Last night Geoff and I stopped into Ross (Dress for Less). While we were there, this 3-ish year old was licking the mirror. The mom was dealing with her slightly older child who was in tears and telling her mom that she didn't love her (the child was saying "you don't love me!"... or rather "yoooooouuuuuuu ddddoooooooooooonnn'tttttt looooooooveeeee meeeeeeeeee!"), so she missed the licking situation.
So today during lunch I said to Geoff "what would you do if you were in Ross and your kid was licking the mirror?"
"Tell it not to - what would you do, cut its tongue off?"
I thought this was funny. You probably had to be there. But at least I'm getting into the habit of blogging daily, even if my blogs are weird.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Interesting
I have read this somewhere before, but I don't remember where - people are all about letting other people know what a great deal they got on something. I was thinking about this the other day when I was wearing a new pair of shoes (that I got on clearance at REI). I got two compliments on them the day I wore them and both times I FORCED myself to just say "Thanks!" instead of "Thanks, they were on clearance at REI!" I don't know why this is, but I know I'm not the only one with this "problem". Just an interesting thought....
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Take a good look folks...
This is the last I'll ever see of my wedding dress*! That's right, it's all packed up to be sent to Brides Against Breast Cancer tomorrow. I am soooooo excited, I've wanted to do this since pretty much right after I got married - and I'm just now getting around to it. I mean, talk about laziness. Oh well, at least I'm doing it now. My closet, the environment, whoever wears this dress next, and people with breast cancer all thank me. Or at the very least, I thank myself. I'm SO excited about this. I know I already said that, but I can't help it! I think it's cool! And I love getting rid of stuff.
*okay, so that's really just my slip and my shoes in the picture - but my veil, bra, and DRESS are below it, I promise!
Musing
I'm glad I didn't go to Johns Hopkins... because I would have cringed every time someone said "John Hopkins", and then my face would have been stuck in a permanent cringing position.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Slightly worrysome...
So I called my doctor today to make an appointment. I haven't been to this particular doctor in a while, so I wasn't sure if they had my new or old last name. They were looking it up and couldn't find me, and I was thinking "uh-oh"... they finally found me and asked if my birthday was 3/12/1970. Um, nooooooooooo, it's not. So then they asked about my street address. Yes, that's correct. Then they asked about my phone number. Nope, not mine! Not even a former one of mine. Then they asked for the last 4 digits of my Social - those matched. Okay, weird. So they went and cross-checked with an old system to "make sure they got the right patient". After all of that they finally came back and asked for my "new" phone number. I gave her the correct phone number and she confirmed/updated my marital status / employment / address / emergency contact stuff.
The icing on the cake was when at the end she asked "okay so what's your new birthday?" HAHAHAHA. As though it's changed at some point in the last 27 years. I should have made myself 5 years younger. ;-)
The icing on the cake was when at the end she asked "okay so what's your new birthday?" HAHAHAHA. As though it's changed at some point in the last 27 years. I should have made myself 5 years younger. ;-)
Wine weekend!
Once again, it was wine weekend! Geoff, Momlie, Geoff's aunt Gayle, and I all went wine tasting. We visited 4 wineries - 2 that we've been to before and 2 that were new! The last one was really great... the wine wasn't the most magnificent ever, but there were 3 different wineries pouring wines there and there were also different artisans - a goat cheese lady with some of the best goat cheese I've ever had (in several different flavors, no less), and a chocolate lady with some amazing chocolates. YUMMMM. Really interesting place, I enjoyed it quite a bit. After wine tasting, we went back to Momlie and Gary's house, where Gary and his niece Meghan prepared a GREAT dinner of chicken, salad with a yummy avocado/cilantro dressing, watermelon, and potato salad. Delicious. After that we all visited and chatted a bit and then Geoff and I helped get Momlie and Gary onto Facebook! Fun. :)
Friday, May 22, 2009
MEXICO!
Mexico was FANTASTIC. For future reference, I highly recommend travelling when the CDC recommends avoiding all non-essential travel to a certain country. We had our own rows on the plane going down and coming up we had two to a row instead of the normal 3. At the resort we stayed at, there were 3 resorts owned by the same people right on the same strip of land. They had closed 2 of the resorts and consolidated all of the guests into 1 - and it STILL wasn't full. It was absolutely fantastic. I also recommend NOT going to Mexico this June or July! They said everyone had rebooked for then... I imagine having to sit two to a seat on the airplanes, never finding a seat by the pool or tube for the lazy river, and having to wait in line for dinner.
The resort we stayed in is Mexican-owned, and there was a large percentage of Mexican folks staying there. Crocs are apparently the national shoe of Mexico - 95% of the Mexican people were wearing Crocs. When you'd get in the lazy river, there would be dozens of pairs of Crocs sitting near the entrance. So interesting and amusing! There were regular Crocs, Disney Crocs, Dora Crocks, Croc sandals, and every other kind of Croc you can imagine in every color you can imagine!
Here's the lowdown... I'll try not to go into TOO much painful detail like I usually do.
Sunday: We arrived and had a nice dinner by the pool at a restaurant named Samba. I had a very Mexican meal - cheesburger and fries. :) We enjoyed a short dip in the dipping pool on the patio of our unit.
Monday: We went to a nice brunch in the morning and then Geoff and hit the lazy river while Oma and Opa went to an owner's meeting (they are timeshare owners where we stayed). We read, relaxed, explored, and enjoyed fun in the sun. Oh, and we went shopping at the Mega (the supermarket).
Tuesday: It was overcast, so we headed downtown to Puerto Vallerta. We walked around for a bit, I was interviewed by a German student studying Mexican tourism, and then we went to Hard Rock Cafe! We had a delicious lunch (okay, so not very Mexican) and Geoff was finally able to "replace" his beat up holey Hard Rock Cafe London shirt. :)
Wednesday: Relaxed poolside, went to the water slide and in the wave pool.
Thursday: Another relaxing day in the sun and then we went to the Mexican Fiesta on the beach! We got to see the Mexican Flyers, eat a ton of fabulous food, watch contests and music and other great entertainment, and see a mama sea turtle lay her eggs. Soooo much fun.
Friday: Another day of lots of pool time! We had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the hotel and Opa and I shared a bottle of Mexican Merlot. Played some cards (Hand & Foot) too!
Saturday: Spent the morning and afternoon by the pool and that night Geoff and I got to go on this amazing boat ride to a fantastic dinner and show called Rhythms of the Night at a place called Las Caletas. It was so beautiful - we had dinner right on the beach about 20 feet from the water and dined just as the sun was setting. A fantastic last evening of our vacation!
Sunday: We woke up early so we could spend a few more hours near the pool. Oma and I went around the lazy river for a good hour and a half or so... capping a great week of stories! After that we packed up and headed out - Swine Flu free. :)
I think I've done a pretty darn good job of keeping the blog short! YAY for me!
The resort we stayed in is Mexican-owned, and there was a large percentage of Mexican folks staying there. Crocs are apparently the national shoe of Mexico - 95% of the Mexican people were wearing Crocs. When you'd get in the lazy river, there would be dozens of pairs of Crocs sitting near the entrance. So interesting and amusing! There were regular Crocs, Disney Crocs, Dora Crocks, Croc sandals, and every other kind of Croc you can imagine in every color you can imagine!
