Power

Someone in Arizona split the massive PowerBall jackpot with someone in Missouri....exciting to have a winner in my home state!  My assistant's mom lives in Michigan so we bough 10 tickets from her yesterday....no idea if they are worth anything....

I just emailed J. and used the word 'harumph' - as in 'the sound I would be making regarding my current state of mind if you were down here with me to hear it'.  But since he isn't, he gets it via email....

Rain for the next four days....lovely.  Layering is the only way to go....

Already only 11 days left......I know my countdown mentality is likely annoying but I can't help it.  I am so happy to be so busy that the days are flying by - in fact, I thought yesterday was Tuesday until I got home and J. reminded me Survivor was on - time is flying by!!!  Yeah!!

Chloe-Bear Sunshine

The very cooperative tech support staff helped me get my picture where I can upload it here....thanks, Tech Support.  You are awesomely awesome....and I love you.

Chloe seeks sun all day, everyday.  We have those 'doggie stairs' so she can climb up on the couch (and we are diligently training her that she MUST walk down them vs. jumping down.  When you've had a dog that ruptured a disc and was paralyzed, you are very careful about your current little dog jumping off couches).  Chloe can get on the couch easily and now, she's learned to climb off the seat cushions and up to the back cushions as the sun creeps to different locations throughout the day.  She is cold...constantly - but she won't wear coats or sweaters. 

So here is the missing picture from my Monday morning post:

This morning I awoke at 2AM...and couldn't go back to sleep.  Until 4AM.  So when the alarm went off at 4:40ish (later than yesterday because I didn't feel compelled to be in my office by 6 like I did on Monday), I turned it off instead of hitting snooze.  I woke up at 6:30!  Felt late all day - but managed to wedge it all in.  I got there 'last' in my building which is rare - but oh well.  It happens.

Only 13 work days left....and they really fly by 'cuz it's so busy.  I do love that - how quickly time passes when I'm swamped. 

Cyber What?

Today is Cyber Monday so I should be shopping away - keys clicking, credit card buzzing....but I already did most of that this weekend.  I was one of the shoppers that made this a record sales weekend according to Yahoo news.  The fun thing is J. and I 'shopping' together and using Christmas as an excuse to buy stuff we would probably not usually consider buying....but it's Christmas and we are enjoying a little merry!

There will be a bunch of packages arriving in the next week or so and that means wrapping and shipping and decorating!  Time for the tree!

I came downstairs early this morning reciting 'one down, fourteen to go' - one getting up very early day begun and fourteen left to go before a nice long winter break.  Did I mention I am turning the two and a half week break into three full weeks?  I am!  Twenty three glorious days of sleeping in...

When I'm off, I like to stay up late(r) and get up later.  I slept in until 9 quite a few days this past week and it was terrific!  But now it's back to 'work' schedule and I get up early so I can go in early - trying to carve out some quiet time each morning before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.  It works - but wow - even with  Christmas music waking me up, it was a shock this morning.

I'm not sure I like Christmas music this early - and it really feels 'fake' to me...like the radio station is just playing taped stuff so they don't have to pay DJ's....

Still, awakening to The Little Drummer Boy is a nice way to start the week.

The heat came on upstairs but it's freezing down here....I am making another latte, turning on the heat and getting showered....time to get this show on the road.  The three weeks looming ahead will be the busiest, longest three weeks in quite awhile and I've decided to just hit it head on - embrace the craziness!  I just did a fist pump!  Practically high-fived myself!

Chloe is looking at me like I'm nuts.  It's too cold for this much enthusiasm.  This is how she spent her weekend -

Well, I can't get the damn picture to upload so I'll have to try again tonight when Tech Support is open.

Turkey-itis

Thanksgiving was full of the usual - cooking, feasting, running the dishwasher non-stop and much to be grateful for.  A pleasant, fun day ensued and while it felt like we cooked all day, it all came together easily enough.  The turkey was delicious - not stuffed as we've decided that stuffing draws all the moisture out of the meat - so the stuffing is baked separately.  I even made giblet gravy which was delicious and the kids didn't notice the boiled parts included - per Pioneer Woman 'those are flavor!'.  Thanks to J. for the careful chopping and for peeling off the meat from the neck, too.

