buying myself some weather insurance

I'm racing the clock here, even though it's Friday evening and most people are starting to unwind and relax. Don't get me wrong, I've got my beer cracked open beside me, will head up to put on my comfy flannels in a few short minutes, but right now I'm racing the clock against the building wind that's winding up outside. I figure if I get posting and all now I might buy myself some weather insurance.....ya know, the power won't go out because I've already posted. If I wait till later it's sure to screw with me.

Anyway, how was everyone's Friday? Can I tell you just how freakin' happy I am that the post holiday week is over!? Gawd the last two weeks seemed to go on forever. At the office one day, off for a couple days, back to the office again. Sheesh! With all the broken up worktime you'd think I'd be relaxed and happy, but it really seemed to be more of a PITA than anything.

I've still been reading and reading and reading all the posts ya'll have been making. Damn, where do you find so much to talk about? My comments are sparse but don't think I'm not keeping my eye on you.

Speaking of eyes, I was informed by a fairly reliable source that my last picture of my new specs wasn't truly the most flattering picture and didn't do them (or me) justice. So, I grabbed the camera this morning right before heading out the door and snapped a new one that hopefully meets with better approval. Please don't look at my hair. I can't believe how awful it's really looking these days, but hell.....what do I expect when it's been almost a year since I've cut or colored it. Yikes! Anyway, here's me again with my new specs.

TGIF!!! Cheers and Enjoy!

wednesday wrap-up (is there even a version anymore?)

It's been ages since I've done a Wednesday Wrap-up and since today I'm off work and I've actually had time to catch up on reading and commenting on all my favorite blogs, I thought I'd do a quick wrap-up before getting my lazy butt in gear for the festivities of the afternoon.

The Birthday Circuit - Bad, I know, but I didn't even post a birthday message to my main squeeze. Happy Birthday Kiddo!! The kiddo brought in his 7th year with a birthday bash at one of the local bowling alleys. And that was just the start to almost a week of birthday celebrating. His actual birthday (the 26th - same as Dan's) was spent dining at his favorite restaurant, The Mayan, and playing with his hot new PlayStation, courtesy of his grandparents. Then last weekend was spent attending two birthday parties for friends. I swear he's got more of a social life than me!

Break-in(g) News! - I am now the proud owner of a new set of front door locks. Thanks to my awesome neighbor who came over on Sunday to help me get the crazy thing installed, I'm resting a little bit easier now. I'll always wonder who was trying to get in, for what reason, and when, but with all my neighbors on alert, the 100+ pound furry protection system I own, and the sparkling new jewels adorning my front door I'm not worrying about it. Not too much at least.

(Not) Flying Under the Radar - My second round at The Winnebago has been educational, frustrating, enjoyable, and as of Monday, rewarding. I know I haven't really talked at all about my new job, so suffice it to say I've embarked upon a new career. The world of procurement. I've done my fair share of purchasing through all my previous careers, but this has been a new game entirely for me. One thing I vowed to myself when starting this job was to maintain a certain amount of restraint. By that I mean not get in there and give more than 100% right from the start. That was a hard decision to make for me because I'm one of those people who feels that if you're not performing the best you can, then you aren't doing what you should be doing. Last time that got me nowhere fast (unless you count heading out the door 3 months before my contract was due to expire). Anyway, I've been holding back. Attempting to fly under the radar. And obviously not doing a very good job of it either. During our biweekly staff meeting on Monday afternoon I was presented with a Customer Recognition Award. Not one but three of my customers sent beaming emails to my manager about me. Ugh! I truly hate being in the spotlight, but what I hate even more is that I can't even get myself to just do what needs to be done and stop trying to fix everything that's broken. Ah well! At least I got a teeny tiny little bonus out of it.

BBQ Fever - We're off to the neighbor's for a BBQ this afternoon. No. The evil spawn won't be there. They're gone on vacation and the neighborhood's been a peaceful haven ever since. This is the party crowd getting together. Last Saturday night we sat around drinking, and talking, and drinking for hours while the kids ran around the neighborhood. All without incident. What fun! And today should be more of the same. It's gonna be damned HOT but with the help of the sprinklers and a new slip-n-slide, not to mention the A/C coursing through the neighbor's house, we shouldn't have to put up with too many sweat beads in our eyes. Now I've got to get off my ass and get my fruit platter put together, dig out my chip bowls, and get this place picked up before the good times begin. I hope all of you are off enjoying some holiday fun today!

Cheers!!

take me out to the ballgame

There's nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark with friends. The food. The crowds. The game. Oh, and don't forget the rain. Thankfully, we were under the overhang so the typical Pacific Northwest spatter didn't bother us at all until the bottom of the 8th when they had to call the game since the real wet stuff had started falling around the top of the 7th. It was still a great day.

The Tacoma Rainiers were playing the Tucson Sidewinders and finally broke their losing streak winning 4-3. And because I know how much you all enjoy useless facts, here's one for you - the Rainiers are owned by Nick Lachey. No. He wasn't at the game. Or if he was, we didn't see him. But the kids had a blast when Rhubarb, the reindeer mascot, made his way up to our seats and autographed their baseballs.

The food was pretty darn good too, though a little pricey. We stuck with burgers and fries. I opted to save my money and not spend the whopping $6 for one domestic beer when I knew I could buy between six and twelve for that price at the store. Guess I'm just a cheap date.

I'm pretty sure we'll be heading back up there again throughout the summer, only next time we'll be getting the 1st or 3rd base seats instead of behind homeplate so we can actually catch some of the balls, shirts and whatever else they're pitching into the crowd and not be blocked by the net.

Batter up!