Well, that's better.

Today's weather still isn't October weather -- I think it got up to 77 -- but it's soooooo much better than it has been for the last week. The rain last night really helped. Today was a nice 77, as the humidity seemed pretty low. Yesterday and the day before were just disgustingly humid. It's going to get cooler and cooler this week, so that makes me happy. I saw that in the midwest they went from temps in the 80s to temps in the 40s and some places got snow. Now THAT'S some crazy weather.

shoes, weather

I found out there's a Famous Footwear near where I live and decided to see what they have there. What a huge disappointment. It may just be that particular store, but I wasn't impressed. I guess after going to that HUGE DSW store, this one just couldn't compare. I guess I'll stick with DSW for my shoes. I find I have very good luck there and can buy good shoes for a reasonable price. Of course, I still love me some Payless shoes, but it's easier for me to find properly fitting shoes at DSW than at Payless.

Also, what the hell is up with this stinkin' weather? My head is pounding today because of this humidity and I'm annoyed. It's October, it shouldn't still be in the 80s. When I went out this morning I couldn't believe how hot and humid it was around Noon. This is the way it was in Florida in early October, it shouldn't be that way in PA. They say everything will go back to normal next week and I hope they're right. I want to wear my warmer clothes, dammit! LOL, my fall/winter clothes are just so much nicer and look so much better on my than my spring/summer clothes.

Edited to add: I really need to proof my posts before I publish them. I make some stupid typos and skip words.

What a beautiful night!

Here in Philly, like in much of the country, the weather has been disgustingly hot and humid. It was a little cooler this morning but still very sticky and gross. Then, when I left work at 5:30, it was like a miracle -- it was almost chilly! It was nice and breezy, not humid, probably in the low 70's. I walked to the train with a smile on my face, and now I'm in my very comfortable apartment with the windows open and the fans on and am going to have a great sleep tonight!

Have I mentioned that I can't wait for Autumn? :)

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?

Rant and Rave

1. Minor rant -- I hate it when people use the snow as an excuse to leave early. I'm not talking nasty, icy snow like we got in February. I'm talking 2 inches (at the most) of gently falling, dry powdery snow that doesn't even stick to the roads because they've been treated. I was in a training class for two days and a bunch of people said they had to leave early because of the snow, and left about 3 hours early. Come on! I know some people are scared to drive in snow, but THIS IS PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA! We get snow every year, for cryin' out loud!

2. Rave -- I saw Zodiac yesterday after leaving my training on time. :) I got there just in time to get some yummies and sit down to watch it at 5PM and get home a little after 8PM and still have a little evening left. I really enjoyed it. I saw a review that said they thought it was too plodding and stuck too much to the case files, but I really liked it. It showed how they went through the process of figuring things out, finding out they were wrong, finding out maybe they were right, etc. It also showed how, years after the last killings, the Zodiac was still affecting lives in a big way. I also like a lot of the actors -- Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo.

Snow day tomorrow?

Well, we'll see. Looks like this storm is going to be similar to the one we got a few weeks ago but we opened two hours late, didn't get a whole snow day. Lord knows I have a ton of work to do, some of which I can do here, but I'm hoping for a snow day so I can stay inside and stitch.

If I get off this darn computer today I may be able to finish the stitching for Mermaid of the Pearls. I basically have the bottom part of her fin to stitch. There are a lot of beads on this one, though. I knew that from pictures, but really notice it when I'm stitching and realize how many spaces I'm skipping that are reserved for beads. She's going to look awesome, though! I believe I actually have all the beads I need so there should be no last-minute ordering of beads and waiting around. I'll double-check today. After the beading, I can scratch her off my StRIP list, my 2007 Goals list and my 10 Project list.

I was still debating about I Shall Wear Purple last night and showed Tim, as it's for his mom. He said he thought the flowers were a little close to the text, but it looks nice and nobody will notice if I don't say anything and that he doesn't want me to do that extra work. He also said his mom probably won't be able to read the small text, anyway. So, I guess it won't really matter, and it won't bother me to see it. If it would bother me I'd HAVE to change it.

So, after I finish her I will finish Why Hoard Gold so I can start Coer de St. Valentin, and finish Liberty Sampler so I can start Celtic Noel. Liberty Sampler has a way to go, yet. After that, I probably won't have any big finishes for a while, but it would be great to have two for Finish-it February, especially after starting four for Guilt-Free January, lol.

