I'm still here

Holy crow! It's really been a long time since I've been here. I'm afraid I got addicted to FaceBook for a while, but I think I prefer to use my blog for my normal meanderings, God help you.

Well, I finally found my cord to connect my camera to the computer, so more pictures should be coming soon. I've also become a fixture at a new needlepoint shop (Rittenhouse Needlepoint) near work and have added needlepoint to my stash. I really enjoy it, and it's nice to have another type of project to work on, although I may need a room all to myself for all my stash.

Other than that, I suppose things are about the same. I had a great time visiting my sister in San Francisco over the holidays. It was tough coming back. While I was there, I went to her dentist. This was planned ahead of time. Long story short, I have a dentist phobia and she also did, but said this dentist is so good that it's not an issue. So, he ended up redoing two root canals because my previous dentist apparently didn't make the little poles long enough and that's why one of my crowns broke a while back (don't worry, that didn't hurt). He also pulled the tooth that had the broken crown, which I expected. Now I need to get an implant. Oy. At least it's far enough back that you can't see it. Even with the dentist episode added in, I had a great time out there. Heck the dentist had me on laughing gas so I wasn't really doing too badly there, either.

Things at work are starting to get busier -- more funding for one program, new program opening in Delaware, creating a better website for another, Annual Report coming up, etc. The fact that we are doing so well is absolutely fantastic and being busy in this economy is a very good thing.

It's alive!

Well, I think I am, anyway. Felt really crappy last night and this morning and slept most of the day. My head is still pounding but I feel a little better. I find that when I feel like that -- head feels like it's going to explode, etc. -- it's best to sleep as much as possible.

At any rate, I was feeling better so took some catch-up pictures of my stitching. Now I can't find the stupid cable that connects my camera to the computer. D'oh! I usually put it with the camera but it's not there. So, once I find that piece of vital equipment I'll update my photos.

I can tell you that I finished Alpine Garden on Saturday, so that's something I can take off that long list on the sidebar.

I'm thinking of taking a vacation day around either Yom Kippur in October or Veterans Day in November, as I have both of those days off. I was going to take a mini-vacation to Gettysburg last fall and didn't, but I'd like to do it this year. I suppose it depends on if I'm getting together with my sister in Petersburg, VA at Thanksgiving this year. We planned it last year but canceled at the last moment because she was just exhausted and couldn't deal with the flight from CA to PA, which I totally understood. So, it may make more sense for me to go in October. We'll see. I really enjoy getting out there and it's a nice opportunity for me to take a couple days off by myself. I haven't been out there for about 7 years, so it's time for me to go back for a few days.

Great weekend!

I got back from San Francisco about Midnight last night and went straight to bed. I planned on taking today off from work and am thankful I did!

I had a great time! I got in very late Friday and Saturday we went to this fantastic little place called Ella's where we ate breakfast on Saturday and Sunday - Best. Pancakes. Ever! The pancakes were lemon ginger oatmeal and were divine. Then we went to a very high-end wood furniture store to look at a table my sister has been eyeing for a while. I hope she didn't take me to talk her out of it, because the table is stunning. She ordered a square version of the table (the one they had was rectangular) and two chairs. They are made of cherry and are really pieces of art and get made to order in Maine. We both went home and hung out for a while and napped, then went to get pizza and see the Midnight showing of "The Princess Bride" at the small theater down the street. That was a lot of fun. I just love how there are so many interesting places within walking distance from where she lives.

Sunday we went up to Sonoma for a while after breakfast and did a little shopping. Later that evening we went to a luxurious spa and she bought me an 80-minute facial and they gave me trial-sized products to take home. Great stuff!

Monday she had to work part of the day, so I spent a lot of time reading. I didn't wander as much as I usually do when I visit because of my foot pain. I read "The Other Boleyn Girl" and finished it that day -- great book, gotta see the movie. Then we went to a Thai place for dinner.

I got a cab to take me to the airport at Noon on Tuesday, but I had time to check out a stitching place that was about a 15-minute walk away. It's called SF Stitch and was mostly for needlepoint but had huge amounts of silk floss and some other stuff. I ended up buying a few magazines and some books and next time I visit I plan on raiding all that beautiful silk floss they have. It's a great little shop on Sacramento.

So, now I'm back in reality and have to go to work tomorrow, but those little trips to San Francisco always help me feel better. I think it's the combination of being in a city I really enjoy, seeing my sister who I don't see often, and having the time to do anything I want -- or nothing. :)

Almost there!

