Morning sunshine

I found this link years ago while reading the blog of a fellow graphic artist. I have since lost the link to her blog, but I kept the link to "Orisinal Morning Sunshine." It's a bunch of simply-designed, engaging games that are fun for the whole family, although my boys tend to get bore with them. Have a good time, unless you're Riley or Lennon. :)

Pigtails

I wore pigtails today to work. I don't know how appropriate that is for a 40 year old, but I was feeling youthful today. And really, really tired of my current haircut.

It also happened to be our company Christmas party, and a very good friend of mine came up behind me and whispered (and you'd have to know the guy to understand how truly innocent it was) how he was "strangely attracted" to them. Now, far be it from me to be bothered by someone being attracted to me or my pigtails. What got me was the "strangely" part. What the heck? It cracked me up though. He would be totally mortified to know that I actually posted this on my blog, so he will remain nameless.

Oh, and at said party I won a Nikon Coolpix 8meg camera! I was shocked to say the least. No, I didn't use it to take the attached picture. Another friend of mine was walking past my office and saw me struggling with trying to take a self portrait. She said I looked ridiculous and offered to take the photo for me. So here it is, courtesy of Jackie. I guess self-portraiture is something you have to grow up doing, like setting VCRs or DVD or (gosh, those really date me) Bluray players. And yes, I remember Betamax. But I digress.

Now you can tell me if a 40 year old can get away with pigtails, strangely or not. :)

Horse sense

If any of you have spent a lengthy amount of time around my father, you've more likely than not heard his horse stories. Apparently, horses do not like him. I won't divulge details here, because I'm not anywhere near the storyteller he is. I have to say though, that it seems to run in the family. Is it possible to inherit a horse-hating-human gene? To be fair, I love horses. I simply mean, is there some kind of gene that horses recognize that tells them we are not to be liked? I don't know, that's probably for another post.

At Heidi's request, I'll tell the story of what happened to Sandra and me with the horse. It was my Uncle Tom's barrel horse, and he was a beauty. I wanted so badly to ride him, and correct me if I'm wrong, Sandra, but I think he threw you first. Which says a lot about my sense, eh? Or horse sense, if you'll excuse the pun.

Sandra rode the horse one day coming down the road from Tom's house. At a full gallop. I remember seeing it all happen, but that could be my mind playing tricks. What I remember though, is that at top speed, Sandra lost control of her seat. She was thrown from the horse, and landed at the base of one of those monstrous trees that lined Tom's road. She had quite the bruise, I'm sure.

Not to be outdone, I took the horse out soon afterward, probably the next day. It was a simple enough ride--it's not like I was asking him to run in the Derby or anything--but that horse just did not want to go where I wanted him to. I'm sure he could tell I was inexperienced, young, and easy to throw. He wanted some grass from the front yard, and no matter what I did I could not convince him to go anywhere else. He took matters upon himself to get what he wanted, and he started spinning. I held on as long as I could, but soon realized that the horse was a lot more motivated than I was. I let go. The next thing I remember was looking up dizzily and seeing a woman running from the road towards me, asking in a thick (I think German) accent if I was ok. I mumbled something in the affirmative, then stood, shook myself off, and tried not to tell anyone about my bruise--my ego. There was the horse (does anyone remember his name?), calmly munching grass in the front yard. Just like he'd planned all along.

But that's not the end of the story--at our ward Christmas party that year, the person in charge of giving out virtual gifts took it upon themselves to give Sandra and me glue-seated pants to assist in any future horse-riding adventures.

I never did find out who told them. Dad?

Government intrusion at its finest

Oy! I shall try to maintain my composure. I recently had to renew my driver's license, and on the form they ask if you are taking any medications for various ailments. BIG warning--never tell them if you are! I am now being tracked at least annually, and will be so until I have quit taking my meds and am "stable," er, excuse me, have "had no symptoms" for 2 years.

Now that I am less of a threat than ever, either to myself or anyone else, the government thinks it their responsibility to watch over me. What a load of garbage. Think of the cost associated with printing these forms, mailing them, logging them, etc., etc. The lady at my clinic says they receive about 40 a day!

