haven't encountered spontaneous combustion or death- I'm just hoping they won't come at the same time!
Yesterday my smoke alarm starting beeping- it woke me up at 6:30, which is a great thing because I actually forgot to set my (sleeping) alarm! I took out the battery so it would stop annoying me.
The beeping stopped until I got home from work and heard it again, but I didn't hear it the rest of the night. THEN at 3:40 it started again! The beeps were closer together! I got out of bed and stood by the darn thing....no beeps- went back to bed. It not only detects smoke...it also detects REM cycles. Every time I'd drift off it would beep- and this isn't the kind of beep you can just ignore. It sounds like my little dog yelping; it's SO high! OH MISERY!
I thought about going to walmart and buying a battery (I actually went to the grocery store last night JUST to buy this stupid battery, but of course, I forgot and just bought food instead!) Option 2 would have been to call my apartment courtesy officer and see if he had a battery, but i think he might be for emergencies only (even though he's called the 'courtesy officer' and it would've been courteous of him to bring me a battery at 4 am!)
My 3rd option was pulling it off the wall completely. I think these things have minds of their own and I think it would freak out and scream for it's life if I tampered too badly with it- waking the entire neighborhood.
I ended up squeezing in 1 more REM cycle (I had a crazy dream). I CANNOT forget to buy that battery today! Hopefully I won't fall asleep at my desk today!
I was probably an overly-fearful child. I was scared of a lot of things- elevators, lightning, fire, death, spontaneous combustion....I couldn't even watch ER because, even as a young child, watching an actor fake a heart attack gave me chest pains. I was such a hypochondriac.
I distinctly remember one of my first encounters with smoke detectors. It was back when my family lived in the house we moved out of when I was 4- so I'm guessing I was 3, which proves just how traumatic this was, because not many people have memories of when they were 3.
It was the time of year for my dad to change the smoke detector batteries. I couldn't BEAR the sound it made when he pushed the little green button to see if it worked. Mom collected us girls like little chicklings on the couch, but I just couldn't handle it- I went outside and stood on the sidewalk so I couldn't hear him test the smoke detector!
Luckily, I have grown up. I can handle elevators, lightning, (some) fire...so far I haven't encountered spontaneous combustion or death- I'm just hoping they won't come at the same time!
Yesterday my smoke alarm starting beeping- it woke me up at 6:30, which is a great thing because I actually forgot to set my (sleeping) alarm! I took out the battery so it would stop annoying me.
The beeping stopped until I got home from work and heard it again, but I didn't hear it the rest of the night. THEN at 3:40 it started again! The beeps were closer together! I got out of bed and stood by the darn thing....no beeps- went back to bed. It not only detects smoke...it also detects REM cycles. Every time I'd drift off it would beep- and this isn't the kind of beep you can just ignore. It sounds like my little dog yelping; it's SO high! OH MISERY!
I thought about going to walmart and buying a battery (I actually went to the grocery store last night JUST to buy this stupid battery, but of course, I forgot and just bought food instead!) Option 2 would have been to call my apartment courtesy officer and see if he had a battery, but i think he might be for emergencies only (even though he's called the 'courtesy officer' and it would've been courteous of him to bring me a battery at 4 am!)
My 3rd option was pulling it off the wall completely. I think these things have minds of their own and I think it would freak out and scream for it's life if I tampered too badly with it- waking the entire neighborhood.
I ended up squeezing in 1 more REM cycle (I had a crazy dream). I CANNOT forget to buy that battery today! Hopefully I won't fall asleep at my desk today!
Monday, October 11
Retail Therapy
Man did I need it! HA!
Monday morning: I had 35 unread emails sitting on my phone and 13 calendar notifications. Yeah, I look at emails over the weekend as they come to my phone, but there isn't a lot I can do about them. They can wait until Monday morning.
That is...if your computer works. I got in today and tried logging onto my computer but I got an error that said something like "The security database does not recognize your workstation and can't support the security relationship." What in the world does that even mean!?
I called the help desk- in India. I got someone I could actually understand and they submitted a ticket for me. They said they could call the person on call if it was urget. As politely as I possibly could, I replied, "Well, I'm trying to start my workday and my computer won't turn on. Yes, it would be great if you would page someone for me."