Here's the lowdown... I'll try not to go into TOO much painful detail like I usually do.
Sunday: We arrived and had a nice dinner by the pool at a restaurant named Samba. I had a very Mexican meal - cheesburger and fries. :) We enjoyed a short dip in the dipping pool on the patio of our unit.
Monday: We went to a nice brunch in the morning and then Geoff and hit the lazy river while Oma and Opa went to an owner's meeting (they are timeshare owners where we stayed). We read, relaxed, explored, and enjoyed fun in the sun. Oh, and we went shopping at the Mega (the supermarket).
Tuesday: It was overcast, so we headed downtown to Puerto Vallerta. We walked around for a bit, I was interviewed by a German student studying Mexican tourism, and then we went to Hard Rock Cafe! We had a delicious lunch (okay, so not very Mexican) and Geoff was finally able to "replace" his beat up holey Hard Rock Cafe London shirt. :)
Wednesday: Relaxed poolside, went to the water slide and in the wave pool.
Thursday: Another relaxing day in the sun and then we went to the Mexican Fiesta on the beach! We got to see the Mexican Flyers, eat a ton of fabulous food, watch contests and music and other great entertainment, and see a mama sea turtle lay her eggs. Soooo much fun.
Friday: Another day of lots of pool time! We had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the hotel and Opa and I shared a bottle of Mexican Merlot. Played some cards (Hand & Foot) too!
Saturday: Spent the morning and afternoon by the pool and that night Geoff and I got to go on this amazing boat ride to a fantastic dinner and show called Rhythms of the Night at a place called Las Caletas. It was so beautiful - we had dinner right on the beach about 20 feet from the water and dined just as the sun was setting. A fantastic last evening of our vacation!
Sunday: We woke up early so we could spend a few more hours near the pool. Oma and I went around the lazy river for a good hour and a half or so... capping a great week of stories! After that we packed up and headed out - Swine Flu free. :)
I think I've done a pretty darn good job of keeping the blog short! YAY for me!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A venting day :)
UGH! Today is one of those days, you know?
- Work is not going right. I am getting questions that are making me feel as though I'm not doing my job correctly, and that's annoying. I'm TRYING not to overreact, because it's quite possible people are just asking questions, but it doesn't feel that way. I think this is my own issue though, otherwise I would ask if there is something I can do to improve.
- One of our softball parents was rude to us yesterday, making us feel as though we are inadequate as coaches - not giving out information we don't have, etc. I don't particularly care what the parents think of me, but I DO want them to have a positive experience so I feel bad if they feel they are not. This is one area where Geoff and I differ - he cares more about people's impressions of him, whereas I am a pleaser - I could care less what people think about me, but if they are not happy I get VERY unhappy. I dwelled on this for most of the night last night and continue to dwell on it today. This is why I'm bad with conflict - because I don't like it when people feel I have disserviced them in some way, and it's hard for me to deal with it. Thanks to my college mentor, I am WAY better at it then I used to be.
- KFC was kind enough to put a coupon out for folks to print to try their new grilled chicken. It used a coupon printer called Bricks (that I use frequently) to print it. Bricks is awesome because it lets you print 1 or 2 coupons per printer and prints a new code on each coupon. This prevents people from just printing a million coupons and abusing them. I printed the coupon Tuesday through Bricks (yesterday was the last day to print it, although it can be used for a few more weeks). Today, I got an email with a PDF attachment of the coupon. UGH!!!! That is coupon fraud, people. Not only is that punishable by law (as it clearly states on the coupon), but it truly does encourage stores and manufacturers not to offer coupons anymore. And if they do continue to offer coupons, they are much less likely to take internet printables. This is frustrating to NO END to legitimate coupon users like me. PLEASE read all of the fine print on your coupons. If it says one per person, do that. If it says one per household, do that. It typically says one per item, and you can use it as many times for as many coupons as you have. But each coupon is different, and you need to read the print on each one (this goes for all coupons: internet printables, manufacturer's coupons from the Sunday inserts, and store coupons). Down with coupon fraud!
Okay. Now that I have finished venting, a few highlights in my day:
- My manager noticed my long face, and asked what was wrong. I explained my frustrations and he said if there is anything he can do, let him know. He said he'd be happy to call the other group (that was asking so many questions) and talk to their manager or whoever for me. I told him that wasn't necessary, but still. That was awesome. He said it comes with having a wife and 4 daughters - he can spot a funny look miles away! :-) BEST. MANAGER. EVER.
- Mexico in 3 days.
- My coworker just send me this GLORIOUS article on KFC coupon fraud. Yay yay yay!!! KFC is saying NO to the PDF coupons (which all have the same barcode as opposed to the unique barcode on each Bricks coupon). Of course that doesn't stop someone from making a new PDF, but it's a step in the right direction!!!
- Work is not going right. I am getting questions that are making me feel as though I'm not doing my job correctly, and that's annoying. I'm TRYING not to overreact, because it's quite possible people are just asking questions, but it doesn't feel that way. I think this is my own issue though, otherwise I would ask if there is something I can do to improve.
- One of our softball parents was rude to us yesterday, making us feel as though we are inadequate as coaches - not giving out information we don't have, etc. I don't particularly care what the parents think of me, but I DO want them to have a positive experience so I feel bad if they feel they are not. This is one area where Geoff and I differ - he cares more about people's impressions of him, whereas I am a pleaser - I could care less what people think about me, but if they are not happy I get VERY unhappy. I dwelled on this for most of the night last night and continue to dwell on it today. This is why I'm bad with conflict - because I don't like it when people feel I have disserviced them in some way, and it's hard for me to deal with it. Thanks to my college mentor, I am WAY better at it then I used to be.
- KFC was kind enough to put a coupon out for folks to print to try their new grilled chicken. It used a coupon printer called Bricks (that I use frequently) to print it. Bricks is awesome because it lets you print 1 or 2 coupons per printer and prints a new code on each coupon. This prevents people from just printing a million coupons and abusing them. I printed the coupon Tuesday through Bricks (yesterday was the last day to print it, although it can be used for a few more weeks). Today, I got an email with a PDF attachment of the coupon. UGH!!!! That is coupon fraud, people. Not only is that punishable by law (as it clearly states on the coupon), but it truly does encourage stores and manufacturers not to offer coupons anymore. And if they do continue to offer coupons, they are much less likely to take internet printables. This is frustrating to NO END to legitimate coupon users like me. PLEASE read all of the fine print on your coupons. If it says one per person, do that. If it says one per household, do that. It typically says one per item, and you can use it as many times for as many coupons as you have. But each coupon is different, and you need to read the print on each one (this goes for all coupons: internet printables, manufacturer's coupons from the Sunday inserts, and store coupons). Down with coupon fraud!
Okay. Now that I have finished venting, a few highlights in my day:
- My manager noticed my long face, and asked what was wrong. I explained my frustrations and he said if there is anything he can do, let him know. He said he'd be happy to call the other group (that was asking so many questions) and talk to their manager or whoever for me. I told him that wasn't necessary, but still. That was awesome. He said it comes with having a wife and 4 daughters - he can spot a funny look miles away! :-) BEST. MANAGER. EVER.
