Olivia-Like

Grappling with the two weeks looming in front of the two week break...two weeks feels like forever. Hoping the weeks go quickly?  'cuz it's torture to think of the ten work days stretched out in front of me.

I'm feeling very Olivia Pope-like as J. and I enjoy the first bottle of our case order of V. Sattui Gamay Rouge.  Seriously one of the best wines ever and I can see this becoming a regular thing.  Enjoying the slight 'lightness' feeling induced by wine as we ease into Sunday evening.  I guess I should go make dinner before I'm too woozy to cook.  We're having Teriyaki Chicken sandwiches - a take on the Red Robin Teriyaki Chicken Burger that I adore.

Side note:  Red Robin is open here in town now!  We haven't ventured there yet 'cuz like all new Tracy restaurants, the wait is ridicules.  But we will get there!

J. and I have been working with the travel agent who handled the Europe Groupon trip we took last year and are looking at taking another trip in March again.  This time, taking H. with us.  I gave him a heads up that we were thinking of it to be sure he was interested in going and he was very enthusiastic in his reaction.  Now, we just have to work on understanding what the travel agent has set up.  It's a bit more expensive than we thought - but we are asking him to book us in Premium Economy on either Virgin Atlantic or British Airways.  Not much more than we would pay with upgrading to the more legroom seats.  That part is going to be a surprise to H. .

The plan is for H. & J. to go to Rome for a few nights and I will stay in London for a few days. We all fly into London from SFO then J. and H. head to Rome.  I stay in London for a few days alone (I can't tell you how excited I am about that!!  Shopping!! Or at least window shopping!)  Then we meet in Paris for seven nights and we end with a few more nights in London together.

We will see if it all works out.  Still a lot of logistics to finalize and then have to figure out how to pay for it.  No worries there - just have to decide what account to dip into.  And we won't finalize arrangements on the trip until we see the oncologist on December 23rd.  H. seems fine - but he is running 'hot' a lot lately - sleeping with the fan on high in his shorts with no covers - and it's winter here and our thermostat is set for low 60's in the night.  I worry about that.  We will see.

My husband just made me still happier by asking 'would you like to go to Disneyland Paris while we're there'?  Um...YES!!  I am in turn agreeing that IF we do Disneyland Paris in 2015, we will forgo our every five year trip to Disneyland California - though we go there on the '5's' to celebrate that parks every five year anniversary.  But yes, to be in Disneyland Paris for a day or two, I will skip driving down to the Southern California and spending money to be there.  We will call it 'done' in exchange for one or two days in the Paris park instead!

And (while I wish he would surprise me), I also stated that I want to go to Tiffany's Paris on our 25th anniversary where I would like to select a Sterling Silver bauble.  Silver is the 25th anniversary 'gift' and I'm sure I can find something lovely that's well within our budget.  I'm just the kind of girl that likes to say what she wants to avoid any disappointments.  Maybe he would have done it anyway?  But now we will!!  I've coveted something from Tiffany's for a quarter of a century - and now, I will get something.  And maybe he will, too!  Lots of fun things in that store for both of us!  Silver keeps the cost to within our budget - even flying all the way to Europe to make that dream come true.

He will make me the happiest person on earth with this trip - 25 years from the day that was the happiest of my life.

Wow...this wine is really good.  I'm ready to go to bed.  It's not even 6PM yet -

Pondering

Is it merely coincidental that my current favorite nail polish is Margarita?

The High Cost of Gambling

H. lost a bet with a friend and this is the result.

The deal is he has to retain the flaming red hair for 24 hours - but it sounds like he's going to let it grow out a week or so and then buzz cut it off.

He's being a good sport about it - it was blonde before the red was applied.  Goofball.  Don't make stupid bets with your friends.

It could have been worse 'cuz for a day or two, H. was the person shopping around for the products required to create this look - until I said 'make your friend's girlfriend - the one who was going to cut your hair and apparently has some hair styling training - obtain the correct products for the job.  Not pay for the products - H. did that - but at least know what to buy.  A two step 'bleach then dye' isn't something a 21 year old guy should be shopping at Target for, right?

I got up close to a full hour earlier this morning and here it is 6:30 and I'm still not showered....the time just passes with my morning routine - easing into a busy day.

Got to get going 'cuz it's already Thursday (this week has flown by) and I still have a massive amount of board prep to accomplish by noon tomorrow.

Rainy Sunday

Steady rain most of the day and we're not complaining a bit!  So happy to see steady water dropping from the sky.  Chloe is less than thrilled and kudos to my hubby who got an umbrella out to take her outside.  She's sheltered so she won't just sit around whining to go out and then not go out when she realizes it's pretty darn wet.

