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Friday, January 13, 2006

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 13:16:49 GMT

We made 5 blankets last night. 2 are the navy print pattern backed by red, 2 are blue, and one is green. They turned out pretty well. However, when I measured, I forgot to include space for fringing, so they might be too narrow. I hope not, we worked hard on them. I really appreciated how the group contributed.

I have decided to knit a baby blanket. NOT because I'm having a child. But it seems like a good activity to do while watching tv so I feel like I'm not wasting time, plus I can make another blanket for Project Linus that way.

Today is pay day. Woo hoo! I love pay day. Still. However, I have to balance my bill paying because Mike gets paid NEXT Friday, so I have to be sure I don't pay bills over-zealously.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 13:07:15 GMT

It's dreary today. Yesterday it rained (stormed!). So now everything is wet and it's supposed to be 70 degrees today. Humid, what? Ugh! Since when did it turn into April? Fall gave winter a miss and went straight on into spring.

I'm going back to the podiatrist today to get my orthotics checked out. I don't like them they make my feet hurt. I need new shoes totally - for running and just walking around. Too bad I'm so cheap. Well, pain is a good motivator.

Tonight for small group we're making blankets for Project Linus. Yesterday I bought 8 yards of fleece, so that ought to be enough. We'll cut the blankets to the size we want, then fringe the edges and tie them off. I have 2 yards each of green, red, blue, and a cute navy pattern with a print of stick figure girls. Fleece was on sale.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 18:32:29 GMT

I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off. First of all, someone got in a wreck on the highway this morning. Traffic was all over the place, argh. Which was really only a problem because on Wednesdays I volunteer from 9 am - 1 pm, so I was trying to get to work early because I had to leave again. Not to mention that getting to the place I volunteer was back in the direction of traffic.

Once I got to volunteering, there were some new interns observing so they could begin interning. The other intern there today handled all the tough, long calls. Mine were all simple admin stuff and wrong numbers. However, I did learn data entry, so that was good. I always felt like a big slacker for not being able to enter my own stuff in the computer.

In the 4+ hours I was gone, I received exactly zero work-related phone calls, emails, and/or faxes. Darn near depressing. Oh well, I get to spend time doing other things, like blogging. :D

Seriously Otis is insane. He just runs around the house in circles now. He's bonkers.

I have a giant zit under my lip. Not like located in my face below my lip, but like making my lip swell up. It's really embarrassing and gross-looking. Plus it hurts really bad. Hooray for being a woman, and all part of PMS. Stupid PMS.

No word yet on getting in to grad school. I know you were holding your breath, hoping I'd hear by now. I wish I knew my odds for getting in. Last night I learned of a local facility opening on Monday. I knew the facility was opening. What I didn't know is that a friend of mine knows the director and was instrumental in the opening of the facility. Which means she also knows that there will be a very high staff turnover rate at first because a lot of out of towners are coming in to set it up, so she said to send them my resume. I would love to work at this place and they are doing great things.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 14:51:49 GMT

Is it just me, or are Girl Scout cookies insanely expensive? It's $3.50 a box. They're like the post office. They know you have no other alternative, so you have to pay what they demand to get the crack-laced cookies. Mmmm, Thin Mints...

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 14:10:01 GMT

Last night husband and I began dance lessons. A friend very nicely and generously gave me a gift certificate for private lessons at a local studio. For a while both husband and I have wanted to learn the Latin dances. So last night we began salsa and learned merengue. I did not realize merengue lives up to its reputation as really and truly being the easiest dance in the world.

Husband is a trumpet player. He likes to play merengue music because it's fast and he can really wail on it. I like to dance merengue because it's easy and if you get off beat no one can tell. Ha ha.

I'm telling you, one thirty minute lesson, and we're awesome!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Tue, 10 Jan 2006 13:10:49 GMT

Here is your website of the day: www.dirtydishonline.com

Big day yesterday. Husband dropped cat (Otis) off at the vet yesterday. Otis has an inappropriate urination problem. Which is to say, he pees everywhere. I learned fixed male cats are prone to UTI's, so we wanted to be sure he didn't have one. I thought he was being persnickety and wanted his litter box cleaned more often.

