Archive of Marcia's Musings November 26-December 2, 2001
Sunday, December 2, 2001
Happy December!!
Okay, I'm a little late but only a very little late! 22 Shopping days until Christmas and a whopping 23 days to the Big Day!!! Yippeeeeee!!!!!!
To Recap . . .
On Friday afternoon when I got home from work, I was greeted by the sounds of a leaf blower-- alas, my Boy was playing with his toys once again. I swear, if it isn't one toy (computers), its another (lawn equipment) with these guys!!
Saturday was spent decorating the tree and the house which will be the start of my Christmas 2001 page, when I get a chance to work on it. Hopefully, I'll get that up soon but, with the plans that we already have for the day, I wouldn't hold your breath for it to show up today!! Plans?? What plans, you say? Well, first we have to make a Costco run-- we haven't been for two weeks and the Coca-Cola supply is running low. Then, there's the grocery store and both of those are going to be followed by a trip to Grammy's.
Brian's mother asked if we wanted a couple of chairs from her living room and, since Brian is spacially gifted (no, that's not a misspelling-- he can "see" whether things will fit in a room without actually having to put them there), he thinks we can fit them in and so we're going to go get the chairs. Then, there's two loads of laundry to do and somewhere in there, I need to get back to my sewing project. Its not critical that I work on that today but I'd like to-- I'm excited to see how it comes out.
Maybe, maybe not . . .
Maybe there'll be more later and maybe not . . . who knows? When I know, I'll let you know, 'kay? 'Kay!!
Saturday, December 1, 2001So Many Things to Write
Ah, but so little time to do it in!! It is 11:15pm as I write this post. I've decorated the house, moved the boxes back out to the garage, the tree is up and decorated, a nap has been accomplished and, most importantly, I am finally FINALLY finished with the cross-stitch that I've been working for five years!!!! YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I'm still going to have to do something with it after I get it blocked but, ya know what? ITS DONE and that's all I care about!!! Yet another of the many unfinished projects around the house are finished and, even though I don't need it for this year's Christmas presents, it is good to know that it is going to be able to be used for next year's presents-- FINALLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!
That said, I'm outta here for the night-- much more to write but I just don't have the energy anymore.
Have a nice . . . morning???
Friday, November 30, 2001Exhausted!!
Again-- I'm exhausted but the work is done, although not all of the Ts are crossed and some of those Is are missing a dot or so here-n-there. Oh, well, not for lack of trying on my part!! The big contract that I've been waiting on has finally come in and, I'm happy to say, that I've already reviewed more than half of it so I'm feeling pretty good about Monday which, when you consider the fact that I've got four calls scheduled, is a good thing!!
Nope, that's right-- no rest for the weary!! It'll all start over again on Monday but, I've got two days to play until then!!
Plans
The Christmas tree goes up tomorrow as do the rest of the household decorations. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the Christmas page launched by Sunday night and, if not, certainly by Monday evening. Should be fun to start all over again, eh?
Stats
Another new high-- in all cases-- for me!! Thanks and thanks for stopping by!!
Something I haven't done for awhile is run by my "Search" hits-- things people were looking on the internet for and found me as a result. Of the 567 (as of this writing-- that's a huge number!) such searches that were hit against my site, these are some of the highlights:
Emeraude perfume - My father's favorite gift to give and my mother's favorite gift to receive at Christmas.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival - One of our favorite places to hang out every-other-summer!! Also high on the list was the search for "Terra Nova Consort" which is the musical group that performs for the Green Show at OSF every year.
Christmas pictures - Number one on the list and, yes, I'll start my page tomorrow when I put up the Christmas tree!!
Hair Perm Pictures - Again with this one?? Who would be so stupid as to post pictures of your hair in perm rods on the internet? Not I!!!
Futon Sale Michigan - Okay, so first of all, are they looking for a sale on futons or are they looking for a sale on Michigans?? This is why quotation marks are so very, very important when using a search engine!!
Pretty Christmas Pictures - Like there's ever an UGLY Christmas picture!! HAH!!
Santa's Elves Pictures - If I recall, they're rather difficult to capture on film, i.e., they're fairly busy working and don't have time to stop for photos!!
Butter and Wine Julia Child - Nothing to be added here: that just about covers it all!
How to tone down brassy yellow highlighted hair - Since I am neither a brassy yellow highlighted blonde, nor do I wish to become one, I have absolutely no idea why this hit on my site. Again noting the importance of using quotation marks.
Imelda Marcos Shoes Pictures Racks - Okay, so I know how this one got here but I am not going to say it out loud-- again!!
Then there were the more than a dozen searches for various typs of photos, as in "pictures of . . . ".