The pies were also scrumptious and I am not ashamed to admit they were frozen.  Claim Jumper!  

I've done a fair amount of cyber shopping and have to say that I love the ease of just ordering.  Now have to make a list so I won't forget what's coming and what I've spent so far!  

Today, B. asked if he could accompany me to Target - he 'just wanted to get out of the house'.  I think he's having a bit of anxiety only his departure being just a month away.  It's all becoming 'real' as he mentioned in the drive to the mall.  Um...yes, sweetie...but isn't/hasn't that always been the plan?  I think 'the next big thing' is truly a BIG THING and his slight OMG approach at the moment seems completely appropriate.  So he hangs close - spending time with both me and J. and trying to spend time with H. - and H. wants nothing to do with any of that stuff.  I know H. will miss him when he's gone but for now, B. is just a huge PITA and H. avoids him.  Siblings.  It happens.

This year, the boys are 'active' participants in their gift selection.  It's hard to shop for B. who can't take any of it with him to basic - so we select things he will enjoy and we will ship them to him (or better: fly out there to see him when we can and personally deliver them) when he's allowed to have his stuff.  And H. has few requests other than the mattress...so it may be easy shopping for them.  Yes, the annual scavenger hunt will happen but I think we will keep it 'low key'.  Translated: not a lot of $.  Some...just not much.  We're on a budget now - and our carefulness is really helping us as we transition to less income.  

The long saga of J.'s new computer is winding down as it appears to be here and working.  The first one worked, too, for a few days - so we will see.  I do not think we will ever order an HP computer ever again - going back to strictly buying whatever Costco has because you can't beat their customer service and their guarantee.  HP has been great about all the issues - but there are a zillion issues and it's been a long, drawn out process to fix it.  We've paid for two computers and await the return and credit of one....hoping that all goes well.  

I worked a bit yesterday and will work quite a bit tomorrow - but managed three full days off and then took today off, too!  Sleeping in until 9 makes the day 'short' and while I should have worked today, it will all work out.  

B. and I treated ourselves to Sonic for lunch - I am already totally over the leftovers.  We froze a bunch of stuffing 'cuz I forgot we weren't stuffing the bird and made enough for an army!  Thinking of making turkey enchiladas for dinner tomorrow just for something different.  

The big news in town is Amazon is opening up a warehouse in town this spring!  1,000 jobs and over a million in tax revenue for our city.  It's BIG news here in a place where most people commute 45 minutes or more to their jobs.  We are hoping H. will apply and be hired - his current job is great experience and his equipment skills will also be a plus.  And while his commute isn't bad - it's the first exit past the Altamont - it's still a commute and it would be wonderful for him to be a non-commuter.  Oh - he found out he is paid for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years days - his first paid holiday was yesterday and he loved it!  They don't get a lot of holidays or any paid sick time - but at least they get paid for a few days they don't have to work!  

It was a nice Thanksgiving and I did a good job of not getting overly emotional about it being B.'s  last at home for awhile.  Maybe we will go to Georgia for next year - who knows?

Vacation!

Last year, my work contract was changed - a variety of reasons, really.  One of the major changes was the addition of accrued vacation.  Based on my tenure, I receive 15 paid days of time off each year.  Sounds great in theory (and is really great in many ways) but as y'all know who read here regularly I work a lot - so it's going to be interesting to find 15 days I can take off each year.  But I plan to.  I still get the two weeks at Christmas - but now if I want to be off the M-T of Thanksgiving week and/or Spring Break week, I use vacation for that time.  Plan to.  And will still have a week left for summer fun - if there's time to be off in the summer.  This summer will be easy 'cuz on June 29th, we are boarding a plane for Cancun and spending 11 days and nights on the beach! 