- Mexico in 3 days.
- My coworker just send me this GLORIOUS article on KFC coupon fraud. Yay yay yay!!! KFC is saying NO to the PDF coupons (which all have the same barcode as opposed to the unique barcode on each Bricks coupon). Of course that doesn't stop someone from making a new PDF, but it's a step in the right direction!!!
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Packing funnies...
So much to blog, so little time...
I've been busy at work - because we're going to MEXICO next week. That's right, a whole week of fun in the sun! We're going with Geoff's grandparents, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with trips with their whole family. They're going all over the place, and lucky us, our trip is to Mexico. YAY, I love Mexico.
As I said to Geoff, the last few days before vacation are no fun - you're at work trying to finish things up, but your mind is already by the pool relaxing with a magazine. But the week is half over now...!
I do have a couple of other things I want to blog, but while I'm thinking of it, here are a few funnies:
Kelly:
are you planning to exercise in Mexico or not so much?
Geoff:
a little, but not a ton
Kelly:
but are you gonna bring your running shoes and whatnot?
Geoff:
no, probly not
Kelly:
Ok
But a workout tank?
Geoff:
yup, and some shorts
Kelly:
Ok
(some time goes by...)
Kelly:
Do you want to take your camera or just mine?
Geoff:
i would like to take my camera, yet
yes
Kelly:
ok
should we take joby????
Geoff:
yes
Kelly:
LOL okay. Joby can come!
(some time goes by...)
Kelly:
will you shave in Mexico?
Geoff:
yup
Kelly:
ok
I am making a packing list.
in case you couldn't tell.
FlyLady is helping!
Geoff:
you are making "the list" aren't you?
Kelly:
I started out by myself.
LOL yes.
Maybe a little.
And then I remembered she has a packing control journal
http://www.flylady.net/images/PackingCJ.pdf
So that's making it even more fun!!
Kelly:
hair dryer
ok.
I checked.
the rooms have that.
So yay.
Then today....
Geoff [11:29 AM]:
do you want to stop our mail?
Kelly [11:29 AM]:
Do you?
I thought about it.
Okay
let's do it
done
Geoff [11:31 AM]:
done?
already?
Kelly [11:31 AM]:
yes
Geoff [11:31 AM]:
did you have to call someone?
Kelly [11:31 AM]:
no
ew
phone
gross
Geoff [11:31 AM]:
lol
I thought there was another, but I can't find it now. Anyway, just thought they were kinda funny....
I've been busy at work - because we're going to MEXICO next week. That's right, a whole week of fun in the sun! We're going with Geoff's grandparents, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with trips with their whole family. They're going all over the place, and lucky us, our trip is to Mexico. YAY, I love Mexico.
As I said to Geoff, the last few days before vacation are no fun - you're at work trying to finish things up, but your mind is already by the pool relaxing with a magazine. But the week is half over now...!
I do have a couple of other things I want to blog, but while I'm thinking of it, here are a few funnies:
Kelly:
are you planning to exercise in Mexico or not so much?
Geoff:
a little, but not a ton
Kelly:
but are you gonna bring your running shoes and whatnot?
Geoff:
no, probly not
Kelly:
Ok
But a workout tank?
Geoff:
yup, and some shorts
Kelly:
Ok
(some time goes by...)
Kelly:
Do you want to take your camera or just mine?
Geoff:
i would like to take my camera, yet
yes
Kelly:
ok
should we take joby????
Geoff:
yes
Kelly:
LOL okay. Joby can come!
(some time goes by...)
Kelly:
will you shave in Mexico?
Geoff:
yup
Kelly:
ok
I am making a packing list.
in case you couldn't tell.
FlyLady is helping!
Geoff:
you are making "the list" aren't you?
Kelly:
I started out by myself.
LOL yes.
Maybe a little.
And then I remembered she has a packing control journal
http://www.flylady.net/images/PackingCJ.pdf
So that's making it even more fun!!
Kelly:
hair dryer
ok.
I checked.
the rooms have that.
So yay.
Then today....
Geoff [11:29 AM]:
do you want to stop our mail?
Kelly [11:29 AM]:
Do you?
I thought about it.
Okay
let's do it
done
Geoff [11:31 AM]:
done?
already?
Kelly [11:31 AM]:
yes
Geoff [11:31 AM]:
did you have to call someone?
Kelly [11:31 AM]:
no
ew
phone
gross
Geoff [11:31 AM]:
lol
I thought there was another, but I can't find it now. Anyway, just thought they were kinda funny....
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Common
Three scenarios:
1. Easter weekend, Geoff and I are sitting in a restaraunt having dinner and a woman comes up to us and says "how's Gigi?"
We both stare at her as though we have no idea what she's talking about (we don't).
She's like "you two are the ones who adopted Gigi last night, aren't you?"
"Nope... sorry..."
"OH MY GOSH, you look JUST like the couple. I could have sworn you were them. My goodness. Well you should adopt a dog anyway!"
Ummm.... okay. And she kept touching me. That was weird.
2. A couple of weeks ago at work, this woman stops me in the hall and says "can you believe how rude that cook was to you this morning?"
"What?"
"The cook!! I couldn't believe what he said to you!"
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, you look just like this gal who ordered breakfast this morning and the cook was mean to her."
"Haha..."
And then AGAIN last week she stopped me in the hallway and said "YOU'RE the girl the cook was rude to!" and I said "no.... you thought I was her before... I'm still not!"
3. This morning I was getting coffee and the coffee lady said "I have to tell you something... you look JUST LIKE MY SISTER. Ever since the first time I saw you, I thought you looked like her. In fact, I had to do a double take because I really thought you were her!"
And I was like "alright, people keep thinking I look like someone else. Where are all of my lookalikes?"
She said "oh, well my sister lives in Texas, so you never would have seen her..."
"my parents live in Texas..."
"Oh how funny! Well, yeah, you look just like her."
So apparently I have at least 3 twins (unless they're all the same person) running around out there. So strange... and just in the past month or so. WHACK.
1. Easter weekend, Geoff and I are sitting in a restaraunt having dinner and a woman comes up to us and says "how's Gigi?"
We both stare at her as though we have no idea what she's talking about (we don't).
She's like "you two are the ones who adopted Gigi last night, aren't you?"
"Nope... sorry..."
"OH MY GOSH, you look JUST like the couple. I could have sworn you were them. My goodness. Well you should adopt a dog anyway!"
Ummm.... okay. And she kept touching me. That was weird.
2. A couple of weeks ago at work, this woman stops me in the hall and says "can you believe how rude that cook was to you this morning?"
"What?"
"The cook!! I couldn't believe what he said to you!"
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, you look just like this gal who ordered breakfast this morning and the cook was mean to her."
"Haha..."
And then AGAIN last week she stopped me in the hallway and said "YOU'RE the girl the cook was rude to!" and I said "no.... you thought I was her before... I'm still not!"
3. This morning I was getting coffee and the coffee lady said "I have to tell you something... you look JUST LIKE MY SISTER. Ever since the first time I saw you, I thought you looked like her. In fact, I had to do a double take because I really thought you were her!"
