Saturday, July 31, 2004
"Empty Nest Syndrome"
Sierra has left home for the weekend for the first time ever! She's at the beach with her aunt and we'll be picking her up on Sunday. It's so strange not having her here. Of course I know she's having a great time and probably not missing us at all, because I remember when we went to the wedding in NJ, she barely even saw me at all and never said a word about missing Haywood, who was back at home. I guess this is a little segue into how it will be in about 3 weeks when she starts kindergarten. Which to me means - "time to pound pavement and start looking for a new job." While I have enjoyed my time off while Sierra is here to keep me company, I have discovered in less than a day that it is not nearly as much fun just being here without her, and while I'm sure I'd have more time to work on things that she doesn't like helping with, it is the ideal motivator to get me out there before the last of my skills are gone. And to those of you who might be wondering about the return to VZ - currently there's a hiring freeze, so at least in the short term, it's not something that will be happening.
So, now, off to find something fun to do today. Unfortunately, I am recovering from a nice little virus that has impaired my ability to see and to walk, so it may be challenging indeed. Maybe a nice trip to a local nursery would be a good bet - I need to start some landscaping around our new driveway, which we haven't driven on yet - kind of like with a new car, I'm dreading that first little dent :-)
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Sierra has left home for the weekend for the first time ever! She's at the beach with her aunt and we'll be picking her up on Sunday. It's so strange not having her here. Of course I know she's having a great time and probably not missing us at all, because I remember when we went to the wedding in NJ, she barely even saw me at all and never said a word about missing Haywood, who was back at home. I guess this is a little segue into how it will be in about 3 weeks when she starts kindergarten. Which to me means - "time to pound pavement and start looking for a new job." While I have enjoyed my time off while Sierra is here to keep me company, I have discovered in less than a day that it is not nearly as much fun just being here without her, and while I'm sure I'd have more time to work on things that she doesn't like helping with, it is the ideal motivator to get me out there before the last of my skills are gone. And to those of you who might be wondering about the return to VZ - currently there's a hiring freeze, so at least in the short term, it's not something that will be happening.
So, now, off to find something fun to do today. Unfortunately, I am recovering from a nice little virus that has impaired my ability to see and to walk, so it may be challenging indeed. Maybe a nice trip to a local nursery would be a good bet - I need to start some landscaping around our new driveway, which we haven't driven on yet - kind of like with a new car, I'm dreading that first little dent :-)
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Monday, July 26, 2004
"Might as well face it, i'm addicted to...games!"
Well, it finally happened - I officially became addicted to games last week. Sierra and I started playing games online on pogo.com - the sad part is they are really cheesy games! And we're not playing the ones where you can win money, but just tokens that you can do nothing with, except enter a cash raffle that no one wins. We've hit bingo, solitaire and lots of puzzle games - she is really good at one called sweet tooth, in which you have to move pieces of candy around in a grid and get at least three in a row to eliminate them. We also learned the proper way to play dominoes, as I had never really played the game dominoes as a child - only played the stand 'em up/knock 'em down version. Our addiction lasted only a week and now we are back to our normal lives of eating and actually getting up and walking around and stuff. And yes, this is why I was totally unable to update my blog last week.
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Well, it finally happened - I officially became addicted to games last week. Sierra and I started playing games online on pogo.com - the sad part is they are really cheesy games! And we're not playing the ones where you can win money, but just tokens that you can do nothing with, except enter a cash raffle that no one wins. We've hit bingo, solitaire and lots of puzzle games - she is really good at one called sweet tooth, in which you have to move pieces of candy around in a grid and get at least three in a row to eliminate them. We also learned the proper way to play dominoes, as I had never really played the game dominoes as a child - only played the stand 'em up/knock 'em down version. Our addiction lasted only a week and now we are back to our normal lives of eating and actually getting up and walking around and stuff. And yes, this is why I was totally unable to update my blog last week.
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"A big bike path for Sierra..."
We are getting our driveway paved today!! Living in the country, it's not always possible to have a paved driveway, as it can be costly - after all, our driveway is about 450 feet long, but we have finally decided to bite the bullet and do it! So we should have a trouble-free winter driving season as well as improve our curb appeal dramatically. And most importantly, Sierra will finally have a good place to ride her bike!
Now, of course, we have waited patiently all summer because the paving companies told us you get a nicer, smoother job when it's really hot out (like in July/August). Wouldn't you know it - it's raining and in the 70s today and expected to rain on and off all week - just goes to show it doesn't always pay off to wait because things never quite work out the way you had hoped... so just do what you want, when you want and you'll be much happier!
