Musings of
My Mind
Observation
and Commentary from Marcia L. Bilbrey
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May 29, 2008
New Laptop
Well, this is my first official post from the new laptop. I'm not using Netscape to edit but SeaMonkey. That's a fun little story . . . when I asked Brian how I was going to be able to post, he said "See monkey" (or so I thought) and my first thought was to get ticked off at him-- I am NOT a monkey!! He just kept saying "See monkey", "See monkey", "See monkey" (like I was supposed to know what he was talking about). Internally, I was really starting to get upset and then he said (finally), "Go to the Start button, Programs . . . " Little did I know that this was a program!! Of course, I also found out that it was "SEA Monkey" which makes even less sense to me. Oh, well-- back to the age old "The Boys and their toys".
Vacation
I've been on vacation this past week, enjoying myself thoroughly. Mostly relaxing which is something I don't get to do a lot of these days. On Thursday, I did a bit of shopping "cuz I could" but didn't purchase anything significant and then on Friday, Linda Rose and went to visit Brian's bosses' wife at her new shop, Cloverhill Yarn. I bought some sock yarn and a pattern and a ball of yarn for a shawl (I love shawls!) and pattern for that, too-- beautiful yarns and a wonderful store!! Good luck, Jolene!!
In the afternoons on both of those days, I set up the quilt frame to practice my long arm techniques as I was going to be quilting my cousin's quilt top starting on Saturday. On Saturday morning, I worked on the stencils for quilting the designs into the qult top and by Sunday afternoon, the quilting was finished, with the exception of the edges. I should be able to finish it up this weekend-- I'm hoping she'll like it. Mostly it's a lot of squiggly lines and butterflies. I'll take pictures of it before I send it to her and will post them after I know she's received it-- I want it to be a surprise to her.
Sunday we did the shopping together-- that's the first time since my surgery and everything went fine. Monday, the holiday, I quilted and worked on the edges of the quilt and we ended the day with Linda coming over for burgers and jigsaw puzzling. Tuesday morning, I went to my first physical therapy appointment and found out that I'm about 90% healed on my own! I figured it would be that good just because I've been working at it-- I'm trying to save gas by not having to go to Annapolis for physical therapy sessions.
Speaking of which, I'm glad I'm assigned to be a teleworker in HR-- at now $4/gallon, I'm not crazy about the idea of driving into the office very often.
Anyway, I spent the last day of my vacation getting another perm since it had been six months since the previous one and it had grown out quite a bit. It looks much better-- scraggly is not my style!!
ANNIVERSARY
Tomorrow Brian and I celebrate our TEN YEAR anniversary!! I sometimes still can't believe it-- yes, it really does still seem like yesterday!! We've accomplished a LOT in ten years, in addition into growing into a solid couple as well as unique individuals. The dining room paint, carpet, and furnishings (eventually) are going to be our gifts to each other. I've been racking my brain trying to think of something to say in a card for him but words really are inadequate. <SIGH> I'm so glad he's in my life!!
May 19, 2008
Catch-Up
I'll probably end up writing this with spurts of information today but, at least I'll update you on some things.
Knee: The surgery went well, fast and easier than . . . well, easily is probably the better word. Dr. R is so fabulous, it's amazing and his team is always very, very good and reassuring and lots of fun to work with even if I'm the one they're working on at the time. I don't know if it was the radio or a CD but they had John Mellencamp on in the OR which made it fun when I was wheeled into the room.
Out of surgery around 40 minutes later and home by 5pm-- not bad for a surgery and recovery that we expected to run us home around 7 or 8pm. We had the neighbors across the street readied to feed Lucy and Molly and, it turns out that they didn't need to after all! That's always nice cuz Lucy and Molly don't know or understand what it means when Mr. Chet comes over to see them. Of course, it involves FOOD so I'm not sure how much else they care about.
When we got home, Brian handed me my wedding and engagement ring and medical alert bracelet (which I unknowingly promptly lost) and my sister called and all was well with the world until I started looking for my bracelet. I went a week without wearing it but only left the house twice so I was okay, overall; Brian found it, in the sofa cushions, last night so I'm all in one piece again.
Recovery has been going well also. I couldn't go up or down the stairs to the second/first floors of the house frequently so I just stayed one place or the other. By late Tuesday, I was going up stairs with my left knee which is GOOD progress-- 90-degree angles are very good! By Thursday morning, I was going down the stairs-- darn near impossible to do with a swollen knee-- without a LOT of muscle pain but when you consider that Monday I couldn't get my quad muscles to do anything, I know I was making excellent progress.
As of this writing, I have very little swelling but it is still quite stiff. I've only got work for 3 days this week as I'm taking 4 days of vacation on either end of the holiday weekend for a "week off" from work-- I need the rest! Unfortunately, I couldn't schedule my physical therapy to start until May 27 so I've got a bit longer to work the knee on my own. Hopefully, I'll get the swelling down by the time that I start therapy.
By the way, my physical therapy was in Virginia, near my office last time (pre-surgery) but now, they appear to not be on my insurance plan anymore-- I can't raise them in the directory so I'm having to go to Annapolis for therapy. Annapolis is closer but obviously, I won't be going to the office following therapy anymore!
Various Stuff:
Yesterday, Linda Rose took me to the movies as my birthday present. Yes, I know-- My birthday is in February but I had a hard time deciding what movie to see. Then I'd decide and the movie would go to DVD before we had a chance to get to the theatre. We saw Ironman which was more than fabulous!! Robert Downey Jr (according to some reports) had to fight to get his way into this movie and his performance was spectacular! I expected smarmy, a la "Spiderman" but instead it was actually quite believable. Unfortunately, we don't have this "weapon" in our arsenal or there wouldn't be any wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for our soldiers to be in right now-- terribly unfortunate!!
Weddings & Stuff:
My nephew, Matt, and his girlfriend, Sarah, will be getting married next year!! YAYYYY!!!!! Matt is Faye's brother (younger by a few years) and yes, we will be going through the photos from Faye's wedding SOON!! I need to get them to my family as well as posting here so be patient-- Brian, when shall we do this??
Vacation:
I've got vacation starting on Thursday (as mentioned above) but instead of having the Thompsons up for a visit, we'll be staying home and so will they!! It just didn't work out this year which is unfortunate. Hopefully, we'll get some time soon to be able to go down to see them or vice versa.
Instead of doing that, I plan to do a lot of sewing-- quilting, actually. LAST YEAR, my cousin, Barb (you remember her: the one who got me INTO quilting?) gave me a quilt top to practice my long-arm quilting on and I _*still*_ haven't gotten it back to her!! She's been as patient as a lamb with me but, I have decided to work on it! I won't show you pictures of it until I'm sure she's received it but it is going to be pretty (I want it to be a surprise for her!).
*****
I guess that's all for now-- if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.
May 5, 2008
'Nuf!!