I don't really know what came of that call because I just found our executive IT support guy and had him help me. Two hours after I got to work I was online and ready to go...great start to a Monday.
After work I gave in and took that nap I've been trying to break myself of! At 5 pm, when I left work, I had read all my emails. At 7 pm when I woke up, I had 13 emails. I don't even have a family but I enjoy having my evenings to myself where I don't think about work! I like having an off switch. Maybe that makes me weird or lazy, I don't know.
This is where the retail therapy comes in. My mom texted me this afternoon and told me everything at Gap was 40% off. Eh...ok. I had checked out their stock online and I wasn't ultra-impressed with their line this season, but hey, 40% off...I might find something.
I walked in the store and was completely appalled! I didn't think humans could be ravenous animals, but apparently shopping brings out people's primal instincts. The store was a wreck! I have seen Gaps during the holiday season, but I had never seen one this bad! I didn't see a single employee anywhere either! I guess they had been trampled or were buried under a pile of jeggings (yes...jean-leggings=jeggings, and NO...they don't work for me).
I don't feel bad about shopping since my mother was the one who told me about the sale. And since my Gap card was "suspended" because I never use it, I reactivated it and ended up saving 55%! WOO HOO! I am thoroughly proud of myself. I was surprised that the store wasn't completely picked-over. They still had a great selection and I found everything I wanted in the size I wanted it in! I'm pretty sure the majority of their inventory was in the dressing rooms instead of on the store floor. I felt so bad for the handful of employees left....they were severely understaffed and I felt like volunteering my evening to help them clean up! They really needed the Red Cross or some kind of disaster relief team to come in! Maybe Gap wouldn't have to have these "surprise" 40% off days if they would just not overprice their clothes in the first place. But that's just a thought....
Monday morning: I had 35 unread emails sitting on my phone and 13 calendar notifications. Yeah, I look at emails over the weekend as they come to my phone, but there isn't a lot I can do about them. They can wait until Monday morning.
That is...if your computer works. I got in today and tried logging onto my computer but I got an error that said something like "The security database does not recognize your workstation and can't support the security relationship." What in the world does that even mean!?
I called the help desk- in India. I got someone I could actually understand and they submitted a ticket for me. They said they could call the person on call if it was urget. As politely as I possibly could, I replied, "Well, I'm trying to start my workday and my computer won't turn on. Yes, it would be great if you would page someone for me."
I don't really know what came of that call because I just found our executive IT support guy and had him help me. Two hours after I got to work I was online and ready to go...great start to a Monday.
After work I gave in and took that nap I've been trying to break myself of! At 5 pm, when I left work, I had read all my emails. At 7 pm when I woke up, I had 13 emails. I don't even have a family but I enjoy having my evenings to myself where I don't think about work! I like having an off switch. Maybe that makes me weird or lazy, I don't know.
This is where the retail therapy comes in. My mom texted me this afternoon and told me everything at Gap was 40% off. Eh...ok. I had checked out their stock online and I wasn't ultra-impressed with their line this season, but hey, 40% off...I might find something.
I walked in the store and was completely appalled! I didn't think humans could be ravenous animals, but apparently shopping brings out people's primal instincts. The store was a wreck! I have seen Gaps during the holiday season, but I had never seen one this bad! I didn't see a single employee anywhere either! I guess they had been trampled or were buried under a pile of jeggings (yes...jean-leggings=jeggings, and NO...they don't work for me).
I don't feel bad about shopping since my mother was the one who told me about the sale. And since my Gap card was "suspended" because I never use it, I reactivated it and ended up saving 55%! WOO HOO! I am thoroughly proud of myself. I was surprised that the store wasn't completely picked-over. They still had a great selection and I found everything I wanted in the size I wanted it in! I'm pretty sure the majority of their inventory was in the dressing rooms instead of on the store floor. I felt so bad for the handful of employees left....they were severely understaffed and I felt like volunteering my evening to help them clean up! They really needed the Red Cross or some kind of disaster relief team to come in! Maybe Gap wouldn't have to have these "surprise" 40% off days if they would just not overprice their clothes in the first place. But that's just a thought....
Tuesday, October 5
My Kickball Skills are Subpar
Surprised? You shouldn't be.