It turns out Otis does have a UTI. Now I feel like a bad cat mother. Honestly, if he had ever told me he was sick, I would have taken him in! I think the problem is that Otis's "lethargic" is other cats' "normal". After two doses of antibiotics, Otis is back up to HIS normal - which is insane. Plus, he has crystals in his urine due to a high pH. Now he is on special acidic food to help with that. Great, my cat is on acid.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 21:10:11 GMT

It's been an uneventful day. I had to go to work just to get some rest, ha ha. I spent some time looking for train fares in Spain. Yesterday I talked to middle sister about going to Spain over her spring break. Flying from home to Barcelona would be expensive, but going to Madrid first then taking a train might lessen the fees. Either way, it's going to be expensive.

I'm also trying to figure out how to restructure the budget any way possible. I know, ironic thing to say immediately after discussing a possible trip to Spain. Anyway, for grad school, assuming I get in, tuition is $3000/semester. So now my whole life, every expenditure becomes a percentage of tuition. Airfare to Arizona to see my dad race his very first Ironman? $300. That's 10% of tuition. If husband comes too, that's 20% of tuition. But that also means saving even another $50 a month adds up. Every 6 months, that's 10%. See, think about it in the long term.

Check out this guy for some cool reggeaton: www.ignitedforgod.com

Monday, January 09, 2006

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 15:18:43 GMT

Good morning. It's been a while. Short version of latest happenings: Stress fracture confirmed, so no running. December was overly busy, and I crashed and burned right after Christmas. It took me til this weekend to feel "normal" again. So of course I was super busy all weekend and this week is totally packed.

My sister, the one who just returned from a semester in Ecuador, come home from a week in London yesterday. It sounds like she had a really good time. I am sure this semester is going to seem really weird.

I applied to grad school in Social Work. I have no idea of my odds for getting in. I either will or I won't, but I have to leave it all up to God. I can't spend from now til April wondering and worrying.

Nothing new in the job front, either here in the office (ie, still slow) or in finding a new one.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:17:01 GMT

Ecuador was a fun trip, apart from the getting there and the getting home. On the way down, the flight from My Town to Miami was totally uneventful and I had lots of space. Then, I got to Miami, where the problem started. As soon as I got off the plane I found the new gate so I could go wait there. It was supposed to be leaving at 6:30 pm, and the "flight information" monitors listed it as 7:30 pm. OK, not a good sign, but I’ll just get there an hour later, right? Eventually, I go eat in this Mexican place that was pretty good, but I think I ate too many jalapenos.

The time for take off kept getting pushed back and pushed back... Eventually it was 7:45, then 8:04 (what?), then 8:15 ... around 8:30 they tell us they’re trying to fix our plane by changing a part and testing it to be sure it works. Well, I’d like for the plane to work, so I am OK to read a book until they can work it out.

Then, they figured out they couldn't fix the plane we were supposed to take, so they are going to "try" to find a new plane for us. Also keep in mind I’m flying down (and currently in Miami) the DAY BEFORE Hurricane Wilma, which happens to be the strongest hurricane in recorded history. Wilma is supposed to hit Miami or Florida that weekend, and this was Thursday, October 20. In addition, for more fun, I have my cell phone with me, but it has about half its battery and I’m roaming. Which doesn’t really matter because I’m traveling to another country, so I can’t really call it anyway to keep the people updated who are supposed to pick me up from the airport. My mom has my sister’s family’s number, so I keep calling home to update them on the latest in the saga, because I don’t want my sister to wait at the airport from 9:30 pm to 1:00 am, or potentially make a fruitless trip there.

Around 8:30 I go to the bathroom, because I need to, and I assumed I would hear if they start loading the plane. I came out and the whole terminal was EMPTY. That is a very bad feeling. I asked a very nice man if he knew what happened to the flight, and he said they moved gates. Thanks for telling someone ... like the passengers. So anyway, I found my flight.