OK. I feel better having gotten the warning out to at least somebody. Now where are my meds...

Sorry Heidi, the horse story will need to wait for another day. ;)

Family ROCKS

Carmen, Brenna, Lauren, me, Mary, and Sandra. And in the back there, doing all the work, are Tom and Jesse.

This is some of my family during our 2006 reunion. We rafted the Snake River to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary. You may wonder why I'm posting about it now, and I have to blame my friend who writes for the Tribune. Or maybe it's my dream's fault: last night I dreamt that my friend, I, and another friend were preparing to go boating on a mountain lake in blizzard conditions. That led to questions, and then to stories about boating incidents, particularly with canoes.

That got me reminiscing about this particular reunion, and how much fun it is to be on the verge of death with large numbers of your family. :) Seriously, there were moments on this trip that were absolutely terrifying. But we all survived, and I'm sure most would laugh about much of it now.

How many of you remember Nelson practically slicing off his finger? Or how about "Row for your lives, you scurvy dogs!"? Two sisters going in the drink, as Dad would say; cold weather; the river at its highest in 50 years, according to Dad; yummy food, like chili, the stuff Beth and Dom made (can't remember what it's called, darn it), and of course whatever I cooked, ha ha.

I just wanted to acknowledge my awesome family and tell you all how much I love you. Here's to another 50 years of celebrations!

Dog techno

This weekend my parents and kids and I drove to Denver for my niece's sealing. It was fantastic! You may be wondering why I would title a blog about something so spiritual "dog techno," and you'd be right to wonder. Unless you know the Dunfords.

Some random notes from the weekend, which I realize if you weren't there won't mean much, include:

• Driving through the wind-swept plains of Wyoming. Twice.
• Nelson's sick story
• Dog techno (next time I will record it)
• "Celebrity sighting" of Chloe and Barrett
• Hunter's belly button surgery
• FOOD to die for (and from, most likely)
• "Minnie"
• Laughter (so much laughter. I love spending time with this laughing family)
• Expensive pit stop
• Imaginiff...
• Smiling Eliza
• Boxing boys
• Tom's high school yearbook ("It's ok, they're just pictures. It's not like they're real people or anything.")
• Sandra giggling because she almost snuggled me
• Inexpressible joy
• Calling Ryan a big baby
• Jesse's "jet black" hair
• Carmen tired but still muscling through "Catch Phrase," much to our delight
• Tom talkin' biking with Jeanne, our Musketeer
• Jeanne referring to herself as a Musketeer for the rest of her stay
• Max commenting on Riley being a "fine gentleman"
• Grandpa's desire to leave at "4, 5, 6 in the morning. Those would all be fine," and finally leaving at 6:40
• Chloe's haircut
• Lauren
• Susan and Tom, the hosts with the most
• Isaac challenging Riley
• Barrett's frozen hands from eating ice cream with them
• Learning from Max that duct tape was invented during WWII for ducts in ships
• Dad reading and chuckling at "The Dancing Wu Li Masters." I highly recommend it, and he said he would give it a "7." High praise, indeed.

And so much more that can't be written. Gatherings like these are a slice of heaven on earth.

I love pie

The cute little pie song Andie MacDowell sings in "Michael" just about says it all:

Pie, pie, me oh my,

Nothing tastes better, wet, salty and dry.

Apple and pumpkin and mince and black bottom,

I’ll come to your place every day if you’ve got 'em.

Pie, me oh my, I love piiiiieeeeeee.

In preparing for Thanksgiving, my mother has been trying to find out what kind of pies to make. Ed loves pecan, and I'm a sucker for cherry, and she had said she had some butternut squash that she made up into a pie recently that was really good. I told her today that maybe we should ask the boys what kind of pie they want, since it's really a good thing to think less of oneself (don't you agree?).

Riley said, "Just a minute, let me ask Lennon" (more of the thinking less of oneself, hurrah), to which Lennon replied, "Cinnamon pie!"

