We only have a few days left before the wedding, so I was happy to go and get my wedding hair trial done earlier this week. I went over to Seattle one morning with my mom and nieces, and arrived just a little early for my appointment at the Etherea Salon. From the moment I arrived there was trouble.
To start, the stylist seemed harried. He was very concerned about having enough time to get the hair done even though I warned them when I called that I have "challenging" hair. First he told me that he really only does one wedding "do" and that it was the best choice because it would stay put all day. Then he said that I would have to have my hair straightened if he was going to have any chance of putting it up in the time allowed. Then, as if all that weren't enough, he started to use the Aveda products on my hair.
I have never been a huge fan of Aveda products because of their smell, but some are worse than others. The Brilliant Oil is actually very nice. However, some of the products have a distinctive, unpleasant smell. I think it may be things that include Sap Moss, but I'm not completely sure. From the moment he sprayed this smell on my hair, I knew I was in trouble. After a day of smelling my own hair, I decided I couldn't go through my wedding smelling this way. Who wants to associate the day of their wedding with an awful smell?
Therefore, I did something kind of unusual for me. I jumped ship. I called another salon, made appointments with them, and cancelled our time at the smelly place. Now there is not enough time for another trial, so I'm placing all my faith in the new stylist. I guess I'm thinking almost anything would be better than what I had. Wish my hair luck.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Bachelorette!
There is no question about it; my friends are awesome! On a recent day, they took me out for a bachelorette party that I will not soon (ever!) forget. First, three (CC and KD and I) of us started out by meeting up for buffet lunch at one of my favorite Indian Places. Once we were finished filling up on sinfully delicious food, we spent a pleasant hour looking at cars (not for me!) before the next event.
By late afternoon, we arrived at the salon, and began our nail treatments. I have recently discovered a fondness for pedicures, so it was quite fun to choose a new nail color and get my feet bathed and massaged. It was during the pedicure when something very exciting happened. KM arrived! From all the way across the country! It was SO good to see her after three months away. At that point, our little gang of four was all set.
Once our nails were beautified, we all set off for the big city for the rest of our adventure. The 520 bridge was closed, so we did hit some traffic getting over, but that didn't matter to me because I got to use the time catching up with KM. A lot can happen in three months, so we had plenty to chat about as the cars crept along. Eventually we did reach Seattle, check into our hotel (the 31st floor with a fabulous view of the water!), put on our fancy clothes, and run to our dinner reservation.
Lola restaurant has been one of my favorite Seattle landmarks for a few years now. That was where we had dinner the night before M proposed. Besides being sentimental about it, the food there is absolutely fantastic. Greek food is usually good, but this place takes it to high art. The menu is constantly changing, so it is impossible to state a favorite. However, every single time I've gone in, I have had an excellent meal. This visit was no exception, and the cherry and Haloumi cheese skewers cooked in ouzo vied with the eggplant (which I usually don't like) tagine as the most delicious things on my plate. More and more ladies joined us until we had a table of eight enjoying the food.
As if tasty food and friendly company were not enough, there was a bonus. Two of my sneaky friends saw the locally famous owner of Lola, Tom Douglas, heading through the restaurant. Without my knowing, they arranged to have him come to our table! He was very friendly and congratulated me, posed for pictures, told us the story of Lola, and gave M and me a signed copy of his new cookbook. It was quite exciting for the food geeks in the group, and I think maybe M was impressed when I got home and told the story. We always see a celebrity when we do bachelorettes, and this one was no exception.
After leaving Lola, we returned to the hotel, and my incredibly kind friends gave me a lingerie shower. It was lovely and thoughtful and incredibly generous of them, and I got some beautiful things. M is going to have quite a show on our honeymoon, and that is all I'm going to say about that!
Next we headed out for drinks and dessert at a place called The Purple Cafe. We often go there after the symphony, so we were prepared for the extensive menu of two and three bite desserts. We ordered all 14 items from the menu, and I got a lovely, fizzy glass of champagne. There was much trading of plates and conversation. The party only broke up as it got too late for many people to leave their cars parked any longer.
It was quite late when the original four girls got back to the hotel. We changed into our PJ's, had a brief pillow fight just so we could say we did, and then settled in to tell bedtime stories about the handsome and successful man, CC, was going to meet. It was hilarious, and a great way to end such a memorable day.
Thanks a million times to my kind and wonderful friends for giving me such a remarkable time. It will certainly go down in my personal history as a much-cherished event.