And I was like "alright, people keep thinking I look like someone else. Where are all of my lookalikes?"
She said "oh, well my sister lives in Texas, so you never would have seen her..."
"my parents live in Texas..."
"Oh how funny! Well, yeah, you look just like her."
So apparently I have at least 3 twins (unless they're all the same person) running around out there. So strange... and just in the past month or so. WHACK.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Weekend
My coworker Cindy is in the same golf class I'm in (I roped her into it). She also owns an RV, and we were chatting about going RVing somewhere towards the end of April or beginning of May. We were planning to go somewhere in the Gorge, but her husband was a bit concerned about how windy it can get in the Gorge, especially with towing a trailer. So we looked around for some other places. I remembered reading some great reviews for an RV/Golf resort (before I golfed) so I looked into it. Sure enough, it still had great reviews and now I could actually take advantage of the whole golf part! Cindy & Geoff both liked the idea too, so we (okay, Cindy... I hate the phone) called to make reservations. The owner pointed out that it was Crab Festival weekend, but she still had just two spots available! So we snagged them! I also recalled a really great restaurant that Geoff and I had a great dinner at a while ago, so I looked it up. As I was browsing the website, I found that they had Friday night trivia in their lounge. Recalling my bar trivia days my last semester in college, I thought that would be GREAT fun. I called to confirm that (a) they would still be having trivia with the Crab Fest going on and (b) they would be televising the Trailblazers playoff game so Geoff could watch. Yes on both counts! We were set for a great weekend.
Friday we headed out about 4 and got into town just before 6. We were originally scheduled to not have a sewer connection for the weekend, but I inquired about cancellations and sure enough they did have one! So we got a sewer connection for the weekend which also gave us a better site - it now faced the golf course, right on hole 9. :) We got set up and then headed out to Baked Alaska. Their food was still excellent and we had so much fun at trivia. We never won (we played all 3 games) but still had a great time! When we got back, Cindy and her family had arrived so we chatted with them a bit and then went to bed.
Saturday morning was GOLF TIME!!! Cindy and I played our first-ever rounds of golf. The first hole was very painful and slow, which is what I guessed that all of the rounds would be. But somehow we improved quite a bit and started having tons of fun! We could actually get the ball down the course and would typically get 2 or 3 over par on each hole. I know, not great, but we had started with like 10 or 12 strokes on the first hole. We weren't keeping score anyway. At the 6th hole it started to rain, so Cindy and her husband decided to call it a day. I wanted to play at least the 9th hole, so Geoff and I walked through the 7th and 8th and played the 9th. I lost my first ball on the 9th hole. SO sad. :( Geoff lost about 6 or 7 balls on the course, so I was really excited to have kept a ball the whole time. But I did find another ball... it was yellow instead of pink, but it'll do. Anyway, it was soooooo much fun. I now officially love golf.
After that, the 7 of us (Geoff, me, Momlie, Cindy, Bill, their daughter Emily, and her friend Tabby) all headed out to the crab festival. Once we FINALLY got on a shuttle bus and got there, it was great fun. I had the most delicious fish taco and had fun looking at some of the crafts and trying wines. Probably the best wine was a raspberry juice / white wine mix - very tasty! I also tried several other unique wines, like a white port. So different! It was great fun, but then about 4 it started to get a little rowdy and crazy, so we headed out. I can't imagine what it gets like around 7PM or so! Crazy. SO much fun though. After that Geoff and Bill decided to play another round of golf, so Julie, Cindy, and I sat outside to watch them until it started to rain again. Then we headed inside and chatted and made dinner (Costco hot dogs - they recently started selling their food court hot dogs and buns - YUM!!!). We had lots of fun conversation and laughing - it was a great weekend.
Late breaking news: 2 kids in my mom's school district have Swine Flu, so they're shutting down the entire school for the rest of the week. This whole Swine Flu thing is getting interesting!
Friday we headed out about 4 and got into town just before 6. We were originally scheduled to not have a sewer connection for the weekend, but I inquired about cancellations and sure enough they did have one! So we got a sewer connection for the weekend which also gave us a better site - it now faced the golf course, right on hole 9. :) We got set up and then headed out to Baked Alaska. Their food was still excellent and we had so much fun at trivia. We never won (we played all 3 games) but still had a great time! When we got back, Cindy and her family had arrived so we chatted with them a bit and then went to bed.
Saturday morning was GOLF TIME!!! Cindy and I played our first-ever rounds of golf. The first hole was very painful and slow, which is what I guessed that all of the rounds would be. But somehow we improved quite a bit and started having tons of fun! We could actually get the ball down the course and would typically get 2 or 3 over par on each hole. I know, not great, but we had started with like 10 or 12 strokes on the first hole. We weren't keeping score anyway. At the 6th hole it started to rain, so Cindy and her husband decided to call it a day. I wanted to play at least the 9th hole, so Geoff and I walked through the 7th and 8th and played the 9th. I lost my first ball on the 9th hole. SO sad. :( Geoff lost about 6 or 7 balls on the course, so I was really excited to have kept a ball the whole time. But I did find another ball... it was yellow instead of pink, but it'll do. Anyway, it was soooooo much fun. I now officially love golf.
After that, the 7 of us (Geoff, me, Momlie, Cindy, Bill, their daughter Emily, and her friend Tabby) all headed out to the crab festival. Once we FINALLY got on a shuttle bus and got there, it was great fun. I had the most delicious fish taco and had fun looking at some of the crafts and trying wines. Probably the best wine was a raspberry juice / white wine mix - very tasty! I also tried several other unique wines, like a white port. So different! It was great fun, but then about 4 it started to get a little rowdy and crazy, so we headed out. I can't imagine what it gets like around 7PM or so! Crazy. SO much fun though. After that Geoff and Bill decided to play another round of golf, so Julie, Cindy, and I sat outside to watch them until it started to rain again. Then we headed inside and chatted and made dinner (Costco hot dogs - they recently started selling their food court hot dogs and buns - YUM!!!). We had lots of fun conversation and laughing - it was a great weekend.
Late breaking news: 2 kids in my mom's school district have Swine Flu, so they're shutting down the entire school for the rest of the week. This whole Swine Flu thing is getting interesting!
Golf!
I have taken up golfing. This started about 3 and a half weeks ago. Geoff went golfing with some friends, and the next day we were talking with some other friends who said they love golfing and that I should start playing too. I like the IDEA of golf, so I decided maybe that was a good idea. I looked at the Portland Community College classes online, and they had a golf class starting that day or the next day... so I signed up! Now I'm officially taking a golf class and have been going to the driving range somewhat regularily. I LOVE IT. It is hard, but so much fun. And I'm getting better and better. Yay golf.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Talk about weird...
I just googled something and came up with my own blog. What a freak.
For the record, I googled "the fondue cookbook" "dutch cheese" and my blog was the third of the four sites listed. Ha.
For the record, I googled "the fondue cookbook" "dutch cheese" and my blog was the third of the four sites listed. Ha.