I've been acting like a little kid getting ready to go to Disney all week, lol. I'm really looking forward to getting out to see my sister and San Francisco for the weekend. The week is going slowly but still too fast, as tonight I need to do some laundry and pack my clothes to take to work tomorrow for Friday. That way I don't have to lug them around on Friday when I have to be at the EARN Center for most of the day.

I think I've been doing well with my eating. Yesterday I went to a luncheon and they had some really good chicken and vegetables. I ate all the veggies, some of the pasta and much of the chicken. However, I didn't feel the need to clean my plate as I usually do, so I wasn't stuffed and uncomfortable. I had a little cake, but wasn't thrilled with it so only had two pieces and left it. Everybody did the same thing, as the desert was set out with the salad before dinner. By the time we got to it, it was stale and crusty from sitting out too long. Blech. That's one way to get me to not eat the cake. Next time I see a set-up like that, I'm going to eat my salad then my cake. If people give me weird looks, fine. They'll be the ones to miss out on fresh cake. :)

I'm up ridiculously early this morning, so I guess I'll go ahead and get ready for work and go in early so I can leave a little early and get my laundry going. I should have done some last night, but I wasn't feeling my best and went to bed early.

Wahoo!

My sister is saving me! We were tentatively planning to get together in San Francisco (where she lives) over Easter weekend, but it won't work with her schedule. After hearing about my latest incident, she decided to fly me out for an extended weekend over Presidents' Day weekend! I'm soooo looking forward to this! Plans include swimming in her gym's pool, hanging out in the hot tub at her spa, checking out a stitching shop she saw that is walking distance from her apartment, and general stitching, reading, sleeping, talking, and probably a little drinking. Oh, and she and a friend were planning to go to a midnight showing of "The Princess Bride" on Saturday night -- they've never seen it! So, that's going to be a lot of fun, too. I've never seen it on the big screen with a large group of people, so I'm looking forward to that, too.

I'm hoping this is the vacation I need to get out of this weird funk I've been in lately.

I'M FREE!!!

Was that loud enough? Did you hear that in Australia? :)

It's only temporary freedom, of course, but I'm home and don't have to go back to work until Monday! I'm planning on taking part in a virtual SAL tonight on the 123 board, so maybe I'll take a nap in order to prepare. I have no idea yet what I'm going to stitch. Perhaps I can finish (or come close) Liberty Sampler if I do some marathon stitching tonight and later this weekend. It would be great to have that big project under my belt.

Another cool development -- I talked to my sister earlier in the week and I may be visiting her in Seattle in August! I've never been there. We were trying to get together in Gettysburg in September, and one of her work friends has a sister in Baltimore (my sis is in San Francisco) and they were also trying to get together. So, we're going to see if all four of us can do a sister's vacation in Seattle. I met her work friend, as she picked me up at the train station in Baltimore a year or so ago. I think this could be fun. We'll see. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much as their schedules can be crazy. I probably have the easiest schedule to work around, at least this time of year.

Woohoo!

After I go home in an hour I won't be back in the office until Tuesday! I'm not completely free tomorrow, as I'm going to training in the morning and working from home in the afternoon, but it's still different from being in the office. I'm so thankful that I actually like my job, because I still have the need for down time and I can't imagine truly hating my job and being stuck there all the time. I've had jobs that didn't thrill me (Burger King comes to mind), but at least I worked with fun people that helped take the crapiness away... a little. :)

So, Friday I'm going to see Pirates, probably at 12:30 so that it (hopefully) won't be as crowded as later. I really have no idea what to expect, but hope I'm not crammed in like a sardine. Tim isn't into it, so I figured that would be the perfect day to take off and go see it. I have Memorial Day off, so that makes a very nice long weekend for me.

I'm going to finish Easter Fairy tonight. I received the Kreinik a few days ago and started filling in her wings and can finish it tonight. I think I can do the beading tonight as there's not a lot and it's all one color. After all that beading I just finished on Mermaid of the Pearls, this will fly by, lol. I meant to stitch on her last night but read instead. I read Harry Potter 5 the other day to refresh my memory for the movie. Of course, after that I just HAD to re-read Harry Potter 6. It's a good thing, as I read them all in sequence in a few weeks about a year ago, so I'm catching/remembering some things that I didn't before. I think the fifth movie is going to be great and am impatiently waiting for the seventh book.

So, not sure what I'm going to stitch on over this lovely long weekend. This week I also worked a little on Why Hoard Gold, so I may do some more of that. I doubt I'll spend all weekend on it, though. As adorable as the Dragon Dreams designs are, the rayon floss drives me nuts and I only stitch on them a little at a time. Of course, I don't HAVE to use the rayon and can substitute DMC, but I must admit that I love seeing that shiney look on those dragons. Her dragons are so adorable that I'm willing to tough it out with the rayon to make it look right. One of my stitching friends works with rayon floss on patterns that don't call for it and she uses it a lot. I tell her she's nuts, but she definitely has a knack for it and her pieces look beautiful.