I have no idea what cinnamon pie is, but it sure sounds good. Think we could work it into the pie song somehow? After all was said and done, Riley admitted that he was really hoping for some pumpkin pie. Think he'll be able to tell if Grandma substitutes butternut squash? :)

Tweet tweet

Find me on Twitter if you want. Beth explains it a bit in one of her recents blogs. My screen name is Mama Townes, if that helps.
Ciao!

Celebrity Look-alike Collage

What a riot. Thanks to Beth for the idea, who actually got it from another blogger. Who doesn't like to be told they have similarities to Cate Blanchett? I thought I'd better go through them one at a time to see if I could tell why they compared me to them.

Neve Campbell: hmm. I can actually see a similarity, which I never would have guessed. Darken my features and put on the red lipstick, and voila!

Mischa Barton: not really sure here. The nose? The ash blonde hair?

Christina Aguilera: nose and lips?

Cate: I don't really care the reason, as long as there's some hint of truth to it!

Fiona Apple (love her): no idea really, unless it's the nose again. Who would have thought my nose would be so common? It must be because I didn't use a profile pic. :)

Minnie Driver: huh?

Nina Hagen: now here's one to write home about. Anyone who knew me well right after high school knows I used to actually listen to her music. Anyone out there remember "New York, New York"? As for any similarity, the narrowed eyes are all I can see.

Emmanuelle Beart: never heard of her and have no idea why they think I resemble her.

Others on the list were Amanda Peet and Holly Marie Combs, but you can only choose eight.

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Genology - Familytree

Voting early

In an attempt to avoid the anticipated mayhem that might be voting day, Ed and I went to the polls last night. It was the longest Ed and I have ever had to wait to vote. As I sat there watching people and pondering on the greatness of this country, I wondered why politics are so divisive. And then I realized that there are two things that tend to divide us as people. What are the two things that many people vow never to discuss? Politics and religion. If you think about it, those are two of the most, if not the most important issues whose ideology we can espouse. They both reach every facet of our lives. Imagine if we lived in a country where we couldn't vote and couldn't worship as we saw fit. We've been spoiled as a country to enjoy those rights, and I think it's starting to show.

Aside from that, as I sat there, watching the registrars taking names, I was pleased to see a 60-something gentleman working alongside a 20-something girl at one table, and a 20-something guy working with an older woman at another. Who knows what their beliefs about religion or politics were? It didn't matter--they were working side by side to provide this basic right to each of us. For that I was grateful. And it thrilled me to see all of us as Americans, taking the opportunity to vote to make our country better. I hope that rather than allowing this process to remain divisive and potentially become more so, that we will put our country first and our party second.

And on that note, maybe we should elect our leaders the old-fashioned way: sans electoral college. The one with the most votes becomes President, the runner-up, Vice. Might end some of the partisan politics. Or at least minimize it. We can dream, after all.

Lefties unite!

Or, "dyslexics untie!" I think I saw that somewhere once. Cracked me up. But back to the original reason for my post. Lennon has conceded that left-handedness is equally cool as right-handedness.

We shall prevail!

The Way Home

Lennon (my 8-year-0ld) and I watched a wonderful Korean film a couple of nights ago, called "The Way Home." It's about a young boy who's left with his grandmother while his Mom tries to get a new job and straighten out some things she's going through. It's a gruelling bus ride to get to this small Korean town where she lives, and she has no running water, no TV stations, and not much of anything else, either. The kid is a total brat. He calls his Grandma a retard because she can't speak, and basically makes fun of her and takes advantage of her wherever he can.

I pointed out to Lennon what a mean little boy he was, and Lennon asked, "How old is he?" I said, "Seven." To which he sagely replied, "Oh, well he'll figure it out when he's eight."

You might wonder why I think the film is wonderful, given the situation. You'll just have to watch it to find out. :)

Left or right?

I know I already posted today, but I have to let you know the latest battle at my house: left vs. right. As most of you know, I am left handed. When Lennon found that out, he was, um, stunned? I'm not sure how he felt about it, but somehow over the course of the last several months he's decided that he needs to prove to me that it's better to be right handed. Cracks me up! I'm sure I started it somehow, by stating that it's cool to be left handed, or whatever.