I need to remember to use the labeling option for my posts. I love it, but often forget to label because I'm not used to using it. It sure is handy when I want to go back to my stitching goals posts that are scattered around.

Best laid plans...

Well, so much for going to NY this weekend. I intended to leave today, but heard last night that much of I-81 in PA was going to be closed through Noon today. Later today they said it would be closed for another 24 hours. So, I called my parents and talked to them about it, and we decided that since they aren't selling the house immediately and can still sort through some things on their own, that it's not a biggie and they'd rather me not try to get up ther by using other roads that may be in even worse shape. So, I'm going to be home this weekend and go to work on Tuesday. That's actually good because there's plenty to be done here and at work. I hate feeling like a wimp, but I just have no idea what the other roads are like up there near Allentown. So, that's that.

On a happier note, I went shopping today and discovered there's a Feiline's Basement nearby. That place is awesome! I bought a new black scarf (left mine in NY last time), black gloves with little flowers embroidered on them, a black headband for my forehead and ears so that I can stay warm without wearing an actual hat, a new purse, a new tote bag, a new wallet, 3 pairs of cute socks, and a fleece pillow and a fleece blanket for the car. I paid about $80 for all of it, and almost half of that was for the awesome Liz Claiborne tote bag, lol. I usually buy cheap tote bags and then they never carry right. This one is aweseome and has short handled and an adjustable shoulder strap so I can carry it without dragging it or put it on my shoulder without it banging on my knees when I walk. I had to get a smaller wallet to fit in the purse, but I was going to do that anyway because I don't really need to carry my checkbook with me.

So, now my shoulder problems will probably be better. I noticed that my right shoulder had been bothering me lately and I'm sure it's because I was carrying too much stuff to work every day, or just carrying it the wrong way. This will work out better for me.

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Oh wait, that's just snow.

Once again, the local news makes snowfall into the leading news story for the day, and probably for tomorrow, too. They get everybody hyped up. North and West of us is different, they're getting more snow than we are. Philadelphia area is supposed to get 1-3 inches, than it's supposed to turn into freezing rain later, than rain. I know, the freezing rain can be tricky, and so can the snow. But c'mon -- 1-3 inches? That's hardly worth getting everybody riled up. They were in the stores this morning, showing people buying shovels and people stocking up at the grocery store because, you know, those 3 inches of snow may force us to stay inside for two weeks. Whatever will we do?

C'mon folks! This is the Northeast! Snow happens! I'm sure the Upstate New Yorkers are laughing their butts off at the silly "city people" down in Philadelphia.

Well, at least it's not 100 degrees anymore

I was hoping we'd get a bigger cold front than we did, then I remembered it IS August in Philadelphia, so I can't really expect it to get as cool as where my parents live in the Finger Lakes Region in NY. :) I went for a walk today and the humidity feels pretty low and I think the temp is in the high 80s. It's still a bit warmer than I'd like, but I'll definitely take it for August 5! I'm still looking forward to October.

I was very happy to see the other article about the internship programs for which I do PR in the Jewish Exponent on Thursday. It was a very well-written article and Jared was fantastic about checking all his facts and getting details. He actually called us to find out what types of flowers were planted -- great attention to detail!

I have made an appointment to see a car dealer at the end of this month. I just can't wait that many months before getting a car, I'll go crazy obsessing about it if I do, and take everyone else with me. My friend is going with me so it will be easier for me to walk away if I need to avoid being taken for a ride.

I've been working away at Lady of the Flag. Have I mentioned that her dress goes on forever? I think I'll be able to meet my 9/11 deadline, though. I'm on the bottom part of the dress well under the flag and right above the blue "Liberty" section. I'll get a picture this weekend after I stitch a bit more.

I'm almost done with "Gods and Generals." Jeff Shaara's writing isn't the same as his dad's, but it's pretty good. I like Jeef's "The Glorious Cause," also, but of course that's about the American Revolution. I'll probably start "The Last Full Measure" soon, but will read something else between the two. I'm also plodding along a bit on "Al Smith's America." It was written in the 1950s and I'm just not fond of the writing style, but I bought it for $2 at a used bookstore so it's not a big deal. I would like to finish it, though. I have learned a bit more about Al Smith than I knew, and that was the object. I also recently bought those little hardback classics at Barnes and Noble. They were on sale, buy 2 get 1 free, and are about $6 to begin with -- pretty good deal. I bought "The Brothers Karamazov," "Crime and Punishment" and "The Last of the Mohicans." If I like the way they handle, I'll buy more the next time they go on sale.