I'm in the league more for the friends than the game. My teammates are cool, but every now and then they make me go up to bat. They told me to go to Center-Left (Isn't that an oxymoron...center but left?) Dad, I wish you would've helped bring out my inner athlete a little earlier in my life, because I'm having trouble finding her now.
I found Center Left, which was luckily in between 2 boys who did all the real work for me. I caught the ball once, unfortunately it wasn't an out, but I quickly got it out of my hands!
My team (Team Nameless) lost. 2-8 I think. We have room for improvement...for sure. It should be fun. I need to perfect my bunt (or just my kick in general. I got out both times I was up to bat).
I'm exhausted...we had a 9:00 game so now it's way past my bedtime!
(Kickball lessons welcomed!)
I'm in the league more for the friends than the game. My teammates are cool, but every now and then they make me go up to bat. They told me to go to Center-Left (Isn't that an oxymoron...center but left?) Dad, I wish you would've helped bring out my inner athlete a little earlier in my life, because I'm having trouble finding her now.
I found Center Left, which was luckily in between 2 boys who did all the real work for me. I caught the ball once, unfortunately it wasn't an out, but I quickly got it out of my hands!
My team (Team Nameless) lost. 2-8 I think. We have room for improvement...for sure. It should be fun. I need to perfect my bunt (or just my kick in general. I got out both times I was up to bat).
I'm exhausted...we had a 9:00 game so now it's way past my bedtime!
(Kickball lessons welcomed!)
Wednesday, September 29
13 hours and 130 miles later....I'm home
No...I don't drive that slow.
After a fun-filled day at work where I don't feel like I finished a single task, but just did little pieces of several things (which doesn't leave me feeling very accomplished), I had to run an errand.
I started (and ended) at point D (top middle). I wrote last week about how my French Horn had a crack in it. Over the weekend, I called my ol' private lesson teacher in Crowley (that's the bottom left corner of the map) and he told me to take it to a guy in Keller (Point B). This guy said it would be ready on Sunday (let's remember, this is Wednesday). He called last night and said I could come pick it up at nine. I didn't feel like driving an hour last night at nine so I said I'd come pick it up after work today (and before orchestra practice...which is at Point C).
So...to put it all into perspective- I started at D. That squiggly road that goes west to Point B is so awful I hate it! Whoever planned that highway fails. Every car wants to switch over 3 lanes to get on some other highway, so everyone just SITS. So frustrating! (Especially at 5 or 6pm!) After I went all the way out to Keller (and I'll explain that situation in a moment)...I rushed to Rockwall (Point C) for my 8:10 orchestra rehearsal- and made it just in time! Then back home. 130 miles. What a night.
I called the horn guy in Keller when I was leaving work to let him know I was coming/ give him a chance to tell me not to come if it wasn't ready. He didn't answer...but he did call me when I got to Southlake (the town just east of Keller). He said it wasn't ready, but he'd try to have it done by 7:30...what? 7:30? I have a rehearsal across town at 8:10! Now, I realize taking I-30 was not the most logical road to take from Keller to Rockwall, but it's what my iPhone spit out at me, and I feel like it tends to have less traffic than 183 or 635. (And taking I-30 gave me a gorgeous view of downtown Dallas as the setting sun reflected off all the glass buildings! Pretty!)
Anyway, this horn thing (consult the pic below and this will make a lot more sense)... When I got to the guy's house (which is also his workshop) he said 10 minutes before I drove up he had patched the crack, which was right at, or below, the #2 on the picture. Then he was trying to straighten the pipe that #s 1,2,5 & 3 line up against. While he was doing this, that little "L" shaped piece of metal between #s 2&11 came loose and the metal between #s2&5 crinkled.....fabulous. I completely understand that this kind of thing only happens like once in 10 years to this guy, and he's lucky that I'm as chill as I am...I think any diva musician would've blown their top! (Not to sound like a snob or anything, but I have a really nice horn. We found it in the classifieds when I was in middle school for a steal...and I mean a serious steal! It's an Alexander 103 if You care at all to Google it. Mine is maybe 40 years old...we bought it from a widow who's deceased husband was a professional horn player, and he bought it from the German factory 20-30 years before it was passed on to me). So all that to say, the horn is a little old and pretty valuable.