Brian, in his post Saturday, described me as being in a lot of pain-- Oh, YEAH!!! I don't remember when ALL of my joints and ALL of my muscles hurt THIS bad ALL at once!! Yeesh!! On Saturday evening, we found some Extra Strength Tylenol in the cupboard and that has taken the edge off of the pain but I'm still hurting. During last Friday's commute, I got so sore that I had a hard time finding a comfortable way to hold the steering wheel-- not a good sign, needless to say. Oh, and today, I got told to go off my gluocosamine-- not going to be fun, I can tell!
I'm sure Brian will update you after my surgery on Friday-- everything will be fine!!
April 21, 2008
Okay, So I've Failed at "Frequent"
Oh, well! It's just that there's not much happening and everything's happening at the same time. A bit of a news item here: I'm having the dreaded arthroscopic knee surgery after all.
You see, it's like this: I had a cortizone shot on April 1 (I believe that was the date, anyway). Should have lasted for six weeks at least, the doc said. Yeah, right. Thursday, April 17, my left knee started to hurt. Not Good.
I thought about it for a bit: Yes, I have arthritis in that knee and there's some weather coming in. BUT, I have arthritis in my other knee as well and I have no pain there. Not Good.
I called the doctor's office on Monday, left a message. He called me back (!!) and told me to call his scheduling desk: Surgery could not be put off.
Bummer! This is the same knee that was operated on (almost exactly on the same date) six years ago. Now, the good news is that this doctor is really, really, REALLY good! My right knee causes me NO PROBLEMS at ALL, even when the weather is changing or there's too much humidity in the air, etc.
My left knee was done in California and I'm looking forward to being as pain free with my left knee as I am with my right knee. I don't dread the surgery exactly-- I just _dread_ surgery in general. The good news is that I only need one day off from work for it so that's VERY good.
Other than that, there's not much going on around here. I'm sewing clothes-- one more outfit left to complete-- and then I'll start up the stock for Marcia's Makings which will hopefully be ready for Christmas shopping season! We (Brian and I both) will keep you updated on that project as he'll need to help me with my website store.
April 3, 2008
Nothing Major
No real happenings except that if you're feeling seam-ly, you could click the link on the left and apply to be on the next Project Runway 5 season. Oh, sure-- go ahead! You can do it!!
March 27, 2008
No Knee Replacement!!
YAYYYY!!!! The doctor called on Wednesday morning with the results of my MRI and x-ray. Yes, I have a torn lateral (outside) meniscus on my left knee and I have some arthritis (which is acting up at the moment due to the weather). With physical therapy and a cortizone shot or two, I should be okay enough to put off any type of surgery for at least a year. That's really good news when one has a job that is only a few months old.
On Tuesday of next week, I get the first cortizone shot-- I'm actually looking forward to despite how painful they are when they happen. I start physical therapy tomorrow morning in Herndon, VA, near where my office is located. Then, next week and the week after, I go twice per week on Monday and Wednesday morning, before I go to the office. After that, it should continue twice a week for another couple of weeks and then I'll be done. Soooo, that's a relief!! Needed some good news, right about then!!
Other than that, Brian's on his way home from Columbus, Ohio-- lucky guy!! He and one of his co-workers went there to do some work, leaving yesterday morning. He didn't tell you, his readers, because he probably didn't want it publicly known that I was home alone. Now that he's an hour or so away, I'm okay with you knowing it.
I didn't get out of work until 6pm last night so that meant I didn't get home until 7pm. That was a very long day, believe me. The driving in every day is not making me a happy person but I learn a lot more about the software when I'm in the office so I'm happy to do that part of it. All things are good.
March 19, 2008
Too Much, Too Little
These days, I'm going into the office 5 days per week, when it works with the rest of my schedule. I qualify that because last week and this week, I haven't been able to make it yet but, next week is looking good so far. As a result, there's too much to report in this small space/time and too little to report. I live on the weekends and spend the rest of the time driving to the office, being at the office, and driving home from the office. If I have a chance and time permits, I stop and work out on my way home . . . depending on how my knee feels.
Last week I went to my orthopedic doctor because I've been having pain in my left knee for awhile, and more so since we came back from Michigan and my niece's wedding. He's ordered an x-ray and MRI which are scheduled for tomorrow and physical therapy, my favorite! The biggest problem right now is finding someone who accepts my insurance and can work with my schedule. I'm probably going to end up taking the physical therapy at a place in Herndon, VA, where my office is located. The insurance will cover it even though my doctor and me are located in Maryland. All of this is to avoid the inevitable: Knee Replacement Surgery.
I know the procedure's gotten to be a lot easier these days but I really don't have six weeks to take off from work right now. Of course, the good news is that I work from home the majority of the time so I may be able to get a surgery by the time fall hits. I'd really rather wait until next year, if possible. It depends on the success of the physical therapy and the exercises that I am doing on my own.
There's the short of it-- the long will come another time.
March 7, 2008
Oh, yes, certainly!!
Everyone should have a 1-hour-45-minute morning commute, right? And for sure, if that's how the morning is, a SOLID 3 hour evening commute shouldn't be a surprise, either . . . UNFORTUNATELY!! Seriously.
February 25, 2008
Life and then some . . .
Sewing, and sewing and working and working and working and cleaning and . . . I cleaned out my fabric and sewing rooms Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Ya know what? There's carpet in there!! Yeesh!! It has been a mess-- I'm really bad about cleaning up after I finish a project-- I'm really good and working on the projects though at least until I go nuts with the amount of clutter that gets in my way!!
Other than that, more of the same as always. I'm now "studying" to become a certified project manager-- cool, huh? It'll help with other career possibilities if I ever want to make any other moves.
More as the mood suits me . . . take care!
February 9, 2008
Today . . .
First off, word has reached me that The Jacket, our wedding gift to my niece has reached her, she has tried it on and, in true Faye-Fairy-Princess style, she has wept. It is as beautiful as she is!!
Ahhh, now I can relax. I didn't want to chance having it in my luggage when we flew to the wedding because you know, it would certainly have ended up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota instead of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Leaving nothing to chance, we shipped it (insured for $500) in case, it wouldn't make it clean and in good condition to Michigan in time for the wedding as a replacement would cost (probably) as much as the insurance value. I know they don't grow on trees and, considering the dollar amount I paid for the fabric PLUS my "hourly rate", it is well worth the $500 for which I insured it.
One more worry off my mind.
Right now, I'm working on making my Twin-Fit be my twin. No, I'm still overweight but I'm only a size 20 (and losing inches/weight due to my diet and work-out regimen) which isn't bad (or trust me, you would never hear of my size!!) but, I wanted a Twin-Fit that was closer to my current size and where I'm going to end up rather than one for SMALL people and EXTRA-LARGE people. (I'm going to sew for them eventually but I'll wait until that occasion arises before I actually purchase a Twin-Fit to fit their needs.)
Later after I finish up that transformation, I'll shower and head out to do some shoe shopping. I'm in dire need of a red-brown short heeled shoe for wearing with suits and pants for work. Yesterday, I wore my new striped suit to the office and was forced to wear 3" heels with it because that's all I had. (If you'll recall, I cleaned out closets of extra clothing and shoes when I started working from home and, come to find out, I need some of them back!)