By late afternoon, we arrived at the salon, and began our nail treatments. I have recently discovered a fondness for pedicures, so it was quite fun to choose a new nail color and get my feet bathed and massaged. It was during the pedicure when something very exciting happened. KM arrived! From all the way across the country! It was SO good to see her after three months away. At that point, our little gang of four was all set.
Once our nails were beautified, we all set off for the big city for the rest of our adventure. The 520 bridge was closed, so we did hit some traffic getting over, but that didn't matter to me because I got to use the time catching up with KM. A lot can happen in three months, so we had plenty to chat about as the cars crept along. Eventually we did reach Seattle, check into our hotel (the 31st floor with a fabulous view of the water!), put on our fancy clothes, and run to our dinner reservation.
Lola restaurant has been one of my favorite Seattle landmarks for a few years now. That was where we had dinner the night before M proposed. Besides being sentimental about it, the food there is absolutely fantastic. Greek food is usually good, but this place takes it to high art. The menu is constantly changing, so it is impossible to state a favorite. However, every single time I've gone in, I have had an excellent meal. This visit was no exception, and the cherry and Haloumi cheese skewers cooked in ouzo vied with the eggplant (which I usually don't like) tagine as the most delicious things on my plate. More and more ladies joined us until we had a table of eight enjoying the food.
As if tasty food and friendly company were not enough, there was a bonus. Two of my sneaky friends saw the locally famous owner of Lola, Tom Douglas, heading through the restaurant. Without my knowing, they arranged to have him come to our table! He was very friendly and congratulated me, posed for pictures, told us the story of Lola, and gave M and me a signed copy of his new cookbook. It was quite exciting for the food geeks in the group, and I think maybe M was impressed when I got home and told the story. We always see a celebrity when we do bachelorettes, and this one was no exception.
After leaving Lola, we returned to the hotel, and my incredibly kind friends gave me a lingerie shower. It was lovely and thoughtful and incredibly generous of them, and I got some beautiful things. M is going to have quite a show on our honeymoon, and that is all I'm going to say about that!
Next we headed out for drinks and dessert at a place called The Purple Cafe. We often go there after the symphony, so we were prepared for the extensive menu of two and three bite desserts. We ordered all 14 items from the menu, and I got a lovely, fizzy glass of champagne. There was much trading of plates and conversation. The party only broke up as it got too late for many people to leave their cars parked any longer.
It was quite late when the original four girls got back to the hotel. We changed into our PJ's, had a brief pillow fight just so we could say we did, and then settled in to tell bedtime stories about the handsome and successful man, CC, was going to meet. It was hilarious, and a great way to end such a memorable day.
Thanks a million times to my kind and wonderful friends for giving me such a remarkable time. It will certainly go down in my personal history as a much-cherished event.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wedding Countdown
This morning M and I went out to our local city hall and got... drum roll please... A MARRIAGE LISENCE!!! It was a VERY trippy feeling to fill out the papers and swear we weren't fibbing. We had to promise that everything on the form was true and also that we were not diseased or related. It's getting more and more real all the time. After nearly six years together, it's about time :)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
One Day Sale
A few days ago, when I went to get the mail, I noticed a flyer for a major department store. In large, cheerful letters, the flyer announced a "One-Day-Only" sale event! Then, in slightly smaller text it said something like: Saturday, July 9th from 9am to 11pm and Sunday, July 10th from 11am to 6pm. I guess the definition of "one day" has changed slightly since I last checked.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Wall-E
What a cute, funny, interesting little movie! M and I went to the late show the other night, and I was amazed to see a theater full of adults going to see an animated movie. Pixar has really built up a reputation for making "cartoons" into something worth seeing. Wall-E did not disappoint. The first half was mostly just there to be cute, but there were some good funny moments. However it was the second half that I found really entertaining. The most surprising part was the edge of social commentary about certain human tendencies. The credits at the end were almost worth the price of admission on their own. My only complaint about the experience was the fact that one robot was obviously made to look like an I-Mac. Ugh! I guess you would have to expect that from a bunch of Apple people.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wedding Madness
Well it is only about two weeks until the wedding, but don't worry, the pressure isn't starting to get to us or anything. The millions of small tasks that need doing aren't weighing on my mind, and I am absolutely certain that I haven’t forgotten anything important. I'm completely confident that the weather will be perfect, the guests will behave beautifully, my hair will look stunning, and all the vendors will arrive prepared and on time. After all, what could really go wrong? No, no that crazed, maniacal laughter is not me! That's someone else! Really! Like I said, I'm completely relaxed and confident.