So today was my first official paid vacation day (it's taken me 11 months to use a vacation day) - and I spent it treating myself to lunch at Red Robin followed by the final installment of the Twilight series movies.  It was a fantastic movie and I loved every second of it - time flew by.  Loved it and can't wait to see it again.  As I left the house this morning, J. said 'take Kleenex' and I thought 'now why would he say that?'...possibly because he knows me very well.  I didn't actually cry but I did get a lump in my throat as the closing credits were rolling.  Guess that comes from loving a series of books so much - and just like the last page of the last book, it's sad to see it end.  Though personally, I think there's plenty of room for more books and more movies - still much of the story to be told.  Hoping...

Tomorrow, we are heading to San Leandro for lunch with J.'s brother.  Then home and hoping for not too much traffic.  Have some pre-turkey day prep to do - baking pies; making cranberry sauce; chopping stuff for the stuffing.

The first Christmas present arrived from Amazon - and it's for me and J.!  Shopping for us is the easiest part this year - we seem to know what we want/need.  The boys are another story.

H. wants a California King bed.  Turns out the full size bed he has is causing him issues - and I should have considered it more carefully when we bought their beds a few years ago.  He's 6'2" tall and his mattress is exactly the same length - 74 inches.  Add a pillow and it's no wonder the kid has never slept with a top sheet on the bed - he can't do that 'cuz he is too long.  He has to sleep curled up or in a variety of uncomfortable positions - and all he wants for Christmas is a remedy to that.  Mattresses are not cheap.  The Cal King isn't feasible 'cuz his room isn't big enough - but a Queen might work.  We are going to watch for sales at Costco and see what we can do.

We are strategizing on something to get for B. - something 'meaningful' as he moves out and onto the next phase of his life.  Not sure what it will be - but we'll think of something.

While J. was walking this morning, I answered a call that I thought was a sales call.  Turned out it was an HR rep from J.'s former employer letting him know that there was an opening for a job through their program for positions open for displaced employees.  Around the right salary range and a 5 month assignment.  The urge is to snap at the chance for the job - 5 months of salary and moving out his severance by five more months.  But it's not something he's ever done - and while you think 'it's a five month assignment, a chance to learn something new and if I totally suck at it, who cares 'cuz I don't work there anymore!', both J. and I are wired the same when it comes to work.  He doesn't want to apply for something that he has no experience in (producing training videos in this case) even if it would be $ and extending severance.  He wants to be 'good' at whatever it is - and while I'm sure he would be good at this - it's essentially a project management job - I can see how it's a little out of his comfort zone.  So I don't think he's going to apply - and that's OK.

The cleaning ladies were here today and the house is tidy.  I have a list of things I am going to clean - baseboards, window sills, etc. - things the cleaning ladies do once in awhile but could use some more attention.

I am treating myself to today, tomorrow and Thursday being totally 'off' - no work.  Did check emails once in awhile today but no laptop; no bag of stuff to read or do.  Just vegging.  I need it -

Damn Raiders (and Networks)

B. and the group of Army recruits he meets with twice a week attended today's Oakland Raiders game.  During the half time 'ceremony', they were re-sworn in.  We stayed glued to the tube (including watching half of the damn game - we don't care about the Raiders one bit) - and guess what?  They didn't show it!  Not even a tiny little part of it.  Filled the time with replays of other games.

Darn it!

I'm sure B. had a great time and at least he'll know we tried.

Tonight we are making potato leek soup with bacon - and some of us will add clams and/or scallops for a sea food chowder kind of soup.  We are putting the soup in bread bowls 'cuz we hope the break will entice the boys to at least try it.  We have leeks from our produce box and it's a soup kind of night - feeling more winter-y every day.  It's been a little stormy and rainy the past few days - lots of wind.

Work tomorrow and then on Tuesday, I am heading to the movies while the cleaning crew is here.  Can hardly wait for the final movie of the Twlight story!  I may even go right back out, buy another ticket and see it twice!!

Wednesday we are heading to San Leandro for dinner with J.'s brother - should be good and fun.  Hoping the traffic won't be too bad...though I am sure it will be.  There's a new huge outlet mall off the freeway in Livermore and from what we've heard, it is wreaking havoc on traffic in both directions pretty much all the time....and with people traveling to places far and wide for Thanksgiving, it will be a freeway zoo.

