and it's still going on......
I am soooooooooo buried in work. I just can't even know how buried I am. It's Saturday and I had home things to do, like grocery shopping, scrubbing the bathroom and kitchen, cooking, laundry, vacuuming, taking care of my kids and supposed to keep it all together. I was first glad yesterday that it was Friday. My friend was coming over to have sushi, wine and a chance to just gab. It was a great time!! We ate all the sushi that I bought, drank a wonderful bottle of Argentinian Carbernet. It had a special flavor, something like peppery or spicy fruity. It was really good. We loved it.
One of our other favorites is now available at Krogers for $7.99, it's Bogle, had it at Up Star Crow for her 50th Birthday party in December. I bought it for my party in Deember, and we loved it again. It has risen to the top of the favorite list. :) Anyway, we had a great time yacking and we talked about everything: the kids, their relationships, our relationships, our jobs, our plans, our hopes for vacations, planning on going to NYC, our ex's and my ex, especially, what a jerk he is and how badly he treats my kids, we talked about how we are going to be in 30 years and what our life is going to be like. :) It was loads of fun!!
After she left, Rainman got home from his first night of his new job. I was already in bed and was really tired from such a busy week. I kind of felt bad because there was no sushi left, but, I warned him that there might not be. So, he fixed some soup and took his shower, then joined me to a nice cuddly night of sleep. I love him so much, I am now understanding that his moving out to his own place is really a good thing. We will have some options about where to go, what to do and which house to stay. I think it's kind of nice to have a "safety net" so just in case I need a safe haven to go to or just need to get away I can do that.
So, today, I used a new service that helps with grocery bills, Grocery Advantage. It's a great service that I highly recommend. What they do is take your local grocery store sale ads and match up what's on sale with coupons that are in the Sunday paper. They just started in the Cincinnati area, so that means that they list the sales at Kroger's and Meijer's. From where I live, my closest store is Krogers. So today, I took the list of items from the website, matched up the coupons from the last couple of week's sale ads, went to Krogers, spent about $180 and saved a whopping $142!! 42% of the cost! The web app takes the sale price matches up a coupon figures out the double amount and shows you your final price, which aisle it is in, and I was very happy. It took me a little long to finish the cycle, but next week, I will do much better now that I understand the process. It's great. Right now it's free, but I think that I will pay for the service, it will pay for itself. Thanks John Materese, at WCPO TV, Channel 9 in Cincinnati. He has a segment on Channel 9 called "Don't Waste Your Money" and the point is he shows us ways to save money on services, gas, contractors, etc. This was a great recommendation! I love it. I'll try it again next week and let you know how much I save.
Tonight, after I scrubbed the house from top to bottom, I jumped in the shower and was getting ready for my friend to come over to visit. We had planned to spend some time, just hanging out, she wanted to see my newly painted kitchen and have a night out. Well, I was almost ready, had the cosmos already mixed when the phone rang. It was my girlfriend, I was sure that she was going to let me know that she was on her way. But unfortunately, she was detained and was not going to be able to come over tonight. Had a family situation. We're going to go out tomorrow, but in the meantime, there were the cosmos already mixed and I had one going. I watched what I wanted on TV and drank the pitcher of drinks. They were totally yummy.......and I was happy with the little bit of buzz that I got. So, I just hung out, relaxed after working hard all day long and all week long. I relaxed and watched Pittsburgh win, Atlanta win and some of my favorite shows. Now, I'm just hanging out in bed, watching some "B" British science fiction that is hilarious, but it's not supposed to be :)
Anyway, tonight, I baked a ham, made some green beans and when Rainman gets home, he's going to be VERY happy! He's going to have dinner. Dinner is good after working all day.