Ahh, Destin
You all know I was born in Houston... we moved to Chicago in August of 1987, weeks before I started kindergarten. Since we no longer lived right near my grandparents, we started an annual spring break vacation to Florida. The first year my family of 4 drove from Chicago to Disney World and my grandparents drove from Houston and met us. We spent a week at Disney World and had a grand time. The second year (I was in 1st grade) we stayed for a few days at Disney World and then went to Destin, Florida. We stayed at the Silver Dunes in unit A104. I remember the unit number because I was in room number 104 in first grade (that might beg the question of how I remember my first grade classroom number, but whatever). When I looked up Silver Dunes today, I was pleased to see that they had pictures of the units up on their website. It looks just the same today as it did then - which is somewhat frightening considering it has been 20 years since the first year we stayed there. The wicker furniture in the living room is definitely the same. Maybe it's been recovered, but that's about it. I'll have to check some old pictures... perhaps I will post some if I can find some.
I remember many great things from Silver Dunes and A104 (although I REALLY think at the time it was called 104A, it feels very unnatural to stay A104 and I don't think we did then). Some highlights:
- watching Duke in NCAA playoff games (my mom's sister and my dad's brother both went there, so we were always rooting for Duke)
- my mom reading her first John Grisham book there (it was The Firm, and it was left in the unit either by the owner of a previous occupant, and it actually mentioned Destin in the book)
- peeling raw shrimp and getting my eyes swollen shut from a terrible allergic reaction (to this day I'm still VERY careful when I peel raw shrimp... I wash my hands like a million times afterwards)
- all of the sand that was always in the bathtub (probably the fault of a 7 and 4 year old...)
- the very clear sliding glass door... one time a bird crashed into it. ha.
And from Destin...
- The Back Porch. OHHHHHHHH what glorious wonderful fried shrimp. YUM. It's actually the first place I ever had shrimp.
- The teeny little candy house where we would go and pick out one little chocolate shell or other equally delicious chocolate shell.
- In 1995 Hurricane Opal hit and ruined Silver Dunes. They have obviously rebuilt, but the next year (1996... it was the same school year since Opal was in October) we took our newly purchased 1989 Coleman Sequoia pop-up camper all the way down to Destin and stayed in an RV park. There were TERRIBLE thunderstorms and my sister and I clutched each other closely... we thought we were going to die for sure.
- The awesome looking waterpark that was never open because it was spring break and spring in Destin is really not that warm.
- Later on when Destin expanded and started growing more towards Sandestin. Sandestin used to be a resort fairly far away from Destin itself, and eventually it kind of became one with the city.
- Staying in Maravilla Condos one year while Silver Dunes was rebuilding.
- Reading Crime & Punishment. Ahhh, high school English.
- Silver Sands Outlet mall. They added this later, but I remember going to a J.Crew there. I bought 2 pairs of shorts.
- Getting accepted to Northwestern!! I was online (good ole AOL) in March of 2000 and chatting with my friend Jenni. She said that she had received her acceptance and asked if I had. AHHHH, no I hadn't. We had specifically asked our next door neighbors to check our mail for us and call if anything came from Northwestern, but no call yet. Jenni informed me that there was a website for admitted students and to put my name in there and see if it worked for me or not. I remember her saying "don't worry if it doesn't work... it might not mean anything!" But I tried it... and it DID work. I screamed. Literally screamed, and it was 11 PM. I woke up my dad and my grandparents... but that's okay. I got into Northwestern. :)
Good times with my grandparents in Florida for spring break for pretty much all of elementary school, junior high, and high school. Yay.
I remember many great things from Silver Dunes and A104 (although I REALLY think at the time it was called 104A, it feels very unnatural to stay A104 and I don't think we did then). Some highlights:
- watching Duke in NCAA playoff games (my mom's sister and my dad's brother both went there, so we were always rooting for Duke)
- my mom reading her first John Grisham book there (it was The Firm, and it was left in the unit either by the owner of a previous occupant, and it actually mentioned Destin in the book)
- peeling raw shrimp and getting my eyes swollen shut from a terrible allergic reaction (to this day I'm still VERY careful when I peel raw shrimp... I wash my hands like a million times afterwards)
- all of the sand that was always in the bathtub (probably the fault of a 7 and 4 year old...)
- the very clear sliding glass door... one time a bird crashed into it. ha.
And from Destin...
- The Back Porch. OHHHHHHHH what glorious wonderful fried shrimp. YUM. It's actually the first place I ever had shrimp.
- The teeny little candy house where we would go and pick out one little chocolate shell or other equally delicious chocolate shell.
- In 1995 Hurricane Opal hit and ruined Silver Dunes. They have obviously rebuilt, but the next year (1996... it was the same school year since Opal was in October) we took our newly purchased 1989 Coleman Sequoia pop-up camper all the way down to Destin and stayed in an RV park. There were TERRIBLE thunderstorms and my sister and I clutched each other closely... we thought we were going to die for sure.
- The awesome looking waterpark that was never open because it was spring break and spring in Destin is really not that warm.
- Later on when Destin expanded and started growing more towards Sandestin. Sandestin used to be a resort fairly far away from Destin itself, and eventually it kind of became one with the city.
- Staying in Maravilla Condos one year while Silver Dunes was rebuilding.
- Reading Crime & Punishment. Ahhh, high school English.
- Silver Sands Outlet mall. They added this later, but I remember going to a J.Crew there. I bought 2 pairs of shorts.
- Getting accepted to Northwestern!! I was online (good ole AOL) in March of 2000 and chatting with my friend Jenni. She said that she had received her acceptance and asked if I had. AHHHH, no I hadn't. We had specifically asked our next door neighbors to check our mail for us and call if anything came from Northwestern, but no call yet. Jenni informed me that there was a website for admitted students and to put my name in there and see if it worked for me or not. I remember her saying "don't worry if it doesn't work... it might not mean anything!" But I tried it... and it DID work. I screamed. Literally screamed, and it was 11 PM. I woke up my dad and my grandparents... but that's okay. I got into Northwestern. :)
Good times with my grandparents in Florida for spring break for pretty much all of elementary school, junior high, and high school. Yay.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Farmer's Market!
Saturday morning we went to the Portland Farmer's Market for the first time ever. We went with Geoff's parents and it was SO fun. :) There were so many great things... a pesto guy, a pickle place, lots of produce stands, a peppermint stand, lots of honey places, eggs, fish, etc. It was AMAZING. I loved it so much. AND I had my very first tamale ever. It was from the Salvador Molly's lunch cart. Yum. I was making the Pioneer Woman Meal of Love (well, an adaptation) for Easter dinner the next day, so we bought almost all of our produce from the Farmer's Market. Here's what we bought:
- salad mix
- a shallot
- garlic
- red onions
- red potatoes
- sour cream
- butter
- eggs
- honey
- hazelnuts (not on the Meal of Love list, but oh-so-delicious. there was a lady handing them out as samples)
- peppermint candy (ditto above)
- tortilla soup (ditto above, and this is my favorite thing we bought. YUM!!!!!!!)
I think that is all we purchased, and we're already planning on going back this week. We learned that if you see something you like the looks of, you must buy it IMMEDIATELY. I kind of had that thought, but I figured we could make a loop around and then make our purchases... so not true. I missed out on parsley and chives taking this approach. But now I know! Plus the Beaverton Farmer's Market opens in a few weeks and apparently it's even bigger, so we're going to hit that up too. YAY!