Tomorrow I'll finally be able to get to some sewing . . . I think. It'll be for myself this time as my spring fabric is starting to arrive. I'm going to do a lot with Linen as it can be easier to care for, especially the linen/cotton blends that are coming out.
Molly's pushing me to let her out so I'll sign off for now--
February 6, 2008
Tired . . .
I do it to myself. I think about something RIGHT before I go into the bedroom and for the rest of the time that I'm awake (which is a LONG time), I worry about it. Case in point: Yesterday I worked in our Herndon, VA, office so I didn't get home from work until 7:15/7:30pm. I spent the rest of the night TRYING to relax and then, as I got up to leave my office and walk into the bedroom, I remembered that I needed to take Lucy to the doggie day spa today. So much for getting a good night's sleep!
I had a conference call scheduled at 8:15 and needed to get Lucy to the Spa by 8am in order to make that call. Was I going to be able to do that along with getting my computer and "stuff" set up in time for my call? Sure!! I had plenty of time!! Tell that to my subconscious!!
Besides the fact that I at first complained to Brian for keeping the light on after he came to bed because he was reading, then, after he shut the light off, he kept picking/tickling at me (which I complained about then but giggle about as I write this), I couldn't unwind to go to sleep!! ARGH!!
Don't tell me to take a sleeping pill-- I already do!! This is just my Little Girl (Oooh, it's ALMOST Christmas) keeping me awake and it/she MAKES ME CRAZY!!
I woke up with a sinus-like headache (thanks to our lovely weather) and exhausted. Oh, well, there's always tonight or . . . some other night!
February 2, 2008
Busy Week
It has been a busy week-- learning a new job is exhausting on the brain and in between there's life. Nothing horrendous going on...Lucy had her stitches out on Friday, I had a routine doctor appointment on Wednesday-- you know, stuff.
I'd been trying to read a book but, I don't like romance novels. The book I'd picked up to read was from one of the many purchased at Malice Domestic. I didn't know it was a romance since it was at Malice. I'm not sure it was intended to be a "romance" as much as a "mystery" but I'll be danged if I can find the mystery in the book. There were reviews and comments on the cover and inside pages that indicated it was a "mystery" and a "thriller" but I had a hard time finding anything remotely suspicious. On page 124 I found an error in editing-- that is a true pet peeve of mine. The couple in the story had started out flying to Paris from London, certainly no long journey. "Hours into the flight . . . ". HOURS? Then, the author said something about how lovely the scenery was out the window of the train-- TRAIN?
That's when I lobbed the silly book across the room. Can you sell a book to a used bookstore if it has been signed and dedicated to someone else? I'm going to try!!
The Jacket
The jacket for my niece, Faye, is complete! It is beautiful, indeed! Pictures after SHE sees it-- probably next week sometime. I'm hoping for a good weep from her but we'll have to see.
Chinese!!
Ever since we moved to Maryland, we've been looking for a GOOD Chinese restaurant at reasonable prices. We have FINALLY found it!! We almost went there over the Labor Day weekend when Barbara and Bob were in town but opted out for . . . pizza, was it? Anyway, Brian took me to that restaurant tonight-- it's close by and we loved the food!! YAYYY!!!! That's a restaurant we'll be going to often!! I'm sooo relieved-- I hated not being able to have good Chinese food by us!! We took home a take-out menu which looks to be their regular restaurant menu-- good to know it's the same. I'm going to try different things every time we order from them! (It's sooo carb-friendly with little or no rice, too!)
January 28, 2008
I live in the land of . . .
Eternal Diets, what else!! How long have you known me? Yeah, well-- I've been ON a diet that whole time, haven't I? I've lost weight, I've gained weight but I keep on dieting.
A few months ago, I finally got my head around the idea/concept that it isn't a DIET that I need but a LIFESTYLE change. Yeah, I know-- sometimes I am a little slow, aren't I? Well, I've done that-- I'm eating low-carb food that I like and I'm not suffering. That's the best part, too.
Last night, we had pizza. I can have thin crust pizza with pepperoni and black olives for 22 carbs each slice from Papa John's. I usually have four slices-- 88 carbs but I _*PLAN*_ for the "expense" of having 88 carbs at one meal (out of a total of 160 carbs per day). Last night, I only had 3 slices (66 carbs total) and I didn't feel starved or hungry afterwards in fact, I didn't have a dessert or snack after dinner either. This morning when I weighed in at Curves, I lost one pound since last week and I'm good with that. A pound per week is 4 pounds per month and I usually lose more than that so I'm way good with that!!
The weekend was spent sewing on the jacket and doing laundry along with puzzling with Linda Rose yesterday. Her plans for moving to Florida have been put off for a bit and I'm terribly happy by that for me but, of course, that means she'll be living here in Maryland without her sister and brother-in-law and eventually her parents. Brian and I (along with her friends, Yvonne and Leo) will just have to make up for their absence with more custody visits-- Yvonne and I share custody of Linda, don'tcha know? :)
January 24, 2008
Obviously . . .
The tanner minds prevailed-- I'm quite glad actually as I find it more mellowing and that's what everyone needs: Marcia's MELLOW Musings! Talk about alliterative!
I have officially been announced and the Outlook employee database updated so I MUST be a newly transferred employee now! I'm actually not minding the commute (which may lead to me doing it twice a week-- believe it or not) because of the books on CDs. The books are distracting but I still focus enough not to get into an accident and, if nothing else, I'm pretty sure that I'm paying MORE attention to traffic around me as well as not losing my patience.
I've pretty much been turned out to start doing my job. There are just a couple of things I haven't done or been shown/taught so I'm pretty ready for it.
It's so nice to get up in the morning and not have a sense of DREAD awaiting me!!
January 20, 2008
Background
I wanted turquoise originally but couldn't get it to set up properly so I settled for the fabric background that you saw before. Brian said that the fabric background was annoying and made it difficult to follow the lines when reading. What do you think? Let me know!! Seriously, email me and tell me which you prefer: Fabric Background or Turquoise Background? Never say your opinion doesn't matter around here!!
The three of you can let me know which you prefer, okay? Majority wins-- there are no electoral college votes here!!
Not So Much
Well, I worked hard at cleaning yesterday. I really did but . . . fell short but Brian was nice about it. I'm not a cleaner-- I doubt that I ever have been, really. I don't like to clean but I also understand the reasoning behind saving money so I'm willing to give up having someone else come in to clean. Brian will have to do the majority of the clean since he can "see" dirt-- long story, don't ask-- and I'll be responsible for dusting and vacuuming. I think I can handle that.
Off-n-On
Over the course of this weekend, I've been working at getting my job organized. There's actually a lot to it and I don't know everything yet so I'm sure there's going to be more. It's fun but also not as much fun as it could be if I knew the job and could do it intelligently-- yes, I know: give myself time!! I have a bad habit of having expectations that _*I*_ set too high for myself. Yes, I know-- someday, I'll learn not to do that but in the meantime, I'm still doing it and still trying to do cope with doing it.
