Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Dec. 23
Ah yes. One of the greatest Christmas songs and videos ever....lol
I hope to post soon. I just need to get more than a couple minutes of uninterupted time! Between work and last minute Christmas chaos, I'm usually doing a million other things. But...I'm off for eleven days now (wOOt!) so hopefully...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Dec. 15 - Twilight news
Woot! Just read an announcement that the New Moon movie will be released Nov. 20, 2009. It had been reported everywhere that it wouldn't be out until 2010, so a year sooner is awesome news! We've already learned that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke won't be directing this one....Golden Compass director Chris Weitz will be.
And I also just saw this:
Dollmaker Figures It'll Get In on Twilight Action
Finally, a doll-lightful cure for the post-Twilight doldrums!
Fanggirls can pass the time until New Moon hits theaters by replaying and recreating moments from the books and film with their very own Bella Swan and Edward Cullen dolls.
Bella is 15 inches tall and modeled to look like Kristen Stewart, while Edward towers 2 inches over her and is meant to resemble Robert Pattinson (swoon). They both have hand-detailed face painting and multiple articulated joints.
The collectible figures will be available exclusively at TonnerDirect.com in spring 2009. According to the Tonner Doll Company, plans for creating likenesses of the other characters are in the works.
In other words, a perfect stocking stuffer for next Christmas.
LOL...not sure how I feel about those, but I had wondered if there would any 'toys' to come out of this.
Dec. 15 - Products and Movies
Total Cinnamon Crunch Cereal. I *love* cinnamon, and when it's a cinnamon cereal, I am sooo there. When I saw this new flavor of Total, I was thrilled. When I had my first bowl of it, however, I was not. How disappointing. It's ok but a couple things I don't like are that the little squares of cereal are a bit harder and crunchier than I was expecting, and the flavor is dull. It was good enough that I'll finish this box that I bought, but I doubt I'll ever buy it again.
Simplicity Liquid Dish Soap. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this way back when I first bought it but I'll mention it again now that I've tried both scents. I first bought it because I was trying to take small steps into the world of 'going green.' I'd passed by so many 'green' cleaners for so long because they're usually so expensive and because I was convinced that they were weak, they wouldn't work. This one is not any more expensive than what I was normally buying, and it's "a non-toxic, biodegradable, hypoallergenic liquid dish soap." I was surprised by how well it works! Lots of bubbly suds that last all the way thru, lots of cleaning power, and you only need a little squirt of it. I was impressed, and I've been using it ever since.There are two scents. One is Green Apple, and I think the other is Citrus. I will say, the citrus one has a rather...medicinal?...smell. I did not like it at all. But it worked just fine if you could ignore that scent. I like the green apple scent though, not too overpowering. I'll stick with it.
(Oooh, I was just reading some Googled things about this product and one woman mentions it gave her a rash on her hands. I wear gloves when I do dishes, so I don't know how harsh this really is. It's also a Walmart brand so I know alot of people automatically poo-poo it. Oh well...)
Pure and Natural Body Wash. Drawn from and inspired by nature, Pure & Natural(TM) offers consumers what they need to keep their bodies and environment clean and healthy. Pure & Natural(TM) uses ingredients derived from nature and recycled packaging to form a brand that is truly eco-conscious.The product line consists of a Body Wash, Liquid Hand Soap and Bar Soap which are each available in three ingredient combinations: Moisturizing Almond Oil & Cherry Blossom, Cleansing Rosemary & Mint and Renewing Grapefruit & Pomegranate. All Pure & Natural(TM)
products are biodegradable: the Body Wash and Liquid Hand Soap packaging are 100% recyclable, the Bar Soap packaging is made of 100% post consumer paper with seeds embedded inside, so users can actually plant the wrapping in the ground and watch it sprout a few weeks later.
-- 98% Natural Origin
-- Hypo-allergenic
-- Biodegradable formulas
-- 100% Recyclable Packaging
-- Paraben Free
-- Not tested on animals
I've only tried the body wash so far. It's 'almond oil and cherry blossom.' Like the dish soap above, I was surprised and impressed by the amount of lather. The scent is not over-whelming. It cleans just fine, doesn't leave me feeling slimy or dried out. While it is pricier than what I'd normally buy, coupons.com often has coupons for it and I've been able to catch it on sale at Walmart enough times that I have four bottles of it on my bathroom shelf. I also like that the company makes an annual donation of at least $100k to World Wildlife Fund.
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Some movies I've seen lately...
Twilight Heee! Sorry, couldn't help it. I haven't mentioned it for a while. I'm still a total Twilight dork, as my kids like to point out. Yesterday I kept saying "Feature's dead, Angela! Don't bring it up again!" LOL!
After seeing it four times in the theater I thought I had seen it enough to keep me content until the DVD comes out. It's been ten days since I've seen it, and the urge is coming back. I'd taken a break from the soundtrack to keep Christmas music playing but I'm now back to cranking Twilight. Plus, having the score cd, hearing that extra music...gah.
I almost went this weekend. Casey had mentioned he wouldn't mind seeing it again, and Ty has said he'd go along if I really do go. Hubby though, just rolls his eyes. LOL!
This morning the two local DJs were talking about it. The woman DJ said she'd taken her daughter to the theater over the weekend, thinking they were going to see the new Keanu Reeves movie (Day the Earth Stood Still) but her daughter saw Twilight is still playing and talked her into seeing that instead. So now the DJ lady is all "I can absolutely see now what all the buzz is about. Mmmmm," and things like that. The guy DJ was laughing, asking some questions, admitting he's clueless. And it made me want to go again.
It's still hanging on to #3 in the rankings. So, Deb's 5th Viewing might not be a ridiculous notion afterall...
Step Brothers (2008)Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) -- two grown men still living at home -- turn into jealous, competitive stepbrothers when their single parents marry in this Judd Apatow-produced comedy. Brennan's constant competition with Dale strains his mom's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage to Dale's dad (Richard Jenkins). Will the reluctant stepsiblings ever see eye to eye? And more importantly, will they ever leave the nest?