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We are getting our driveway paved today!! Living in the country, it's not always possible to have a paved driveway, as it can be costly - after all, our driveway is about 450 feet long, but we have finally decided to bite the bullet and do it! So we should have a trouble-free winter driving season as well as improve our curb appeal dramatically. And most importantly, Sierra will finally have a good place to ride her bike!
Now, of course, we have waited patiently all summer because the paving companies told us you get a nicer, smoother job when it's really hot out (like in July/August). Wouldn't you know it - it's raining and in the 70s today and expected to rain on and off all week - just goes to show it doesn't always pay off to wait because things never quite work out the way you had hoped... so just do what you want, when you want and you'll be much happier!
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Thursday, July 15, 2004
"A More Recent Pic"
After reading Jean's post from yesterday (thanks, Jean!), I have realized it has been a while since I have sent out or posted any new pics of Sierra, so I'll put one here for now. This picture was taken at my niece's wedding June 12 - it's of Sierra and her cousin, Gracie. Of course, if we are all together without Haywood, everyone thinks Gracie is my daughter and Sierra is her friend :-)
I have had a horrible time uploading pics to ofoto recently, but as soon as I am able, I promise I'll post a link to some updated albums.
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After reading Jean's post from yesterday (thanks, Jean!), I have realized it has been a while since I have sent out or posted any new pics of Sierra, so I'll put one here for now. This picture was taken at my niece's wedding June 12 - it's of Sierra and her cousin, Gracie. Of course, if we are all together without Haywood, everyone thinks Gracie is my daughter and Sierra is her friend :-)
I have had a horrible time uploading pics to ofoto recently, but as soon as I am able, I promise I'll post a link to some updated albums.
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Tuesday, July 13, 2004
"Cash or Check Only"
Yesterday Sierra and I went to a couple of antique stores about 10 minutes from home. She really wanted to get something so I told her as long as it was inexpensive, she could pick one thing. Finally she decided on some Barbie clothes after the clerk asked if she liked Barbies. She said to the clerk, "My Barbies have NO CLOTHES except for what they are wearing right now! And I don't even have a Barbie house!" I'm thinking, "geez, thanks for making me look like mother of the year!" She's probably played with her Barbies once since she has gotten them - she has never really liked dolls that much, so I have no desire to buy her all of those things. (And for the record, my mom still has my Barbie Dream House, Barbie Full-Size Camper, Barbie Remote-Control Corvette, Barbie Pool and Barbie Day Spa, so it's not like she doesn't have access to that stuff, but i digress...)
So anyway, she picks out some Barbie clothes and I have a book for Haywood. The total comes to $14.11. As I open my wallet, I see the dreaded sign "Cash or Check Only"...arghhhh. You may know, while I do enjoy stockpiling money in the bank, I rarely have cash on my person. And since the advent of online bill payment, I have probably written like 5 checks in the past 2 years, so I don't carry my checkbook either. So I apologize profusely that I'll need to go to an ATM and come right back. (now that's a business idea...installing ATMs at stores that only take cash and check and charging like a $5.00 surcharge :-) ) <--trying to incorporate smileys and parens is such a pain!
So Sierra and I leave and go back to the car. I decided to scrounge around in my car and purse to see if I possibly have $14.11 so I can just get going with the rest of our errands. I count up all the spare change, etc and I have $13.65!!! Argh again. So I look in my wallet for my ATM card. Not there. Well, I told you that I don't really use cash very often, and I still bank at the ol' credit union from work, so I haven't really even used my ATM card since November (dare i have to pay a service fee, hehe). I had downsized my George Castanza to only the cards I use very regularly and so my ATM card was sitting at home in my other purse full of seldom-used cards. So now I've been sitting in the parking lot for 15 minutes counting up loose change and I still have less than the necessary amount, so I have accomplished nothing, so we head home to grab my ATM card and an "emergency" $10 bill. We go back to the store, explain why it took us an hour to get back. Then we pay and leave. When we got home, the clerk had stuffed some extra Barbie clothes in the bag to surpise Sierra. She was really excited. I'll bet she thought we were dirt poor after Sierra's comments about her lack of Barbie items and the fact that it took me an hour to scrounge up a measly $14.11 ...geez.
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Yesterday Sierra and I went to a couple of antique stores about 10 minutes from home. She really wanted to get something so I told her as long as it was inexpensive, she could pick one thing. Finally she decided on some Barbie clothes after the clerk asked if she liked Barbies. She said to the clerk, "My Barbies have NO CLOTHES except for what they are wearing right now! And I don't even have a Barbie house!" I'm thinking, "geez, thanks for making me look like mother of the year!" She's probably played with her Barbies once since she has gotten them - she has never really liked dolls that much, so I have no desire to buy her all of those things. (And for the record, my mom still has my Barbie Dream House, Barbie Full-Size Camper, Barbie Remote-Control Corvette, Barbie Pool and Barbie Day Spa, so it's not like she doesn't have access to that stuff, but i digress...)