OK, enought blathering for now. :)

Various stuff

Haven't been here for a while. We're having a bit of March Madness at work, but it will be flowing into April and the beginning of March. Just a lot of stuff going on.

1. Is it really necessary to listen to your voice mail on speaker phone at the highest volume possible with your door open? What if somebody is telling you something confidential? Do you have any idea how distracting and rude this is?

2. So, I hear that students who do their homework while on MySpace tend to see a drop in grades? Really? I never would have guessed! You mean if you're writing that term paper while talking to your buddies about that cute guy (or God knows what else) that you may get sidetracked while writing? Well, I never! Of course it's all the fault of MySpace, isn't it? Personal or parental responsbility has absolutely nothing to do with it.

3. Yesterday's weather was awesome! I wore my crop pants and a short-sleeved shirt. Today I'm wearing a skirt but am back to tights and a sweater, and tomorrow is a jeans and sweater/sweatshirt day. We are having our Wellness Walk on Saturday. If it weren't for one of my coworkers organizing it, I wouldn't go because it's going to be in the 30s. However, I really need to go to show support.

4. We are painting a huge mural next week. One of our programs has a huge (almost 100 feet) wall that has no windows or anything and needed something. So, our designer is sketching it today, with the help of some other staff members. It's going to consist of several panels of different scenes reflecting Philadelphia. We are getting clients from various programs, as well as staff, to paint it next week. I'm very excited, and scared. :) I hope I can get some press there.

5. Can you believe I'm STILL not done with Mermaid of the Pearls? I thought I'd be done with the stitching by now, but hope to finish this weekend. Yeah, I've said that before. Things have been crazy and I've been working more so haven't been stitching at night. This won't last forever, so I should be back into good stitching mode by May.

6. Tim and I are going away for my birthday, which happens to fall on Easter this year. We're going to New Hope, PA. I think it will be nice to get away for a few days and I'm taking the 9th off from work as we have the 10th off already (last day of Passover). Have I mentioned that I LOVE that we get normal holidays plus Jewish holidays?

Thanks

Thanks for the condolences. I haven't posted in a lot of places about it, and appreciate the thoughts. :) I'm going up again this Friday and coming back Tuesday so that I can help them a bit more.

Not much else going on, except that I'm trying like heck to get caught up at work before I go away again, but I don't think that will be happening, as I'm out most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday for meetings. Thursday afternoon I should be able to get some things done, and I can bring a little work with me and check my email while I'm gone.

Now for something fun: One advantage of my job is that I'm a member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, and there are little events that come up here and there. One is going on Thursday night -- a private tour of the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute! I was planning to see it at some point, but a private tour is going to be so much better than the normal crowded tour. Plus, we get to do a lot of networking and have a cocktail or two before the tour, which is always nice. I'm looking forward to that, right before I head up to NY.

I was hoping to visit Williamsburg with my sister during my vacation time the first week of April, but that won't be happening due to some work that came up for her. It's just as well, as I'm working on paying off some accounts I have hanging over me and these trips to NY cost money. I'm staying with my parents, but there's gas and other stuff, as I don't want to be living off them completely while I'm there. I'm still hoping that Tim and I can get away for a few days during that time, though. The last time we went anywhere together was to visit Grandma a few years ago. We stayed at a nice B&B but it still involved family. We've never gone away on a vacation that has nothing to do with family, not even for a weekend, and we've been together almost 8 years now, so it's definitely time! We're thinking of going up to the Poconos. Of course, he has grand ideas of staying at the fancy rooms with the jacuzzis and such in the rooms, but we'll see. Those aren't cheap. I try to get him to understand that I don't care about that, as long as we can get away, but I know he wants to do something nice for me and I do appreciate it.

As for stitching, I've made more progress on "I Shall Wear Purple" and have pictures of it and the stuff I started in Guilt-Free January. I'll get around to posting them soon, but I'm just feeling too lazy at the moment. With my crazy February, I won't be able to finish as much as I'd like for Finish-It February, but I should be able to finish that one. I don't have anything else that is close enough for me to finish this month, but I'll feel good finishing that one. Hey, if I can finish one medium or large design each month, that's not bad. :) If I stitched like crazy after getting back from NY I *might* be able to finish the stitching on Mermaid of the Pearls, but I'm not betting on it.