This one was ok. I'd heard it was so over the top hysterical but I didn't find it *that* funny. The end was kinda...lacking. Be sure to keep watching once the credits start, because there is an imporant 'whatever happened to' type scene thrown in. Oh! The crazy sister-in-law was a riot. She stole the show.
The Clique (2008)In the tradition of Mean Girls, this direct-to-video teen comedy based on the best-selling book series follows Massie Block (Elizabeth McLaughlin), the leader of a group of privileged schoolgirls who arrogantly call themselves "The Pretty Committee." But Massie's life take an unexpected turn when her parents' friends, a middle-class family with a self-assured teenage daughter (Ellen Marlow), move into the Blocks' guest house.
I Netflixed this one because I thought it looked cute and fun. I wasn't expecting much, just wanted something no-brainer for once. And it was cute. Even hubby watched it and laughed along the way. He marvelled, "Is that really the way it is with girls??" So yes, this one is good for a bit of no-worries relaxing.
Cruel Intentions (1999)Slaking a thirst for dangerous games, Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) challenges her stepbrother, Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe), to deflower their headmaster's daughter (Reese Witherspoon) before the summer ends. The prize, if he succeeds, is the chance to bed Kathryn. But if he loses, Kathryn will claim his most prized possession. Sebastian takes up the dare but soon learns there's more to the bargain than meets the eye.
This was recommended by my movie watching co-worker. We'd been talking about something else and a part from this movie came up in the conversation. She was amazed I'd never seen it, and assured me that Ryan Phillippe was the hottest thing since vegetarian vampires, and insisted I Netflix it. So I did. It was ok, not nearly as great as she'd made it out to be. (But we've already established in previous posts that she and I don't see eye to eye.) There are some hot things about Ryan in this movie but overall he didn't do it for me like MWC-Worker was sure he would. It was rather predictable, as all 'dare to get the girl' movies seem to be. It was ok though. I would watch it again if I came across it.
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)In this movie loosely based on Frances Mayes's best-selling memoir of the same title, Diane Lane stars as Frances, a newly divorced American writer who heads for the Italian region of Tuscany to make limonita out of life's lemons. Having just quit her high-pressure job and ended her heartbreaking marriage, she buys a decrepit-but-charming house in Cortona on impulse, rebuilding it piece by piece -- and herself along with it.
I'd been wanting to see this movie since it first came out. For whatever reason, I just never have...until now. I really like it. I think it's that whole idea of leaving everything behind and starting over in a foreign country. (My choice would of course be in Germany.) It kinda reminded me of the Johnny Depp movie Chocolat. Lots of characters in the little 'neighborhood' to get to know, learning to fit in, etc. There is humor, but it made me cry too. I don't know, I just...liked it.
Dec. 15
Just a few of my Santas, for a bit of festive fun.
Soooo, it's been a few days. I was off this weekend, and today is my off day. Nothing major or urgent to do today so I'm just kinda puttering around, doing whatever sparks my interest. Cleaned up the house a bit after the boys left for school. Finishing up the laundry I didn't get to yesterday. Making oatmeal raisin cookies (ick!) for hubby. Wrapped a couple more gifts that had arrived, things I'd ordered online. And now figured it was an ideal time to do some blogging...no one here to bother me.
We have a Wind Chill Advisory until noon today. It was originally until 6pm so I guess it's a good sign that they've shortened it. Actual temp right now is 15 degrees, but the wind chill temp is -1 degree. It was -19 when the boys left for school this morning. I've been outside twice today...to put some mail in the mailbox, and later to pick up the newly delivered mail. Let me just say BRRR!
We didn't even concern ourselves with putting lights up this weekend. (I think I mentioned it my last entry?) It did indeed get over 40 degrees, but it was rainy and windy. I don't think hubby is overly holiday spirited this year either. Why is that? Is everyone lacking this year?? Cuz I still don't feel it.
I'm trying to decide just how much...and what...to bake for Christmas goodies. Do I want to just make a couple of the usuals for here at home? Do I want to dive into a big project and make a gift of baked goodies for family members and co-workers? Well, I *want* to do the big baking thing but realistically will I get it done? Or will it end up being a Put Too Much Pressure On Myself thing that ends up bringing me down in the end? Hmm, must consider this more after I'm done blogging.
I'm also trying to decide what to do about my old MySpace blog. I'd been thinking for a while that I'll just copy/paste it and print it out so I can tuck it away with other artifacts of my life. It's just sitting over there, the main reason I haven't deleted my MySpace account. This morning I actually started working on this project but found it's not going to be as easy as I thought. I have to copy/paste in sections, redo the bold and italics and spacing, etc. And then I found that I wasn't even done with the first month and the document was already something like eleven pages long. What's it going to be with the full eight months I have there??
I dumped that project out of frustration. What to do? What to do?? Now that I've done some other things, I'm back to thinking about it, thinking I might try again. I'd also been thinking of printing out this blog each month. Something I should have started and kept up on from the beginning I guess. *sigh* What I should do is just keep a normal freakin' journal but for some reason I just can't. I've tried many many times over the years. Maybe I should seriously revisit that idea.
My online fascination days are coming to an end, I think. I don't understand the thrill of MySpace and Facebook. Why do people keep their profiles private? If you're just keeping it for people you already know, why not just email or call them? Why do people keep such accounts if they only check them maybe once every couple months?
At first I thought Facebook looked like it could be fun, but this year I finally admitted to myself that I have no intention of reconnecting with anyone from my school days. Those were the worst days of my life. Even if twenty people from school found me thru Facebook (or MySpace) and were all 'excited' to catch up, my opinion would be 'screw you.' You all made my life hell back then, why are you interested in me now? To double check that you continue to be better than me? I used to be interested, curious about what classmates were doing, where they ended up. This year I decided I don't care anymore.
I used to have several websites/messageboards I would check daily and hang out at. That had dwindled down to one, and I've just recently finally given that one up too. It's gotten to the point over there that there are no conversations anymore. If anyone does post it's a drive-by thing, using the fewest amount of words possible. The one person who does still make an effort over there, I can talk to in email so that's what I decided to do. I've logged out of that place and deleted my bookmark.
Actually there is still one site I lurk at, but only because I'm waiting to see the outcome of someone's situation...then I'll be done there too. That Twilight board I mentioned not so long ago turned out to be something I'm not interested in, just like I feared.