I've got a couple items shipping for Christmas for me and J. - we are easy!  The boys want cash...so it sounds like another scavenger hunt will ensue.

J. and I made it to WinCo to do the big shop for this week's festivities.  We ate hot dogs at a fairly new place near the mall - and both of us asked for relish on our dog.  Only it wasn't sweet pickle relish - it was the fluorescent green relish from Chicago that is dill pickle relish.  It was ok - but not the same - and as we were leaving, J. inquired if they have sweet relish.  They don't but you can 'bring your own packets' if you want.  Uh...right.  Cross that hot dog place off our list - we miss Caspar's!

Hostess

It was Friday...and it had been another very long week.  My will power was low.

I panicked at the news Hostess was closing and when J. went to get lotto, I asked him to pick up a few items.

I already ate a pack of Twinkies and Ding Dongs.  Meaning: there would be five items in the picture but two are already consumed.  I know.  I told you - I panicked!

These are hidden in a bag on my desk.  B. discovered the stash and asked if he could have some and was directed to 'check with Mom'.

He hasn't -

He knows the answer.

Strike!

The same union our son was a member of (until recently) is on strike at our local Raley's.  Actual picketing!

To entice customers into the store, they are giving away a lot of stuff.  Spend $20 and get free stuff.  So far we've received a loaf of bread, a dozen eggs, two bags of chips (one potato and one tortilla), bananas, orange juice and an avocado.  I'm not too proud to go for free food - we really rarely shop there these days because their prices are considerably higher than other stores in town and most of our 'big' shopping is done at Winco or Walmart.  But freebies are great and we needed milk, a couple things for dinners a couple nights this week and sodas for the kids.  All on sale.

Everyone at work has been going 'cuz every few days, they switch to a new 'special'.

I just heard on the news that it looks like they are reaching a settlement - which is good.  Those folks picketing are being ordered to do that by the union they are forced to join when they get hired there.  They may or may not agree with their unions demands....though they might.  Glad it looks like it's resolving soon.

J. and B. are heading to Oregon tomorrow for the memorial service of J.'s oldest cousin.  Another family loss.  Glad B. is able to go with him.  Actually, B. is hanging out with J. a lot these days - volunteering for church band with him; even worked at the campaign one day.  Also went to the movies.  I think B. knows it's less than two months before he's not here anymore - and he's trying to spend what time he can with us.  Especially with his dad - though he did invite me to brunch again last week only I couldn't go 'cuz I was in meetings all morning that day.  Someday, though....

One more week of work and then a week off for Thanksgiving.  Looking forward to it -

Election 2012

I saw this on Facebook - and it summarizes so much of what I've been thinking about our election - so I share it here. 

This puts into words what I've long been thinking: we are becoming a country of three parties.  And the third is something 'unto itself'....hard to describe as we watch it all unfold....and pretty darn scary.

I have many, many Republicans as friends (and family)...and the day after the election, we agreed to disagree and we moved on.  We've all been disappointed at some point in our political process and we will be again....and we all deal with it respectfully and tactfully - because at our core, we are friends who respect and admire each other - and that includes the differing perspectives that make us each 'ourselves'. 

I am happy President Obama won and I feel relieved the election is over.  But it's left a bad taste in my mouth that is a lot harder to get rid of - and that's even after my choice for our country's President came out on top.  It's not Republicans that scare me - it's 'the others' out there - they are scary.

I think it's important to read the info below because it's true - Obama won because the 'others' pushed too many more moderate Republicans 'out' and they voted for Obama. 

PS - I tried to locate the author to obtain his permission to publish - I give him full credit below (as published on Facebook via a FB friend).

PPS - I am posting this for myself....because I want to remember this election and what it's like these days.  If you disagree, I respect that.  If you stop reading because I posted it - that's fine too.  I'll miss you - but it's OK.

"I’m seeing Americans post photos of our Flag hung upside down because the President won reelection. They’re defending this action as a “Naval sign of distress”. Let me tell you something: you are not on a battleship, you are a manager at McDonalds in Follansbee, WV, and you are in fact, a lunatic.