They had moved because they found a new plane for us. Then around 9:30 at night, they tell us our flight crew "went illegal". I assume they meant they had to go off the clock because they'd worked so long that day, but I suppose it could mean they were actually rogue agents. No one told me. In any event, they are searching for a new flight crew for our flight. Eventually, we are informed that they have, in fact, found a new flight crew for us, but they’re on the other side of the airport and will be coming as fast as they can. The Miami airport is HUGE. They tell you where to go not by saying "take a left at this corner and then it’s up the stairs". In the Miami airport, it’s "Follow the arrow in this direction for 15 minutes".

Apart from losing the other passengers during the gate change, American Airlines tried to keep us well informed of updates. Almost too well informed. Besides all the updates on the broken plane, the new plane, the flight crew status and potential appearance of a new crew, it's about 9:45 and they tell us we HAVE TO leave by 10 in order to make it to Quito before they turn off the runway lights and we'd have to go somewhere else. Why it's important to tell US that, I don't know. WE weren't the ones holding things up. We were assured that either we’d go to Quito, land in Guayaquil (also in Ecuador, but on the coast; Quito is in the mountains), or they’d put us up in Miami that night and take off in the morning. Fabulous, I am already tired (I’m old, OK, I go to bed early) and I don’t want to wait around to find out in what country I’m going to spend the night, and with which strangers or family or no one.

Anyway, eventually we leave, we make it to Quito one minute before 1:00 am, and everything's golden. It makes for an exciting trip. And that’s only getting down there! My sister and her sleepy family met me at the airport. My sister’s family consists of Lucy (mom), Alphonso (dad), and Sofy (daughter, 21). Their dog is named Nena. She looks like a shih tzu or a maltese. Nena is currently with puppy due to going on a date with her husband, Lucas.

They all speak Spanish, obviously. Sofy speaks English well, Alphonso some, and Lucy not at all. I don’t know if Nena speaks English, but if you ask her Donde esta el gato?! (Where is the cat?) She gets upset and runs around trying to find it. Pobre Nena.

Once we got home at 1:00 am, I was given some te de coca to help adjust to the altitude. Quito is 9,000 ft elevation. My sister said she doesn’t think the tea would be legal in the US. I was hoping to get high, but I guess I was too tired. Or it’s not that strong. However, I never had any elevation problems, so that was good. I could tell the air was thinner, but I never had a headache.

Since sister and I stayed up until 4 am talking after I finally made it in, I stayed home and in bed while she went to class on Friday. I think I got up for a little while to eat some breakfast. Lucy and Sofy tried to tell me a story. I think the gist of the story was that my sister asked Lucy how it was to be married for 30+ years. Lucy told her it was like 15 minutes underwater. Of course, it is quite possible I misunderstood the whole thing and we were talking about something completely and totally different.

Friday afternoon is a little hazy. I think we went downtown to the artists’ market to do some preliminary shopping. We went to an internet café too to email home and let them know that I did, in fact, finally get to the correct city in the correct country. Then my sister took me to La Estacion de Salsa! It is really neat. It’s a tiny little bar, about the size of my apartment at home. Maybe. It could be smaller. It’s really neat, because it’s not a bar for the purpose of drinking, everyone goes there to dance! Granted, they DO have a bar there, which is fun. We went early in the evening on Friday, maybe around 6 pm. There were only a few other people there, older gentlemen who appeared to have been drinking there (or somewhere) all day. Just as my sister and I were getting ready to walk out, the bartender told us we qualified for a free drink. Not sure how, exactly, but my sister had remembered a drink she had heard of previously and wanted to try it. I can’t remember the name, because it was in Spanish. The drink also turned out to be a shot! AND from one of the older, drunken gentlemen. And came with some limes. However, it was tasty, and we took the shots like champs. Because really, what else can a girl do? Then we left and went home in a taxi. The taxi part was unrelated to the shot, it’s just how we got home. Once we got home, we ate a very yummy dinner (Lucy is an excellent cook and kept me VERY well fed!). Then my sister and I attempted to watch Castaway, in English with Spanish subtitles, but she fell sound asleep within 10 minutes. From the 45 minutes I watched, I can tell you, I do not want to be stranded on a deserted island. Even for an introvert, that is too much alone time.