Yahoo, MSN chat, ICQ...all used to be so much fun. So many hours spent chatting with so many people. That's all gone too. I can turn on all my chat programs, leave them on all day, and never get a message. *sigh*
It's taken me ten years, and some huge distractions along the way, but I think I'm finally getting around to what I got a computer for in the first place. I want to do photo work, make things, organize things, do family tree stuff...and write.
Maybe 2009 will be a year of actual writing effort. How awesome would that be??
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dec. 11
Only two weeks left before Christmas and still no holiday spirit in this old Scrooge. Took drastic measures on the way home from work this evening and turned my car radio to a station that is playing Christmas music 24/7. It seemed to work, so I switched my radio here on my desk to the same station. Yes, I think it's already helping.
Got a couple Christmas cards in today's mail. That helps a bit too.
It's kinda nice coming home from work now when it's dark outside because I can see all the holiday lights and trees at peoples houses along the way. There is a house about a block away from work that always has the most beautiful tree...this year they have white lights with some red lights mixed in here and there on it. It makes you instantly think of candy canes, of peppermint. Well the house right next to that one has cool looking lights along their front porch and they are, yep, white and red. Looks so cool. Makes me wish we had our lights up, and that they were white and red.
No, we didn't put *any* lights up this year. It didn't bother us at first, but now I'm kinda bummed. I did notice the weather forecast says it's supposed to warm up to around 40 this weekend...maybe we have a chance to get those lights up!
Got a couple Christmas cards in today's mail. That helps a bit too.
It's kinda nice coming home from work now when it's dark outside because I can see all the holiday lights and trees at peoples houses along the way. There is a house about a block away from work that always has the most beautiful tree...this year they have white lights with some red lights mixed in here and there on it. It makes you instantly think of candy canes, of peppermint. Well the house right next to that one has cool looking lights along their front porch and they are, yep, white and red. Looks so cool. Makes me wish we had our lights up, and that they were white and red.
No, we didn't put *any* lights up this year. It didn't bother us at first, but now I'm kinda bummed. I did notice the weather forecast says it's supposed to warm up to around 40 this weekend...maybe we have a chance to get those lights up!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Dec.10
That storm did indeed hit us. School was closed yesterday so the boys were happy. Hubby was up at 4am as usual, but called work to say he'd be in later, then spent the next 3-4 hours snowblowing the driveway. By 7am he'd *just* gotten a path clear enough to manage to get my car out because I had to go to my dorky safety training at work. Not sure what time he eventually went to work, but I worked on the driveway a bit more when I got home.
I heard on the radio this morning that Ripon got 11 inches and Fond du Lac got 9 inches...and since we live in between those cities, I'll say we got 10 inches. The storm warning was originally from Monday evening thru Wednesday morning. By Tuesday morning they had moved the end time up to 9pm Tuesday night, and really, I think it was done snowing before noon.
Our safety training was done shortly before noon. I had been debating all morning, but in the end decided to go ahead and do my grocery shopping. The trip into town wasn't too horrible. The store wasn't too horrible either, guess people weren't braving the storm. Yay for me! I was able to shop in relative peace.
Hubby got home from work at 5pm, got dressed for working outside, and spent another couple hours clearing more of the driveway. He went to bed early after all that. Can't say I blame him.
Back to our safety training...
Usually the meetings are so boring and pointless. It's an OSHA requirement or something that we must go over whatever number of safety topics each year. It changes each month (chemical safety, bloodborne pathogens, safe lifting, etc.) but we have the same things each year. So for someone like me who has been there many years, it's very boring to hear the same things over and over. But...it's law that we have to attend, and we have to sign a paper saying we've received training.
Anyway, part of yesterday's meeting was about hearing conservation. Our plant can be quite noisy, and there is one area (the one I work in) that has has strongly suggested using ear plugs for many many years. Actually, the three machine operators in there are required to wear ear plugs because they are in their all day. Other people coming and going don't need them.
In October (I think) they had someone come in and did some testing, checking sound levels, decibels, whatever in that room. The results that came back show the noise level is actually worse than had been previously reported. It is now *mandatory* that anyone entering that area for any amount of time has to wear ear plugs. They are also going to start doing annual hearing tests for all employees. For some reason, the hearing test part bothers me. I don't know why...? Maybe I'm afraid to find out how bad my hearing is? Maybe I'm afraid to do it again next year and see how much worse its gotten? I don't know. The ear plug part doesn't bother me at all beause I already wear them. And I think it's good they're finally taking some action and providing something for employees, but the testing just bothers me. Weird.
We also found out that we *don't* have to work New Year's Eve day or New Year's day! This means three more days off...eleven days!...for my holiday break, with only having to burn two vacation days!
Today I was up at my usual time, and headed back to town early to do some Christmas shopping. I didn't get everything done, didn't even get as much as I'd hoped done, but I did get a good start. And that's a huge relief. I even started wrapping stuff as soon as I got home. Had to make sure I got hubby's and the boys' stuff wrapped first so I don't have to worry about them seeing the stuff. I will hide them for now, but having them wrapped is just extra sneak-proof protection at this point. The rest of the stuff, for other family members and friends, will be worked on this evening. I took a break so I could write this in peace and quiet before the menfolk start returning home.
Speaking of which, I need to go pick up Casey at school soon. His class went on a field trip today and they wouldn't be back in time to catch their busses home so parents have to pick them up. They went to see a production of A Christmas Carol in Green Bay.
Oooh, last couple of quickies. My Twilight - The Score cd came today!! WOOT!! Love that tension building spooky sounding tune, the one playing when she's researching online and figuring out that Edward is a vampire. There are various forms of the tune scattered throughout the score. (My Lost - Season 3 soundtrack also came today but I haven't listened yet.)
And, the other night hubby was watching the movie Untraceable and I was all excited when I saw one of the main guys because "OOOH! That's Charlie! That's Bella's dad!" I also noticed the last time I saw Twilight, one of the biggest sobfest parts is of course when Bella tells her dad she's leaving, but I realized it's not Bella's words that make me cry. No, it's when Charlie says something like "Bells...I j-...I just got you back," and his voice kinda cracks, and you know how hard it had to be for him to open up like that. *blubbersniffle*
I think I'm content now, won't have to see it in the theater again, but I'm just that much more anxious for the DVD now!