So anyway, she picks out some Barbie clothes and I have a book for Haywood. The total comes to $14.11. As I open my wallet, I see the dreaded sign "Cash or Check Only"...arghhhh. You may know, while I do enjoy stockpiling money in the bank, I rarely have cash on my person. And since the advent of online bill payment, I have probably written like 5 checks in the past 2 years, so I don't carry my checkbook either. So I apologize profusely that I'll need to go to an ATM and come right back. (now that's a business idea...installing ATMs at stores that only take cash and check and charging like a $5.00 surcharge :-) ) <--trying to incorporate smileys and parens is such a pain!
So Sierra and I leave and go back to the car. I decided to scrounge around in my car and purse to see if I possibly have $14.11 so I can just get going with the rest of our errands. I count up all the spare change, etc and I have $13.65!!! Argh again. So I look in my wallet for my ATM card. Not there. Well, I told you that I don't really use cash very often, and I still bank at the ol' credit union from work, so I haven't really even used my ATM card since November (dare i have to pay a service fee, hehe). I had downsized my George Castanza to only the cards I use very regularly and so my ATM card was sitting at home in my other purse full of seldom-used cards. So now I've been sitting in the parking lot for 15 minutes counting up loose change and I still have less than the necessary amount, so I have accomplished nothing, so we head home to grab my ATM card and an "emergency" $10 bill. We go back to the store, explain why it took us an hour to get back. Then we pay and leave. When we got home, the clerk had stuffed some extra Barbie clothes in the bag to surpise Sierra. She was really excited. I'll bet she thought we were dirt poor after Sierra's comments about her lack of Barbie items and the fact that it took me an hour to scrounge up a measly $14.11 ...geez.
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"The Short Bus"
For some reason this would probably be better suited to Omar's blog, but I thought I'd share it anyway. Yesterday, Sierra and I were driving in the car and she looked out the window and exclaimed,
"Mommy! Look at that bus! It's the shortest bus I have ever seen!"
"so...who do you think rides a short bus?" (I just wanted to see what she would say)
"Kids?"
"what kind of kids?"
"Really little kids?"
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For some reason this would probably be better suited to Omar's blog, but I thought I'd share it anyway. Yesterday, Sierra and I were driving in the car and she looked out the window and exclaimed,
"Mommy! Look at that bus! It's the shortest bus I have ever seen!"
"so...who do you think rides a short bus?" (I just wanted to see what she would say)
"Kids?"
"what kind of kids?"
"Really little kids?"
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Thursday, July 08, 2004
"The world is your oyster"
So I'm reading restaurant reviews for C'ville and somehow came across this about the Old Ebbitt - has anyone ever gotten this happy hour special? It sounds like a dream come true for me...I'll take two.
In other DC food news - here's yet another thing I never participated in when living near DC...DC Restaurant Week, July 26 - August 1
Actually, when I stumbled across this, I was reading about the new trend in C'ville (and elsewhere?) of Gourmet Gas Stations. At the top of my list to try is Fuel Co., which we're going to try the next time Luann comes into town.
It's interesting how anything can become "gourmet" once enough money is pumped into it. I'll bet if someone told our parents 40 years ago that someday people would be paying $4 or $5 dollars for a gourmet cup of coffee they wouldn't have believed it. My dad still reminisces about a restaurant in NJ called The Manor where they could pay just a few dollars for an all you can eat lobster dinner (now it's $50 - still a bargain in my opinion)...I wish I had been around then!!
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So I'm reading restaurant reviews for C'ville and somehow came across this about the Old Ebbitt - has anyone ever gotten this happy hour special? It sounds like a dream come true for me...I'll take two.
In other DC food news - here's yet another thing I never participated in when living near DC...DC Restaurant Week, July 26 - August 1
Actually, when I stumbled across this, I was reading about the new trend in C'ville (and elsewhere?) of Gourmet Gas Stations. At the top of my list to try is Fuel Co., which we're going to try the next time Luann comes into town.
It's interesting how anything can become "gourmet" once enough money is pumped into it. I'll bet if someone told our parents 40 years ago that someday people would be paying $4 or $5 dollars for a gourmet cup of coffee they wouldn't have believed it. My dad still reminisces about a restaurant in NJ called The Manor where they could pay just a few dollars for an all you can eat lobster dinner (now it's $50 - still a bargain in my opinion)...I wish I had been around then!!