It's been a nice, productive yet 'feeling lazy' day - tackled the study and realized that a lot of the 'stuff' in the room related to Christmas - so set out to wrap (done!) and get things ready to ship (also done!). Two big things off the list of things to do - and while there's still plenty of wrapping to do, it's nice to have the out-of-state items ready to ship on December 1st - thus ensuring their timely arrival.

My friend and I cancelled brunch yesterday due to weather - driving from her house in San Ramon and mine here to meet 1/2 way lost it's allure when the storm was clearly settling in.  We have rescheduled for early January - realizing that trying for a weekend between now and New Years is a likely recipe for failure.

I got a hair cut yesterday and love my new stylist.  She's sweet and spunky. Got an idea from her and another stylist to use a boar bristle brush for my hair and brush it liberally every day.  I realized that when I went back to short hair, I stopped using a 'sturdy' brush and started using combs or just plastic bristle.  So back to a real brush which may stimulate my scalp and help with the hair loss.  I know already that it's adding 'lift' and body that wasn't there before and the part line (I don't really wear a part but you know what I mean - those part lines that appear anyway) looks a little less wide.  Maybe my imagination, but I'll take it.

H. came downstairs hours ago (late morning, I think) for a Tums and some water.  He went back to bed and we haven't heard from him since.  J.'s checked on him and he's just tired.  It's almost 4PM.

I worry.  I will always worry.

We made the spinach dip we never got around to making on Thursday.  I'll take some of it for lunch tomorrow.

Tomorrow also starts our annual Secret Santa and I shopped for that a bit yesterday.  Was considering not going to Target after the hair cut but then miraculously, a parking space opened up right in the front of the store and it was too good to pass up.  Bought a few little things for home (new scrub brushes for H. to use on the floor that have easier 'grips' for him) and also got a few little things for the Santa effort. This year, we have three weeks between the start and the reveal and considering we're supposed to not spend more than $15, it's hard to figure out what to do over that period of time.

It's also hard 'cuz I don't know my person well - and it's hard to feel interested in surprising someone you barely know.

This week will be very, very busy.  Audit to finalize and board items to get ready.  The week will fly by which is good 'cuz like the students, I already feel it will be a long three weeks until Winter Break. Can't wait for B. to be home.

Post Turkey Madness

Yesterday was full of food and exhaustion.  Not related to each other.  Thanks to J. for huge pitching in to get food to the table 'cuz I had no oomph.  Tired to my core yesterday and the two 'test' bowls of stuffing I ate around noon didn't do much to help lift my sleepiness.  I awoke just before 8 with a start -in the middle of a strange dream that I now can't remember to save my soul but felt haunted by most of yesterday.  I dislike dreams like that.

Did a little cyber shopping including ordering a case of wine from V. Sattui.  My favorite - Gamay Rouge!  I thought we still had plenty of wine around but turns out we have been using it little by little. And hubby has been letting H. take bottles of our cheaper varieties to the occasional party.  Which is fine.  Can't wait for that wine to arrive - I think I've reached the point in my life and career where a glass of wine a night might be required.  Maybe two.

Five to seven (more) years feels like a prison sentence lately.

I'm wearing a bright yellow hooded sweatshirt that I bought for being a Minion at Halloween.  J. calls me his "Tweety".  It's warm and that's what matters.  And I paid for it and might as well get some use out of it.  Though I feel a bit like someone who picks up trash along the freeway.

Our Thanksgiving was fun and H. got a kick out of the butter turkey also adorning our table.  He posted 'Guess one turkey wasn't festive enough' with a picture of the molded butter.  It was fun and I can't wait to see what mold they have for Christmas.  J. and I used the leftover fresh whipped cream in our coffee this morning and it was delicious!  And the pies we got at The Fruit Bowl (pumpkin and boysenberry) are also delicious.  It was a nice meal.

H. busily scrubbed a pretty good section  of tile in the family room - using Clorox Cleanup and a scrub brush.  Pretty desperate to earn some money but hey!  I'm willing to pay for tile floors that look like new. Here's hoping he keeps the momentum up.

I went into the office for a few hours today 'cuz it was easier than trying to arrange things here to work at home.  Got the auditors the info they needed to finalize our report and finalized my big report.  Will start sketching out the board presentation and other backup this weekend in preparation for a busy week.

I had dinner with a friend on Monday evening and will have breakfast with another friend tomorrow. Fun to catch up.  Also a haircut tomorrow - which was actually scheduled for 10:30 AM this morning but I rescheduled when the thought of going anywhere near the mall on Black Friday hit me with a 'heck no!' late yesterday.

It's time for holiday madness to ensue.  Encouraging my husband to strike while the iron is hot and enlist H.'s help (for compensation, of course - just a little extra) in getting things down from the rafters and start putting up decorations.

It will be like Thanksgiving.  I will envision the 'perfect' holiday - plenty of time and energy and magicalness.  Me, in the kitchen happily chopping, stirring, simmering....glass of wine nearby.  Only what will probably happen is it will be frantic, busy, crazy and...still magical.  It always is.