Interesting set of searches this month, that's for sure!!
As always, ya'll keep me laughing and hopefully, to some degree, I provide the same distraction for you from time-to-time.
Thanks again for coming by no matter how you got here!
Have a nice evening!
Thursday, November 29, 2001Calm Before the Storm?
Well, I had my 7:30 conference call this morning; the deal is at a stand-still. The "Business People" on both ends are saying that they can't budge on one issue so the deal may not be happening this month and, frankly, maybe never.
Do you have any idea how many times, when trying to fall asleep at night, I found myself thinking about this contract and how to do this or how to fix that so we could get this deal done?? It doesn't pay to be conscientious anymore, let alone neurotic about your job!!
As he was leaving for work tonight, John (the AVP) called me to ask me how things were going. He's expecting a busy day tomorrow-- I hope so! I was actually bored at points throughout my day today!!
Gorgeous!!
I've spent much of my night putting together the last Christmas gift that I have to make for this year-- it's really beautiful!! It is my first effort at quilting even though its not a wall-hanging or a bedspread, it is unique and it is . . . gorgeous!!! I'm working with varying shades and patterns of purples and, as I watch it come together, I get more and more excited about this project.
Of course, then I have to stop myself and remind myself that I've got a cross-stitch wallhanging to finish for Christmas 2002, and two jumps and a wool skirt and four cushions for the outdoor patio set and . . . Yes, I am a very busy person these days!
Customer Service
Last week, I went into the local (less than a half-mile away-- way too dangerous!) quilting store and signed up for a class. With the assistance of one of the women that works there, I bought the materials that were needed for my class. She and I poked around a bit-- there's a wall-hanging that I want to make for our bedroom that I'd like to find an oak leaf pattern. Of course, I've also got to check out every possible project under the sun, as if I don't have enough to do already!! I'm not sure that I caught her name last week but, I know she didn't catch mine-- we talked and nattered at each other for nearly an hour. She seemed genuinely excited for me that I was going to start quilting. I mentioned that I'd been sewing since I was around 12 or so and she said I'd have no problem picking up quilting if I'd been sewing that long.
Tonight, I walked into the store and she was working again. I went there to get a template for cutting fabric. I needed a couple of pieces of fabric and, yes, I have to admit, I found some Christmas fabric I just had to have!! We got to chatting again and she immediately mentioned that the pattern that I had asked about (that I'd seen hung in their store) last week had not come in yet. Then, she squinted her eyes and said, "I know you're new at this but, after all of your years of sewing, I'm sure you can handle this project" and handed me a pattern. She remembered details about me-- the oak leaves, the years that I'd been sewing-- and, believe me, I'm sure I'm not the only customer to have been in that store in the last 8 days!
If you live in or near the Sunnyvale, California area and want to find a quilting store that is neighborly, informed, friendly and remembers WHO YOU ARE (that is so important in these days of bad customer service), go to The Granary. I'd like to tell you to ask for this woman but, I still haven't been conscious enough to ask her name-- just go there on Thursdays and she'll take care of you.
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On that note, I've finally become conscious enough to realize that I forgot to call Leah tonight-- I got involved in my project and got lost in the purple haze (or should that be "Haze of Purple"??).
I've also realized that I'm VERY tired so, even though it is again early, I'm going to call it a night and get some sleep. At least I don't have any early conference calls tomorrow!!
Have a nice night!
Wednesday, November 28, 2001
Update at 9:53pmCan't Help It!!
It has been suggested that there was, perhaps, something wrong with my computer's date program and, that would work if, in fact, I used a date program with my composing tools. Since I don't, we have to assume that there was something wrong with my week rather than my computer. Yes, well, I had two Mondays in a row and, thankfully, they appear to be done-- hopefully-- for this week.
Of course, it leaves me with the dillema of exactly what day it is since it doesn't really "feel" like a Wednesday but then, it doesn't feel like a Tuesday, either. What a dillema!!
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Got things to do again tonight-- mostly relax as I have to be at the office at 7:30am again tomorrow.
Have a nice evening!
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It was a very, very fine house. I don't recall that there were ever two dogs in the yard unless a stray wandered in when we weren't looking. Anyway, I digress and "Progress", apparently, marches onward and . . . sideways but certainly not upward.
This is a picture of the house I grew up in as a child.
(The picture's a little off-center but there isn't anything to the house that's missing other than the steps that were on the right side of the building as it is shown here.)
When I was in high school, my parents sold 43 of the 48 acres that the house was built on, along with a barn, and built a ranch style house on the remaining 5 acres. The above house was sold to some people who didn't know how to take care of a house of this size, let alone each other and soon, as the result of divorce, it was sold to their second eldest daughter.