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Wednesday, July 07, 2004
"Carbs Taste Gooood"
I remember a while back, after an especially meaty meal, I posted that maybe I could do Atkins someday. Ha - I have since discovered that is the farthest thing from the truth. I feel like I have been eating nothing but carb-loaded food lately. The past couple of nights I've made red bliss mashed potatoes (my goal was to actually use an entire bag of potatoes before they went bad for once). Chicken breaded in italian breadcrumbs was also on the list and then last night for kicks I made a Boston Cream Pie. I also tend to eat at least two bowls of cereal during the day (the past couple of weeks it has been Sierra's Fruity Pebbles) and then literally crash for 2 hours on the sofa, almost like i'm drunk or loaded up on Benadryl. And the other day at a restaurant I ordered a pasta dish and instead of the salad I substituted mashed potatoes... I know I must vary my diet a bit because the last thing I want to end up with is adult-onset diabetes - but I just love potatoes and pasta! Rich, can you please post some low-carb recipes??
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I remember a while back, after an especially meaty meal, I posted that maybe I could do Atkins someday. Ha - I have since discovered that is the farthest thing from the truth. I feel like I have been eating nothing but carb-loaded food lately. The past couple of nights I've made red bliss mashed potatoes (my goal was to actually use an entire bag of potatoes before they went bad for once). Chicken breaded in italian breadcrumbs was also on the list and then last night for kicks I made a Boston Cream Pie. I also tend to eat at least two bowls of cereal during the day (the past couple of weeks it has been Sierra's Fruity Pebbles) and then literally crash for 2 hours on the sofa, almost like i'm drunk or loaded up on Benadryl. And the other day at a restaurant I ordered a pasta dish and instead of the salad I substituted mashed potatoes... I know I must vary my diet a bit because the last thing I want to end up with is adult-onset diabetes - but I just love potatoes and pasta! Rich, can you please post some low-carb recipes??
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Tuesday, July 06, 2004
"No Crab Thursday"
Awww man. I was supposed to go up to Northern VA on Thursday for a crab and shrimp feast with my old team from work - we did one last year when we were all working and had a blast, so we decided to do it again this year. But I just found out that it's cancelled :-( Postponed actually... to the 23rd of July. Oh well, only two more weeks to wait....
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Awww man. I was supposed to go up to Northern VA on Thursday for a crab and shrimp feast with my old team from work - we did one last year when we were all working and had a blast, so we decided to do it again this year. But I just found out that it's cancelled :-( Postponed actually... to the 23rd of July. Oh well, only two more weeks to wait....
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"Case Closed"
Well, I finally got a call today and our insurance company will be sending the reimbursement check for all of our new electronics/appliances this week... whew... that was the longest process. So far we're happy with all of our replacements - can't wait to get our 7.1 home theatre set up - too bad we don't have all the speakers yet.
I did have one problem with our refrigerator water dispenser. Evidently the repairman didn't do a great job because our dispenser was leaking water all over the floor under the fridge, so since the repair guy couldn't come back until Friday, I took the liberty of taking apart the refrigerator this afternoon and fixing it. It was pretty easy, I just had to cut the existing tubing because the end was brittle and had broken off when he screwed the compression fitting back on during his repair, then I just reattached everything using the compression fitting and now it works again - i can't BELIEVE how much these guys make. This is all he did for us: took the oven panel off and installed a new clock (3 screws and one 4 pin cable), installed a fridge fan, and replaced a section of tubing for over $300!! If the clock hadn't already been covered by our warranty, it would have been another $150 for that. During this process, he put a tiny scratch on the oven control panel (i'm really anal about scratches on stainless steel), lost one of the screws from the back of the fridge, didn't completely finish putting the cardboard cover on the back of the fridge* and did a bad job fixing the tubing, which broke within 2 weeks. I would have complained, but the insurance company paid for it, so I decided to let it slide this time. Needless to say, I'm not going to be calling him for any future repairs - i'll do them myself :-)
*appliance tip from jill: that piece of cardboard on the back of your fridge serves a purpose, so don't ever just remove it. It is designed so the fan will pull hot air away from the compressor, thus venting it out the other side where the little vent slots are cut out. If you remove the cardboard, it disrupts the proper airflow and can result in improper cooling of the compressor and possibly failure, which costs probably $500 to replace. So if you own your fridge it's something to be careful of.
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Well, I finally got a call today and our insurance company will be sending the reimbursement check for all of our new electronics/appliances this week... whew... that was the longest process. So far we're happy with all of our replacements - can't wait to get our 7.1 home theatre set up - too bad we don't have all the speakers yet.