I'm going to take my training binder downstairs and review-ahead some of the chapters to see if I see any problem areas coming up-- hopefully not!
January 18, 2008
Gotta Be A Law!!
I don't think people should be allowed to be as tired as I am right now. The last few nights, my mind has been racing, when I try to go to sleep, with facts about my new job-- I'm trying to remember EVERYTHING the first week!! Believe me, I'm getting NO pressure to pick up the work that's in progress but _*I*_ feel the need to do my job so therefore, I am pushing me to remember it all . . . NOW!! Yes, I'm going to make myself crazy at this point but , the worst part is that I need to get some sleep. It sounds like it may be time to haul out my headset and classical music from the iRiver so I can get to sleep tonight!!
Did I Mention?
We aren't using our cleaning service anymore-- they are wonderful but, we decided that we would save the money instead. As a result, tomorrow while Brian is painting in the bathroom, I'm going to clean our bathroom and bedroom-- let's see if I can do it to Brian's satisfaction!! (That should be interesting!)
Oh, well-- I'm going to turn in early tonight and do some reading-- down to another quilt story about New Year's-- of course, I'm expecting great things!
January 17, 2008
More of the Same
With a little snow on top-- pretty, fluffy and fun to look at! Lucy loves to "snowplow" her face into it when it's fluffy so of course, she does it more when I laugh.
Training was done by phone today-- I still feel my headset on my ear/head even though I haven't actually worn it for hours. Tomorrow I'm going to be self-learning mostly along with reading ahead and coming up with questions. I've got lots of ideas on how to work stuff a little differently to help me remember everything that's being told to me right now. I'll always have access to my trainer but, I'd prefer to be fairly independent.
We're talking about when our "Roadshow" is going to happen-- it'll probably be the first week in February, by the looks of it but not too much later in the month, I don't think. Should be tons of fun-- 3 cities in 5 days? Oh, yeah-- loads of fun!!
January 16, 2008
Film at Eleven
I think my head's going to explode!! Yes, and this is only the first day of training!! Yikes!! I was gone from the house almost exactly 12 hours today and training was only from 8:30 to 5-- lovely commute, eh? Oh, yeah, I'm so glad for it myself!!
Yeesh!!
Tomorrow's another day but tomorrow will be by phone-- I've got a headset so my neck will be fine by the end of the day-- hopefully.
January 15, 2008
Hubby Goes To School
How about that, huh? I'm so proud of him!! We've both thought about finishing our respective degrees over the years but Brian's going to do something about it!! YAYY FOR HIM!!!! Not that I won't continue to think about it but, for the next six months, I've got to concentrate on learning the new job-- that is, if I ever get the offer letter-- and that'll be my priority. Then, I'll re-think my degree. It would be a plus in any job market but I'm not sure that I want to do it at all considering that I'd like to retire early and don't need an college education for what I'd like to do in my retirement. Sewing, quilting, and clothing design don't require a college degree, necessarily, but it would be nice if I could draw pictures of clothing appropriately!!
Link Adds
I've added links to two of my favorite thingsin this world: Project Runway 4 (4th Season) and my hubby, of course. Thought that would make it easier to find these things.
While the Thompsons were visiting over Thanksgiving, I even got lucky enough to get Barbara hooked on the outcome-- not the designs-- of PR4. Every week I've been updating her as to the winners and losers (those who are aufed!) but I've decided that a link would make it a lot easier for both of us.
I don't know that I mentioned it but Brian gave me one of my BIG wannas on Christmas by getting me Tim Gunn's Guide to Quality, Taste and Style. Of course, I love it and try to apply it when using my current wardrobe for work at the office. Not an easy task considering I've lived in t-shirts and leggings for three years!
Other than that, I can't think of anything else to tell you about . . .
January 14, 2008
Confusion and Disarray
The problem with working for a big company is that you work for a big company. It has taken nearly two weeks to get the official offer letter from the Big Company that bought the Little Company that I work for (technically, I have been paid through the 15th by the Little Company) through tomorrow. In the interim, I have been assured by my new boss that he's going to go hang over the shoulder of his boss so that everything gets the final approval button clicked on my new job tomorrow. That way the offer letter will (hopefully) be sent to me before I actually start my new job on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, I start the two-day training for the new job, Technical Sales Operations Manager (or "Trial Manager" for short). I will arrange, propagate and manage the process for software trials and Proofs of Concept ("POCs") at Big Company. It is something completely different but I am sooooo looking forward to it, probably because it is something completely different.
I've worked in legal for twenty years and I'm flat burned out-- I don't care if I look at another contract for a long, long time. However, I like negotiating and customer contact and that is what I'll have a LOT more of in my new job. I'll also get to travel a bit which will "get me out" a lot more than I currently get out. (That's something that Bob Thompson and I have in common-- we don't get out much.)
By the way, I'll still get to work from home the majority of the time but I'm going to start going into the office in Herndon, VA, as well. There are a couple of reasons for doing that, not the least of which is the "getting out" thing but also because it'll be good for face time with the sales folks that I will be working with on the trials and POCs. Yes, I'm not good at handling rush-hour traffic but I've got books on CD and tons of music and that wonderfully fun convertible to drive back-n-forth when I go, remember? I'll be okay-- I'm nearly sure of it, really.
Other Developments
My
current sewing project is a jacket for Faye, my niece, to wear in her
travel on the evening of their wedding at the end of February in
Michigan, probably during snow. Yes, she'll be cold in that
strapless dress but she'll be warmer wearing a velvet-lined satin
fitted bolero jacket. I've got the "two jackets" made and will
work on getting them together. With the wedding at the end of
February, I've got lots of time so I'm not worried about too little
time to get the jacket finished-- I intended that.
On
Saturday, I ran the embroidery design, which is similar but not exact,
to the embroidery design in her wedding dress. Then, I added
Swarovsky crystals to the centers of the flowers on the design.
I'll be doing a floral buttonhole (probably) with crystals in the
flowers on the buttonhole, as well. It'll be gorgeous when it's
finished!
Speaking of the Thompsons, several months back Bob and Barbara both recommended Aaron Elkins series "Gideon Oliver" to me. I picked up several of the books at the Edward McKay Bookstore that we go to in Winston-Salem and have read them over the last couple of months. They were right, of course-- I have really enjoyed the stories in the books, as well as the manner in which Elkins develops the character of Oliver and those around him. I particularly like "Abe Goldstein", Gideon's old professor and friend. Fun reading as well as being thoroughly engaging!
It's been an interesting couple of months for me-- I appreciate your understanding and tolerance during this period of silence. Hopefully, you won't get such a long silence again for a long time!
Take care and be well . . .
January 12, 2008
New Day, New Format
Or at least somewhat new . . .
January 9, 2008
Taking a break . . . I'll be back eventually.
Know anyone who wants to buy a website? Check it out here!