We now have an on-going battle about which is better. It all started with him claiming that more people are right handed in the world, so it must be better.

A typical banter:
Lennon: More people in the world are right handed, so it's better.

Me: Yeah, but that makes being left handed that much more special.

L: Well, look at all these superheroes on my comic book (pointing them out individually to me). They're ALL right handed (because each is holding some type of weapon in their right hand).

M: Yeah, but I could kick all their butts with my LEFT hand!

L: Sonic does (insert action here) with his right hand though, so it's better.

M: Then why do you bat left handed?

L: Aurgh!

It pretty much keeps me in stitches. I'm happy to let it drop, but Lennon seems set on convincing me of the error of my ways. As if I had much to do with it. ;)

I've been tagged

So my niece, Rebecca, has tagged me. I thought I needed something to distract me from my lack of work, and so I will work on this before finding other distractions (such as the Primary program, and a funny blog I'll add tomorrow about Lennon and me).

OK, the rules are listed at right. And now for 7 random and/or weird facts about me:

1. I'm a recipe addict. I think this is listed in my profile, but I'll risk putting it here, too. I collect recipes all the time, and I love them! I rarely get to cook as much as I'd like, but if I ever get the chance, I'll have plenty of recipes to keep me busy.

2. I proofread menus, billboards, flyers, etc. without realizing I'm doing it. I'm not perfect in my grammar by any means, but I certainly know the difference between its and it's. It's a sickness, but I'm a lot better than I used to be.

3. I'm a recovering Packrat addict. The new format certainly helped with this. Fellow PRers will know what I'm talking about.

4. I'm not very good at coming up with 7 random/weird facts about myself. But I am realizing that I have a few addictions/sicknesses I should give some serious thought.

5. I hate raisins.

6. If I get laughing really hard, I cry a river. I can't explain it, it just is. But I have to be laughing really hard. (I had to call a co-worker for help.)

7. I love to learn new things. Beekeeping, yoga, beadwork, etc. The only problem is, once I've "conquered" whatever it is I'm learning, I easily lose interest. That's one reason my job is good for me--it's constantly changing and challenging. Plus it puts food on our table. :)

Now the other hard part- tagging 7 others. Since Rebecca and I link to all the same family posts, it will prove difficult, especially since she tagged 5 and they're all family. Does it count if I tag them too, and they just participate once? I would tag Lauren, Beth, Brenna, Jesse, Jeanne, Kelsey (all family) and Trish (not family).

Working yourself out of a job

I am having the absolute worst time getting into my job lately. No ambition, no spark, no drive, no enthusiasm, no nothing. I sit here at my desk pondering all the things I should be doing, and just find a big, blank, empty well of nothing to draw from. I still go through the motions, mind you, but my heart’s just not in it.

A friend here at work just came in, who’s been involved in our employee compensation study. It’s been a long, painful, drawn-out process, and I really respect those who have been involved. We chatted for a bit, and I only bring him up because he’s been my sounding board for my realignment proposal here at work. Not having a degree has really hurt me in a lot of ways. Not in every way, because I’m someone who knows how to learn and can usually figure things out. However, in my proposal I suggest re-structuring the communications staff and conservation staff into one section/division/department. In doing that, we would need a new management position to oversee both facets of the division.

It makes good sense to join the two; most of our external messaging is conservation, and by myself I’m unable to keep up with external and internal needs. It’s too much. Up to now, we’ve been using an external PR firm, which, incidentally, no one in house can stand to work with except the assistant general manager, who ultimately decides whether we’ll rehire them or not. (And yes, he knows how we feel.)

Anyway, all of that as background information now brings me to my perceived source of apathy: a grandfathering of degreeless employees who have been put into positions that require degrees, but a moratorium of hiring any others into new, degree-required positions.

My boss, the general manager, is opening a window for said degreeless employees to issue a proposal on how they would pursue their degrees and what they would go after. All fine, you say, so what’s the problem? My dear husband, as mentioned in an earlier blog (see "Stress sucks"), has just returned to school himself. Adjusting to both of us working full time has been a trick; adjusting to that plus him returning to school has been painful, and the thought of me joining him is just excruciating. Only in that we have just one computer, no free time together, and our house is a disaster. My children are barely kept clothed and fed (ok, I’m exaggerating on that last one). Adding to the current work and stress load would certainly put me over the top.