When Brian and I went to Michigan in September of 1998, we drove up to the house so he could see where I lived as a child. Since that time, somewhere along the way in these last two years, it was decided that having a house and a barn wasn't such a good idea. My sister, Karen and I were talking on the phone tonight and she told me the very sad news: this house (and the barn) were torn down and the land leveled being replaced with what appears to be a subdivision of sorts or at least, the start of one.
Below is a picture of the driveway, too. Actually, I don't have a picture of the whole driveway-- only half of it could fit in a photo at one time!! I believe I remember someone saying that it was over a quarter-mile long!!
This is the bottom half of the driveway-- from the barn (which facing the "street" is on the left and out of this picture frame) to the gravel road. The big poplar at the end of the driveway on the right was our shelter during snow and rain waiting for the bus. Ah, the memories one picture can evoke, eh?
As I told my sister this evening, I'm so glad we've got these pictures because now, thanks to "Progress", this is the only way we'll have to remember the way it was when we were growing up.
Sad . . .
Monday, November 27, 2001My Turn
Apparently, this is my turn to have two Mondays in the week. Today was my second and, hopefully, my last Monday of this week. It started out okay-- I left the house at 7:03 which is really good for someone who is trying to get to work early. This morning, I was to give my co-worker, Suzie, a lift back to the office from the garage where she takes her car for service. We chatted on the way back and as I was lifting my briefcase to the counter of my office cubicle, I realized it was extraordinarily light. Yeesh!! I'd forgotten my computer!!! It really is a good thing that we live as close as we do or I'd probably have just given up right there!! I went back home, got my computer, went back to the office and, at 8:15am, sat down to turn on my computer-- finally!! An hour and fifteen minutes and I live ten minutes from the office. Frightening, isn't it?
It Gets Worse
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I was working with the nervous sales rep who was bugging me more than the customers were (but at least the customer gave me roses!)?? Well, lucky me gets to work another deal with her and, yes, she is living up to par: bugging me to get the contract done. Well, ya know, it works like this: I can talk to you on the phone about what needs to be done to get the agreement to where we can sign it or I can actually work on the agreement. Your choice-- let me know what you decide!! Yes, she is an extremely annoying woman and, yes, I am extremely tired from having to deal with her.
It takes awhile but I finally get her to understand that she needs to quit calling me so that I can actually work on the document. So what does she do? She calls her direct report and the regional AVP to talk with them, leave them wondering what's going on so that . . . you guessed it . . . they call me, too!!! When will it stop??? I guess about five minutes after I knock her upside the head!!! ARGH!!!! This woman owes 14 other customers like the flower-giving last customer just to make up for this, I swear!!
Better Luck Next Week
I hadn't really described how my four-day weekend went with regard to food. Yes, we ate leftovers and leftovers and leftovers-- we had a 26 pound turkey for five people. We're freezing leftovers and still have leftovers. My downfall at Thanksgiving however is the stuffing that I make. I don't use the giblets or the gizards (which are the most nastily named animal parts I've ever heard of!) just vegetables like onions, green pepper, celery and mushrooms along with slivered almonds and olives (Rats, I should've used artichokes!!) baked with turkey broth and seasoning. I love it--I could eat an entire pan and, oh, yes, this year I did!! Over the course of the last six days, I've finished the pan that we started on Thanksgiving. Stuffing is my downfall in life-- it is probably a good thing I only make it once a year.
Last night, I wandered into Brian's office and said to him: "I've committed a grave sin: I've made and eaten all of the stuffing. As a result of that, if I've gained two pounds, I will pay that penance, move on and get over and get back on the bandwagon." When I weighed in tonight, I did in fact gain .6 of a pound (that's six-tenths)-- not bad considering how much stuffing I ate. It was worth it-- every morsel and crumb of it!!
Stuffing is my downfall in life. Fish for dinner tomorrow night-- a fair trade in my book.
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That said, I'm exhausted as can easily be imagined, if not communally felt in spirit so I'm going to be calling it a night early. Tomorrow is another long and grueling night.
Thanks for stopping by and have a nice evening!
Monday, November 26, 2001Busy Day!
It was a busy day at work-- lots to catch up on and lots to do. Tomorrow's going to be worse Its after 11pm as I write this and I've got a raging headache which is not a good sign and doesn't bode well for a decent night's sleep.
Fasten your seatbelts, folks-- its going to be a bumpy week!
As an apology of sorts for the exceedingly short post, yet another picture from the Marcia archives of the world:
Yes, that's me and, apparently, my pony-stick. Cute, huh?
Have a nice evening!
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