New Laptop
Well, this is my first official post from the new laptop. I'm not using Netscape to edit but SeaMonkey. That's a fun little story . . . when I asked Brian how I was going to be able to post, he said "See monkey" (or so I thought) and my first thought was to get ticked off at him-- I am NOT a monkey!! He just kept saying "See monkey", "See monkey", "See monkey" (like I was supposed to know what he was talking about). Internally, I was really starting to get upset and then he said (finally), "Go to the Start button, Programs . . . " Little did I know that this was a program!! Of course, I also found out that it was "SEA Monkey" which makes even less sense to me. Oh, well-- back to the age old "The Boys and their toys".
Vacation
I've been on vacation this past week, enjoying myself thoroughly. Mostly relaxing which is something I don't get to do a lot of these days. On Thursday, I did a bit of shopping "cuz I could" but didn't purchase anything significant and then on Friday, Linda Rose and went to visit Brian's bosses' wife at her new shop, Cloverhill Yarn. I bought some sock yarn and a pattern and a ball of yarn for a shawl (I love shawls!) and pattern for that, too-- beautiful yarns and a wonderful store!! Good luck, Jolene!!
In the afternoons on both of those days, I set up the quilt frame to practice my long arm techniques as I was going to be quilting my cousin's quilt top starting on Saturday. On Saturday morning, I worked on the stencils for quilting the designs into the qult top and by Sunday afternoon, the quilting was finished, with the exception of the edges. I should be able to finish it up this weekend-- I'm hoping she'll like it. Mostly it's a lot of squiggly lines and butterflies. I'll take pictures of it before I send it to her and will post them after I know she's received it-- I want it to be a surprise to her.
Sunday we did the shopping together-- that's the first time since my surgery and everything went fine. Monday, the holiday, I quilted and worked on the edges of the quilt and we ended the day with Linda coming over for burgers and jigsaw puzzling. Tuesday morning, I went to my first physical therapy appointment and found out that I'm about 90% healed on my own! I figured it would be that good just because I've been working at it-- I'm trying to save gas by not having to go to Annapolis for physical therapy sessions.
Speaking of which, I'm glad I'm assigned to be a teleworker in HR-- at now $4/gallon, I'm not crazy about the idea of driving into the office very often.
Anyway, I spent the last day of my vacation getting another perm since it had been six months since the previous one and it had grown out quite a bit. It looks much better-- scraggly is not my style!!
ANNIVERSARY
Tomorrow Brian and I celebrate our TEN YEAR anniversary!! I sometimes still can't believe it-- yes, it really does still seem like yesterday!! We've accomplished a LOT in ten years, in addition into growing into a solid couple as well as unique individuals. The dining room paint, carpet, and furnishings (eventually) are going to be our gifts to each other. I've been racking my brain trying to think of something to say in a card for him but words really are inadequate. <SIGH> I'm so glad he's in my life!!
May 19, 2008
Catch-Up
I'll probably end up writing this with spurts of information today but, at least I'll update you on some things.
Knee: The surgery went well, fast and easier than . . . well, easily is probably the better word. Dr. R is so fabulous, it's amazing and his team is always very, very good and reassuring and lots of fun to work with even if I'm the one they're working on at the time. I don't know if it was the radio or a CD but they had John Mellencamp on in the OR which made it fun when I was wheeled into the room.
Out of surgery around 40 minutes later and home by 5pm-- not bad for a surgery and recovery that we expected to run us home around 7 or 8pm. We had the neighbors across the street readied to feed Lucy and Molly and, it turns out that they didn't need to after all! That's always nice cuz Lucy and Molly don't know or understand what it means when Mr. Chet comes over to see them. Of course, it involves FOOD so I'm not sure how much else they care about.
When we got home, Brian handed me my wedding and engagement ring and medical alert bracelet (which I unknowingly promptly lost) and my sister called and all was well with the world until I started looking for my bracelet. I went a week without wearing it but only left the house twice so I was okay, overall; Brian found it, in the sofa cushions, last night so I'm all in one piece again.
Recovery has been going well also. I couldn't go up or down the stairs to the second/first floors of the house frequently so I just stayed one place or the other. By late Tuesday, I was going up stairs with my left knee which is GOOD progress-- 90-degree angles are very good! By Thursday morning, I was going down the stairs-- darn near impossible to do with a swollen knee-- without a LOT of muscle pain but when you consider that Monday I couldn't get my quad muscles to do anything, I know I was making excellent progress.
As of this writing, I have very little swelling but it is still quite stiff. I've only got work for 3 days this week as I'm taking 4 days of vacation on either end of the holiday weekend for a "week off" from work-- I need the rest! Unfortunately, I couldn't schedule my physical therapy to start until May 27 so I've got a bit longer to work the knee on my own. Hopefully, I'll get the swelling down by the time that I start therapy.
By the way, my physical therapy was in Virginia, near my office last time (pre-surgery) but now, they appear to not be on my insurance plan anymore-- I can't raise them in the directory so I'm having to go to Annapolis for therapy. Annapolis is closer but obviously, I won't be going to the office following therapy anymore!
Various Stuff:
Yesterday, Linda Rose took me to the movies as my birthday present. Yes, I know-- My birthday is in February but I had a hard time deciding what movie to see. Then I'd decide and the movie would go to DVD before we had a chance to get to the theatre. We saw Ironman which was more than fabulous!! Robert Downey Jr (according to some reports) had to fight to get his way into this movie and his performance was spectacular! I expected smarmy, a la "Spiderman" but instead it was actually quite believable. Unfortunately, we don't have this "weapon" in our arsenal or there wouldn't be any wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for our soldiers to be in right now-- terribly unfortunate!!
Weddings & Stuff:
My nephew, Matt, and his girlfriend, Sarah, will be getting married next year!! YAYYYY!!!!! Matt is Faye's brother (younger by a few years) and yes, we will be going through the photos from Faye's wedding SOON!! I need to get them to my family as well as posting here so be patient-- Brian, when shall we do this??
Vacation:
I've got vacation starting on Thursday (as mentioned above) but instead of having the Thompsons up for a visit, we'll be staying home and so will they!! It just didn't work out this year which is unfortunate. Hopefully, we'll get some time soon to be able to go down to see them or vice versa.
Instead of doing that, I plan to do a lot of sewing-- quilting, actually. LAST YEAR, my cousin, Barb (you remember her: the one who got me INTO quilting?) gave me a quilt top to practice my long-arm quilting on and I _*still*_ haven't gotten it back to her!! She's been as patient as a lamb with me but, I have decided to work on it! I won't show you pictures of it until I'm sure she's received it but it is going to be pretty (I want it to be a surprise for her!).
*****
I guess that's all for now-- if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.
May 5, 2008
'Nuf!!
Brian, in his post Saturday, described me as being in a lot of pain-- Oh, YEAH!!! I don't remember when ALL of my joints and ALL of my muscles hurt THIS bad ALL at once!! Yeesh!! On Saturday evening, we found some Extra Strength Tylenol in the cupboard and that has taken the edge off of the pain but I'm still hurting. During last Friday's commute, I got so sore that I had a hard time finding a comfortable way to hold the steering wheel-- not a good sign, needless to say. Oh, and today, I got told to go off my gluocosamine-- not going to be fun, I can tell!