So, here I sit, with this wonderful proposal in the works, basically working myself right out of a promotion. Sigh. Beth pointed out that surely I could go to school online, since I already spend quite a bit of time there. Yes, I probably could, but I just don’t think it’s in the cards, all things considered. There’s a difference in hitting the "refresh" button once in a while and having to read, study, and basically work a second, part-time job, which is what Ed’s counselors have told him he will have to consider his schooling.

The good news in all this? We are adjusting, and life is good. His schooling has not been anything extraordinarily taxing as of yet, and I’m still holding my own. Whew. I guess I’m just not ready to upset a just-balancing apple cart.

So, am I nuts? Does any of this make sense? Am I crazy to miss this opportunity? I guess I should finish this entry by stating my intentions should my proposal go through and we actually hire someone with a degree: I will work towards having part-time hours here at work and stay more at home. I like that idea, especially with teenage-boy years coming up. That, my friends, seems like the opportunity not to miss. Schools will always be around, but my young sons will not.

And finally, to bring this full circle: I suspect that my apathetic attitude has something to do with my sense of foreboding. Nothing really left to strive for; hence my lack of interest. However, as my friend who came into my office said, "I’m sure it will pass."

10 commandments of blogging

From this source, the 10 commandments of blogging:

1. You shall not put your blog before your integrity.

2. You shall not make an idol of your blog.

3. You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.

4. Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.

5. Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.

6. You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.

7. You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.

8. You shall not steal another person’s content.

9. You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.

10. You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking. Be content with your own content.

Amen!

To bee or not to bee?

I've always been fascinated by beekeeping. I know, weird, but true. I've often wondered if I took it up if it would be something I would enjoy long-term, or if it would be one of those things that I learned about and then lost interest in once I'd "conquered" it.

Well, I'm going to get the opportunity to find out. We'll be hosting two beehives in the spring under Hansen Hives, and Aaron Hansen, the beekeeper, offered to bring me a suit when he comes so I can "apprentice" under him to see if I enjoy it. I figure this way I can get the buzz over with (ha ha) and see if it's more work than I want, or really a fun little, long-term, productive hobby. Those of you who have seen our backyard know that we have just the room agains the back fence. They said two hives would work nicely back there, and they'll be far enough away from the house that we shouldn't have to worry about any problems.

On a side note, the term "beeline" actually comes from bees. They make a beeline straight from their hive to the closest food source, and Aaron told me sometimes you can follow them for a long while before either finding where they eat or losing them. I also learned that there are nine toxins in bees' venom, and depending on how many of them you are allergic to will determine what level of reaction. One allergen, a small bump. Nine allergens, possible death.

The nice thing about it all is that the Hansens have offered us a discount on any honey. They were just the nicest people you could ever meet. I look forward to learning this new thing and if I do end up becoming a beekeeper, watch out fam--you'll be getting honey for every gift!

Teeth

Riley finally lost his tooth. He loses them really slowly. I think this is only number six, possibly seven, that he's lost, and he's 11 years old. He's been working on this one for over a month now, and finally last night asked for suggestions on how to remove it as it was getting really loose. We tied floss around it and then to the doorknob. I told him, "Go ahead," but he wanted me to slam it. So I did. Said tooth popped somewhere in the bathroom, and he was a happy, gaping-hole mouthed child. But no notes for the Tooth Fairy. :(

Stress sucks

My husband started a new job about a year and a half ago, and is now going back to school. For those of you who don't know, he was a stay-at-home Dad who worked in the evenings for about seven years before all of this, and did a fantastic job. I was always the stress case, struggling to maintain my sanity while raising two small boys alone in the evenings.