A quick funny... while we were there, Gary grumbled "couldn't you just buy all of this from Safeway?" Now you have to understand Gary... you know he's having a great time being there with all of us, but (a) it's not necessarily what he would have selected as a family activity and (b) he just loves giving us a hard time. Minutes later he found a vinegar lady and he stopped by her stand and sampled all of her vinegars and seemed genuinely impressed. He even BOUGHT vinegar. Me being me, I of course had to say "don't they have vinegar at Safeway?" :)
- salad mix
- a shallot
- garlic
- red onions
- red potatoes
- sour cream
- butter
- eggs
- honey
- hazelnuts (not on the Meal of Love list, but oh-so-delicious. there was a lady handing them out as samples)
- peppermint candy (ditto above)
- tortilla soup (ditto above, and this is my favorite thing we bought. YUM!!!!!!!)
I think that is all we purchased, and we're already planning on going back this week. We learned that if you see something you like the looks of, you must buy it IMMEDIATELY. I kind of had that thought, but I figured we could make a loop around and then make our purchases... so not true. I missed out on parsley and chives taking this approach. But now I know! Plus the Beaverton Farmer's Market opens in a few weeks and apparently it's even bigger, so we're going to hit that up too. YAY!
A quick funny... while we were there, Gary grumbled "couldn't you just buy all of this from Safeway?" Now you have to understand Gary... you know he's having a great time being there with all of us, but (a) it's not necessarily what he would have selected as a family activity and (b) he just loves giving us a hard time. Minutes later he found a vinegar lady and he stopped by her stand and sampled all of her vinegars and seemed genuinely impressed. He even BOUGHT vinegar. Me being me, I of course had to say "don't they have vinegar at Safeway?" :)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Friday night
Friday night I was antsy... I was NOT in the mood to be sitting around, but Geoff was really excited because the Lakers were playing the Blazers. Understandably a big game. SOOOOO I got the bright idea to clean the oven. My mom came to visit about 3 or 4 years ago and tried to get the self cleaning oven feature to work but couldn't. She told me at the time that I needed to buy cleaner and just do it the old-fashioned way. So about 6 months ago (yes, 2.5 years later) I took the first step in that journey - I bought some Easy Off oven cleaner. But then I was worried about the smell while we were selling our house and all that so I avoided it. Friday night it was nice enough to have the windows open so I just opened them up and did it! IT WAS AMAZING. I had noooooo idea the cleaner worked so well, the oven looks brand new. It's very hard to get in the back of the oven (I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here, normal people probably HAVE cleaned an oven), but it turned out so well. I did the "fast method" of heating the oven up to 200 degrees and then applying the cleaner for 20 minutes for the main part of the oven. For the racks, though, I let them sit out overnight with the chemical on them. They also just wiped right up in the morning. Now that I know it's so easy, I'll definitely be doing that more often.
While I was cleaning the oven, I had to put newspaper down on the floor (per the can's instructions). When I did that, I saw the weekly Michael's coupon for 40% off one item. I had thought earlier in the day about doing some origami, and decided that since I had a coupon, I might as well run up to Michael's and buy some origami paper. So I did. And then I did origami. And it was fun. :) I have done origami two nights so far and I'll do it a few more times I'm sure. Easy entertainment, for only $2.99 after coupon!
More on the weekend later or tomorrow...
While I was cleaning the oven, I had to put newspaper down on the floor (per the can's instructions). When I did that, I saw the weekly Michael's coupon for 40% off one item. I had thought earlier in the day about doing some origami, and decided that since I had a coupon, I might as well run up to Michael's and buy some origami paper. So I did. And then I did origami. And it was fun. :) I have done origami two nights so far and I'll do it a few more times I'm sure. Easy entertainment, for only $2.99 after coupon!
More on the weekend later or tomorrow...
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Great news!
Apparently the latest style is NOT MAKING THE BED!!!!! I'm so excited. I HAVE been making my bed every day for the last 6+ months while our house has been on the market, and I HATE IT. Geoff and I both hate it. Seriously, it is my least favorite chore, well below taking out the trash, cleaning toilets, and whatever other gross thing you could think of. I don't know why, but I hate it. Now the beds shown here are like "prettily" unmade, but I think that's tolerable. I just detest making it so much. Ugh. Just the thought of it makes me shudder.
I always knew I was hip. :)
I always knew I was hip. :)
Little of this, little of that
Alright, here are a bunch of random tidbits for you:
- There have been FOUR people who have seemed overly perfumed/cologned today. I'm very sensitive to smells, but there usually aren't a lot of smelly people at work. Today's an exception. Ick.
- This is our FIFTH day in a row of beautiful weather. YAY!
- There was a guy in the elevator today who had a salad topped with tofu and cheddar Goldfish crackers. Interesting combo.
- The pollen is killing me. I can barely see because my eyes are so watery / itchy. I don't remember the last time I had to regularly take allergy medicine, but I have been taking Claritin every day for about a week.
- I'm taking a golf class! I'm very excited, I just signed up for it and it's one hour a week for 5 weeks, beginning tonight!
- Geoff and I are coaching softball again. I don't think I mentioned that before. We had our third practice last night. So fun... that age group is really cute. We have two returning players from last year, and everyone on our team seems to be able to hit really well! We have a bunch of girls who played t-ball previously, whereas last year we had mostly newbies. The parents seem to know more about softball too, which is helpful from an assistant coaching standpoint.
- I'm planning to go to the Portland Farmer's Market this weekend. I've always heard great things but have never been, so I'm looking forward to going.
Here is the story about my lifetime of allergies. I just feel like this should be documented. You don't have to read it, but I'm writing it anyway!
When I was 3, I was somehow "diagnosed" with having allergies. I don't really know what led up to it or what led my mom to get me tested, but I know I was 3. We had a dog then, his name was Dusty. I was allergic to Dusty so he had to go away. He went to my dad's cousin Dick's house, where he was later run over by a bulldozer and killed. Or something - I dunno... my dad makes things up. Seems like I've also heard a story that he ran into a street and hit by a car. That was probably my mom's version (aka what REALLY happened).
Anyway, starting when I was 3 I had to go to the allergist's office once a week for shots. All I remember about that allergist's office is that when you were done, you got a little token to put into a gumball machine and you got a little ring or bouncy ball or something. As a 3 year old, I'm sure that was the highlight of my week!