I'm sure Brian will update you after my surgery on Friday-- everything will be fine!!
April 21, 2008
Okay, So I've Failed at "Frequent"
Oh, well! It's just that there's not much happening and everything's happening at the same time. A bit of a news item here: I'm having the dreaded arthroscopic knee surgery after all.
You see, it's like this: I had a cortizone shot on April 1 (I believe that was the date, anyway). Should have lasted for six weeks at least, the doc said. Yeah, right. Thursday, April 17, my left knee started to hurt. Not Good.
I thought about it for a bit: Yes, I have arthritis in that knee and there's some weather coming in. BUT, I have arthritis in my other knee as well and I have no pain there. Not Good.
I called the doctor's office on Monday, left a message. He called me back (!!) and told me to call his scheduling desk: Surgery could not be put off.
Bummer! This is the same knee that was operated on (almost exactly on the same date) six years ago. Now, the good news is that this doctor is really, really, REALLY good! My right knee causes me NO PROBLEMS at ALL, even when the weather is changing or there's too much humidity in the air, etc.
My left knee was done in California and I'm looking forward to being as pain free with my left knee as I am with my right knee. I don't dread the surgery exactly-- I just _dread_ surgery in general. The good news is that I only need one day off from work for it so that's VERY good.
Other than that, there's not much going on around here. I'm sewing clothes-- one more outfit left to complete-- and then I'll start up the stock for Marcia's Makings which will hopefully be ready for Christmas shopping season! We (Brian and I both) will keep you updated on that project as he'll need to help me with my website store.
April 3, 2008
Nothing Major
No real happenings except that if you're feeling seam-ly, you could click the link on the left and apply to be on the next Project Runway 5 season. Oh, sure-- go ahead! You can do it!!
March 27, 2008
No Knee Replacement!!
YAYYYY!!!! The doctor called on Wednesday morning with the results of my MRI and x-ray. Yes, I have a torn lateral (outside) meniscus on my left knee and I have some arthritis (which is acting up at the moment due to the weather). With physical therapy and a cortizone shot or two, I should be okay enough to put off any type of surgery for at least a year. That's really good news when one has a job that is only a few months old.
On Tuesday of next week, I get the first cortizone shot-- I'm actually looking forward to despite how painful they are when they happen. I start physical therapy tomorrow morning in Herndon, VA, near where my office is located. Then, next week and the week after, I go twice per week on Monday and Wednesday morning, before I go to the office. After that, it should continue twice a week for another couple of weeks and then I'll be done. Soooo, that's a relief!! Needed some good news, right about then!!
Other than that, Brian's on his way home from Columbus, Ohio-- lucky guy!! He and one of his co-workers went there to do some work, leaving yesterday morning. He didn't tell you, his readers, because he probably didn't want it publicly known that I was home alone. Now that he's an hour or so away, I'm okay with you knowing it.
I didn't get out of work until 6pm last night so that meant I didn't get home until 7pm. That was a very long day, believe me. The driving in every day is not making me a happy person but I learn a lot more about the software when I'm in the office so I'm happy to do that part of it. All things are good.
March 19, 2008
Too Much, Too Little
These days, I'm going into the office 5 days per week, when it works with the rest of my schedule. I qualify that because last week and this week, I haven't been able to make it yet but, next week is looking good so far. As a result, there's too much to report in this small space/time and too little to report. I live on the weekends and spend the rest of the time driving to the office, being at the office, and driving home from the office. If I have a chance and time permits, I stop and work out on my way home . . . depending on how my knee feels.
Last week I went to my orthopedic doctor because I've been having pain in my left knee for awhile, and more so since we came back from Michigan and my niece's wedding. He's ordered an x-ray and MRI which are scheduled for tomorrow and physical therapy, my favorite! The biggest problem right now is finding someone who accepts my insurance and can work with my schedule. I'm probably going to end up taking the physical therapy at a place in Herndon, VA, where my office is located. The insurance will cover it even though my doctor and me are located in Maryland. All of this is to avoid the inevitable: Knee Replacement Surgery.
I know the procedure's gotten to be a lot easier these days but I really don't have six weeks to take off from work right now. Of course, the good news is that I work from home the majority of the time so I may be able to get a surgery by the time fall hits. I'd really rather wait until next year, if possible. It depends on the success of the physical therapy and the exercises that I am doing on my own.
There's the short of it-- the long will come another time.
March 7, 2008
Oh, yes, certainly!!
Everyone should have a 1-hour-45-minute morning commute, right? And for sure, if that's how the morning is, a SOLID 3 hour evening commute shouldn't be a surprise, either . . . UNFORTUNATELY!! Seriously.
February 25, 2008
Life and then some . . .
Sewing, and sewing and working and working and working and cleaning and . . . I cleaned out my fabric and sewing rooms Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Ya know what? There's carpet in there!! Yeesh!! It has been a mess-- I'm really bad about cleaning up after I finish a project-- I'm really good and working on the projects though at least until I go nuts with the amount of clutter that gets in my way!!
Other than that, more of the same as always. I'm now "studying" to become a certified project manager-- cool, huh? It'll help with other career possibilities if I ever want to make any other moves.
More as the mood suits me . . . take care!
February 9, 2008
Today . . .
First off, word has reached me that The Jacket, our wedding gift to my niece has reached her, she has tried it on and, in true Faye-Fairy-Princess style, she has wept. It is as beautiful as she is!!
Ahhh, now I can relax. I didn't want to chance having it in my luggage when we flew to the wedding because you know, it would certainly have ended up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota instead of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Leaving nothing to chance, we shipped it (insured for $500) in case, it wouldn't make it clean and in good condition to Michigan in time for the wedding as a replacement would cost (probably) as much as the insurance value. I know they don't grow on trees and, considering the dollar amount I paid for the fabric PLUS my "hourly rate", it is well worth the $500 for which I insured it.
One more worry off my mind.
Right now, I'm working on making my Twin-Fit be my twin. No, I'm still overweight but I'm only a size 20 (and losing inches/weight due to my diet and work-out regimen) which isn't bad (or trust me, you would never hear of my size!!) but, I wanted a Twin-Fit that was closer to my current size and where I'm going to end up rather than one for SMALL people and EXTRA-LARGE people. (I'm going to sew for them eventually but I'll wait until that occasion arises before I actually purchase a Twin-Fit to fit their needs.)
Later after I finish up that transformation, I'll shower and head out to do some shoe shopping. I'm in dire need of a red-brown short heeled shoe for wearing with suits and pants for work. Yesterday, I wore my new striped suit to the office and was forced to wear 3" heels with it because that's all I had. (If you'll recall, I cleaned out closets of extra clothing and shoes when I started working from home and, come to find out, I need some of them back!)