I’ve avoided “spiking the football” over a great night for the President and for common sense in the Senate – Richard Murdock and Todd Akin deserved more than a loss. But I’ve held off, because I respect, am friends with, and on certain issues agree with, many patriotic Republicans who work hard to make this country a better place and simply disagreed with who should be Commander in Chief. That’s fair and healthy.

And, I also didn’t spike the football because I’ve lost elections before and I know how terrible it feels.

It’s called maturity and not enough people in either party have it.

The following jaw punch is not directed at common sense Republicans, nor does it condone radicals on the Left. It is directed at the right wing fanatics who put party before country, conspiracy before reality, and ideology before science and intellect.

To Tea Party Patriots and hardcore Religious Engineers:

Republicans lost because their party leadership and most candidates feared you, listened to you, and looked the other way on important issues as you picked the dumbest, craziest nominees in key primaries (Murdock and Akin), or converted otherwise sensible, experienced candidates to Crazy Town (Romney).

There’s nothing wrong with wanting limited government. I do. There’s nothing wrong with believing in God, the Golden Rule, or wanting to reduce abortions. I do, too. But you’ve taken it too damn far and scare the shit out of people you could otherwise persuade.

Yes, the message and messenger matter (you’re failing at both, BTW), but no Madison Avenue P.R. firm, K Street lobbying firm, Fox News “analyst”, or local chapter of “Freedom Works” can sell the flaming dung you’re slinging.

Smart people can lose. But smart people always learn.

You didn’t lose because you “weren’t conservative enough” or because the country has become full of lazy “takers” who don’t want to earn a living or just want America to “turn in to Europe”.

You didn’t lose because of Hurricane Sandy or because Chris Christie hugged the President on TV – they were both doing their jobs.

You didn’t lose because of a liberal media, liberal college campuses, liberal polls that were “weighted to Democrats” (mostly because they were accurate), or because of “election fraud”… actually, that probably benefited you this time.

No. You lost because your policies, tone, conspiracies, rigid inflexibility and irrational rhetoric helped align enough moderates, swing voters, and minority groups whom otherwise could be persuaded by Republicans, to align with Democrats and a beatable incumbent.

It’s not that you didn’t get your message out, it’s that we all actually heard it and threw up a little in our mouths.

There isn’t a mandate for Democrats in this election. Liberalism wasn’t rewarded in this election. However, calm pragmatism, compassion, working together, compromise and sincerity were rewarded. People may not have agreed with President Obama, but more felt he was sincere and that he understood their daily problems, fears, and dreams. If you don’t trust what the polls say, take a look at who is sworn in on January 20th. I thought you’d at least believe in Math when it came to counting to 270.

Sincerity is the only thing in politics you can’t fake. You can’t teach it. No matter how shiny a candidate’s bio is, how smooth he is, or how perfect the gray hairs rest on his temples — any average Joe on the street can spot a bullshitter.

Mitt is a generous and good man, but he didn’t know who he was or “needed” to be at any given time in that campaign. That’s largely his fault for lacking core convictions or personal toughness (Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush possessed both traits – that’s why they won).

But you, the right wing base of the party, who drove so many of us moderate republicans out the door years ago, were the main catalyst. Your inability to reason, compromise, or let new facts and evidence challenge your predetermined outcomes led millions of moderates to no longer be able to stand on stage with you.

Frankly, you’re embarrassing – more so than a crazy family member at dinner, or having your mom drop you off at a high school dance.

You say stupid shit and look stupid saying it.

You pass amendments to ban flag burning and then hang it upside down and post it on Facebook when you lose.

You preach limited government in the economy when Democrats are in charge and then look the other way when you’re in charge.

You want a government small enough to stay out of corporations and banks but big enough for bedrooms and hospital respirators (see Schiavo, Terri).

There’s a hatred inside of you that burns in a way that scares normal people.

You made unlikely allies in large corporations who are more interested in tax breaks and loopholes even if the government has to cut your Medicare and Social Security or cut education to a point where states and local governments have no financial choice but to educate your children in portable trailer classrooms with 35 other students.