When I was 5 we moved to Chicago. My allergists there were Dr. Dold and Dr. Hart. They were on the 4th floor of a 4 floor building that had black and white stripes in Arlington Heights, Illinois. My favorite nurses were named Karen and Laura. I remember that whole thing very clearly because I went once a week until I was about 13. I got between 2 and 4 shots a week. The nurses gave them to me, and then I had to wait 30 minutes for them to measure the reaction and make sure I was okay. During the 30 minutes I had to be seen by one of the allergists, just a quick 5 minute check in. That might not have been every time, maybe once a month or something. Then they'd measure me with this clear plastic ruler to see how big the reaction to the shots were - if it was smaller they could up the dose for the next week to start building up immunities. I was/am allergic to dogs, cats, rabbits, pollen, mold, etc. "Environmental" allergies, if you will. I also had to take Seldane and Sudafed - one Seldane (a big white round pill) and 2 Sudafed a day. Wow - just looked up the wiki on Seldane and it was removed from the US market in 1997 for potential to cause fetal heart conditions. AWESOME!!! :) Actually if I remember correctly, at some point I started to take Allegra and I believe the doctor told me that Allegra does the same thing as Seldane, but it comes in the form that your body had to metabolize Seldane into and was therefore safer. Something along those lines. HEY. I just looked up the wiki on that and it confirms what I just said!!!!! From the wiki - "The older antihistaminic agent terfenadine was found to metabolize into the related carboxylic acid, fexofenadine." (Terfenadine = Seldane, Fexofenadine = Allegra). INTERESTING. There was also a green and red capsule pill that I took for some period of time that started with an E, but I can't remember the name of it. I did NOT have to take the Sudafed when I took that... I think that they would switch me between the Seldane & Sudafed combo and the "E" drug (no it wasn't Ecstasy, get your minds out of the gutter) as I would develop tolerances for one or the other. I'm not sure, I'll have to see if my mom remembers anything about the E. ;-)
Okay. I'm back. Sorry for that offshoot into the history of allergy medications.
So somewhere along the line, when I started junior high I started seeing the allergist less and less often. I think it was a combination of being more busy and just not needing to go as much. But I really do think that having all of those shots all of those years (by my calculations, an average of 3 shots a week, 50 weeks a year for 10 years is 1500 shots!!) really helped. Because I was so young when I started, they helped me build up tolerances/immunities (okay, I'm not sure of the actual correct medical word there) that still help me today. I consider my allergies to be very mild now. Not to cats - cats are horrible for me. The worst allergic reaction Geoff has ever seen me have was to cats (although the worst I've actually ever had was to raw shrimp in Destin, Florida, circa March 1989). But I can handle dogs reasonably well, and I'm pretty okay outside. I still like to go outside and weed / do other yardwork BEFORE Geoff cuts the grass because fresh cut grass make my eyes itchy (he's the grass cutter instead of me for that same reason), but all in all I'm okay.
Until last week. UGH!! I have been taking Claritin daily for the last week. I always have it on hand in case I'm going to someone's house that has a dog, but rarely take it. The last time I took daily allergy medicine was at least 12 years ago. It's weird, I don't know what's going on in Oregon right now but my allergies no likely!
And that is the story of my allergies. I'm sure this won't be interesting for anyone other than me and my mom (my partner in crime at the allergist for 10 years), but it was fun for me to remember it all! And apparently share my medical history with the entire world. Wait for the day I tell you all about my Crohn's history......... :) Hey, my entire blog could be dedicated to Crohn's like this guy's! (I have to admit, I am a regular reader of his blog!)
- There have been FOUR people who have seemed overly perfumed/cologned today. I'm very sensitive to smells, but there usually aren't a lot of smelly people at work. Today's an exception. Ick.
- This is our FIFTH day in a row of beautiful weather. YAY!
- There was a guy in the elevator today who had a salad topped with tofu and cheddar Goldfish crackers. Interesting combo.
- The pollen is killing me. I can barely see because my eyes are so watery / itchy. I don't remember the last time I had to regularly take allergy medicine, but I have been taking Claritin every day for about a week.
- I'm taking a golf class! I'm very excited, I just signed up for it and it's one hour a week for 5 weeks, beginning tonight!
- Geoff and I are coaching softball again. I don't think I mentioned that before. We had our third practice last night. So fun... that age group is really cute. We have two returning players from last year, and everyone on our team seems to be able to hit really well! We have a bunch of girls who played t-ball previously, whereas last year we had mostly newbies. The parents seem to know more about softball too, which is helpful from an assistant coaching standpoint.
- I'm planning to go to the Portland Farmer's Market this weekend. I've always heard great things but have never been, so I'm looking forward to going.
Here is the story about my lifetime of allergies. I just feel like this should be documented. You don't have to read it, but I'm writing it anyway!
When I was 3, I was somehow "diagnosed" with having allergies. I don't really know what led up to it or what led my mom to get me tested, but I know I was 3. We had a dog then, his name was Dusty. I was allergic to Dusty so he had to go away. He went to my dad's cousin Dick's house, where he was later run over by a bulldozer and killed. Or something - I dunno... my dad makes things up. Seems like I've also heard a story that he ran into a street and hit by a car. That was probably my mom's version (aka what REALLY happened).
Anyway, starting when I was 3 I had to go to the allergist's office once a week for shots. All I remember about that allergist's office is that when you were done, you got a little token to put into a gumball machine and you got a little ring or bouncy ball or something. As a 3 year old, I'm sure that was the highlight of my week!
When I was 5 we moved to Chicago. My allergists there were Dr. Dold and Dr. Hart. They were on the 4th floor of a 4 floor building that had black and white stripes in Arlington Heights, Illinois. My favorite nurses were named Karen and Laura. I remember that whole thing very clearly because I went once a week until I was about 13. I got between 2 and 4 shots a week. The nurses gave them to me, and then I had to wait 30 minutes for them to measure the reaction and make sure I was okay. During the 30 minutes I had to be seen by one of the allergists, just a quick 5 minute check in. That might not have been every time, maybe once a month or something. Then they'd measure me with this clear plastic ruler to see how big the reaction to the shots were - if it was smaller they could up the dose for the next week to start building up immunities. I was/am allergic to dogs, cats, rabbits, pollen, mold, etc. "Environmental" allergies, if you will. I also had to take Seldane and Sudafed - one Seldane (a big white round pill) and 2 Sudafed a day. Wow - just looked up the wiki on Seldane and it was removed from the US market in 1997 for potential to cause fetal heart conditions. AWESOME!!! :) Actually if I remember correctly, at some point I started to take Allegra and I believe the doctor told me that Allegra does the same thing as Seldane, but it comes in the form that your body had to metabolize Seldane into and was therefore safer. Something along those lines. HEY. I just looked up the wiki on that and it confirms what I just said!!!!! From the wiki - "The older antihistaminic agent terfenadine was found to metabolize into the related carboxylic acid, fexofenadine." (Terfenadine = Seldane, Fexofenadine = Allegra). INTERESTING. There was also a green and red capsule pill that I took for some period of time that started with an E, but I can't remember the name of it. I did NOT have to take the Sudafed when I took that... I think that they would switch me between the Seldane & Sudafed combo and the "E" drug (no it wasn't Ecstasy, get your minds out of the gutter) as I would develop tolerances for one or the other. I'm not sure, I'll have to see if my mom remembers anything about the E. ;-)
Okay. I'm back. Sorry for that offshoot into the history of allergy medications.