The guy said he needed to keep my horn until Sunday when he could spend some serious time on it, which is fine with me because I only play on Wednesdays. He mentioned possibly replacing that entire pipe (that starts @ #1, goes all the way down to #4 and scoops back up and ends under #10)...for no charge. I'm wondering what other kinds of discounts he's gonna give me....He told me not to pay him yet, but I'm interested to see how this all turns out. He said the last girl's horn he messed up this bad (10 years ago, of course) he didn't charge her and gave her free repairs for the next 3 years. By all means...screw up a little more...as long as you can fix it!
He gave me a loaner horn...I think it's a Conn 8D, not that I expect you to know what that is, but it seems like it's what all the horn players play these days (and I like being different with my Alexander). It played really well in orchestra. I guess it's always fun to try out different horns every now and then, but I want my Alex back in one piece please!
After a fun-filled day at work where I don't feel like I finished a single task, but just did little pieces of several things (which doesn't leave me feeling very accomplished), I had to run an errand.
So...to put it all into perspective- I started at D. That squiggly road that goes west to Point B is so awful I hate it! Whoever planned that highway fails. Every car wants to switch over 3 lanes to get on some other highway, so everyone just SITS. So frustrating! (Especially at 5 or 6pm!) After I went all the way out to Keller (and I'll explain that situation in a moment)...I rushed to Rockwall (Point C) for my 8:10 orchestra rehearsal- and made it just in time! Then back home. 130 miles. What a night.
I called the horn guy in Keller when I was leaving work to let him know I was coming/ give him a chance to tell me not to come if it wasn't ready. He didn't answer...but he did call me when I got to Southlake (the town just east of Keller). He said it wasn't ready, but he'd try to have it done by 7:30...what? 7:30? I have a rehearsal across town at 8:10! Now, I realize taking I-30 was not the most logical road to take from Keller to Rockwall, but it's what my iPhone spit out at me, and I feel like it tends to have less traffic than 183 or 635. (And taking I-30 gave me a gorgeous view of downtown Dallas as the setting sun reflected off all the glass buildings! Pretty!)
Anyway, this horn thing (consult the pic below and this will make a lot more sense)... When I got to the guy's house (which is also his workshop) he said 10 minutes before I drove up he had patched the crack, which was right at, or below, the #2 on the picture. Then he was trying to straighten the pipe that #s 1,2,5 & 3 line up against. While he was doing this, that little "L" shaped piece of metal between #s 2&11 came loose and the metal between #s2&5 crinkled.....fabulous. I completely understand that this kind of thing only happens like once in 10 years to this guy, and he's lucky that I'm as chill as I am...I think any diva musician would've blown their top! (Not to sound like a snob or anything, but I have a really nice horn. We found it in the classifieds when I was in middle school for a steal...and I mean a serious steal! It's an Alexander 103 if You care at all to Google it. Mine is maybe 40 years old...we bought it from a widow who's deceased husband was a professional horn player, and he bought it from the German factory 20-30 years before it was passed on to me). So all that to say, the horn is a little old and pretty valuable.
The guy said he needed to keep my horn until Sunday when he could spend some serious time on it, which is fine with me because I only play on Wednesdays. He mentioned possibly replacing that entire pipe (that starts @ #1, goes all the way down to #4 and scoops back up and ends under #10)...for no charge. I'm wondering what other kinds of discounts he's gonna give me....He told me not to pay him yet, but I'm interested to see how this all turns out. He said the last girl's horn he messed up this bad (10 years ago, of course) he didn't charge her and gave her free repairs for the next 3 years. By all means...screw up a little more...as long as you can fix it!
He gave me a loaner horn...I think it's a Conn 8D, not that I expect you to know what that is, but it seems like it's what all the horn players play these days (and I like being different with my Alexander). It played really well in orchestra. I guess it's always fun to try out different horns every now and then, but I want my Alex back in one piece please!
Thursday, September 23
The dreaded newsletter
Sure, this might be an attempt to appease my readers since I've gotten 2 complaints about my blogging-slackage.
I came home from work today to a lovely bright green newsletter on my door...the first line (in bold) reads, "It has come to our attention that there have been several burglaries in the area. If you notice any suspicious activity in your community please contact police immediately."