I did have one problem with our refrigerator water dispenser. Evidently the repairman didn't do a great job because our dispenser was leaking water all over the floor under the fridge, so since the repair guy couldn't come back until Friday, I took the liberty of taking apart the refrigerator this afternoon and fixing it. It was pretty easy, I just had to cut the existing tubing because the end was brittle and had broken off when he screwed the compression fitting back on during his repair, then I just reattached everything using the compression fitting and now it works again - i can't BELIEVE how much these guys make. This is all he did for us: took the oven panel off and installed a new clock (3 screws and one 4 pin cable), installed a fridge fan, and replaced a section of tubing for over $300!! If the clock hadn't already been covered by our warranty, it would have been another $150 for that. During this process, he put a tiny scratch on the oven control panel (i'm really anal about scratches on stainless steel), lost one of the screws from the back of the fridge, didn't completely finish putting the cardboard cover on the back of the fridge* and did a bad job fixing the tubing, which broke within 2 weeks. I would have complained, but the insurance company paid for it, so I decided to let it slide this time. Needless to say, I'm not going to be calling him for any future repairs - i'll do them myself :-)
*appliance tip from jill: that piece of cardboard on the back of your fridge serves a purpose, so don't ever just remove it. It is designed so the fan will pull hot air away from the compressor, thus venting it out the other side where the little vent slots are cut out. If you remove the cardboard, it disrupts the proper airflow and can result in improper cooling of the compressor and possibly failure, which costs probably $500 to replace. So if you own your fridge it's something to be careful of.
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Saturday, July 03, 2004
"I fed chocolate to a dog"
There are certain things that aren't even a consideration... Like driving without putting your daughter in a car seat, or eating sushi that has been sitting at room temperature. Sure, maybe things would turn out fine, but it's not something you want to test. Well, in the dream I had last night, I did one of those things... i fed chocolate to a dog!! I have actually read about people who give their dog chocolate ice cream or a chocolate chip cookie and evidently it takes more than a small amount to actually kill a dog, but it's not really something I have an interest in trying. At least not in real life. However, in my dream last night, I was dog-sitting for a bride to be and I was staying at their house as a wedding guest. I remember needing to get to the wedding so I had to feed the dog. I couldn't find any dog food or water, so I gave the dog chocolate pudding...two bowls. It never occurred to me in the dream that that would be a bad thing to do. Then I headed to the ceremony... dream over. Then in the middle of the night, I woke up with this horrible feeling of dread - "Oh my God - why did I feed chocolate to that dog? Chocolate kills dogs!! Why didn't I think of that at the time? And is the dog okay?? Did it die? What will I tell the owner??" I will never know...that's the funny thing about dreams.
I'm not exactly sure what this could mean, but I'm thinking it might relate to an article I read yesterday about bridezillas trying to soak wedding guests for as many gifts and as many pre-celebratory events as possible (engagement party, multiple bridal showers, bride-groom shower, bachelor/bachelorette weekends, rehearsal dinner, wedding itself and post wedding brunch). Maybe in some strange way this was my way at getting back at these bridezillas...Canicide?
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There are certain things that aren't even a consideration... Like driving without putting your daughter in a car seat, or eating sushi that has been sitting at room temperature. Sure, maybe things would turn out fine, but it's not something you want to test. Well, in the dream I had last night, I did one of those things... i fed chocolate to a dog!! I have actually read about people who give their dog chocolate ice cream or a chocolate chip cookie and evidently it takes more than a small amount to actually kill a dog, but it's not really something I have an interest in trying. At least not in real life. However, in my dream last night, I was dog-sitting for a bride to be and I was staying at their house as a wedding guest. I remember needing to get to the wedding so I had to feed the dog. I couldn't find any dog food or water, so I gave the dog chocolate pudding...two bowls. It never occurred to me in the dream that that would be a bad thing to do. Then I headed to the ceremony... dream over. Then in the middle of the night, I woke up with this horrible feeling of dread - "Oh my God - why did I feed chocolate to that dog? Chocolate kills dogs!! Why didn't I think of that at the time? And is the dog okay?? Did it die? What will I tell the owner??" I will never know...that's the funny thing about dreams.
I'm not exactly sure what this could mean, but I'm thinking it might relate to an article I read yesterday about bridezillas trying to soak wedding guests for as many gifts and as many pre-celebratory events as possible (engagement party, multiple bridal showers, bride-groom shower, bachelor/bachelorette weekends, rehearsal dinner, wedding itself and post wedding brunch). Maybe in some strange way this was my way at getting back at these bridezillas...Canicide?
