Ugh. I did absolutely nothing last night. Mostly watched That 70's Show and played with Alice. The Russian took Ralf with him to Bloomington after work to pick up some junk (tools).
Not sure what we're doing today, other than I have to go help Cliffie take a math test at 1. Let's hoping it goes as well as the quiz we did Thursday. :) This is a huge deal with online classes, I'd think. Is it right? Absolutely not.
Anyway, I thought the Russian wanted to go to a sale in Jerome, but he's still sleeping and I'm not one that's often inclined to make him get up. Other than that sale, I need to hit GFS and the quilt shop for this month's block. Maybe I'll go wash the little Jeep here in a few.
The redbuds are blooming, they sure are pretty. It's like a big splash of purple all over the front yard. This is the only time of year that I miss the forsythia we used to have (until we literally ripped them out of the ground with the big Jeep...I really hated those things other than when they bloomed). I need to fix the sandstone around the front flower bed and fill up the birdbath. I'm seeing loads of earthworms out front, which is awesome, they definitely did some work on the leaves that were left out there over the winter. Still shopping for a worm farm. I don't see many red wrigglers in our yard, I'd like to grow them in a bin and maybe introduce some (or just the products of their work, maybe).
Ok, going to wake up the giant :)
Listening to: VH1 - Paolo Nutini, New Shoes. Catchy little tune, eh?
Ugh. Another sleepless night. Coyotes in the woods around our house all night, carrying on like idiots. I heard them yapping and running for the better part of an hour this morning. Didn't help that we had lots of windows open in the bedroom. Hoping it's quieter tonight.
Coworker got his homework turned in, I think I did pretty good. Quiz this afternoon, apparently. College is more fun with no pressure on MY grades. Heh.
Tomorrow night is the fuzzy slipper sew-in at Calico Hearts. Need to get some snacks tonight to take with me and pack the Ugly Orange Bag. Going home for lunch today and would bring the bike back with me but it's looking like rain. :( I think Saturday is supposed to be nice but rainy. Bleh. Sooner or later I'll get it out again and terrorize this town. Muahahahaha!
The Russian is still working on the Unisaw rust project (maybe I should call it the anti-rust project). He's now trying to convince me that this will work based on another person's experience with a child's wading pool. I'll believe it when I see it.
Both dogs need baths, and I'm thinking about getting the cats dipped, too. The other night I was in the bathtub and Kenny fell in accidentally (I swear, it really was an accident!)...he scrambled to get out but I don't know that he actually hated the experience. I could probably do Vic pretty easily, he's more like a rag doll. We'll see. I've never given them a bath, but it seems like something I should try. Famous last words...
Dish Network is supposed to come out again today to see if we can get one of their little dishes. I think they should clamp it to the top of Carl's big dish, but he says not. Our house is going to look like communications central after awhile with all of the crap that's hovering above it. The neighbors probably think he's some kind of spy, sending and receiving transmissions to the French.
(Okay, maybe not the French...I'm going to pay for that one.) Love ya honey! :)
Headed home at lunch anyway, just to see if I can catch the dish guy. I can't believe we have so many trees around our house that they can't figure something out. Directv apparently has satellites more to the south than the west, and we have more trees on the west side of our house up close.
Oh well, back to work!
2 updates in one day. woot.
Just finished up coworker's math homework, this week's wasn't too terrible, but who knows what the quiz will bring tomorrow.
I think I have a spider bite on my foot.
Happy was I to find out we're getting a free newspaper subscription for a month. This is good, 'cause our new soldier wants comics, and we don't normally take the paper (I read it online). So for the next month we should be set. :)
What's up with Yahoo groups sending messages 5 or 6 times in a row? Vista switch?
Didn't get any work done on cool ties. See above re: homework, and the vtr board had a spam issue that needed dealt with. I'll work on them tomorrow night assuming nothing else bad happens.
The Russian is working on some project downstairs, I hear lots of filing going on.
'Night y'all.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear ya!
I'm still kicking. Working on cool ties every spare minute.
I have a pile with first fills that have been stitched. They need to be cut apart and refilled. Another pile is in the process of getting stitched after first fill, and yet more are still waiting for the first fill. Oh, and then there's the giant pile on top of the thread rack that's waiting to be SERGED. Ugh. Oh well, never fear, I'll get them all done one way or another.