Saturday, my sister and I were up at the crack of 10 or 11:00. After breakfast, we went down to the Central part of the city, where all of the buildings from the colonial period are. Keep in mind that I got all my Quito history from the Spanish-language museum that we visited, so if this is incorrect, I sincerely apologize. How many times have you studied history in another language? All right then. Anyway, I think Quito was founded or colonized in the 1500's by Jesuit priests. So there are a lot of buildings that have that style - 16^th and 17^th century Spanish colonial. Gorgeous! They do colors better there, for sure. And mountains, but that’s not really our fault. Sister and I went to the central square, where there are cathedrals, museums, and the President’s house (Hola, Senor Presidente!). We went to a museum with an exhibit on Arabian/Middle Eastern influence on South American countries. We ate lunch with some other American foreign exchange students. The students are from Alaska, attending college in Idaho. No, I don’t know why they picked Idaho. Or Iowa. Shoot, I can’t remember. One of the I states that people don’t generally vacation in.

Following our afternoon of learning, we went home for dinner, again quite good. Then... off to dance salsa! Bailamos! Since we didn’t leave the house until about 10:30, we got home around 2:45! Holy moly! Yes, I was very proud of myself. The dancing was a LOT of fun. People at La Estacion de Salsa are not afraid to ask strangers to dance, especially strangers who are obviously not from around here. I quickly learned how to say, REALLY, no thank you! And I learned how to dance salsa, though I am not nearly as good as my sister. Let’s see, speaks Spanish, American, cute, curly hair, dances salsa ... Can you guess who the popular girl at the bar was? I think she gave her phone number to 2 or 3 guys when she left.

Yet we still got up in the morning on time for church. Or maybe on time-ish. We got there before the service started, but I think we stressed out Sofy. That was unfortunate. I was happy that I could follow the sermon in Spanish (well, I think so anyway). It had to do with rules vs the freedom of Christ. But it wasn’t that now we are not subject to any rules, more that rules have their place and are good for instruction and guidance, but when we get older and more mature, we have the ability to decide rules for ourselves. And, many of the songs, even though in Spanish, were the same as the ones we sing at home! Chevere.

I also learned a lot of Spanish and Quichua while there. I forgot most of it already, yikes! One I still use often is achachi (Ah-Cha-Chi, long I). It means, it’s cold! And Chevere is cool, as in, very cool, man. If someone is driving badly and cuts you off and flicking them off is what you want to do, then you yell Camarron! It means shrimp. As I discovered, it also garners a lot of attention if you yell it while on a crowded bus and all the other passengers are clearly NOT foreign like you are. Oops. Kimberly and I nearly wet ourselves laughing so hard, though. If someone has a hangover, they are chuchaqui. Though, be sure the last syllable is on the word, or it’s very rude and refers to something else entirely.

Sunday afternoon we went to el Mitad del Mundo, or Middle of the World. Ecuador is on the Equator (thus the name, ahem), so we went to the City at the Middle of the World. They had a band playing and various shops and cafes around. They also have a very large building type thing. It looks like a square vase turned upside down with a marble on top. The marble is the world. There are giant letters on the ground for each of the four directions of the compass, Norte, Sud, Este and Oeste. Inside the building, there is a museum devoted to the 30+ indigenous populations of Ecuador. There was so much information, I eventually could not read any more, because I was taking in SO MUCH information.

Monday, we were to take the Teleferiqo up to the top of the Andes mountains. It wasn’t too cloudy in the morning. The Teleferiqo is like a ski lift, running from Quito, 9000 ft elevation, up to the top of the mountains, around 4000 meters elevation. We got to the Teleferiqo at about 8:30 or 8:45. Turns out, on Mondays, it doesn’t open until 11:00 am. That’s what we get for being on time once! So, we went to the mall, where we purchased Espiritu de Ecuador (peach tasting liquor, not liqueur, that you take in shot form and is very tasty), took money from the ATM, and changed it to $5's. Carrying around $20's is useless, though they do use USD there. We also went to the internet café and then home to eat and regroup before reattempting the Teleferiqo. This time, we made it! It is absolutely gorgeous. It was cloudy, but that was neat. My sister kept trying to fall down the side of the mountain. The mountains are very steep, and very green. It is also scary!