Friday, July 11, 2008
No More Garden Box
For the last two years M and I have been re-affirming our yuppy-ness by having a garden box delivered each week. It was like Christmas on a small scale. Each week I got to open the flaps on that plastic crate and see what crispy, sweet, flavorful presents were inside. Fruit actually smelled like fruit, and carrots tasted like carrots. It was really something of a revelation.
Pioneer Organics offered a service where you got to choose your own goodies. I loved going on their very useable website and picking all sorts of tasty, organic, and mostly local items. Not everything was always perfect. Things were occasionally green or bruised, but no more than what you would find in the grocery store. The prices were often high, but since most of the produce was such good quality it seemed worthwhile. We ate so many more fresh things when we had the box coming all the time.
Unfortunately, everything passes, everything changes. Our dear Pioneer was bought out by a rival company called Spud! In many ways Spud! offers the same type of service, but not everything was the same. For example, you could not exactly choose your own items, and when they did arrive they were often not up to the quality standards we were used to getting. Price was also an issue, and the day we received a cauliflower that was the size of a softball and cost $4, we were done. We'll just have to be twice a diligent about getting out to the farmers' markets now.
Pioneer Organics offered a service where you got to choose your own goodies. I loved going on their very useable website and picking all sorts of tasty, organic, and mostly local items. Not everything was always perfect. Things were occasionally green or bruised, but no more than what you would find in the grocery store. The prices were often high, but since most of the produce was such good quality it seemed worthwhile. We ate so many more fresh things when we had the box coming all the time.
Unfortunately, everything passes, everything changes. Our dear Pioneer was bought out by a rival company called Spud! In many ways Spud! offers the same type of service, but not everything was the same. For example, you could not exactly choose your own items, and when they did arrive they were often not up to the quality standards we were used to getting. Price was also an issue, and the day we received a cauliflower that was the size of a softball and cost $4, we were done. We'll just have to be twice a diligent about getting out to the farmers' markets now.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Hooray for High Gas Prices
Recently, NPR had yet another piece about how high gas prices are changing the behavior of consumers. This time they were discussing the massive shift in priorities when the average person goes to buy a new car. Four years ago it seems that fuel efficiency was, on average, the 28th most important factor considered by purchasers of new cars. Today that has changed quite a bit, and while no one has yet had time to do another survey (that I could find) the proof is in the proverbial pudding. The Toyota Corolla has unseated the Ford F-150 pick-up series to become the best-selling car in America.
I am old enough to remember a time when gas occasionally went down to $.99 per gallon, and certainly older people remember paying even less. In comparison, the $4.41 I paid last week is quite the shock. However, economists have long said that the only true way to change the behavior of the masses is to hit them where it hurts. In that sense the high prices seem to be working wonders. For the first time in more than 20 years, people are driving less than they did at the same time last year. Public transit ridership is up around the country, and there actually seems to be a bike shortage in some parts of the country.
Don't get me wrong, I hate paying those high prices for fuel. My little tank costs more than $40 to fill, and even with my efficient car (about 36-38 mpg) I still feel the pinch. Nevertheless, high gas prices HAVE to be a good thing when they produce results like those above.
I am old enough to remember a time when gas occasionally went down to $.99 per gallon, and certainly older people remember paying even less. In comparison, the $4.41 I paid last week is quite the shock. However, economists have long said that the only true way to change the behavior of the masses is to hit them where it hurts. In that sense the high prices seem to be working wonders. For the first time in more than 20 years, people are driving less than they did at the same time last year. Public transit ridership is up around the country, and there actually seems to be a bike shortage in some parts of the country.
Don't get me wrong, I hate paying those high prices for fuel. My little tank costs more than $40 to fill, and even with my efficient car (about 36-38 mpg) I still feel the pinch. Nevertheless, high gas prices HAVE to be a good thing when they produce results like those above.
Friday, July 04, 2008
4th of July, 2008
Happy 4th of July!
I recently heard a snippet of an interview on NPR that I really enjoyed. I didn't catch the name of the speaker, but the main point he was making at the time was so great I just had to repeat it today. To paraphrase heavily, he said that, traditionally, liberals have criticism of the system down to a science, but they forget or even refuse to think about the positives of our country. Conservatives, on the other hand, are such shouting nationalists that they forget or even refuse to engage in reflection about the negatives. True patriotism, according to this mystery guy, is in remembering to celebrate the good while still addressing the bad. "Yeah, no duh" you may be thinking, but I still think it bears repeating.