Three weeks of work before the break.  Should have ordered two cases of wine, perhaps.

Queens

I hoped to bake the Queen of Croissants for work this morning - we're having a quick staff meeting to draw names for our annual Secret Santa gift exchange.  Unfortunately, even with the proof box keeping things at a relative constant warm temp, most of them did not rise well.  I think we can still bake a few for my office but the other buildings may be out of luck.  We used the temp we used when the house was much warmer and the cold winter air now requires a higher setting.  Duh.  Should have thought of that.

Yesterday, I bolted out of bed upon realizing that it was 6:45 (!!!!) - a full two hours past my alarm. Hubby was brewing my coffee and was relieved to see me downstairs 'cuz he wasn't sure if he should wake me up or not.  I rushed to get to my 8:30 meeting (which was actually at 8:45 - we would all know that if we'd received an agenda in advance but that doesn't happen anymore, apparently).  Sure made the day go uber fast.

Still plowing through the huge report and hoping to be more 'done' than not by end of day tomorrow.  I was planning to be off all week but am now probably going in on Tuesday - it will be quiet and I will get a lot done.  Then it's sliding into holiday mode with pie baking on Wednesday's agenda.

My cousin and I are two ships passing in the night and I feel sort of sad at times that we don't 'see' each other on FB much.  The damn time change makes her morning time be 3AM my time and no, I just can't do it.  Her evenings are more hectic than mine - so I hesitate to chat in the evenings.....I miss her.

Hopefully, we can catch up next week when we're off work -

We've had a bit of rain the past couple days - such welcome weather that we can't complain.  It's cold (for here) and we are all wearing our coats in our office - even with the heat on.  Portables on slabs do not retain heat and we are entering the period of constant cold that we face every year.  I doubt I will work in this district when we finally have a real building - but it would sure be lovely to not have my feet freezing from November through January.  It's hard to concentrate when your feet are like blocks of ice.

That's it - I've got to get moving.  Hair to dry and style; lunch to pack.

Patience

Trips to Jackson teach me so much.

No, really - they do.

A cow struts herself down a small path in a hill.  "I'm cool.  It's all cool.  I'm just ambling down thepath down this hill to....uh... another hill.  Yeah, another hill.  Or wherever.  It's all good.  Yeah, I'm alone.  I have no idea where all the others like me went but oh well.  Their loss.  Yeah, I'm cool". Seriously, you can see it in her strut. She's the epitome of 'fine within herself'.  And I laughed out loud in the seconds I picked up on all that - 'cuz that's one confident cow.

A guy in a white van full of people - at least 8 maybe 10 people - is tailgating me.  He doesn't adjust well to the constant up and down in speed that occurs on a two lane highway with slight slopes up and down.  His van also appears to struggle a bit uphill - so it gets behind (which is actually to a much safer distance from the car in front of it) - and then catches up again (somewhat dangerously so, I think) on the downhill slopes.  Finally, he passes me, the car in front of me and the car in front of that car.  And he ends up stuck behind the two cars just ahead of all of us - and stays stuck for the remainder of the trip up the hill.  I find perverse satisfaction in noting 'yeah, all that hurrying really put you ahead of the rest of us, huh?'.  I smile again at the joy of karma.

Patience, people.  Patience.  It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies.  Partly cloudy but not stormy. Love the drive up there - town by town.  Gauging how far I am based on the places I pass.  I think of when B. was little and we made him a map of landmarks so he would know how far along we were on the trip to J.'s parents.  Always helped him pass the time and fret less about how long it was taking to get there.  He's always in such a hurry -

I played my free play and some of the extra I brought with me to play.  We collect our leftover weekly allowance at the end of every week and when I'm in the mode of going up weekly for the various things they are enticing me with to go back up, I use the extra money for my gambling.  It's working.  And today, I'm proud to report that while I didn't win anything significant, I won enough to play a bit - and I did not drain every penny in my wallet - so I feel really good about that.

I'm going up next weekend, too - for two nights (free).  Tons of player events that weekend and I just feel like a get away would be great.

I had to make a potty stop on the drive home and always stop at places on the right side of the road so I won't have to go across traffic to go back the way I'm headed.  Today, the only place around was a small farm store - and I indulged in a delicious pannini, brought home a peach pie and found real pancetta for Pasta Carbonara.

It was an expensive restroom stop.  The sign in the bathroom proclaimed 'Restrooms are for our customers'.  Pretty common.  And then added 'a customer is defined as a person who purchases good and services from the business they are visiting'.  I can take a hint.

The getaway will be great incentive to work like a maniac this week and get the big report pretty much done.  It's well in process...but I'm at the point I always get to - it's in process but still so, so much to do.

Not looking forward to Monday but here she comes.