Well, I'm pretty tired, going to hit the hay. Tomorrow, I am supposed to go to lunch with my friend that was supposed to come over tonight. It will be nice to just go out and hang out together. Then I am going to have to do some work, real work, but it shouldn't have to be like this, I shouldn't have to work every day. I should be able to get by with about 50 hours during the week, not 70 hours including weekend time. :(
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Totally Crazy Busy
taking a time out
Well, I have suddenly become busier that ever. So busy that my to do list is outdated and I don't feel like I have time to do it. Isn't that crazy?? Well, I think it is, so I have to take a breath, download everything from my brain into my to do list and read over 200 emails. The emails were caught up until I had meetings today and I'm 200+ in one day. It's insane. No one should have this much email. No one person can possibly communicate that much.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd write more, but I don't have time. I have to work and it's already 7 pm, I've been working since 8 am. Tomorrow will be insane, I'll have to work over the weekend. It's just tooooooooooo much!
Monday I'm going to a cooking class. And next week, I have just as many appointments as I did this week. help!!! I'm sinking further and further down the slippery slope of technology......bah - hum bug! Technology!
Oh give me the days of interoffice memos, people that use telephones for communication and reports that have a lag time of 5 working days. Who needs realtime? It only complicates matters. Especially today for me, where real time means, I behind by 5 days. :)
Well, I have suddenly become busier that ever. So busy that my to do list is outdated and I don't feel like I have time to do it. Isn't that crazy?? Well, I think it is, so I have to take a breath, download everything from my brain into my to do list and read over 200 emails. The emails were caught up until I had meetings today and I'm 200+ in one day. It's insane. No one should have this much email. No one person can possibly communicate that much.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd write more, but I don't have time. I have to work and it's already 7 pm, I've been working since 8 am. Tomorrow will be insane, I'll have to work over the weekend. It's just tooooooooooo much!
Monday I'm going to a cooking class. And next week, I have just as many appointments as I did this week. help!!! I'm sinking further and further down the slippery slope of technology......bah - hum bug! Technology!
Oh give me the days of interoffice memos, people that use telephones for communication and reports that have a lag time of 5 working days. Who needs realtime? It only complicates matters. Especially today for me, where real time means, I behind by 5 days. :)
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
I Love My Clients
it's all about good relationships!
My relationships with my clients are the best part of my career. I love working with them. They have so many cool ideas and I feel like I can help them make their ideas come to fruition. Today, I talked to one of my clients that I haven't talked to in a while. It was great! It wasn't for anything big, it was just satisfying to know that I could help him, no biggie. I love my career!!
If I was independently wealthy I would create a company that would hire low income workers, help them learn about websites, develop sites for non-profits, small governement agencies and others for small amounts of money. It would be so satisfying.
My relationships with my clients are the best part of my career. I love working with them. They have so many cool ideas and I feel like I can help them make their ideas come to fruition. Today, I talked to one of my clients that I haven't talked to in a while. It was great! It wasn't for anything big, it was just satisfying to know that I could help him, no biggie. I love my career!!
If I was independently wealthy I would create a company that would hire low income workers, help them learn about websites, develop sites for non-profits, small governement agencies and others for small amounts of money. It would be so satisfying.
Monday, January 10, 2005
It's been quite a week
I can tell I was back at work...
...I was totally consumed. I'm not feeling very well today and I'm in between Dr. appointments right now. I had tests done this morning and the tests caused some severe cramping. I was happy to get home from the hospital. I'll be going back to the doctor's office this afternoon, I hope it doesn't take too long.
Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I've written. I could really tell that I've been VERY busy, not only working, but helping Rainman get his things moved. It's been very challenging because it has rained so much, almost every day for the last week or so. One night this last week, he even got the truck stuck in the back yard in the mud.
But, I'm pretty lucky because some people have had to evacuate their homes due to flooding in the area again this year. The weather is so weird. I don't ever recall seeing so many bizarre weather related stories as in the past few years. Even though the weather problems we are having is NOTHING in comparison with the tsunami, overall, it's still a big change in weather patterns. My yard is a soggy mess and that has delayed the progress in his moving. It's funny how it's a blessing in many ways because it has allowed me to 'deal with the impending emptyness' that is coming. He's going to be living not too far, but it's not here. So the slowness of moving out has helped me, really. I don't think I'm going to freak out when he spends the night there and not here.
Let's see, what's happened this week. Not a whole lot - I cooked, I worked, I watched a few movies, I went to a networking event, I went on a date, and I got to finally celebrate new years! Wait a sec, it sure does sound like a whole lot. Let me look at everything I listed.