Would these corporations do this just to help pad their quarterly earnings reports with certain tax and regulatory policies? You bet your sweet ass they do. And you better believe they’re happy to have you make the “freedom” argument as “concerned citizen patriots” on their behalf.

Yet, after those corporations spent billions on TV adds and herded you like sheep over the last half decade to discredit Barack Obama for everything from being a “Godless communist” — to his “being born in Kenya and hatching a secret plot to take down America” — to Obamacare’s “death panels and job killing regulations” -

YOU still lost.

After having a Senate Republican Leader state that his party’s top priority in Congress was to make “Obama a one term President” and a House of Representatives that blocked everything he tried to do and then had the brass to criticize him for “not getting anything done” -

YOU still lost.

After attacking gay people who want equal protection under the law (BTW, I’m referring to the 14th amendment to the constitution, I know you forget most of the amendments after the 2nd one) -

YOU still lost.

After attacking the Hispanic community who’s tired of being spoken “at” like criminals, attacking low income women who rely on Planned Parenthood for services of which 98% have nothing to do with abortion, and attacking relatively trivial things like PBS that children and adults enjoy as “1″ damn television channel that doesn’t include Honey Boo Boo or a “Fox News Breaking Alert” announcing Obama’s latest “Czar” appointment -

YOU still lost.

And after throwing all the red meat in your warped political base out to the rest of the country to eat, the majority of Americans weren’t hungry for it and didn’t trust ordering from your unhealthy, de-regulated menu -

YOU still lost.

You can read me the constitution, but you clearly don’t have a practical understanding of what you’ve read, heard on television, or forwarded to your entire email list of like minded xenophobes.

This country is great because our founders were smart enough to limit the government’s power and give the people enough freedom and authority to correct their own mistakes in pursuit of a “more perfect union” (it’s in the first damn line of the Preamble, in case you can’t find it in your Tea Party Constitution Cliffs Notes).

Our founders were utterly brilliant and sophisticated. I don’t like to speak for them, but I doubt they would have been friends with Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin. Nah, they wouldn’t have made the guest list at Mt. Vernon or Monticello.

But let’s be clear, our founders weren’t perfect. They owned slaves. Only White male property owners had a say in things. Women, blacks, native americans, and other constituencies had to wait for an American dream and in many cases, are still waiting and working for it. Speaking of work, children were working 12-16 hour days with zero safety protections in statute. Zero.

The constitution, subsequent amendments and Supreme Court rulings and opinions since 1800 aren’t perfectly clear (those who think they are tend to have had a healthy serving of Kool-Aid and have never watched oral arguments at the Supreme Court).

The founders knew that they, and the constitution they drafted, weren’t perfect. This is why they added a Bill of Rights and why they created a Supreme Court and a process that has allowed us to add 27 amendments to their work of art.

Their imperfection is what led to a Civil War to prove that human and civil rights aren’t a “states’ rights issue” – they’re endowed by our creator, not by legislatures in Mississippi or Alabama, and they’re protected equally in our constitution, but also in our democratically passed laws.

I run from the Capitol steps to the Lincoln Memorial most mornings that I’m in Washington. I may not be fast or smart, but I can read what’s carved in stone.

Please. I welcome a challenge to what I’ve said. If you think because I voted for President Obama that I’m a socialist or that I don’t want a better America, I’m happy to take time from running a business I’ve co-founded and time from money I’m trying to raise for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to pause and give you a fresh one. At no charge.

But I do ask this: be a real Patriot. Look at that flag you’ve hung upside down. Look at what you’ve done to it and what that means. Thousands of our bravest men and women, braver than me, just lost limbs and in many cases their lives so that Iraqis and Afghanis could vote however they see fit. I did that on Tuesday and so did you. That’s what that flag stands for – equal access to a process, not a guarantee for any of our desired outcomes.

A country that defeated Hitler, Mussolini, and bin Laden won’t crumble because the guy you wanted to be President got beat.

You lost. Now learn from it."

Sincerely,
Rob Ellsworth, “A Proud American”

Time Change Part Deux

It was starting to get dark a few hours ago.  4:30PM and already starting....