Oh, I guess I'm not quite done yet. Remembered something else. The director of Twilight (Catherine Hardwicke) will not be doing New Moon. Not sure if she's totally out for the rest of the series or just for New Moon, but I'm wondering how this will affect things? I know the Harry Potter movies have had different directors, and none of those stand out as completely odd, but I hope whoever takes over the Twilight series doesn't try to go way off on a different look/feel. I do hope it's able to come out sooner though. I'd heard the next wouldn't be out until 2010. Bleah!
Ok, have to go finish wrapping presents and get supper started.
I heard on the radio this morning that Ripon got 11 inches and Fond du Lac got 9 inches...and since we live in between those cities, I'll say we got 10 inches. The storm warning was originally from Monday evening thru Wednesday morning. By Tuesday morning they had moved the end time up to 9pm Tuesday night, and really, I think it was done snowing before noon.
Our safety training was done shortly before noon. I had been debating all morning, but in the end decided to go ahead and do my grocery shopping. The trip into town wasn't too horrible. The store wasn't too horrible either, guess people weren't braving the storm. Yay for me! I was able to shop in relative peace.
Hubby got home from work at 5pm, got dressed for working outside, and spent another couple hours clearing more of the driveway. He went to bed early after all that. Can't say I blame him.
Back to our safety training...
Usually the meetings are so boring and pointless. It's an OSHA requirement or something that we must go over whatever number of safety topics each year. It changes each month (chemical safety, bloodborne pathogens, safe lifting, etc.) but we have the same things each year. So for someone like me who has been there many years, it's very boring to hear the same things over and over. But...it's law that we have to attend, and we have to sign a paper saying we've received training.
Anyway, part of yesterday's meeting was about hearing conservation. Our plant can be quite noisy, and there is one area (the one I work in) that has has strongly suggested using ear plugs for many many years. Actually, the three machine operators in there are required to wear ear plugs because they are in their all day. Other people coming and going don't need them.
In October (I think) they had someone come in and did some testing, checking sound levels, decibels, whatever in that room. The results that came back show the noise level is actually worse than had been previously reported. It is now *mandatory* that anyone entering that area for any amount of time has to wear ear plugs. They are also going to start doing annual hearing tests for all employees. For some reason, the hearing test part bothers me. I don't know why...? Maybe I'm afraid to find out how bad my hearing is? Maybe I'm afraid to do it again next year and see how much worse its gotten? I don't know. The ear plug part doesn't bother me at all beause I already wear them. And I think it's good they're finally taking some action and providing something for employees, but the testing just bothers me. Weird.
We also found out that we *don't* have to work New Year's Eve day or New Year's day! This means three more days off...eleven days!...for my holiday break, with only having to burn two vacation days!
Today I was up at my usual time, and headed back to town early to do some Christmas shopping. I didn't get everything done, didn't even get as much as I'd hoped done, but I did get a good start. And that's a huge relief. I even started wrapping stuff as soon as I got home. Had to make sure I got hubby's and the boys' stuff wrapped first so I don't have to worry about them seeing the stuff. I will hide them for now, but having them wrapped is just extra sneak-proof protection at this point. The rest of the stuff, for other family members and friends, will be worked on this evening. I took a break so I could write this in peace and quiet before the menfolk start returning home.
Speaking of which, I need to go pick up Casey at school soon. His class went on a field trip today and they wouldn't be back in time to catch their busses home so parents have to pick them up. They went to see a production of A Christmas Carol in Green Bay.
Oooh, last couple of quickies. My Twilight - The Score cd came today!! WOOT!! Love that tension building spooky sounding tune, the one playing when she's researching online and figuring out that Edward is a vampire. There are various forms of the tune scattered throughout the score. (My Lost - Season 3 soundtrack also came today but I haven't listened yet.)
And, the other night hubby was watching the movie Untraceable and I was all excited when I saw one of the main guys because "OOOH! That's Charlie! That's Bella's dad!" I also noticed the last time I saw Twilight, one of the biggest sobfest parts is of course when Bella tells her dad she's leaving, but I realized it's not Bella's words that make me cry. No, it's when Charlie says something like "Bells...I j-...I just got you back," and his voice kinda cracks, and you know how hard it had to be for him to open up like that. *blubbersniffle*
I think I'm content now, won't have to see it in the theater again, but I'm just that much more anxious for the DVD now!
Oh, I guess I'm not quite done yet. Remembered something else. The director of Twilight (Catherine Hardwicke) will not be doing New Moon. Not sure if she's totally out for the rest of the series or just for New Moon, but I'm wondering how this will affect things? I know the Harry Potter movies have had different directors, and none of those stand out as completely odd, but I hope whoever takes over the Twilight series doesn't try to go way off on a different look/feel. I do hope it's able to come out sooner though. I'd heard the next wouldn't be out until 2010. Bleah!
Ok, have to go finish wrapping presents and get supper started.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Dec. 8
I wanted to change my background, colors, layout, whatever to something more Christmassy but ended up just picking this kinda booger green setup cuz it's at least a hair more festive than my old Fall colors. I wonder why they don't have some holiday theme templates? I looked at some nice ones elsewhere and tried to use one but it wanted to get rid of all my extra little links and gadgets, and I didn't know if it would reset my counter and map so I aborted the attempt.
Oh well...moving on.
John Lennon was killed 28 years ago tonight. Twenty-eight years! I remember the morning after, my mom telling me "John Lennon was killed last night," and I was unphased with a blank "Who?" I quickly learned all about him and the Beatles and went thru a major obsession for a while. This reminds me that I still need to get, well, all Beatles and John Lennon music on cd. Hmm. Santa?
We have a major winter storm supposedly heading straight for us tonight and tomorrow. They were saying up to 15 inches in some areas but more recently I've been hearing it might be tracking north more than originally expected and we'll hopefully not even get the more manageable 4-6" they're talking about. I like the thought of having plenty of snow for Christmas but tomorrow is not a good day for me. LOL!