Networking event: Last Thursday, I attended a Women's Circuit event. I saw quite a few people that I know and met some new ones. Those events are absolutely great. I love it.
My date: Friday night, Rainman and I went out to dinner - steak dinner at Sorrento's, piano bar, couple of drinks, very nice time. Then we went to see White Noise, new movie, premiere night. It was crowded at the theatre. The movie itself was pretty good, out of 5 I would rank it a 4. It was kind of slow in the beginning, but I could understand why, it was important to the plot of the moview. Then, when the plot was picking up it was really getting intense. I thought it was nicely done and entertaining, even scary. I had nightmares that night! I'm such a woos.
Cooking: I cooked quite alot of dinners. Good dinners too. Tonight I'm fixing baked salmon and it should be totally yummy. I made spaghetti one night and Tamara, Darby, Beka and I played Scene It! that was fun! I made tacos another day and greens, veggies another night. I might go to another cooking class next week, if I can get a ride there and home!!
Moving: I also helped Rainman move. I took quite a few loads with him to his place. We got some of it put away and even had to troubleshoot his furnace last week. Luckily it's not been frigid cold outside, so even though it was cold inside, it didn't do any type of damage.
Now, I've got to go to the dr. Hang in there and I'll write more later.
...I was totally consumed. I'm not feeling very well today and I'm in between Dr. appointments right now. I had tests done this morning and the tests caused some severe cramping. I was happy to get home from the hospital. I'll be going back to the doctor's office this afternoon, I hope it doesn't take too long.
Wow! I can't believe how long it's been since I've written. I could really tell that I've been VERY busy, not only working, but helping Rainman get his things moved. It's been very challenging because it has rained so much, almost every day for the last week or so. One night this last week, he even got the truck stuck in the back yard in the mud.
But, I'm pretty lucky because some people have had to evacuate their homes due to flooding in the area again this year. The weather is so weird. I don't ever recall seeing so many bizarre weather related stories as in the past few years. Even though the weather problems we are having is NOTHING in comparison with the tsunami, overall, it's still a big change in weather patterns. My yard is a soggy mess and that has delayed the progress in his moving. It's funny how it's a blessing in many ways because it has allowed me to 'deal with the impending emptyness' that is coming. He's going to be living not too far, but it's not here. So the slowness of moving out has helped me, really. I don't think I'm going to freak out when he spends the night there and not here.
Let's see, what's happened this week. Not a whole lot - I cooked, I worked, I watched a few movies, I went to a networking event, I went on a date, and I got to finally celebrate new years! Wait a sec, it sure does sound like a whole lot. Let me look at everything I listed.
Networking event: Last Thursday, I attended a Women's Circuit event. I saw quite a few people that I know and met some new ones. Those events are absolutely great. I love it.
My date: Friday night, Rainman and I went out to dinner - steak dinner at Sorrento's, piano bar, couple of drinks, very nice time. Then we went to see White Noise, new movie, premiere night. It was crowded at the theatre. The movie itself was pretty good, out of 5 I would rank it a 4. It was kind of slow in the beginning, but I could understand why, it was important to the plot of the moview. Then, when the plot was picking up it was really getting intense. I thought it was nicely done and entertaining, even scary. I had nightmares that night! I'm such a woos.
Cooking: I cooked quite alot of dinners. Good dinners too. Tonight I'm fixing baked salmon and it should be totally yummy. I made spaghetti one night and Tamara, Darby, Beka and I played Scene It! that was fun! I made tacos another day and greens, veggies another night. I might go to another cooking class next week, if I can get a ride there and home!!
Moving: I also helped Rainman move. I took quite a few loads with him to his place. We got some of it put away and even had to troubleshoot his furnace last week. Luckily it's not been frigid cold outside, so even though it was cold inside, it didn't do any type of damage.
Now, I've got to go to the dr. Hang in there and I'll write more later.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Ben Frankin
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Back at work
vacations are great!