Now, you may argue, "what's the difference between raising them alone in the evening as opposed to raising them alone during the day?" And I would tell you honestly, "I don't know." But I have seen a marked difference in my husband since he has returned to work full time. I now get home a couple of hours later than he does, and it's usually mayhem at the house. I actually thanked him the other day, just because I realized that I wasn't a total freak all those years. If it can affect Ed this way, I know that I wasn't insane. He acknowledged that, saying that he of course knew I wasn't insane. (Diplomatic, wouldn't you say?)

But in light of the stress full-time work in a stressful, high-profile position can cause, I'd say we're doing pretty well. I fully realize that it's my turn to shine, as it were; to take the load off Ed so he can take care of business. Once school starts in earnest for him, I know how important that will be. I hope that I can remain selfless and "fight" for the greater good. Now if I can just convince my kids. :)

But, like my title says, stress sucks. Ed's intent is that with his degree he will be able to support us as a family and allow me the opportunity, at long last, to stay home. I look forward to it, but realize that it may not be so important once it gets here. But then again, with teen boys (by then) it may be more important than ever.

Have a great day.

We're growing...

I realized I said I would post info about our garden expansion here at work, and then never did. I work for Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, and we have the Conservation Garden Park on our site. It's really pretty cool. The last year has been a painful growing experience, in that we are expanding the current 2-acre garden, which showcases waterwise landscaping, into a 4.5-acre garden which will teach people how to achieve that type of landscape. For more info, visit www.conservationgardenpark.org.

It's been a thrilling project, and I'm happy to have been a part of it. I've learned a lot about how much coordination and attention to detail is required for a project of this size, where most of my projects here at work are done by me. Solo. I've often said it's hard to be a creative team of one, and it really is. However, I was privileged to work with some now great friends in San Diego (DPA, SMY, ADA, you know who you are), and am still working with them. A great group, all of them. Thanks to them all for their tutorship, mentoring, and help. You rock!

As for outside resources for those who must design on their own, I highly recommend "Before and After," an excellent series to which you can subscribe. The good news for me is, I've turned in a proposal here at work to see if we (I) can get some additional help around here. I'll let you know how it goes.

Quail meeting

The other day Lennon was looking out into our backyard when he said, "If you look outside you'll see a meeting of quail."

Me: "A meeting of quail?"

Lennon: "Yeah, a big meeting."

I love kids!

Surgery Update

My surgery went well, for a surgery. Life is mostly back to normal, but I still had to ask the question after it was all over, "Was that worth it?" Time will tell, I suppose.

On a childish note (hee hee), my kids are back in school and doing well. They don't have school lunch for the first month (what the?), so we've been making them for them. I think they're enjoying it, but Lennon lost his lunch bag the first week. Still hasn't turned up!

Sorry for the short note; I just felt it was time to get back in the swing of blogging, and the wife of a friend here at work started one, so I was feeling left out. :( I told him he'd be my inspiration to start again.

I need to write more about the garden expansion, so will plan to do that next post.
Ciao!

Cumet de Fois

Got to be a part of my niece's wedding Saturday. What a spiritually moving event. Sitting in the temple I love to drink in the Spirit. It was a joy to spend time with all of my family--they are a treasure to me in every sense of the word. The wedding was in Highland, and I got to travel there with my brother, who had flown in from Denver, and parents. What a treat.

On the way (there or back, can't remember), my brother and I were discussing many things, and I don't recall what we were talking about when all of a sudden he said, "Cumet de Fois." I asked him, "What does that mean?" He looked at me funny. It was then I realized that he said, "Kewmit the Fwog." He really doesn't speak French. :)

Other hilarious moments included his retelling of my sister and me folding clothes as part of our chores, then pointing to a pile of freshly-folded linens and asking, "Is that Gomer's pile?" Jesse related that story and I burst out laughing, just at the pure silliness of it all, but then it got better--apparently we referred to Jesse as "Gomer" growing up, and it was his pile of clothes we would point to. I had no memory of that, but it still makes me laugh. Poor youngest brother who had nothing but older sisters to pester and smother him. I'm shocked he turned out so well.

Another was when Jesse used the term, "decidedly odd." If that doesn't tell you something about my brother, I'm afraid you'll never understand. I love that guy immensely.