It's supposed to be my day off tomorrow but my crew has to go in for our stupid monthly safety training. There was some talk about postponing it till Wednesday cuz of the storm but that change was never announced, so we go tomorrow morning. Supervisor is figuring at least four hours. Yuck!! I'm hoping to go straight from there into town to do my grocery shopping, and maybe even some Christmas shopping. Or I'll just get the groceries tomorrow and go back early Wednesday (also day off) and devote that day to Christmas shopping. Ugh, I hope this storm fizzles out or passes us.
Finally got my Christmas/New Year's vacation changed around and resubmitted today. Supervisor called me into the office and ok'd it, then told me..."This is confidential, please"...that we might not have to work New Year's Eve day afterall. This would be great if it comes true because the way the schedule for my crew is, it would add three more days off to that vacation. Woot! That would be eleven days off, with only burning *two* vacation days!
Alrighty, I have a headache and am off to bed now. Just wanted to write a quickie because I've been slacking again.
*trudges thru the snow to bed*
Oh well...moving on.
John Lennon was killed 28 years ago tonight. Twenty-eight years! I remember the morning after, my mom telling me "John Lennon was killed last night," and I was unphased with a blank "Who?" I quickly learned all about him and the Beatles and went thru a major obsession for a while. This reminds me that I still need to get, well, all Beatles and John Lennon music on cd. Hmm. Santa?
We have a major winter storm supposedly heading straight for us tonight and tomorrow. They were saying up to 15 inches in some areas but more recently I've been hearing it might be tracking north more than originally expected and we'll hopefully not even get the more manageable 4-6" they're talking about. I like the thought of having plenty of snow for Christmas but tomorrow is not a good day for me. LOL!
It's supposed to be my day off tomorrow but my crew has to go in for our stupid monthly safety training. There was some talk about postponing it till Wednesday cuz of the storm but that change was never announced, so we go tomorrow morning. Supervisor is figuring at least four hours. Yuck!! I'm hoping to go straight from there into town to do my grocery shopping, and maybe even some Christmas shopping. Or I'll just get the groceries tomorrow and go back early Wednesday (also day off) and devote that day to Christmas shopping. Ugh, I hope this storm fizzles out or passes us.
Finally got my Christmas/New Year's vacation changed around and resubmitted today. Supervisor called me into the office and ok'd it, then told me..."This is confidential, please"...that we might not have to work New Year's Eve day afterall. This would be great if it comes true because the way the schedule for my crew is, it would add three more days off to that vacation. Woot! That would be eleven days off, with only burning *two* vacation days!
Alrighty, I have a headache and am off to bed now. Just wanted to write a quickie because I've been slacking again.
*trudges thru the snow to bed*
Friday, December 5, 2008
Dec. 5 - #4 baybee
I wasn't planning on it, and it was totally spur of the moment, but I saw Twilight tonight...fourth time now. When Ty got home from school he mentioned that he would like to see it again. I joked that we could inhale our fish dinners when hubby got home and race to town to see the movie. I didn't think Ty seriously wanted to go.
Well, hubby got home with our food, we ate, and I glanced at the clock and laughed. I told Ty we had time to get there before the first show. He said ok, let's go. I kinda laughed it off but he said he would seriously like to see it. So we flew into action, grabbing our shoes and jackets and money. Hubby just rolled his eyes and Casey didn't want to go, so we flew out the door and into town.
There were about 25-30 people there, still mostly teenage girls.
It was great to see it again. I'm so used to it now, some of the wonder is leaving. I didn't cry as much. Still love all the same parts. I wonder if this is it for me now until the DVD. As of right now I think I'm content.
Don't know how I'll feel tomorrow though!
Well, hubby got home with our food, we ate, and I glanced at the clock and laughed. I told Ty we had time to get there before the first show. He said ok, let's go. I kinda laughed it off but he said he would seriously like to see it. So we flew into action, grabbing our shoes and jackets and money. Hubby just rolled his eyes and Casey didn't want to go, so we flew out the door and into town.
There were about 25-30 people there, still mostly teenage girls.
It was great to see it again. I'm so used to it now, some of the wonder is leaving. I didn't cry as much. Still love all the same parts. I wonder if this is it for me now until the DVD. As of right now I think I'm content.
Don't know how I'll feel tomorrow though!
Dec. 5
My day off, and for once it hasn't been spent running around everywhere, taking care of everything. Ahhhhhhhh.
We finally have our insurance switched around and taken care of. I emailed both our home and auto insurance companies to let them know we're cancelling. The auto one emailed back saying they're sorry to see us go but wishing us well. The home one proved yet again why we decided to drop them. First I got whiney emails asking why we're leaving and couldn't they give us quotes and is there something wrong? Well, you *did* give me quotes...duh...in this whole shopping around process. If you aren't aware of that, it's just another reason we don't want to deal with you. So then, just a little while ago, the actual agent called here (I didn't answer) and left an equally whiney message, asking all the same things.
This whole insurance thing started several weeks ago when our home insurance needed to be updated because of the work we'd done on the house. I thought the dude would just be bringing me some papers to sign but no, he just stood there firing off numbers and techtalk and waiting stoney faced for my answers...which I had none. I was completely confused and he was sooo not a people person that I just kept trying to tell him I'd have to talk to hubby and we'd get back to him.
Hubby got home and didn't understand the numbers on the papers anymore than I had. He then told me he didn't like this insurance anyway. There was never any contact between us when there was something going on. Like, they'd show up at random times and take pics of the property and then send us lovely letters telling us they were dropping parts of the coverage or reducing. They would never call and say they'd been out, or would be coming out, or talk over what they'd found. Whenever we did have to actually deal with them for something it was always like the meeting I described above. And then hubby told me his parents had the same insurance and had been completely dropped by them (for reasons I'm not totally clear on yet). So he wanted to drop these guys and figured this would be the time.
I started shopping around, doing a few quotes online, contacting a few places. The one we decided to go with in the end probably won our business because they are extremely helpful and polite and prompt. Their quotes weren't amazingly low compared to the others but the customer service in this shopping/meeting period has been outstanding.