I recently heard a snippet of an interview on NPR that I really enjoyed. I didn't catch the name of the speaker, but the main point he was making at the time was so great I just had to repeat it today. To paraphrase heavily, he said that, traditionally, liberals have criticism of the system down to a science, but they forget or even refuse to think about the positives of our country. Conservatives, on the other hand, are such shouting nationalists that they forget or even refuse to engage in reflection about the negatives. True patriotism, according to this mystery guy, is in remembering to celebrate the good while still addressing the bad. "Yeah, no duh" you may be thinking, but I still think it bears repeating.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Summertime and the Living is Easy
As you may have guessed, the school year did end without incident. I got all my boxes checked on my exit ticket, and the principal sort-of-kind-of-but-not-really apologized for what a tough year it was. Then he checked my final box, and I was free. My teaching partner and I immediately went for lunch and drinks to celebrate. Ever since then I've been wandering around in a happy fog. What day is it? What time? Who knows? Who cares?
I won't go into the nitty gritty details because I don't want to make anyone too jealous. Let's just say that I don't get up at 6am any more. I'm getting some (but not too much) housework done. I'm getting some (but probably not enough) wedding stuff done. I move slowly, and no one cares. I can go a whole day without talking to ANYONE. I'm no longer falling asleep at 8pm, so I can actually go out in the evening and still be reasonably social. May summer last forever.
I won't go into the nitty gritty details because I don't want to make anyone too jealous. Let's just say that I don't get up at 6am any more. I'm getting some (but not too much) housework done. I'm getting some (but probably not enough) wedding stuff done. I move slowly, and no one cares. I can go a whole day without talking to ANYONE. I'm no longer falling asleep at 8pm, so I can actually go out in the evening and still be reasonably social. May summer last forever.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
To-Do List
Completed Items:
about 700,000
Outstanding Items:
about 7
Hours remaining until freedom:
about 22
Patience left:
about 2%
about 700,000
Outstanding Items:
about 7
Hours remaining until freedom:
about 22
Patience left:
about 2%
Friday, June 13, 2008
Light
This is the last Friday of the 07/08 school year. Only four more get-ups before we are done, done, done! I am personally very happy to the see end coming so close. I am sick, sick sick, of all the papers, all the book inventories, all the grumpy co-workers, all the stuff that needs stowing, all the computers that need breaking down, all the icky nasty parents, and all the manic kids.
A few nights ago, I had a dream that I was trying to crawl through a tight cave/tunnel full of jagged rocks. Every time I tried to move forward, rocks would catch on my clothes and hair and sometimes skin. I kept having to stop and untangle myself, and it ended up being one of those really frustrating dreams where a lot of time seems to pass but nothing really happens. I could see the light up ahead, but I just couldn't manage to get there. Don't need much deep analysis to understand from where that came.
A few nights ago, I had a dream that I was trying to crawl through a tight cave/tunnel full of jagged rocks. Every time I tried to move forward, rocks would catch on my clothes and hair and sometimes skin. I kept having to stop and untangle myself, and it ended up being one of those really frustrating dreams where a lot of time seems to pass but nothing really happens. I could see the light up ahead, but I just couldn't manage to get there. Don't need much deep analysis to understand from where that came.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Vegas Baby
Okay I have to admit that M and my friend C were right, Vegas can be fun. Recently, while M was away on his bachelor weekend, C took me to Vegas for the first time since I was nine. I have vague memories of playing "bop the mole" at Circus/Circus, but that was about it. Thus, this trip was a whole new experience.
We left on Saturday morning which turned out to be a great choice since we breezed through check-in and security. The flight was on-time and without incident, and we even got the luxury of a first class up-grade! It seems as though the airlines are having much more trouble selling full-price first class tickets because they were offering $50 upgrades on all three of our flights going and coming back. With such a short flight, it didn't make that much difference, but I can really see why it's so nice for a longer trip.
We arrived in Vegas in the early afternoon, collected our bags, and caught a cab to our hotel. Did I mention that our hotel was the huge black pyramid that you can see from the airport? Yep, we stayed at the Luxor for our first night. It was thick with kitsch, but absolutely perfect for a first Vegas experience. Once we'd dropped off our bags, we went off in search of food. What we found was a casual lunch place on the strip with the best Mexican food I've had in a very long time.