I went back to work today after a 17 day absence. It was great to be out of the office for 17 days. I mean, normally, I would be lucky to take a week, but 17 days! Wow! And you know what? The building was still standing, I still have all my clients, it was nice and peaceful (very quiet) at work today. Everything was rolling along just fine! I loved it.
I didn't even mind being there today. It was really good to be in the office. I read some of my 150+ emails, some of which had been sitting since 12/19 and 12/20. And everything was fine. No fires! No fire drills! How perfectly lovely!
Then I came home from work and Rainman wanted me to help him move a load. It's been raining here in Cincinnati for days, but stopped today all day. He thought he'd just pull the truck behind the house, back it up to the patio and we'd pull boxes out - load the truck and pull out, no problemo!
Everything worked in that direction for a while. I mean, he got the truck in the back yard, no problem. He backed it up to the patio, no problem. We loaded the truck, no problem. He jumped in it to pull it out of the yard, SURPRISE, BIG PROBLEM! The truck got stuck and the lower part of my backyard now resembles the muddy area at Woodstock! Wanna go sliding?
Anyway, it worked out great because the guy across the street (who I learned happens to be a tile expert!!) came over to help us. He and Rainman pushed and I drove, we got that truck out of the mud hole and back onto the street! YEAH! Glad to be back at work, it was much easier :)
I went back to work today after a 17 day absence. It was great to be out of the office for 17 days. I mean, normally, I would be lucky to take a week, but 17 days! Wow! And you know what? The building was still standing, I still have all my clients, it was nice and peaceful (very quiet) at work today. Everything was rolling along just fine! I loved it.
I didn't even mind being there today. It was really good to be in the office. I read some of my 150+ emails, some of which had been sitting since 12/19 and 12/20. And everything was fine. No fires! No fire drills! How perfectly lovely!
Then I came home from work and Rainman wanted me to help him move a load. It's been raining here in Cincinnati for days, but stopped today all day. He thought he'd just pull the truck behind the house, back it up to the patio and we'd pull boxes out - load the truck and pull out, no problemo!
Everything worked in that direction for a while. I mean, he got the truck in the back yard, no problem. He backed it up to the patio, no problem. We loaded the truck, no problem. He jumped in it to pull it out of the yard, SURPRISE, BIG PROBLEM! The truck got stuck and the lower part of my backyard now resembles the muddy area at Woodstock! Wanna go sliding?
Anyway, it worked out great because the guy across the street (who I learned happens to be a tile expert!!) came over to help us. He and Rainman pushed and I drove, we got that truck out of the mud hole and back onto the street! YEAH! Glad to be back at work, it was much easier :)
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Ben Frankin
Monday, January 03, 2005
moved my Purpose Driven Life blog
dividing my blog
I decided to move my comments on Purpose Driven Life to another blog by themselves. That way, I could just jump in here, leave a quick comment and concentrate on the other blog for the book. The link is: My Life's Purpose Blog. As always, comments are welcome.
Today, I went for my second mammogram. Apparently it was just to get a little more clarity on one spot. I'll know more tomorrow when the doctor calls me and of course, I'll let you in on what he says. I'm not as worried as I was, maybe because I know that I can't control what happens. I think that I have done all the right things over time to be sure that I am healthy. That's all I can do.
Well, today is my last day of my vacation. It was nice and long and I really am going back to work feeling better, feeling like I was out of the office for 2 weeks. It's wonderful. We'll see how long it lasts!!
g'nite!
I decided to move my comments on Purpose Driven Life to another blog by themselves. That way, I could just jump in here, leave a quick comment and concentrate on the other blog for the book. The link is: My Life's Purpose Blog. As always, comments are welcome.
Today, I went for my second mammogram. Apparently it was just to get a little more clarity on one spot. I'll know more tomorrow when the doctor calls me and of course, I'll let you in on what he says. I'm not as worried as I was, maybe because I know that I can't control what happens. I think that I have done all the right things over time to be sure that I am healthy. That's all I can do.
Well, today is my last day of my vacation. It was nice and long and I really am going back to work feeling better, feeling like I was out of the office for 2 weeks. It's wonderful. We'll see how long it lasts!!
g'nite!