Well...that's just peachy, isn't it? It goes on to basically say, "be smart." On the back, they provided security guidelines. Since I have a fair amount of common sense, I already follow most of the guidelines...but there are a few I don't (simply because I think they're a bit too much to ask).
For instance, "If you have occasion to walk outside your apartment at night, walk with at least one other person." Right...and who might that person be? If I'm walking with another person outside at night, it means I'm being abducted and I need help.
Oh...I really like this one: "Know at least two exit routes from your home, if possible." Well, I guess they gave themselves a way out with the "if possible" because my options are limited to the front door, the (2nd floor) balcony, the 2nd floor window, or the chimney.
I like this one too: "When you leave home, make sure someone knows where you're going and when you plan to be back"....."Hey mom...yeah, it's me again. Yes, I know you live an hour away and I'm a big girl, but I'm going to Target again. I'll be back in 20 minutes." Isn't this rule why I live alone in the first place?
I'm really not too worried about it- I try to use common sense in general and lay low- it's best to go unnoticed. But maybe if I don't blog for...eh...a couple weeks, you should send a missing persons report to the police! (But hopefully my dear mother would've gone looking for me by then!)
I came home from work today to a lovely bright green newsletter on my door...the first line (in bold) reads, "It has come to our attention that there have been several burglaries in the area. If you notice any suspicious activity in your community please contact police immediately."
Well...that's just peachy, isn't it? It goes on to basically say, "be smart." On the back, they provided security guidelines. Since I have a fair amount of common sense, I already follow most of the guidelines...but there are a few I don't (simply because I think they're a bit too much to ask).
For instance, "If you have occasion to walk outside your apartment at night, walk with at least one other person." Right...and who might that person be? If I'm walking with another person outside at night, it means I'm being abducted and I need help.
Oh...I really like this one: "Know at least two exit routes from your home, if possible." Well, I guess they gave themselves a way out with the "if possible" because my options are limited to the front door, the (2nd floor) balcony, the 2nd floor window, or the chimney.
I like this one too: "When you leave home, make sure someone knows where you're going and when you plan to be back"....."Hey mom...yeah, it's me again. Yes, I know you live an hour away and I'm a big girl, but I'm going to Target again. I'll be back in 20 minutes." Isn't this rule why I live alone in the first place?
I'm really not too worried about it- I try to use common sense in general and lay low- it's best to go unnoticed. But maybe if I don't blog for...eh...a couple weeks, you should send a missing persons report to the police! (But hopefully my dear mother would've gone looking for me by then!)
Thursday, September 16
Great evening!
I had my last rowing class tonight! It was awesome! I didn't get tangled up in weeds or rubbish, didn't run into anybody or anything, and I didn't fall in!
The teacher gave me a great tip: Push with the legs instead of pull with the arms. It made me go so much faster and it made the boat a lot more stable. I actually made it around the entire lake twice in an hour and 15 minutes. The past 2 rowing sessions I didn't even make it around the lake once!
My rowing days are not over (I hope!) I'm going to join the Dallas Rowing Club! And the group sends out emails to let everyone know when they plan to go row so we can row together (you can't row alone!)
I did get really bad blisters on the second knuckle of all my fingers though (they won't show up in a picture or I'd show you how much pain I'm in). It hurt to open my car door and grip the steering-wheel, so I drove with my palms!
Once I got the hang of it and started rowing really fast it was a LOT of fun! I highly recommend rowing to everyone! You can row until you're old and wrinkly! :)
The teacher gave me a great tip: Push with the legs instead of pull with the arms. It made me go so much faster and it made the boat a lot more stable. I actually made it around the entire lake twice in an hour and 15 minutes. The past 2 rowing sessions I didn't even make it around the lake once!
My rowing days are not over (I hope!) I'm going to join the Dallas Rowing Club! And the group sends out emails to let everyone know when they plan to go row so we can row together (you can't row alone!)
I did get really bad blisters on the second knuckle of all my fingers though (they won't show up in a picture or I'd show you how much pain I'm in). It hurt to open my car door and grip the steering-wheel, so I drove with my palms!
Once I got the hang of it and started rowing really fast it was a LOT of fun! I highly recommend rowing to everyone! You can row until you're old and wrinkly! :)
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