After a few hours of goggling at all there is to see on the strip, we made our way back to the hotel for spa treatments. It turns out that good spa treatments are wonderful no matter where you find them. Completely relaxed, we headed out to dinner and a survey of some of the more interesting hotels. The Bellagio is quite impressive with its fabulous gardens in the middle, and, while we were leaving, we happened to have our one and only celebrity spotting of the trip. Mini-Me (aka Vern Troyer) was there with a group of average-sized body guards. We were too amazed to snap any pictures, but there can be no doubt that it was him.
Caesar’s Palace went on for miles, but eventually we did come out sort of close to The Venetian. Now this was the place that M stayed last time, and he raved about its more dramatic touches. I have to say, the fake Italian neighborhoods complete with "blue skies" were quite something. We had dinner at a "sidewalk" cafe, and then began the trip back to our hotel. I'm afraid that I cramped C's usual Vegas style with my wimpy internal clock. We were in bed by 1am.
The rest of our trip followed in a similar mold. We relaxed by the pool, had an amazing dinner at Red Square, and C even got hit on by a perfectly nice drunken Californian. We lost about $7 each a nickel slot machines, and our entire gambling session lasted about half an hour. I now believe people who say that Vegas can be fun for those who don't gamble. On the whole, this trip was a great way to forget about everything stressful in life. Next time I want to go with M, and I want to make it to a few of the millions of things we just didn't have time to do on this visit. Thanks very much to C for the opportunity!
We left on Saturday morning which turned out to be a great choice since we breezed through check-in and security. The flight was on-time and without incident, and we even got the luxury of a first class up-grade! It seems as though the airlines are having much more trouble selling full-price first class tickets because they were offering $50 upgrades on all three of our flights going and coming back. With such a short flight, it didn't make that much difference, but I can really see why it's so nice for a longer trip.
We arrived in Vegas in the early afternoon, collected our bags, and caught a cab to our hotel. Did I mention that our hotel was the huge black pyramid that you can see from the airport? Yep, we stayed at the Luxor for our first night. It was thick with kitsch, but absolutely perfect for a first Vegas experience. Once we'd dropped off our bags, we went off in search of food. What we found was a casual lunch place on the strip with the best Mexican food I've had in a very long time.
After a few hours of goggling at all there is to see on the strip, we made our way back to the hotel for spa treatments. It turns out that good spa treatments are wonderful no matter where you find them. Completely relaxed, we headed out to dinner and a survey of some of the more interesting hotels. The Bellagio is quite impressive with its fabulous gardens in the middle, and, while we were leaving, we happened to have our one and only celebrity spotting of the trip. Mini-Me (aka Vern Troyer) was there with a group of average-sized body guards. We were too amazed to snap any pictures, but there can be no doubt that it was him.
Caesar’s Palace went on for miles, but eventually we did come out sort of close to The Venetian. Now this was the place that M stayed last time, and he raved about its more dramatic touches. I have to say, the fake Italian neighborhoods complete with "blue skies" were quite something. We had dinner at a "sidewalk" cafe, and then began the trip back to our hotel. I'm afraid that I cramped C's usual Vegas style with my wimpy internal clock. We were in bed by 1am.
The rest of our trip followed in a similar mold. We relaxed by the pool, had an amazing dinner at Red Square, and C even got hit on by a perfectly nice drunken Californian. We lost about $7 each a nickel slot machines, and our entire gambling session lasted about half an hour. I now believe people who say that Vegas can be fun for those who don't gamble. On the whole, this trip was a great way to forget about everything stressful in life. Next time I want to go with M, and I want to make it to a few of the millions of things we just didn't have time to do on this visit. Thanks very much to C for the opportunity!
Friday, June 06, 2008
The W Word
Several months ago M and I checked with a local restaurant about hosting our rehearsal dinner. They quoted us a nice, reasonable number for 30-40 people. I breathed a sigh of relief. However, a few weeks ago, M called to confirm the number and hash out the details. All of a sudden the dinner would be SIX times more expensive than the original quote! Why so much? I think it was because M used the "wedding" word to describe the event.
The restaurant claims that they have to charge so much because it's a Friday night, and their restaurant would be full without our party. However, I've done the math, and this place would need to turn over these tables at least five times in one evening to make anywhere near as much as they would like to charge us. Given that their dinner service starts at 5:00 and ends at 9:00, that would be quite an impressive feat. The old adage about never using the word "wedding" with vendors really is true. It causes them to get dollar signs for eyes. We will be taking our large party elsewhere.