Enough of that boringness.
Ty is ordering his graduation stuff today. We just got the basic cap and gown package, but with a mascot tassel. We got the smallest package of announcements too, without any of the fancy name cards or accessories. Sure, I think it's huge he's graduating but the prices on that stuff....!? I don't even know if we'll be having a big party or just a small gathering. If we need more I'll whip something up on the computer.
I'm actually dreading his graduation. I honestly don't know how I'll get thru it because I'm so sappy that I'll be bawling from one end to the other. And it just gets worse when people notice it and do the 'Awwww' thing. Seriously, I don't know how I'm going to do this. I need to learn some serious mental detachment skills before June. I'll need to be the photographer too because hubby is camera-challenged, so either having the camera in my face will distract me and/or hide me, or I'll take all crappy pics cuz I can't see what I'm doing. Maybe I'll stay home and just watch the video version later....
The boys are also ordering their yearbooks today. Holy crap are those things expensive! Oh well, these things are important to me.
Hubby got his hair cut again yesterday. Big deal, most of you probably think, but if you know my husband you know why this is newsworthy. He has horrible hair. Horrible! It's dry and frizzy and fly-away. For years he was letting it grow, thinking he'd get this cool looking long ponytail. It did get fairly long, but if it wasn't in that ponytail it just looked like Bozo hair. Several months ago he surprised us by coming home with short hair. I mean, really short. It looked awesome. He said he'd just been sick of dealing with the long mess. I was thrilled! Well, in the last few days I'd noticed it was growing out enough that it was again starting to look wicked witchlike. I hadn't said anything but he must have noticed too because he walked in last night with it all cut way short again. Hehe!
We watched the movie Speed Racer last night. It was a fun movie. Don't know if I'd ever buy it, but it was ok to watch. Funny too because I'd Netflixed it thinking hubby and the boys would want to see it, but when it got here they all shrugged it off, thinking I'd picked it for me. How funny that even though they sat thru "only cuz you got it for us" and claimed they had no interest, they were laughing their butts off and totally into it. (Matthew Fox is in it, so I got a bit excited for some new Lost. Woot!)
The other we have from Netflix is The Strangers. My movie watching co-worker hated it and tried to make sure I knew I would be wasting my time. Since we now know that her opinions usually don't mean squat, I got it anyway. I started watching it earlier but kept getting distracted by things so I gave up and will try again when hubby gets home.
And her opinions leads me to another rant. I hate (yes, I said *hate*!) when people force their opinions on you. I think I ranted about this recently in regards to her not liking the Twilight soundtrack. But I'm noticing it more and more, and not just from her. I think a large part of it is how people present their opinions. If you didn't like something, fine. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. So don't lecture me that the acting was 'bad' or the writer didn't know what he was talking about or the music was horrible. *You* didn't like it because *you* thought the acting/writing/music was bad. And if *you* didn't like it, that doesn't mean *I* have to dislike it too. Accept it and move on. Don't lecture me on why I'm 'wrong.'
This leads me to ask, why do people trash something they know you like? If you didn't like it, fine. If you were getting married and obviously loved your wedding dress, would it be ok for me to go on endlessly about how ugly I think it is, how fat it makes you look, how mine was way better? Ok! Then why do you do it about things I like but you don't? If you said you didn't like something and I asked you why not, that opens the door. But even so, there is a difference between stating what you feel and stating things as fact when they are not. *grr* I think I'm just rambling now without even making my point. I don't know how to explain it.
So I'll let it go for now.
I am shockingly not quite as Twilight obsessed the last day or so. I had decided I was going to go see it one more time, yesterday afternoon...catch a matinee on my day off. Unfortunately, the theater I go to only had weekday matinees over the holiday weekend. I was cranky about this fact at first, then decided it was ok, that I'd seen it enough to last me till the DVD comes out. I was also telling myself that by not going to see it anymore, it will leave theaters sooner, and be released on DVD sooner. WOOT! My sister and I were joking about changing tactics and telling everyone NOT to go see it now. She suggested I go block the theater doors in the evenings.
Later in the day I decided I still do need to see it again before it leaves theaters. I want to see that baseball scene on the big screen one last time, feel that rumbling with the loud theater sound. There are several parts I just really want to see again on the big screen. So yes, I think I will try to go again. Not sure when though.
I haven't been listening to the soundtrack quite as much. I haven't been reading the book quite as much. I haven't even put my posters up yet. Has the thrill worn off? Definately not. Just busy with other things, I think.
We finally have our insurance switched around and taken care of. I emailed both our home and auto insurance companies to let them know we're cancelling. The auto one emailed back saying they're sorry to see us go but wishing us well. The home one proved yet again why we decided to drop them. First I got whiney emails asking why we're leaving and couldn't they give us quotes and is there something wrong? Well, you *did* give me quotes...duh...in this whole shopping around process. If you aren't aware of that, it's just another reason we don't want to deal with you. So then, just a little while ago, the actual agent called here (I didn't answer) and left an equally whiney message, asking all the same things.
This whole insurance thing started several weeks ago when our home insurance needed to be updated because of the work we'd done on the house. I thought the dude would just be bringing me some papers to sign but no, he just stood there firing off numbers and techtalk and waiting stoney faced for my answers...which I had none. I was completely confused and he was sooo not a people person that I just kept trying to tell him I'd have to talk to hubby and we'd get back to him.
Hubby got home and didn't understand the numbers on the papers anymore than I had. He then told me he didn't like this insurance anyway. There was never any contact between us when there was something going on. Like, they'd show up at random times and take pics of the property and then send us lovely letters telling us they were dropping parts of the coverage or reducing. They would never call and say they'd been out, or would be coming out, or talk over what they'd found. Whenever we did have to actually deal with them for something it was always like the meeting I described above. And then hubby told me his parents had the same insurance and had been completely dropped by them (for reasons I'm not totally clear on yet). So he wanted to drop these guys and figured this would be the time.
I started shopping around, doing a few quotes online, contacting a few places. The one we decided to go with in the end probably won our business because they are extremely helpful and polite and prompt. Their quotes weren't amazingly low compared to the others but the customer service in this shopping/meeting period has been outstanding.