It's only 7:21PM but it feels like midnight.  We sit here mildly dreading the evenings starting so early.  I try to look at the bright side by offering 'it will motivate me to leave earlier so I get home before dark'.  5:30PM is now officially dark.  It sucks....

I did not work today one bit so I am taking my planned day off tomorrow and will be a productive little bee by setting up my annex office in the dining room and toiling away. 

Looking forward to sleeping in again tomorrow - even with the nap I had today I still feel ready for sleep...

The Time is a Changing

It's the day we rejoice in an extra hour of sleep - though technically, not really 'cuz I got up at 6:30AM (really 7:30AM) which is pretty early for a Sunday.

It's also the day where all day we 'add' an hour to know what time it 'should be' to our body - and we will do that for a few days until the peat moss clears from our brains and we wrap our head around gaining an hour.  (I typed 'losing an hour' at first....see what I mean about the peat moss?  Our bodies are not made for this jumping back and forth stuff in the time continuum).

And it's the day where I have to think about clocks - not changing them.  J. does that...it's just I have to figure out which ones he's done and which ones he hasn't....another brain teaser....

Looking forward to Springing ahead....(not).....

Thankful for my iPhone 'clock' so I know what time it is in other cities where I have family who don't participate in this melee known as Daylight Savings Time.  Otherwise, my head would probably explode trying to figure out what time it is there vs. here...the phone eliminates that brain teaser.

J. and B. went to play music at church and immediately following church, the three men in my life are heading to see 'Cloud Atlas' at the iMax theater in Pleasanton.  Home for dinner.  Quiet day home alone which I will fill with 'work' stuff and puttering around my house.

I am off tomorrow but toying with the idea of just working - planning to work at home anyway so why not just go in?  I have plenty to do....but we'll see how much I get done today.  I do pretty well working at home - especially when no one is here blaring the TV(s).

It is officially November but it's crystal clear and warm - unbelievable weather for November.  I rejoice at the PG&E impact - we're still not hooked to the 'solar' meter so we aren't running the panels at the moment.  Hopefully another month or so.  In the mean time, the solar company is paying at least one month of our electric bill.  Sweet!

I am singing 'Waiting Here for You' at the top of my lungs....my own personal worship.....

Cha Ching

I took a rare day off...and then made a huge mistake.

I should have known better....there were warning signs everywhere.  But I haven't done this activity in a long, long time and I was enticed with the promise of the perfect fuzzy socks...a Christmas tradition.

So I headed to Costco - unaccompanied and hungry.  Starving, even.  I left with $200+ of stuff I didn't know I needed until I saw it - my list out the window as I meandered and trekked through every aisle.

I am proud of myself for resisting buying three new lawn decor items for our Christmas collection...and for putting back the mason jar of Blueberry Moonshine (yes, really!)...I wanted to try it but really - why?  Nothing good will come from anything 50 proof.

And then, as if that disastrous shopping trip wasn't bad enough (list?  What list?  I was out of control..), I headed to the newly remodeled WalMart.  OMG.  So huge - I got all turned around and totally lost.  I did stick to my list there for the most part - EXCEPT when I discovered the 'food' department - a full grocery store!  And then I noticed that they have expanded a lot of other departments which led to more meandering.  Cleaning supplies!  Toilet paper!  Stuff!  More stuff!

So now I have to add a line to our budget this month.....

It will be labeled 'Majah went to Costco and WalMart unaccompanied and hungry'....

Thankfully, we don't have to add that line too often 'cuz I rarely shop these days.  My #1 errand guy usually takes care of the shopping these days.

It was pretty fun....I have to admit....

TaDa!

Behold - a site rarely seen in this house....but yesterday it finally happened!

My car is in the garage!!  Yeah!! 

It was a fun Halloween day at work filled with costumes, food and dancing.  Our district office group had a really fun time - and there was video evidence of that.  Dangerous to have a boss who's great at Photoshop!  Many fun, creative activities occurred and The Lego Man and his Lego block sidekicks showed up which made the kids in the parade ecstatic!  It was a very fun day -