The restaurant claims that they have to charge so much because it's a Friday night, and their restaurant would be full without our party. However, I've done the math, and this place would need to turn over these tables at least five times in one evening to make anywhere near as much as they would like to charge us. Given that their dinner service starts at 5:00 and ends at 9:00, that would be quite an impressive feat. The old adage about never using the word "wedding" with vendors really is true. It causes them to get dollar signs for eyes. We will be taking our large party elsewhere.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Unusual Genetic Traits
A health teacher at our school was doing a short unit on genetics with her students. Part of the unit was a survey of the more obvious physical traits that are inherited. This survey asked students to go around the room and look for peers who had certain traits, and then ask them if their mother, father, or grandparents had the traits as well. A grid was provided for students to record the collected information. Some of the traits included dimples, curly hair, blue eyes, a cleft chin, and the "Hitchhikers' Thumb."
Another trait that teacher meant to mention was the "Vulcan Signal" from Star Trek. You know this one, it's the "live long and prosper" hand sign. However, the teacher must have been in a big hurry because when she typed up the paper she made a slight error. She swapped a second v for the c in the word "Vulcan" to create the heretofore unknown "Vulvan Signal" from Star Trek. This may help to explain why Captain Kirk was always so distracted by all those alien ladies! Luckily, this was a 6th grade class, so not that many students noticed. However, if any 8th-graders happen to get hold of that paper...
Another trait that teacher meant to mention was the "Vulcan Signal" from Star Trek. You know this one, it's the "live long and prosper" hand sign. However, the teacher must have been in a big hurry because when she typed up the paper she made a slight error. She swapped a second v for the c in the word "Vulcan" to create the heretofore unknown "Vulvan Signal" from Star Trek. This may help to explain why Captain Kirk was always so distracted by all those alien ladies! Luckily, this was a 6th grade class, so not that many students noticed. However, if any 8th-graders happen to get hold of that paper...
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Businesses of the Future
Last week my class was studying economics. We always have fun discussing the who, where, and why of money, goods, and services. One of the projects we tried out for this year was the build-a-business plan. Kids were asked to fill out a business proposal, present it to their peers, and then try to solicit "investments" in the form of votes. Here are a few of the more amusing/creative ideas:
---Jewelry that changes color according to your outfit
---A flavored French fry restaurant where the food has no fat or calories
---Sunglasses that play music
---A chore-doing service for kids (can you tell we're in an affluent area? Ugh!)
---Hovercars that run on "organic" fuel
but the best one by far:
---A genetic mutation company in which you can order plants, animals, or even people with special genetic mutations. Paris Hilton is the spokes model because she loves her new wings.
---Jewelry that changes color according to your outfit
---A flavored French fry restaurant where the food has no fat or calories
---Sunglasses that play music
---A chore-doing service for kids (can you tell we're in an affluent area? Ugh!)
---Hovercars that run on "organic" fuel
but the best one by far:
---A genetic mutation company in which you can order plants, animals, or even people with special genetic mutations. Paris Hilton is the spokes model because she loves her new wings.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Registry Madness
As I mentioned before, M and I found the process of registering for wedding gifts to be quite unnerving. First of all, it's not like we are a pair of poverty-stricken teenagers who've never had to think about housekeeping before. Let's just say we own one or two pots already, and we're not so sure about asking or friends to get us more.
However, several friends tell me that if you don't register people still buy you gifts, only they have to guess about your taste. I do not want to get any gigantic commemorative Disney clocks like some poor people I know. And so we gritted our teeth and went. Making all those choices should be fun, but after a while it gets kind of overwhelming. Nevertheless, we created two registries, and we were most happy to be able to check that task off our list. Then came the email.
It seems that one of our choices, Linens n' Things (I should have known not to trust a company with such bad punctuation), is feeling the effects of tough economic times. In fact, they've filed for chapter eleven, but, the email assured us, it's "just for restructuring purposes. Your registry is perfectly safe with us!" they claimed confidently. Ha! One friend just brought me a copy of our wish list, and about half the items are either "unavailable" or "out of stock." It seems we must make a new registry once more.
Therefore, we are now registered at Macy's and Amazon.com. I am VERY much hoping that we can now be done with this whole gift list thing, but I guess you never know. Macy's could suddenly start carrying commemorative Disney clocks.
However, several friends tell me that if you don't register people still buy you gifts, only they have to guess about your taste. I do not want to get any gigantic commemorative Disney clocks like some poor people I know. And so we gritted our teeth and went. Making all those choices should be fun, but after a while it gets kind of overwhelming. Nevertheless, we created two registries, and we were most happy to be able to check that task off our list. Then came the email.