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Thursday, July 01, 2004
"Breaking the Silence"
Wow - it sure is nice to have a computer again!! After much ado, I ordered and finally received my new PC yesterday. I feel like I sold out a bit, since I would have preferred to build a system myself, but to make it easier on the insurance company, I purchased a pre-built system. It's nice to have the newest technology for once - i never even had a cd burner on the old system (i used haywood's if necessary) and now i have a dvd burner :-) to test everything out, i christened the system last night by watching office space...how fitting. I am Michael Bolton. I'd much rather say that I'm Jennifer Aniston, but what is.. IS.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of trips and visitors. We trekked up to NJ for my 19 year old niece's wedding (wow - that sounds sooo young). They did most everything themselves and it was held at my brother's farm. And the great part is, the wedding was truly awesome - everything was gorgeous..the weather was perfect...the food was delicious (the groom's parents are caterers, so they did a wonderful job). And to top off the night, the bride and groom disappeared into the sunset for a one hour hot-air balloon ride. They are truly lucky - i know people who have spent tons of money and their weddings didn't turn out nearly as nice. So my new "nephew-in-law" is a math genius and has secured a job at the NSA, so they are moving down to DC this weekend to begin their new life together. Congrats to them!
After the wedding, my uncle, cousins and their significant others came to visit. Sierra is going to be a flower girl in my cousin Pam's wedding this October and she is very excited! Of course this will involve some trips up to NYC on my part for the bridal shower and other pre-wedding events, including flower girl dress selection. Should be a good time - i haven't been up there for several years.
During that week, Sierra finally had her golf lessons!!! It was a one-week golf camp with other 5 year olds. She had a GREAT time and learned how to putt, chip, hit with a 9-iron and a wood. Her favorite was the 9-iron and second was the wood - her short game needs a little more development, but I guess that's what putt-putt is for :-) I wish there was a chip and putt place around here - we went to one in the outer banks once and it was a lot more fun than a traditional putt-putt, albeit a bit more dangerous, given that you're chipping in a fairly small area and if you don't know what you're doing, you could potentially injure someone. Maybe I can add this to my list of business ideas - we've got plenty of farmland here - i don't see why we couldn't just shave off a little corner and build a little practice course.
We had time for a quick visit to Sierra's friend from the library before they left for a 6 week vacation and we inherited their hampster to take care of. So far Sierra has been so responsible and caring that she wants one too! I'm not sure about this - I keep having flashbacks of an episode of Nip/Tuck from last season, so I'm not sure if we'll be getting another pet anytime soon.
[Speaking of Nip/Tuck, I have been faithfully watching the new season so far...can't wait to see what happens. I have also been watching the standard fare...Real World, Newlyweds (I thought I was going to die when Nick kissed Maggie (his MIL's dog) - he hates that dog!), I watched the Ashlee Simpson show once..i can't believe how much she says the f-word in one show vs. Jessica in two seasons! - her dad must be mortified, and I'm also watching North Shore because you are basically forced to watch it if you watched the O.C. - it's insane how many recognizable characters there are... Richard from Sex and the City, Phillip from Days of Our Lives, Brooke Burns from Baywatch, Hailey from the O.C....etc. I haven't really been watching too much other TV these days and our TiVo is now filled with WWII fighter plane documentaries to support Haywood's new hobby of building model planes.]
Once my relatives left, then Haywood's brother came to visit from Ohio and stayed for a few days. It was during his visit that I finally experienced the joy of Xbox!! I must admit - Sierra kicked my ass royally on a game called Soul Calibur 2 (which is strange, because i used to be great at fighting games), but I had the honor of getting the first hole-in-one on Tiger Woods Golf since my bro in law has had the system. Even though I lost the round, i won the most money because of that. Also, I unlocked the St. Andrew's course for him, which he was happy about. We also played a game called Burnout 2. He said it was a driving game and I said - well, i suck at driving games... I always crash. So he tells me this game is all about crashing - that's how you win! So I'm thinking it's gotta be my kind of game. It was kind of fun, but also a little difficult because you have to optimize your crash time and angle to cause the most damage and trucks and buses are worth the most, so you must figure that into the equation as well. We didn't actually play halo, but he showed it to us and it looked cool. The graphics look great on our tv, too!