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Ben Frankin
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Happy New Year!!
welcome to 2005
It's here....the new year. Out with the old, in with the new! Mine was pretty uneventful, by choice. Rainman was moving and I helped him take some things over to his new place. Then we just stayed in, watched the party on Times Square. It was the 100th Anniversary of New Years Eve celebrations at Times Square. I would have loved to have been there. I think Beka would have loved it too! I missed Dick Clark, but enjoyed Regis and all the messages of good will and better health for Dick Clark. It just seemed like so much fun. The crowd control was excellent, NYPD knows how to work a crowd and still let everyone have fun! There's a 2005 countdown clock on the website! Already thinking of next year!!
So, speaking of next year, I think I would LOVE to plan a trip and surprise my family. Get a hotel room and invite Deb to join us. Go to New York for a couple of days, shop after Christmas sales, drive into Deb's and take the train into the city for a couple of days. Stay all night on the New Year's Eve and then head back to Deb's New Year's Day and then back home. That would be fantastic!! The only drawback would be the chance of taking the trip due to weather. Perhaps flying would be best :) Anyway, I have some time to plan it, but it sure would be fun. Take all the kids. Wow! What a great Christmas Present.
I bought a bottle of German sparkling wine to toast the new year, some healthy but yummy snacks and still haven't opened served either one. Don't know when I will, but the wine is chilled and I'm ready to open it whenever.
A few people have asked me what my resolutions are. That's a tough one because resultions are usually broken within a few weeks. How many years did I resolve to make a change that never happened?! (rhetorical question, of course - every YEAR!!) So this year, I am not going to make any resolutions. I'm going to clean the slate, do my personal inventory (which as you know, I have started months ago). Then I'm going to "refresh and renew my life goals". Some of those are:
I'm already working on all of these, based on my personal inventory several months ago. I am just going to continue down my current path and beef up where I need to - to achieve these goals. I will trust in God to help me every step of the way.
Well, I wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that mine is "uneventful" on the negative and very "eventful" on the positive!! I hope that my kids continue to stay safe and smart! I pray for the tsunami victims' families. I pray that they will have enough supplies, that health concerns will be eliminated with medications and help, that their hearts will be healed and their communities rebuilt to help them put this behind them. There are some great organizations to donate to, just follow this link but be aware that there are really foul people out there that will take advantage of a catastrophy to rip people off, so know where your money is going. DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for where you donate your money, I am only providing a link to help you find organizations. You are on your own after that!
We spent New Year's Day moving more stuff, then enjoying some entertainent in the evening. We watched the movie, The Day After Tomorrow. Even though it was unbelievable, it did have some really frightening scenes considering all of the weird weather lately. Especially the earthquakes and the tsunami. Kind of freaked me out.
Today, we're going to move some more of Rainman's things, if he gets up in time (he loves to sleep late) and if the rain holds out. I don't think we'll get much done if it's raining and it's supposed to rain until Thursday. I was hoping that he would have more out of here by now, but it's ok. He's putting things away as we take them and setting up his house. I think that's important too. Have to be organized. Have to be able to do the basics when you move in somewhere. So, he can find his clothes, take a shower, brush his teeth, sleep, watch tv, and organize his bills. He can also cook. So now that all of that is in place, it's time to get the rest over there. Hoping for today.....but realistically knowing that it's gonna be later in the week.
I'm gonna miss him being here everyday, but it's going to be a good "miss". I'll still see him, but I won't have to deal with the things I don't like and neither will he. He has some personal items that he has to get in order and this will definitely allow him to do that without my daily involvement. I will like that part the best. I will get to see if those things are truly as important to him as they are to me. He says that he wants to fix up his place so that I would be comfortable there. That would be nice, I'll see as time goes by what he thinks that means.
Well, I'm off to prepare for a day of football at my house. It's exciting, some good games are on today. Go Bengals! Hard to believe that they are 3 point favorites against the Eagles! Have a great day and a Happy New Year!