It seems that one of our choices, Linens n' Things (I should have known not to trust a company with such bad punctuation), is feeling the effects of tough economic times. In fact, they've filed for chapter eleven, but, the email assured us, it's "just for restructuring purposes. Your registry is perfectly safe with us!" they claimed confidently. Ha! One friend just brought me a copy of our wish list, and about half the items are either "unavailable" or "out of stock." It seems we must make a new registry once more.
Therefore, we are now registered at Macy's and Amazon.com. I am VERY much hoping that we can now be done with this whole gift list thing, but I guess you never know. Macy's could suddenly start carrying commemorative Disney clocks.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Status Report
The brief run-down of my tiny life in no particular order:
1. M --- Great! He's still the nicest one around.
2. Health --- Good! No complaints here.
3. Wedding --- All in hand as far as I can tell. Still some things to take care of, but I think we're on track. See item #1 :)
4. House --- Not exactly perfect, but nothing to terrible pressing in on me.
5. Friends --- Lovely! Did I mention that my fabulous friend C took me to Vegas this weekend? (more on that another time)
6. Family --- All well and happy as near as I can tell.
7. 1000 other nice things --- All good.
8. Work --- Still bumpy. Kids are great, but some days the co-workers are pretty tough going.
The purpose of this little exercise is to remind me about all the wonderful/satisfying/exciting things going on. That last item is really only one small part of the whole, so I really should try to keep it all in perspective. Maybe this will help me to quit whining so much (ha! ha! I promise to try). Besides, only 16 more days, only 16 more days.
1. M --- Great! He's still the nicest one around.
2. Health --- Good! No complaints here.
3. Wedding --- All in hand as far as I can tell. Still some things to take care of, but I think we're on track. See item #1 :)
4. House --- Not exactly perfect, but nothing to terrible pressing in on me.
5. Friends --- Lovely! Did I mention that my fabulous friend C took me to Vegas this weekend? (more on that another time)
6. Family --- All well and happy as near as I can tell.
7. 1000 other nice things --- All good.
8. Work --- Still bumpy. Kids are great, but some days the co-workers are pretty tough going.
The purpose of this little exercise is to remind me about all the wonderful/satisfying/exciting things going on. That last item is really only one small part of the whole, so I really should try to keep it all in perspective. Maybe this will help me to quit whining so much (ha! ha! I promise to try). Besides, only 16 more days, only 16 more days.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Getting Through
Life at work is quite an interesting thing lately. Ever since the big blow-up, I've been struggling to find a mind set that will allow me to get through. Previously I just worked as hard as I could, tried to keep things on my team running smoothly, and tried to keep my leadership position on track. However, since the bad thing occurred, I'm less inclined to get involved with projects and concerns outside my classroom.
In fact, since others complain that I am "bossy" I've decided not to do a single thing for/with my team that is not specifically spelled out in my duties (is this immature? I don't know, but I don't feel that I have a choice). This means that all those little details that I used to take care of (just because they needed doing) such as booking rooms for meetings, organizing subs, creating agendas, distributing materials, are not my problem any more. I won't steer the conversation back to the task at hand. I won't double-check that the speaker is booked for the correct day and time. Well, what do you know, the fall-out from my stepping back has already begun.
One day per year, each team is allowed to have subs for the day, so the entire group can get together and work on curriculum. That means you have 7.5 hours (not counting half an hour for lunch or the two .5 hour blocks before and after school) per year to get everything done (otherwise it has to take place in .5 hour chunks). Needless to say it's kind of important to use that time wisely. This is why I have always created an agenda using the items of importance I solicited from the team. This is also why I always tried very hard to keep everyone on task during the actual meeting. Not this year.
This year's meeting was roughly divided into four segments. Part 1 lasted for about an hour, and consisted of the group discussing what things we might want to tackle for the day. Part 2 lasted for about 1.5 hours and consisted of one teacher passing out "getting to know you" activities. The main activity was a page on which were written the names of each team member. Every person was supposed to go down the list and write a paragraph of positive traits for each individual. Then we read our paragraphs aloud to each other. Lots of really really fun and meaningful personal stories were shared. I won't even bother to explain the next part where we had to tell each other what personality type we thought they were.