I'm going to the quilt shop's fuzzy slipper night this Friday, anybody else going? I don't know if I'll be working on cool ties or taking a break from that yet. I still have the blue and purple batik quilt for the Linus Project that I'd like to finish piecing. The blocks are mostly set, I just need to finish up placing them and put it all together. Sometime I'd like to make some new summer pants, but I dunno when that will be! And I have 2 pieces of very nice linen that are supposed to be a jacket and dress set, wonder when I'll get to that? If it's like every other year, it'll be after all of the cool ties and quilts are caught up, which means never! :) Actually, I think last year I did get a couple of pairs of pants worked up. I should see if I can locate those...and I need some new pj bottoms, let's add that to the list.
I still have a piece of silk I'm trying to design into a jacket sometime. I can't make up my mind if I want to make it into a wrap or something more structured. Oh, the pressure! ha! I think the only time I get to work on my stuff is if I take a class, maybe I should take more classes. :)
Okay, enough about sewing. It just makes me want to go home and get busy.
It's halfway rainy here today, highs in the low 70s, which is perfect. Wish it wasn't rainy and I could get the bike out. Still need to give the little Jeep a wash and then the top can come down. It also still needs a radio *pokes the Russian*. I know, he's going to add it to his list, which got overrun yesterday by my satellite tv project (don't even ask). Right now he's setting up some contraption on our front porch to shock the rust off of his new Unisaw. Okay, I know it's not really shocking, but electricity and water are involved...that's shocking.
Still writing to the new adopted soldier guy. Haven't heard anything yet, you'll all know when I do, believe me. :) Easter box is on its way today along with another letter. My mom is really getting into this, too. She's been sending boxes to a guy from her church, and now is hooking up with the Soldiers' Angels group to send stuff that's been requested.
Okay, that's enough. Back to work!
Hope you're all having a loverly day. Yeah, so it's been awhile since I updated.
Survived St Pattys
Salukis got thrown out of NCAA tourney last night. Boo hiss. Bill Self is goin' down.
Headed to Harrisburg this weekend.
Started making cool ties again, because I'm a narcissist. And because it's going to be hot in Iraq this summer.
Ordered new CITO shirts, not sure if we're going to any events this year, tho.
Still addicted to Sudoku.
Waiting not so patiently for the rain to be over with so I can drag the little Jeep out.
Thinking about starting a worm farm (no, not for Tequila bottlers)
Easter lilies are blooming at the neighbors' house, but not mine. What's with that?
Adopted a new soldier in Iraq. Wants comics, so far that's it. I think we can deliver on that. :)
30's turning 20 quilt is on hold until cool tie season is over. It's killing me to leave it on the shelf but there are more important things, and it's not going to be done in time for the March trip to Juarez, anyway.
That's about it.
Mail me if ya need anything
@ Mowie's 2-nite, free wifi, who knew? watched Illini lose to VA tech, watching SIU lose to Holy Cross.
Not that we care about basketball in the least, we were supposed to meet some friends from work but they're LOSERS!!! (hi Cliffie :) )
And at least the Illini can go home and focus on their indictments now.
SIU up by one :) not that we care ;)
Took the first bike ride of the season last night. Little story about that later. I'm still working on cool ties, I have about 250 started. The Russian is using a shop vac to turn them right side out, works pretty good. He's a smart cookie :)
I ended up buying an entire bolt of tea-dyed muslin at Joanns this weekend, but haven't started cutting it out yet. I'm hoping to get the Ironrite machine out tonight so I can press what's been serged and turned. I think that'll go a lot faster since I'll just feed the stuff through it, several at a time.
So anyway, I took the little bike out last night for a spin around the lake and downtown. Before I left, the Russian charged up the battery and warned me about not stopping until it had time to really charge up. First mistake: not checking to see if the gas was on reserve or on. I made it all the way down Woodside to Toronto, then around the lake by the zoo (across Lindsay Bridge, which is one of my favorite parts of that particular ride), to Stevenson, to 6th to Capitol, then south on 2nd. I got 2 blocks south of the capitol, at 2nd and Cook. I was sitting at the light, it changed and nothing. Died, right there. There's a lot of traffic at that intersection, particularly when the legislature is in session, and it was around 8 at night, so the traffic was probably a little drunker than usual.
Anyway, I moved it around the corner and parked and called The Russian to come rescue me. He brought jumper cables and figured out that the reserve was on (which I thought I had already checked but it didn't start when I flipped the switch, but I think that was a battery issue). Finally got it going again, I got to 6th and South Grand and filled up. Wouldn't start again, so TR push started it and I got it home. I'm going to try and bring it to work today at lunch. It was either that or the little Jeep, and I don't want to put the top down for one day, although at this point I'm wondering which one is more hassle...battery issues with the Honda or wrestling the top off the Jeep.