Enough of that boringness.
Ty is ordering his graduation stuff today. We just got the basic cap and gown package, but with a mascot tassel. We got the smallest package of announcements too, without any of the fancy name cards or accessories. Sure, I think it's huge he's graduating but the prices on that stuff....!? I don't even know if we'll be having a big party or just a small gathering. If we need more I'll whip something up on the computer.
I'm actually dreading his graduation. I honestly don't know how I'll get thru it because I'm so sappy that I'll be bawling from one end to the other. And it just gets worse when people notice it and do the 'Awwww' thing. Seriously, I don't know how I'm going to do this. I need to learn some serious mental detachment skills before June. I'll need to be the photographer too because hubby is camera-challenged, so either having the camera in my face will distract me and/or hide me, or I'll take all crappy pics cuz I can't see what I'm doing. Maybe I'll stay home and just watch the video version later....
The boys are also ordering their yearbooks today. Holy crap are those things expensive! Oh well, these things are important to me.
Hubby got his hair cut again yesterday. Big deal, most of you probably think, but if you know my husband you know why this is newsworthy. He has horrible hair. Horrible! It's dry and frizzy and fly-away. For years he was letting it grow, thinking he'd get this cool looking long ponytail. It did get fairly long, but if it wasn't in that ponytail it just looked like Bozo hair. Several months ago he surprised us by coming home with short hair. I mean, really short. It looked awesome. He said he'd just been sick of dealing with the long mess. I was thrilled! Well, in the last few days I'd noticed it was growing out enough that it was again starting to look wicked witchlike. I hadn't said anything but he must have noticed too because he walked in last night with it all cut way short again. Hehe!
We watched the movie Speed Racer last night. It was a fun movie. Don't know if I'd ever buy it, but it was ok to watch. Funny too because I'd Netflixed it thinking hubby and the boys would want to see it, but when it got here they all shrugged it off, thinking I'd picked it for me. How funny that even though they sat thru "only cuz you got it for us" and claimed they had no interest, they were laughing their butts off and totally into it. (Matthew Fox is in it, so I got a bit excited for some new Lost. Woot!)
The other we have from Netflix is The Strangers. My movie watching co-worker hated it and tried to make sure I knew I would be wasting my time. Since we now know that her opinions usually don't mean squat, I got it anyway. I started watching it earlier but kept getting distracted by things so I gave up and will try again when hubby gets home.
And her opinions leads me to another rant. I hate (yes, I said *hate*!) when people force their opinions on you. I think I ranted about this recently in regards to her not liking the Twilight soundtrack. But I'm noticing it more and more, and not just from her. I think a large part of it is how people present their opinions. If you didn't like something, fine. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. So don't lecture me that the acting was 'bad' or the writer didn't know what he was talking about or the music was horrible. *You* didn't like it because *you* thought the acting/writing/music was bad. And if *you* didn't like it, that doesn't mean *I* have to dislike it too. Accept it and move on. Don't lecture me on why I'm 'wrong.'
This leads me to ask, why do people trash something they know you like? If you didn't like it, fine. If you were getting married and obviously loved your wedding dress, would it be ok for me to go on endlessly about how ugly I think it is, how fat it makes you look, how mine was way better? Ok! Then why do you do it about things I like but you don't? If you said you didn't like something and I asked you why not, that opens the door. But even so, there is a difference between stating what you feel and stating things as fact when they are not. *grr* I think I'm just rambling now without even making my point. I don't know how to explain it.
So I'll let it go for now.
I am shockingly not quite as Twilight obsessed the last day or so. I had decided I was going to go see it one more time, yesterday afternoon...catch a matinee on my day off. Unfortunately, the theater I go to only had weekday matinees over the holiday weekend. I was cranky about this fact at first, then decided it was ok, that I'd seen it enough to last me till the DVD comes out. I was also telling myself that by not going to see it anymore, it will leave theaters sooner, and be released on DVD sooner. WOOT! My sister and I were joking about changing tactics and telling everyone NOT to go see it now. She suggested I go block the theater doors in the evenings.
Later in the day I decided I still do need to see it again before it leaves theaters. I want to see that baseball scene on the big screen one last time, feel that rumbling with the loud theater sound. There are several parts I just really want to see again on the big screen. So yes, I think I will try to go again. Not sure when though.
I haven't been listening to the soundtrack quite as much. I haven't been reading the book quite as much. I haven't even put my posters up yet. Has the thrill worn off? Definately not. Just busy with other things, I think.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Dec. 2
Found out today that we have to work New Year's Eve day and New Year's Day. This throws another kink into my Christmas-thru-New Year's vacation plan but in the end I guess it's not too horrible. Instead of having 11 days off straight thru the holidays, I will have 8 days off, come back to work one day (and get double time and a half!) and then be off 2 more days. Not a bad deal.
I finally selected my service award, or gift, or whatever you want to call it. November 11 marked my 15th anniversary at my job. Every 5th year we get to pick a gift, the value being higher according to how many years you have. Anyway, I've had my little certificate thingie sitting here for a while now. I had browsed the online catalog once and didn't find anything that really jumped out at me. Found a couple 'that might fun' things like metal detector, telescope, bike...but couldn't decide. So I went thru it again tonight, determined to pick something. Decided on a DVD/VHS combo unit that I'll put upstairs in our bedroom. We'll need to get the TV fixed (or get a new one) first but it will be nice to be able to watch a movie up there if my menfolk are watching man crap down here.
OMG! I found a video of the lullaby part of Twilight! This is one of my absolute favorite parts, when he's playing the piano. Love it, love it, love it. The movie doesn't ever mention that Edward wrote the song, inspired by Bella, and he lulls her to sleep with it when he stays with her. Before seeing the movie I thought the song was a bit more haunting than a lullaby should sound but once I saw the scene with him actually playing it....ah, love it. Now when I hear the song it's more sad than haunting, and I see these lovely images in my mind.
(The quality of the video is not great in this, but you can hear the song fine and you will see the part I'm gaga about...Edward/Rob playing the piano.)