By the time we finished part 2, it was time to go to lunch. Again, in an attempt to not be bossy, I did not comment on lunch plans. It was assumed that everyone would go, and that one person should choose because "he likes food." We ended up going to Japanese. I hate Japanese, and so does one other member of the crew. Lunch lasted nearly 2 hours. This was part 3.
Part 4 of our day, which began just before 1pm, was the actual work. The bell rang just after 2:00pm. We got through two, count them, two work items. Nevertheless, the day was considered a big success by some because "it was such a fun time with everyone." I just keep repeating in my head "only X more days! only X more days!" I'm viewing the whole thing as an exercise in self-control. Granted, I nearly lost my composure during the long story about body surfing with an angel, but I didn't, and that's what will get me through without bloodshed.
In fact, since others complain that I am "bossy" I've decided not to do a single thing for/with my team that is not specifically spelled out in my duties (is this immature? I don't know, but I don't feel that I have a choice). This means that all those little details that I used to take care of (just because they needed doing) such as booking rooms for meetings, organizing subs, creating agendas, distributing materials, are not my problem any more. I won't steer the conversation back to the task at hand. I won't double-check that the speaker is booked for the correct day and time. Well, what do you know, the fall-out from my stepping back has already begun.
One day per year, each team is allowed to have subs for the day, so the entire group can get together and work on curriculum. That means you have 7.5 hours (not counting half an hour for lunch or the two .5 hour blocks before and after school) per year to get everything done (otherwise it has to take place in .5 hour chunks). Needless to say it's kind of important to use that time wisely. This is why I have always created an agenda using the items of importance I solicited from the team. This is also why I always tried very hard to keep everyone on task during the actual meeting. Not this year.
This year's meeting was roughly divided into four segments. Part 1 lasted for about an hour, and consisted of the group discussing what things we might want to tackle for the day. Part 2 lasted for about 1.5 hours and consisted of one teacher passing out "getting to know you" activities. The main activity was a page on which were written the names of each team member. Every person was supposed to go down the list and write a paragraph of positive traits for each individual. Then we read our paragraphs aloud to each other. Lots of really really fun and meaningful personal stories were shared. I won't even bother to explain the next part where we had to tell each other what personality type we thought they were.
By the time we finished part 2, it was time to go to lunch. Again, in an attempt to not be bossy, I did not comment on lunch plans. It was assumed that everyone would go, and that one person should choose because "he likes food." We ended up going to Japanese. I hate Japanese, and so does one other member of the crew. Lunch lasted nearly 2 hours. This was part 3.
Part 4 of our day, which began just before 1pm, was the actual work. The bell rang just after 2:00pm. We got through two, count them, two work items. Nevertheless, the day was considered a big success by some because "it was such a fun time with everyone." I just keep repeating in my head "only X more days! only X more days!" I'm viewing the whole thing as an exercise in self-control. Granted, I nearly lost my composure during the long story about body surfing with an angel, but I didn't, and that's what will get me through without bloodshed.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Cake Tops
Okay, I must confess that I like cake toppers. You know those horrible fake brides and grooms and stare out from the tops of wedding cakes with fixed smiles on their little plastic faces? Something about the cheesiness appeals to me, so after we ordered our cake, I started hunting for one that would suit. My first attempt was too cheesy even for me. The little people were so poorly painted that their faces appeared sort of deranged (perhaps that was intentional because brides and grooms often do look that way?), and the bride had a fountain of real netting glued to the top of her head. Not good.
That is why I was so happy with the second attempt. The next bride and groom arrived just a few days ago, and they are so much the opposite of the previous pair. First of all, they are made of porcelain, not resin, and the paint job on them is excellent. They have nice serene smiles on their faces (as if they are actually happy to be married!), the clothing is in a timeless style, and the bride is even carrying a bunch of tiny, perfect, porcelain roses. They are, dare I say it, even kind of elegant. I'm looking forward to keeping them as a memento, and I don't even think I have to be embarrassed of them. Now our only trick will be to paint the grooms head blond without ruining his good looks.
That is why I was so happy with the second attempt. The next bride and groom arrived just a few days ago, and they are so much the opposite of the previous pair. First of all, they are made of porcelain, not resin, and the paint job on them is excellent. They have nice serene smiles on their faces (as if they are actually happy to be married!), the clothing is in a timeless style, and the bride is even carrying a bunch of tiny, perfect, porcelain roses. They are, dare I say it, even kind of elegant. I'm looking forward to keeping them as a memento, and I don't even think I have to be embarrassed of them. Now our only trick will be to paint the grooms head blond without ruining his good looks.
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