So after the bro-in-law left last Saturday, we spent the day at the Nelson County Summer Festival - we heard one of our favorite (now disbanded) bands from college, Baaba Seth, play two sets. I have known the lead saxophonist for about 11 years when we met at All District Band. I was first chair, she was second (for the record, she was waaaaay better than I was - she must have totally screwed up on a scale or something) - it is so funny to think about that when she is so awesome at playing and has multiple cds out (http://www.hopeclayburn.com) and I have done absolutely nothing with my music in several years. So then later, we met again in college - Haywood played sax in the UVA Jazz Ensemble and Hope was a member of that as well. That's when they formed the band Baaba Seth, best described as "world music" and they were such a hit at parties and local music spots that after graduation they released 2 or 3 cds and went on tour until they broke up about 4 years ago. They get together for the occasional reunion concert, which is what we attended on saturday. Haywood and Sierra made the local paper, with a picture of her sitting on his shoulders and enjoying the show. Later that night, we decided we still hadn't had enough of them so we went to a party/show on the Downtown Mall to see them play for several more hours. On the way out, the funniest thing happened... we ran into one of Haywood's old apartment-mates from college. He was there looking just the same as he did 7 years ago right down to the backpack. He informed us that he never actually graduated and is back at UVA right now for the summer finishing up his last three classes to finally get his degree. We exchanged emails and stuff so we can get together sometime to reminisce about all the fun we used to have (they lived right below luann and me in college). In fact one of our favorite stories involves Dave bouncing a basketball on his ceiling (Luann's floor) in the middle of the night...she was pretty furious and confronted him about it and I don't think it happened again after that.
After that, my niece and her husband came to visit on the way back from their honeymoon. I made them a video cd with all of their wedding pictures and they really loved it, so I was kind of excited and it made me feel a little more creative again, so I may start doing a little more freelance work until I start working again. Incidentally, call me CRAZY, but there is a teeeeeensy chance that I may be back at my favorite telecom company and yours in the future, details to come...
So the past few days, other than anticipating the arrival of my new pc, i've been gardening, finishing up the details for our insurance claim - i can't tell you how many phones i have bought and returned trying to find something i like. I even bought a cool bluetooth phone, but sadly, it sucked and I had to return that one too. I must be going deaf, but no speakerphone ever works satisfactorily for me... time to start using a headset again, i guess. Oh...one more thing and I have GOT to get something done today...I taught Sierra how to eat a crab yesterday!!! She is very patient - I apologize now to any future boyfriends, but yes, you WILL get stranded at All You Can Eat seafood buffets with this girl - she's a natural at slow, but thorough, crab meat removal. Anyone who has ever been to a seafood buffet with me can relate...
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Wow - it sure is nice to have a computer again!! After much ado, I ordered and finally received my new PC yesterday. I feel like I sold out a bit, since I would have preferred to build a system myself, but to make it easier on the insurance company, I purchased a pre-built system. It's nice to have the newest technology for once - i never even had a cd burner on the old system (i used haywood's if necessary) and now i have a dvd burner :-) to test everything out, i christened the system last night by watching office space...how fitting. I am Michael Bolton. I'd much rather say that I'm Jennifer Aniston, but what is.. IS.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of trips and visitors. We trekked up to NJ for my 19 year old niece's wedding (wow - that sounds sooo young). They did most everything themselves and it was held at my brother's farm. And the great part is, the wedding was truly awesome - everything was gorgeous..the weather was perfect...the food was delicious (the groom's parents are caterers, so they did a wonderful job). And to top off the night, the bride and groom disappeared into the sunset for a one hour hot-air balloon ride. They are truly lucky - i know people who have spent tons of money and their weddings didn't turn out nearly as nice. So my new "nephew-in-law" is a math genius and has secured a job at the NSA, so they are moving down to DC this weekend to begin their new life together. Congrats to them!
After the wedding, my uncle, cousins and their significant others came to visit. Sierra is going to be a flower girl in my cousin Pam's wedding this October and she is very excited! Of course this will involve some trips up to NYC on my part for the bridal shower and other pre-wedding events, including flower girl dress selection. Should be a good time - i haven't been up there for several years.
During that week, Sierra finally had her golf lessons!!! It was a one-week golf camp with other 5 year olds. She had a GREAT time and learned how to putt, chip, hit with a 9-iron and a wood. Her favorite was the 9-iron and second was the wood - her short game needs a little more development, but I guess that's what putt-putt is for :-) I wish there was a chip and putt place around here - we went to one in the outer banks once and it was a lot more fun than a traditional putt-putt, albeit a bit more dangerous, given that you're chipping in a fairly small area and if you don't know what you're doing, you could potentially injure someone. Maybe I can add this to my list of business ideas - we've got plenty of farmland here - i don't see why we couldn't just shave off a little corner and build a little practice course.