Tomorrow I'll finally be able to get to some sewing . . . I think. It'll be for myself this time as my spring fabric is starting to arrive. I'm going to do a lot with Linen as it can be easier to care for, especially the linen/cotton blends that are coming out.
Molly's pushing me to let her out so I'll sign off for now--
February 6, 2008
Tired . . .
I do it to myself. I think about something RIGHT before I go into the bedroom and for the rest of the time that I'm awake (which is a LONG time), I worry about it. Case in point: Yesterday I worked in our Herndon, VA, office so I didn't get home from work until 7:15/7:30pm. I spent the rest of the night TRYING to relax and then, as I got up to leave my office and walk into the bedroom, I remembered that I needed to take Lucy to the doggie day spa today. So much for getting a good night's sleep!
I had a conference call scheduled at 8:15 and needed to get Lucy to the Spa by 8am in order to make that call. Was I going to be able to do that along with getting my computer and "stuff" set up in time for my call? Sure!! I had plenty of time!! Tell that to my subconscious!!
Besides the fact that I at first complained to Brian for keeping the light on after he came to bed because he was reading, then, after he shut the light off, he kept picking/tickling at me (which I complained about then but giggle about as I write this), I couldn't unwind to go to sleep!! ARGH!!
Don't tell me to take a sleeping pill-- I already do!! This is just my Little Girl (Oooh, it's ALMOST Christmas) keeping me awake and it/she MAKES ME CRAZY!!
I woke up with a sinus-like headache (thanks to our lovely weather) and exhausted. Oh, well, there's always tonight or . . . some other night!
February 2, 2008
Busy Week
It has been a busy week-- learning a new job is exhausting on the brain and in between there's life. Nothing horrendous going on...Lucy had her stitches out on Friday, I had a routine doctor appointment on Wednesday-- you know, stuff.
I'd been trying to read a book but, I don't like romance novels. The book I'd picked up to read was from one of the many purchased at Malice Domestic. I didn't know it was a romance since it was at Malice. I'm not sure it was intended to be a "romance" as much as a "mystery" but I'll be danged if I can find the mystery in the book. There were reviews and comments on the cover and inside pages that indicated it was a "mystery" and a "thriller" but I had a hard time finding anything remotely suspicious. On page 124 I found an error in editing-- that is a true pet peeve of mine. The couple in the story had started out flying to Paris from London, certainly no long journey. "Hours into the flight . . . ". HOURS? Then, the author said something about how lovely the scenery was out the window of the train-- TRAIN?
That's when I lobbed the silly book across the room. Can you sell a book to a used bookstore if it has been signed and dedicated to someone else? I'm going to try!!
The Jacket
The jacket for my niece, Faye, is complete! It is beautiful, indeed! Pictures after SHE sees it-- probably next week sometime. I'm hoping for a good weep from her but we'll have to see.
Chinese!!
Ever since we moved to Maryland, we've been looking for a GOOD Chinese restaurant at reasonable prices. We have FINALLY found it!! We almost went there over the Labor Day weekend when Barbara and Bob were in town but opted out for . . . pizza, was it? Anyway, Brian took me to that restaurant tonight-- it's close by and we loved the food!! YAYYY!!!! That's a restaurant we'll be going to often!! I'm sooo relieved-- I hated not being able to have good Chinese food by us!! We took home a take-out menu which looks to be their regular restaurant menu-- good to know it's the same. I'm going to try different things every time we order from them! (It's sooo carb-friendly with little or no rice, too!)
January 28, 2008
I live in the land of . . .
Eternal Diets, what else!! How long have you known me? Yeah, well-- I've been ON a diet that whole time, haven't I? I've lost weight, I've gained weight but I keep on dieting.
A few months ago, I finally got my head around the idea/concept that it isn't a DIET that I need but a LIFESTYLE change. Yeah, I know-- sometimes I am a little slow, aren't I? Well, I've done that-- I'm eating low-carb food that I like and I'm not suffering. That's the best part, too.
Last night, we had pizza. I can have thin crust pizza with pepperoni and black olives for 22 carbs each slice from Papa John's. I usually have four slices-- 88 carbs but I _*PLAN*_ for the "expense" of having 88 carbs at one meal (out of a total of 160 carbs per day). Last night, I only had 3 slices (66 carbs total) and I didn't feel starved or hungry afterwards in fact, I didn't have a dessert or snack after dinner either. This morning when I weighed in at Curves, I lost one pound since last week and I'm good with that. A pound per week is 4 pounds per month and I usually lose more than that so I'm way good with that!!
The weekend was spent sewing on the jacket and doing laundry along with puzzling with Linda Rose yesterday. Her plans for moving to Florida have been put off for a bit and I'm terribly happy by that for me but, of course, that means she'll be living here in Maryland without her sister and brother-in-law and eventually her parents. Brian and I (along with her friends, Yvonne and Leo) will just have to make up for their absence with more custody visits-- Yvonne and I share custody of Linda, don'tcha know? :)
January 24, 2008
Obviously . . .
The tanner minds prevailed-- I'm quite glad actually as I find it more mellowing and that's what everyone needs: Marcia's MELLOW Musings! Talk about alliterative!
I have officially been announced and the Outlook employee database updated so I MUST be a newly transferred employee now! I'm actually not minding the commute (which may lead to me doing it twice a week-- believe it or not) because of the books on CDs. The books are distracting but I still focus enough not to get into an accident and, if nothing else, I'm pretty sure that I'm paying MORE attention to traffic around me as well as not losing my patience.
I've pretty much been turned out to start doing my job. There are just a couple of things I haven't done or been shown/taught so I'm pretty ready for it.
It's so nice to get up in the morning and not have a sense of DREAD awaiting me!!
January 20, 2008
Background
I wanted turquoise originally but couldn't get it to set up properly so I settled for the fabric background that you saw before. Brian said that the fabric background was annoying and made it difficult to follow the lines when reading. What do you think? Let me know!! Seriously, email me and tell me which you prefer: Fabric Background or Turquoise Background? Never say your opinion doesn't matter around here!!
The three of you can let me know which you prefer, okay? Majority wins-- there are no electoral college votes here!!
Not So Much
Well, I worked hard at cleaning yesterday. I really did but . . . fell short but Brian was nice about it. I'm not a cleaner-- I doubt that I ever have been, really. I don't like to clean but I also understand the reasoning behind saving money so I'm willing to give up having someone else come in to clean. Brian will have to do the majority of the clean since he can "see" dirt-- long story, don't ask-- and I'll be responsible for dusting and vacuuming. I think I can handle that.
Off-n-On
Over the course of this weekend, I've been working at getting my job organized. There's actually a lot to it and I don't know everything yet so I'm sure there's going to be more. It's fun but also not as much fun as it could be if I knew the job and could do it intelligently-- yes, I know: give myself time!! I have a bad habit of having expectations that _*I*_ set too high for myself. Yes, I know-- someday, I'll learn not to do that but in the meantime, I'm still doing it and still trying to do cope with doing it.
I'm going to take my training binder downstairs and review-ahead some of the chapters to see if I see any problem areas coming up-- hopefully not!