Quito the city is fairly large, I think about 1.5 million people. It is in a valley, so it is very long and narrow. The buildings, like I said, are much more colorful than here in the US. They are also much shorter, with the tallest I saw maybe around 15 stories or so. I’m not a very good judge of height, but I don’t think they were over 30 stories. Most people get around using buses (25 cents a ride) or taxis ($1-4 a trip). Riding the bus is fun, because if you see the one you want, you stand on the side walk and wave, and they slow down so you can jump on. Just try not to yell rude things, like Camarron!

After the Teleferiqo, we went back to the artists’ market. We shopped for rings - brown, inexpensive, with carvings on them. Eventually the rings will fade out to white, which is cool. Also, tablecloths - brightly colored, with lots of embroidery. I bought pants, they are striped and very fun. I also bought some alpaca wool scarves, which are gorgeous and so soft. After that, it was home for dinner.

Monday night Mom called to tell us my current flight scheduled on Tuesday was canceled because Miami was closed due to the hurricane. I do not adjust well to travel plan changes. Great! Tuesday morning we go to the Quito airport to try to reschedule tickets. Only we forgot no one does anything either early or on time there, so we had to wait for someone to get into the American Airlines office to tell me that I am currently on the standby list for Thursday, but I'll definitely at least be out by Sunday. Um, OK. I think she was trying to be reassuring. I do, after all, have a job and husband that I’m skipping out on! Thanks for the help there... my sister’s family was so awesome, and acted like my being there longer was the greatest thing that had happened that year, short of my sister coming to stay with them. Tuesday and Wednesday sort of run together. Tuesday, I went with my sister to where her school is, and I read and used the internet while she was in class. Again, the introvert is happy with her alone time. Quito is not a place for quiet and solitude. There are people EVERYWHERE, and people are so friendly and fun. They are also quite noisy. Anyway, I didn't bother going to the airport Wednesday. I would have been there at 4 am for a flight I probably wouldn’t make. So, while my sister was in class, I tried to get a lot of sleep. She and I were both very tired, due to playing a lot and not sleeping much. One night we went to a flamenco guitar concert. The music was good, but the artist did not have much of a stage presence!

Thursday we went to the airport at 5 am, and American put me on the 7 am flight out of Quito to Miami. The agent acted like he was doing me a huge favor. Um, first of all, that’s your JOB, and second, there were about 10 empty seats on the flight, so I would have gotten on anyway, so there! But I was so grateful to finally be on my way home, 2 days late, so I was just happy. There was a little boy on the flight that hadn’t had the idea of air pressure changes explained to him, and when we got into Miami, he was very upset!

Then, I get to Miami at noon, and they tell me the flight to My Town was canceled! After I nearly wet myself, they clarify the 2 pm and 6 pm flights were canceled. Thanks, I already knew I had to sit around the airport for 8 hours and wait for the 8 pm flight. I read two books, and finally made it home at 10 pm!

Mike was very happy to see me, including the presents I brought him. Otis and Tommi (my cats, not kids) were very happy to smell me. I can’t say I was thrilled to be back at work on Friday, but I suppose it is a good thing.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:06:09 GMT

I'm feeling funky today. It's been a busybusy couple of weeks, but I might have worn myself out! Friday was dinner with SIL - fun! Very good Italian food. Saturday was errands all day involving spending too much money. Then friends came over to play poker on Saturday night. That was very enjoyable too, as we didn't have to do too much, we just cleaned the house and ordered pizza. Plus, poker was fun.

Sunday we were supposed to have a 10K. In the morning, pre-race, I was really feeling down and not looking forward to the race. I realized through conversation with Mike, that I was dreading the race because I am always in pain when I run, and I just didn't think the race would be fun. He didn't know how my right shin has been hurting. So I was grounded from running until I go to the doctor. Appointment today at 2:30 pm. I don't know what I think she will say - shin splint, calf strain, or stress fracture. It gets better if I don't run, but as SOON as I start, it hurts immediately. There is a definite single place on my shin that it hurts. It hurts when I hop on one foot, and it just aches all the time, not just when I'm running. I want a referral to a sports doc. Whatever the problem is, I need someone to give me specific instruction in stretching and strengthening exercises.