The ride around the lake is one of my favorites locally. I noticed last night how different things smell on a bike. When I got to the east side of the lake it was noticeably fishy, but that's the only part of the ride where I notice that. The views are really spectacular, particularly around the power plant. I also find the difference in temperatures interesting, just a degree or two drop in temp can make a huge difference if you're a wimp like me. I couldn't find my normal gloves last night, so I wore some gardening stiff latex gloves (hot pink, natch), and I finally got the chance to try out my new Wiley goggles. I switched the lenses to clear...very, very dorky. However, they really do keep the wind out of my eyes, although when I was coming home on 2nd street I had my head down and they started to fall off my face. I'll use the strap with them today and see if that makes a difference. And maybe I'll use the sunglass lenses, they look a little better that way.
Friday, finally!
One year ago this weekend (actually the 12th) the Russian and I were hiding out in the basement, waiting to get blown away by an F2 tornado that came through town. There are still a lot of homes with damage, but we were extremely fortunate that no one was killed. A week later, we were back in the basement while another tornado stopped within 1/2 mile of our house, we were in its direct path. If you don't have one, buy a weather radio! It won't save your life on its own, but it can give you a head start towards getting out of the way.
Went to Head West for lunch. Pretty good subs, and pretty cheap. I think I'm taking my mom to Bella Milano's tomorrow for lunch. She hasn't been there and their salad is most excellent, and it's not that far out of the way from the rest of the stops we're making.
Getting pink hair again, I think. I'm kind of stuck in a rut with it, but I still like the color and St Patty's is coming up, so I'm feeling kind of festive. I might go for temp green streaks next weekend, depending on what we're doing. It might look a little too Christmas, tho. I'm sure I'll work something out. :)
Happy weekend!
Listening to: Tool - Jambi
A little more than irritated. I got the email this morning about the souvenir advance ticket sales. 3000 tickets to be sold at $60, a great deal considering that regular priced tickets will run ~150-160, probably. So I log on, get 2 tickets in my cart and click on "secure checkout", which turns out to be SO secure that the cart times out before I can complete my purchase. I tried for almost 2 hours to get tickets to no avail. I am not the only person who had this experience. In fact, as soon as I got the email, I called the Russian and had him on the case, as well, but it was pointless. Frontgate tickets SUCKS!
I feel better. :)
Well, not really, I still don't have my tickets. :( I hate to pay full price, and the lineup won't be announced until sometime in April, after the general sale. I'm going to need stronger rumors than what are floating around now regarding the final. Bleh.
In other news, we've got about 200 cool ties cut out and ready to be serged, and I got a package of Watersorb crystals in the mail today. But, alas, my mother is coming to town tomorrow and I've only got 40 million other things to do.
So. I'll start doing them. :)
So yesterday the bosses send out an email inviting all of us out for drinks after work to celebrate the closing of a huge deal, and the merging of Dynitech with E&A. I think we started making plans around noon. My basic idea was to go, have a couple of drinks and then go home. The employees have been thinking about having our own version of a gutter crawl sometime later this month, so I didn't plan on staying out much last night. Yeah. Right.
We started out at Buffalo Wild Wings, which is a block down from the office. One cosmo and 2 hurricanes later I was feeling pretty happy, and another guy from work decided he wanted to go somewhere else. I hit Joanns for some backing fabric for the puzzle quilt, and then went home to pick up Carl. We went to Mowie's where much more fun was had by all (including one of the most messed up hurricanes I've ever had...the bartender didn't have the stuff for it, so he used SOUTHERN COMFORT...scary), and then at some point Cliff (guy from work) says we need to go to the Curve, which I think at that point was the closest bar with a 3am liquor license. I should have known better. We closed them down with 2 rounds of jager shots and a round of sidewinders (all the Russian's idea). I texted Cindy trying to get her and her friends to leave the Butternut Hut, but I think they wanted to stay downtown, and then she had to get home to relieve her parents of their babysitting duties.
This was a bender that reminded me of my offshore working days, and I had to be at church this morning at 9 to sew (yep, church). I made it there, no hangover but so wiped out. I think Carl didn't get up until 2 this afternoon, and he's asleep again now. I think Cliff had to be at a soccer game at 7am, but I didn't text to see if he made it...I'm thinking not.
I'm not sure what to expect for what is supposed to be the real gutter crawl, but I keep having flashbacks to the first Christmas party when I came to work at Dynitech. Some of you might remember that one. Let's just say I'm honored to work with people who can party so hard. :)
Quilting. Oh yeah, I laid out the 30's turning twenty quilt and stitched the rows together, now I just have to join them to each other and add the border, and that one will be done. We decided to meet once a month, which will be nice.
Okay, gotta go, naptime. I am NOT going out tonight. I promise.