Cumet de Fois!

Of bubbles and waffles

"Oh, I wanna eat and eat and eat and eat until I die!"

There's a lady here at my work whom I just adore. I can be in the dumps considerably, and after five minutes with her, life is rosy again. I don't know what it is, other than her bubbly personality and joyful outlook. That or she's in a constant manic state. Either way, for me it's infectious. Don't get me wrong--every manic episode seems to require a fall, and she does have those, as well, at which point we lift her back to her effervescent self. Frankly, I love being a part of it.

On another note (waffles), I'm waffling with a decision, and I hate that. Those are the tough ones. Usually my gut tells me right up front, and I'm pretty sure I know the answer with this one, but when I tell myself that's it, I get a little panicky. Not a fun place to be. Sigh. I had surgery five years ago, and now I've learned that some muscles have separated from my ribs, which will require another surgery to fix it. It's not urgent, but it would be nice to get it done. I'm just not looking forward to another surgery of any kind. So I'm still waffling. Writing it down hasn't helped much. :)

The crisis is over

Thank goodness. The project I mentioned in my last couple of posts is in final review, and changes were made to everyone's satisfaction (even mine, if you can believe it). Today I feel like a bump on a log as I'm not in a pressure cooker to get anything done. Just waiting around for reviewers, writers, etc. While it's a relief, it's also a wee bit uncomfortable. Not something I've had the pleasure of feeling for a while.

The other day I was offering 20 points to whomever could tell me the source of this song: "Turkey, lobster, sweet potato pie; pancakes piled up till they reach the sky." Here's a part I can't remember, then on to a big finish: "Oh I wanna eat and eat and eat and eat until I die!"

I know Jesse will guess, and probably most anyone in my family, but it was fun to watch co-workers screw up their faces trying to figure it out. Good luck!

Sometimes when you open a window you get blown against the back wall

So the project I mentioned in my blog two posts ago? That depression over it was nothing. We've all but sent the signs to the fabricator, and now there are contributors who want to monkey with the information on the signs. Months into the project. A window was opened for them to have some input, and I completely lost it last night at work as the gale-force wind rushed in. Sigh. The design team that I've been working with for the last several months is completely finished (although they still have my back, thank goodness) and has moved on to other projects. This is not pretty. You simply can't produce a project like this via outside committee. It doesn't work.

So for now, I have on my wind tunnel outfit and my fighting gear, along with my diplomat face and soft voice. To quote Sandra Bullock's character in Two Weeks Notice, "We shall prevail!"

On a lighter note, my older son is going on his first Scout campout tonight with Ed and the other Scouts and their dads. I'm excited for them. I think Ed's a little overwhelmed, but it should be fun. Oh- and Ed's also having to deal with getting our tub fixed this morning (don't worry--we have a plumber coming). It's got a nasty leak, and the last attempt to fix it (by said plumber) made it worse, but only because the pipes are so old there really wasn't much he could do except come back more prepared this time, with more time to do what needs to be done.

We've been turning our water on and off at the main valve for the last week. It's been kind of like camping. But with heat. And a stove. And a bed.

My boss is going to read my blog

Seriously. We were discussing all the value behind social media, how to use it in the workplace, etc., and I offered to send him a link to my blog. So, Richard, you're now officially recognized in the blogosphere. Hope you enjoy! (Does this mean I have to write in corporate speak now?) ;)

I'm dying here

I'm working on a major project right now, and it's killing me. I think I've spent the last two weeks solid on it, and then in creep those other, annoying little deadlines for ads and whatnot. I was doing fine, getting all excited about being so close to finished, and then the designer I'm working with informs me that we have to re-flow all the copy that we've put in due to a fabrication oversight. Sigh.

For those of you who are not design geeks, let me just say that it completely deflated my balloon. It was the first time in the entire project that I felt desperate for an end. I felt like we had gone back two steps, and now all the stuff I was so close to completing just had to be started over. But that's life, right? We have these setbacks and we just keep going. So I will do that, like a good little soldier.

What about my rights?