January 18, 2008
Gotta Be A Law!!
I don't think people should be allowed to be as tired as I am right now. The last few nights, my mind has been racing, when I try to go to sleep, with facts about my new job-- I'm trying to remember EVERYTHING the first week!! Believe me, I'm getting NO pressure to pick up the work that's in progress but _*I*_ feel the need to do my job so therefore, I am pushing me to remember it all . . . NOW!! Yes, I'm going to make myself crazy at this point but , the worst part is that I need to get some sleep. It sounds like it may be time to haul out my headset and classical music from the iRiver so I can get to sleep tonight!!
Did I Mention?
We aren't using our cleaning service anymore-- they are wonderful but, we decided that we would save the money instead. As a result, tomorrow while Brian is painting in the bathroom, I'm going to clean our bathroom and bedroom-- let's see if I can do it to Brian's satisfaction!! (That should be interesting!)
Oh, well-- I'm going to turn in early tonight and do some reading-- down to another quilt story about New Year's-- of course, I'm expecting great things!
January 17, 2008
More of the Same
With a little snow on top-- pretty, fluffy and fun to look at! Lucy loves to "snowplow" her face into it when it's fluffy so of course, she does it more when I laugh.
Training was done by phone today-- I still feel my headset on my ear/head even though I haven't actually worn it for hours. Tomorrow I'm going to be self-learning mostly along with reading ahead and coming up with questions. I've got lots of ideas on how to work stuff a little differently to help me remember everything that's being told to me right now. I'll always have access to my trainer but, I'd prefer to be fairly independent.
We're talking about when our "Roadshow" is going to happen-- it'll probably be the first week in February, by the looks of it but not too much later in the month, I don't think. Should be tons of fun-- 3 cities in 5 days? Oh, yeah-- loads of fun!!
January 16, 2008
Film at Eleven
I think my head's going to explode!! Yes, and this is only the first day of training!! Yikes!! I was gone from the house almost exactly 12 hours today and training was only from 8:30 to 5-- lovely commute, eh? Oh, yeah, I'm so glad for it myself!!
Yeesh!!
Tomorrow's another day but tomorrow will be by phone-- I've got a headset so my neck will be fine by the end of the day-- hopefully.
January 15, 2008
Hubby Goes To School
How about that, huh? I'm so proud of him!! We've both thought about finishing our respective degrees over the years but Brian's going to do something about it!! YAYY FOR HIM!!!! Not that I won't continue to think about it but, for the next six months, I've got to concentrate on learning the new job-- that is, if I ever get the offer letter-- and that'll be my priority. Then, I'll re-think my degree. It would be a plus in any job market but I'm not sure that I want to do it at all considering that I'd like to retire early and don't need an college education for what I'd like to do in my retirement. Sewing, quilting, and clothing design don't require a college degree, necessarily, but it would be nice if I could draw pictures of clothing appropriately!!
Link Adds
I've added links to two of my favorite thingsin this world: Project Runway 4 (4th Season) and my hubby, of course. Thought that would make it easier to find these things.
While the Thompsons were visiting over Thanksgiving, I even got lucky enough to get Barbara hooked on the outcome-- not the designs-- of PR4. Every week I've been updating her as to the winners and losers (those who are aufed!) but I've decided that a link would make it a lot easier for both of us.
I don't know that I mentioned it but Brian gave me one of my BIG wannas on Christmas by getting me Tim Gunn's Guide to Quality, Taste and Style. Of course, I love it and try to apply it when using my current wardrobe for work at the office. Not an easy task considering I've lived in t-shirts and leggings for three years!
Other than that, I can't think of anything else to tell you about . . .
January 14, 2008
Confusion and Disarray
The problem with working for a big company is that you work for a big company. It has taken nearly two weeks to get the official offer letter from the Big Company that bought the Little Company that I work for (technically, I have been paid through the 15th by the Little Company) through tomorrow. In the interim, I have been assured by my new boss that he's going to go hang over the shoulder of his boss so that everything gets the final approval button clicked on my new job tomorrow. That way the offer letter will (hopefully) be sent to me before I actually start my new job on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, I start the two-day training for the new job, Technical Sales Operations Manager (or "Trial Manager" for short). I will arrange, propagate and manage the process for software trials and Proofs of Concept ("POCs") at Big Company. It is something completely different but I am sooooo looking forward to it, probably because it is something completely different.
I've worked in legal for twenty years and I'm flat burned out-- I don't care if I look at another contract for a long, long time. However, I like negotiating and customer contact and that is what I'll have a LOT more of in my new job. I'll also get to travel a bit which will "get me out" a lot more than I currently get out. (That's something that Bob Thompson and I have in common-- we don't get out much.)
By the way, I'll still get to work from home the majority of the time but I'm going to start going into the office in Herndon, VA, as well. There are a couple of reasons for doing that, not the least of which is the "getting out" thing but also because it'll be good for face time with the sales folks that I will be working with on the trials and POCs. Yes, I'm not good at handling rush-hour traffic but I've got books on CD and tons of music and that wonderfully fun convertible to drive back-n-forth when I go, remember? I'll be okay-- I'm nearly sure of it, really.
Other Developments
My
current sewing project is a jacket for Faye, my niece, to wear in her
travel on the evening of their wedding at the end of February in
Michigan, probably during snow. Yes, she'll be cold in that
strapless dress but she'll be warmer wearing a velvet-lined satin
fitted bolero jacket. I've got the "two jackets" made and will
work on getting them together. With the wedding at the end of
February, I've got lots of time so I'm not worried about too little
time to get the jacket finished-- I intended that. 
On
Saturday, I ran the embroidery design, which is similar but not exact,
to the embroidery design in her wedding dress. Then, I added
Swarovsky crystals to the centers of the flowers on the design.
I'll be doing a floral buttonhole (probably) with crystals in the
flowers on the buttonhole, as well. It'll be gorgeous when it's
finished!Speaking of the Thompsons, several months back Bob and Barbara both recommended Aaron Elkins series "Gideon Oliver" to me. I picked up several of the books at the Edward McKay Bookstore that we go to in Winston-Salem and have read them over the last couple of months. They were right, of course-- I have really enjoyed the stories in the books, as well as the manner in which Elkins develops the character of Oliver and those around him. I particularly like "Abe Goldstein", Gideon's old professor and friend. Fun reading as well as being thoroughly engaging!
It's been an interesting couple of months for me-- I appreciate your understanding and tolerance during this period of silence. Hopefully, you won't get such a long silence again for a long time!
Take care and be well . . .
January 12, 2008
New Day, New Format
Or at least somewhat new . . .
January 9, 2008
Taking a break . . . I'll be back eventually.
Know anyone who wants to buy a website? Check it out here!
This journal was started many
(nearly ten-- that's "many", right?) years ago.
The opinions stated herein are my own,
much to the chagrin of my husband, at times.
(nearly ten-- that's "many", right?) years ago.
The opinions stated herein are my own,
much to the chagrin of my husband, at times.