So somewhere along the line, when I started junior high I started seeing the allergist less and less often. I think it was a combination of being more busy and just not needing to go as much. But I really do think that having all of those shots all of those years (by my calculations, an average of 3 shots a week, 50 weeks a year for 10 years is 1500 shots!!) really helped. Because I was so young when I started, they helped me build up tolerances/immunities (okay, I'm not sure of the actual correct medical word there) that still help me today. I consider my allergies to be very mild now. Not to cats - cats are horrible for me. The worst allergic reaction Geoff has ever seen me have was to cats (although the worst I've actually ever had was to raw shrimp in Destin, Florida, circa March 1989). But I can handle dogs reasonably well, and I'm pretty okay outside. I still like to go outside and weed / do other yardwork BEFORE Geoff cuts the grass because fresh cut grass make my eyes itchy (he's the grass cutter instead of me for that same reason), but all in all I'm okay.
Until last week. UGH!! I have been taking Claritin daily for the last week. I always have it on hand in case I'm going to someone's house that has a dog, but rarely take it. The last time I took daily allergy medicine was at least 12 years ago. It's weird, I don't know what's going on in Oregon right now but my allergies no likely!
And that is the story of my allergies. I'm sure this won't be interesting for anyone other than me and my mom (my partner in crime at the allergist for 10 years), but it was fun for me to remember it all! And apparently share my medical history with the entire world. Wait for the day I tell you all about my Crohn's history......... :) Hey, my entire blog could be dedicated to Crohn's like this guy's! (I have to admit, I am a regular reader of his blog!)
Monday, April 06, 2009
Best part about being married!
Okay, so the title might be a bit of an exaggeration, but reason #8926 being married is awesome: I can use the name on mail addressed to me to determine if it's worth reading or not. Sorry, but if you don't know me well enough to know that my name changed a year and a half ago, you're not worth me reading your mail. :) That means Verizon, Washington Mutual, and random Century 21 realtor are all out - and that's just from today!
I know this wasn't worth a real blog, especially when I never blog. But I always think of these amusing little anecdotes and think they would be blog-worthy, but it seems like I shouldn't blog them because they're just a small snippet. If I ALWAYS blogged them, I would have an actual blog worth reading!
I know this wasn't worth a real blog, especially when I never blog. But I always think of these amusing little anecdotes and think they would be blog-worthy, but it seems like I shouldn't blog them because they're just a small snippet. If I ALWAYS blogged them, I would have an actual blog worth reading!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A visit from the ergonomist!
I just had an ergonomist visit me to make sure my monitor/keyboard/mouse/chair/desk were all set up correctly. They were not. :-) My body is basically positioned totally differently now than it was. Different to get used to, but I'm all about making things better for myself in the long run. Here are some of the highlights:
- She immediately noticed my keyboard wrist rest and tossed it aside. She asked why I was using it, and I said to rest my wrists on. She said NO, it is simply to remind you to HOVER. Your wrists should be straight and you should not be resting on anything.
- My monitor was actually at the proper height - to test that, she had me close my eyes with my head straight, then open them and point to what I saw first. It was in the center of my monitor about 1/3 of the way down the screen, which she said was good.
- My keyboard was totally in the wrong location. I had to pull it VERY close to my body, right at the edge of my desk, and center the alpha keys (NOT the keyboard itself, with all of the "extra stuff" (arrow keys and 10-key pad)) right in front of my body. She also put down the little tabs that raised the keyboard up, I didn't need those at all. In addition, I have to turn my wrists out a little which she said wasn't good, so she ordered me a new split keyboard that will put my wrists into a more natural position. It also won't have a 10-key keyboard, because the extra stuff on the right side of the keyboard is making my mouse have to be too far away from me. So it will basically just be the alpha keys with the mouse right near it. Since I said I used the 10-key a lot, she also ordered me an extra 10-key keyboard that I can either swap out with my mouse as I need it OR put on the right side of my keyboard and learn how to 10-key with my right hand (or put my mouse over there and mouse with my right hand). Lots of keyboard changes.
- With the mouse, the main thing was just moving it in closer to me. I do use my wrist rather than my forearm to mouse, especially when I'm in a rush, but I already knew that (and in fact told her that right off the bat). It's something I'm working on.
- My chair was too high! Your legs are supposed to be at a 90 degree angle (knees at the same level as your bottom) and mine weren't. Also I told her that I often tuck my feet up on my chair legs, which she said is HORRIBLE - cuts off your circulation at your knees. I have a foot rest but I wasn't using it much - she said I need to be using it to help keep my thighs parallel to the floor. So she lowered the chair and pulled my footrest in, and now I'm at the right angle. In addition, she moved my arm rests UP and IN so that they would help keep my arms at a 90 degree angle and leave my shoulders more relaxed. She said it's important to keep your arm rests as close to your keyboard as possible so that your forearms are primarily resting on the chair arm rests and then you just have to keep your wrists up (hovering) and flat/straight while you are typing.
Those are the main things - check out your workstation, some of these are good easy changes to make things easier for you. It feels very different to be in the position I'm in right now, but I'm sure as I get used to it I will feel better and better! Yay for ergo health. :)
- She immediately noticed my keyboard wrist rest and tossed it aside. She asked why I was using it, and I said to rest my wrists on. She said NO, it is simply to remind you to HOVER. Your wrists should be straight and you should not be resting on anything.
- My monitor was actually at the proper height - to test that, she had me close my eyes with my head straight, then open them and point to what I saw first. It was in the center of my monitor about 1/3 of the way down the screen, which she said was good.
- My keyboard was totally in the wrong location. I had to pull it VERY close to my body, right at the edge of my desk, and center the alpha keys (NOT the keyboard itself, with all of the "extra stuff" (arrow keys and 10-key pad)) right in front of my body. She also put down the little tabs that raised the keyboard up, I didn't need those at all. In addition, I have to turn my wrists out a little which she said wasn't good, so she ordered me a new split keyboard that will put my wrists into a more natural position. It also won't have a 10-key keyboard, because the extra stuff on the right side of the keyboard is making my mouse have to be too far away from me. So it will basically just be the alpha keys with the mouse right near it. Since I said I used the 10-key a lot, she also ordered me an extra 10-key keyboard that I can either swap out with my mouse as I need it OR put on the right side of my keyboard and learn how to 10-key with my right hand (or put my mouse over there and mouse with my right hand). Lots of keyboard changes.
- With the mouse, the main thing was just moving it in closer to me. I do use my wrist rather than my forearm to mouse, especially when I'm in a rush, but I already knew that (and in fact told her that right off the bat). It's something I'm working on.
- My chair was too high! Your legs are supposed to be at a 90 degree angle (knees at the same level as your bottom) and mine weren't. Also I told her that I often tuck my feet up on my chair legs, which she said is HORRIBLE - cuts off your circulation at your knees. I have a foot rest but I wasn't using it much - she said I need to be using it to help keep my thighs parallel to the floor. So she lowered the chair and pulled my footrest in, and now I'm at the right angle. In addition, she moved my arm rests UP and IN so that they would help keep my arms at a 90 degree angle and leave my shoulders more relaxed. She said it's important to keep your arm rests as close to your keyboard as possible so that your forearms are primarily resting on the chair arm rests and then you just have to keep your wrists up (hovering) and flat/straight while you are typing.
Those are the main things - check out your workstation, some of these are good easy changes to make things easier for you. It feels very different to be in the position I'm in right now, but I'm sure as I get used to it I will feel better and better! Yay for ergo health. :)
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