It's here....the new year. Out with the old, in with the new! Mine was pretty uneventful, by choice. Rainman was moving and I helped him take some things over to his new place. Then we just stayed in, watched the party on Times Square. It was the 100th Anniversary of New Years Eve celebrations at Times Square. I would have loved to have been there. I think Beka would have loved it too! I missed Dick Clark, but enjoyed Regis and all the messages of good will and better health for Dick Clark. It just seemed like so much fun. The crowd control was excellent, NYPD knows how to work a crowd and still let everyone have fun! There's a 2005 countdown clock on the website! Already thinking of next year!!
So, speaking of next year, I think I would LOVE to plan a trip and surprise my family. Get a hotel room and invite Deb to join us. Go to New York for a couple of days, shop after Christmas sales, drive into Deb's and take the train into the city for a couple of days. Stay all night on the New Year's Eve and then head back to Deb's New Year's Day and then back home. That would be fantastic!! The only drawback would be the chance of taking the trip due to weather. Perhaps flying would be best :) Anyway, I have some time to plan it, but it sure would be fun. Take all the kids. Wow! What a great Christmas Present.
I bought a bottle of German sparkling wine to toast the new year, some healthy but yummy snacks and still haven't opened served either one. Don't know when I will, but the wine is chilled and I'm ready to open it whenever.
A few people have asked me what my resolutions are. That's a tough one because resultions are usually broken within a few weeks. How many years did I resolve to make a change that never happened?! (rhetorical question, of course - every YEAR!!) So this year, I am not going to make any resolutions. I'm going to clean the slate, do my personal inventory (which as you know, I have started months ago). Then I'm going to "refresh and renew my life goals". Some of those are:
- stick with my diet - but do it better. Get back to journaling, walk the treadmill daily and eat core foods.
- take care of my health - get these tests done and investigate my choices if I need any therapy or medication.
- continue to get in touch with my spirituality - understand my relationship with God and continue to read Purpose Driven Life.
- build my business. Concentrate on my career and the things that are good for me and my family's financial future.
I'm already working on all of these, based on my personal inventory several months ago. I am just going to continue down my current path and beef up where I need to - to achieve these goals. I will trust in God to help me every step of the way.
Well, I wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that mine is "uneventful" on the negative and very "eventful" on the positive!! I hope that my kids continue to stay safe and smart! I pray for the tsunami victims' families. I pray that they will have enough supplies, that health concerns will be eliminated with medications and help, that their hearts will be healed and their communities rebuilt to help them put this behind them. There are some great organizations to donate to, just follow this link but be aware that there are really foul people out there that will take advantage of a catastrophy to rip people off, so know where your money is going. DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for where you donate your money, I am only providing a link to help you find organizations. You are on your own after that!
We spent New Year's Day moving more stuff, then enjoying some entertainent in the evening. We watched the movie, The Day After Tomorrow. Even though it was unbelievable, it did have some really frightening scenes considering all of the weird weather lately. Especially the earthquakes and the tsunami. Kind of freaked me out.
Today, we're going to move some more of Rainman's things, if he gets up in time (he loves to sleep late) and if the rain holds out. I don't think we'll get much done if it's raining and it's supposed to rain until Thursday. I was hoping that he would have more out of here by now, but it's ok. He's putting things away as we take them and setting up his house. I think that's important too. Have to be organized. Have to be able to do the basics when you move in somewhere. So, he can find his clothes, take a shower, brush his teeth, sleep, watch tv, and organize his bills. He can also cook. So now that all of that is in place, it's time to get the rest over there. Hoping for today.....but realistically knowing that it's gonna be later in the week.
I'm gonna miss him being here everyday, but it's going to be a good "miss". I'll still see him, but I won't have to deal with the things I don't like and neither will he. He has some personal items that he has to get in order and this will definitely allow him to do that without my daily involvement. I will like that part the best. I will get to see if those things are truly as important to him as they are to me. He says that he wants to fix up his place so that I would be comfortable there. That would be nice, I'll see as time goes by what he thinks that means.
Well, I'm off to prepare for a day of football at my house. It's exciting, some good games are on today. Go Bengals! Hard to believe that they are 3 point favorites against the Eagles! Have a great day and a Happy New Year!
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Ben Frankin
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