At the risk of sounding like a freak, I've got to vent about the airline industry stripping away our rights based on one or two people breaking the rules. I just returned from a conference in Las Vegas, where I took a little time to go shopping after a session. I found these great body sprays at Ann Taylor for $5. Wow! In my packing frenzy to return home, I carefully made sure that everything was where it needed to be in order to avoid the search and seizure routine--except the body sprays. What was I thinking? Needless to say, they were confiscated.

Now, do you really suppose they think we're such a great threat, when all they do is toss everything out in the same bin? Not much risk of these scents combining in that way, is there? Think they might cause an explosion? Anyway, I was furious and ready to sue the airline industry for infringing on my personal rights. Anyone feel the same way? They must collect hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of liquids each year. Sigh.

On another note entirely, the conference was good. It was on Social Media, of all things. One of our keynote speakers was David Pogue, who had me rolling (I had to put your name in here, David, to see if you really would show up and read my blog).

One gentleman at my table asked where I was from, and when I said "Salt Lake," he got kind of misty and said how beautiful it is here, to which I heartily agreed. He then said, "That's a straight shot down I-15 for you to get here, isn't it?" Affirmative. He then cracked me up: "You could make all kinds of analogies about that being a literal descent into hell." Amen.

Five years and feeling fine

Today is my 5-year anniversary from surgery to eradicate breast cancer. Yes, I had surgery on Valentine's Day. The joke in our house was that my husband was getting a new breast for Valentine's Day. :) You absolutely have to have a sense of humor during such times, or you will just wither up and blow away. Seriously.

I don't know how much I've shared about my cancer experience with all of you who might be reading this, but I have to admit that facing cancer was not the biggest trial. Getting back to "normal" was. That was truly the biggest challenge of my life. But with a loving husband, two great kids, my faith (especially my faith- my husband told me I carried him through the whole ordeal), and eventually some medication, I survived and now thrive. What a wonderful place to be. My heart is full, I'm so happy I only have to visit my doctor once a year now, and I hope anyone who faces a similar trial has the fabulous support I did. And do.

My love to my husband for being so fabulous, and to my kids for having a sense of humor in the face of a crazy mom. I love you all.

It's a Conspiracy

I'm not usually a conspiracy theorist, but I have to say that I am convinced there's one among cell phone plan providers. Seriously. Maybe it's not one of those "aliens taking over the world" type of conspiracies, but I swear, it's a conspiracy nonetheless. Or at least something that really bugs me.

So- how many of you own cell phones? And how many of you have grown up knowing how to leave a message on an answering machine? OK, so here's my beef-- why the HECK do they put that annoying lady on everybody's cell phone to tell you how to leave a message? It's not like you didn't just leave your own, personalized message on your own phone, and how many of us can receive faxes through our cell phones anyway? A simple beep is no longer sufficient, we now need to hear how to end our call, what button to push if we want to page somebody, how to let them know it's important, and all that garbage. You would think our technologically-savvy generation would find such promptings unnecessary. How stupid do they think we are? And now to the conspiracy part--they just want us to use more minutes. Think how many minutes those stupid announcements add up to in a year!

And now you know why I tend not to be a conspiracy theorist. My theories are usually pretty lame. But I do think they should end the tyranny and let us all leave messages the way we have for years and years: after a simple beep.

Ants in my pants

I have been jumpy all afternoon. I've accomplished much sitting here at my desk, and now I'm just about to burst out of my skin. I'm dying to go home, and I hope that posting a blog will help in some small way. I've no idea why I feel this way-- anticipation of a long weekend, too much chocolate, exasperation with office gossip, or what.

As far as actual work goes, I'm really quite pleased with all the stuff I've accomplished today--lots of those little, in-between assignments that pile up around the big ones.

Maybe it's the moon. I just spoke with my husband and he seems exasperated as well. If you're feeling the same, at least you're (and I'm) not alone!

My boss recently approved having me teach yoga during lunch to my coworkers. Why is it that some ideas seem so fabulous until they're actually upon you? I love teaching yoga, but until now it's been to neighbors, and when I think about being responsible for coworkers, it just seems strange. I'll let you know how it goes.

Namaste