I finally selected my service award, or gift, or whatever you want to call it. November 11 marked my 15th anniversary at my job. Every 5th year we get to pick a gift, the value being higher according to how many years you have. Anyway, I've had my little certificate thingie sitting here for a while now. I had browsed the online catalog once and didn't find anything that really jumped out at me. Found a couple 'that might fun' things like metal detector, telescope, bike...but couldn't decide. So I went thru it again tonight, determined to pick something. Decided on a DVD/VHS combo unit that I'll put upstairs in our bedroom. We'll need to get the TV fixed (or get a new one) first but it will be nice to be able to watch a movie up there if my menfolk are watching man crap down here.
OMG! I found a video of the lullaby part of Twilight! This is one of my absolute favorite parts, when he's playing the piano. Love it, love it, love it. The movie doesn't ever mention that Edward wrote the song, inspired by Bella, and he lulls her to sleep with it when he stays with her. Before seeing the movie I thought the song was a bit more haunting than a lullaby should sound but once I saw the scene with him actually playing it....ah, love it. Now when I hear the song it's more sad than haunting, and I see these lovely images in my mind.
(The quality of the video is not great in this, but you can hear the song fine and you will see the part I'm gaga about...Edward/Rob playing the piano.)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Dec. 1
We had a snow storm overnight. The warning went from noon Sunday to 6am Monday, and we were hearing anywhere from 2-10 inches of snow possible. Well, what we got was enough to cause a two hour school delay but it was blowing and drifting so much that it's hard to say just how many inches. Parts of our yard still have grass poking thru while other parts are drifted knee high. I even got my car stuck in the driveway. Doh!
This was my last day off in my extended Thanksgiving break (six and a half days!). I had several things I wanted to get done and all of them involved me just staying home for once. Whee! Then last night Ty pointed out he had a chiro appointment this afternoon, and hubby pointed out he still needed his check cashed. Ok, not as hectic as my usual running around but still... *sigh*
I finally decorated our Christmas tree this morning. Fattycat has been pretty good about staying away, so I figured I'd go for it. Wouldn't you know, while decorating, he thought it would be fun to keep lurking and/or dashing from under the tree. Some threats with the squirt bottle reminded him this was not funny afterall, and I finished in relative peace.
James even got into the festive mood. That myth about vampires not showing up in photos....? Yeah, just a myth.
I have a wee teeny bit of holiday spirit beginning now. I started playing Christmas music last night. Got the decorating done and all the boxes back up to the attic. The snowstorm. Flipping the calendar to December. Noticed the boys each make small comments or reactions to the tree or music. All of it helps. And then, while sitting at the drive-thru window at the bank, I even had an 'OMG! I'm running out of time!' moment of panic before I remembered it's only the *FIRST day* of December. My Christmas cards are pretty much ready to go out, just have to get the boys school pics ready to put in them.
Hubby and I usually go Christmas shopping the first Friday of December. It's something we started years ago, being sneaky and taking vacation day but not letting my mom (babysitter) or the boys know. That way we had time for ourselves, and the boys never knew we'd gone shopping. We just kept that tradition even after the boys were older and had figured it out. It's still a fun day for us to look forward to even if we don't always get alot done. Sadly, this year it doesn't look like we'll be doing it on our traditional day. Hubby has a crazy week at work and doesn't think he can get off that day. We'll try to do it early next week instead.
I went back to my old blog to grab a video I thought I had posted last Christmas but I can't seem to find it. I searched YouTube for it but can't seem to find it there either. Hmm. Anyway, I've found that I'm still totally loving the Hanson Christmas Medley again this year. It's mainly O Holy Night, which became my favorite traditional Christmas song last year. If you don't know this medley I strongly suggest you look it up and give it a listen. Don't roll your eyes because it's Hanson! It's really very good!
I had hoped to watch The Nativity Story today but didn't get to it. I got it for my birthday last year and loved it. I'm not very religious but this story fascinates me. (The director of Twilight had also done this one.)
This was my last day off in my extended Thanksgiving break (six and a half days!). I had several things I wanted to get done and all of them involved me just staying home for once. Whee! Then last night Ty pointed out he had a chiro appointment this afternoon, and hubby pointed out he still needed his check cashed. Ok, not as hectic as my usual running around but still... *sigh*
I finally decorated our Christmas tree this morning. Fattycat has been pretty good about staying away, so I figured I'd go for it. Wouldn't you know, while decorating, he thought it would be fun to keep lurking and/or dashing from under the tree. Some threats with the squirt bottle reminded him this was not funny afterall, and I finished in relative peace.
James even got into the festive mood. That myth about vampires not showing up in photos....? Yeah, just a myth.
I have a wee teeny bit of holiday spirit beginning now. I started playing Christmas music last night. Got the decorating done and all the boxes back up to the attic. The snowstorm. Flipping the calendar to December. Noticed the boys each make small comments or reactions to the tree or music. All of it helps. And then, while sitting at the drive-thru window at the bank, I even had an 'OMG! I'm running out of time!' moment of panic before I remembered it's only the *FIRST day* of December. My Christmas cards are pretty much ready to go out, just have to get the boys school pics ready to put in them.
Hubby and I usually go Christmas shopping the first Friday of December. It's something we started years ago, being sneaky and taking vacation day but not letting my mom (babysitter) or the boys know. That way we had time for ourselves, and the boys never knew we'd gone shopping. We just kept that tradition even after the boys were older and had figured it out. It's still a fun day for us to look forward to even if we don't always get alot done. Sadly, this year it doesn't look like we'll be doing it on our traditional day. Hubby has a crazy week at work and doesn't think he can get off that day. We'll try to do it early next week instead.
I went back to my old blog to grab a video I thought I had posted last Christmas but I can't seem to find it. I searched YouTube for it but can't seem to find it there either. Hmm. Anyway, I've found that I'm still totally loving the Hanson Christmas Medley again this year. It's mainly O Holy Night, which became my favorite traditional Christmas song last year. If you don't know this medley I strongly suggest you look it up and give it a listen. Don't roll your eyes because it's Hanson! It's really very good!
I had hoped to watch The Nativity Story today but didn't get to it. I got it for my birthday last year and loved it. I'm not very religious but this story fascinates me. (The director of Twilight had also done this one.)
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