We had time for a quick visit to Sierra's friend from the library before they left for a 6 week vacation and we inherited their hampster to take care of. So far Sierra has been so responsible and caring that she wants one too! I'm not sure about this - I keep having flashbacks of an episode of Nip/Tuck from last season, so I'm not sure if we'll be getting another pet anytime soon.
[Speaking of Nip/Tuck, I have been faithfully watching the new season so far...can't wait to see what happens. I have also been watching the standard fare...Real World, Newlyweds (I thought I was going to die when Nick kissed Maggie (his MIL's dog) - he hates that dog!), I watched the Ashlee Simpson show once..i can't believe how much she says the f-word in one show vs. Jessica in two seasons! - her dad must be mortified, and I'm also watching North Shore because you are basically forced to watch it if you watched the O.C. - it's insane how many recognizable characters there are... Richard from Sex and the City, Phillip from Days of Our Lives, Brooke Burns from Baywatch, Hailey from the O.C....etc. I haven't really been watching too much other TV these days and our TiVo is now filled with WWII fighter plane documentaries to support Haywood's new hobby of building model planes.]
Once my relatives left, then Haywood's brother came to visit from Ohio and stayed for a few days. It was during his visit that I finally experienced the joy of Xbox!! I must admit - Sierra kicked my ass royally on a game called Soul Calibur 2 (which is strange, because i used to be great at fighting games), but I had the honor of getting the first hole-in-one on Tiger Woods Golf since my bro in law has had the system. Even though I lost the round, i won the most money because of that. Also, I unlocked the St. Andrew's course for him, which he was happy about. We also played a game called Burnout 2. He said it was a driving game and I said - well, i suck at driving games... I always crash. So he tells me this game is all about crashing - that's how you win! So I'm thinking it's gotta be my kind of game. It was kind of fun, but also a little difficult because you have to optimize your crash time and angle to cause the most damage and trucks and buses are worth the most, so you must figure that into the equation as well. We didn't actually play halo, but he showed it to us and it looked cool. The graphics look great on our tv, too!
So after the bro-in-law left last Saturday, we spent the day at the Nelson County Summer Festival - we heard one of our favorite (now disbanded) bands from college, Baaba Seth, play two sets. I have known the lead saxophonist for about 11 years when we met at All District Band. I was first chair, she was second (for the record, she was waaaaay better than I was - she must have totally screwed up on a scale or something) - it is so funny to think about that when she is so awesome at playing and has multiple cds out (http://www.hopeclayburn.com) and I have done absolutely nothing with my music in several years. So then later, we met again in college - Haywood played sax in the UVA Jazz Ensemble and Hope was a member of that as well. That's when they formed the band Baaba Seth, best described as "world music" and they were such a hit at parties and local music spots that after graduation they released 2 or 3 cds and went on tour until they broke up about 4 years ago. They get together for the occasional reunion concert, which is what we attended on saturday. Haywood and Sierra made the local paper, with a picture of her sitting on his shoulders and enjoying the show. Later that night, we decided we still hadn't had enough of them so we went to a party/show on the Downtown Mall to see them play for several more hours. On the way out, the funniest thing happened... we ran into one of Haywood's old apartment-mates from college. He was there looking just the same as he did 7 years ago right down to the backpack. He informed us that he never actually graduated and is back at UVA right now for the summer finishing up his last three classes to finally get his degree. We exchanged emails and stuff so we can get together sometime to reminisce about all the fun we used to have (they lived right below luann and me in college). In fact one of our favorite stories involves Dave bouncing a basketball on his ceiling (Luann's floor) in the middle of the night...she was pretty furious and confronted him about it and I don't think it happened again after that.
After that, my niece and her husband came to visit on the way back from their honeymoon. I made them a video cd with all of their wedding pictures and they really loved it, so I was kind of excited and it made me feel a little more creative again, so I may start doing a little more freelance work until I start working again. Incidentally, call me CRAZY, but there is a teeeeeensy chance that I may be back at my favorite telecom company and yours in the future, details to come...
So the past few days, other than anticipating the arrival of my new pc, i've been gardening, finishing up the details for our insurance claim - i can't tell you how many phones i have bought and returned trying to find something i like. I even bought a cool bluetooth phone, but sadly, it sucked and I had to return that one too. I must be going deaf, but no speakerphone ever works satisfactorily for me... time to start using a headset again, i guess. Oh...one more thing and I have GOT to get something done today...I taught Sierra how to eat a crab yesterday!!! She is very patient - I apologize now to any future boyfriends, but yes, you WILL get stranded at All You Can Eat seafood buffets with this girl - she's a natural at slow, but thorough, crab meat removal. Anyone who has ever been to a seafood buffet with me can relate...
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