10/13/07

Today's been a surprisingly busy day!

Woke up and had pancakes for breakfast. Yummmmm! :)

Emailed out my notes for Critical Chain (finally). I also wished hard for the rain to stop, because my coworker's future brother-in-law was getting married in the park nearby... outside. With no tent. I know, I don't know them, but still, planning a wedding suddenly gives you a lot of sympathy for other brides.

Then, started messing around online. As you can see, the template isn't quite there yet. But after an hour or so of working on the background and trying out different colors, you can see where one may get tired of programming.

Also found while wasting time online:

These awesome British "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters from Oh Joy!. I may print one out to post in my cubicle at work - the story behind them is fascinating.

Clever, cute, and fun shirts from Shana Logic. I would totally wear this hat.

A lot of the bees like DailyCandy. I've checked it out a few times, but it just doesn't mesh with me. Plus, when you know not to check a total stranger's blog because you know they're on vacation, that's when you need to reach out to your non-virtual friends.

Reading the news + myspace before bed = horrible dreams about people you miss.

The rain cleared up! But I'm sure the ground was still soaked.

After that I was feeling a little guilty for not studying again, so I started flipping through my PM notes. After getting immediately bored, I spent about another hour drawing ERDs for database. I was tempted to try all of them that I could figure, but it's still hard for me to remember that I'm in a group of perfectly capable students.

I thought about going for a run, but instead made chicken and dumplings for my sick charge's dinner. It was fantastic but I felt guilty, and just did regular yoga. Still not wanting to study (and wanting back in the kitchen) I decided I'd make a half-batch of fudge, using the "family recipe." It's never worked, but I figured a half wouldn't waste much. It might have worked tonight, if I hadn't burnt it to a crisp. After much pouting and whining (so attractive!) Andy tried to say it was good (so not) but then found a variation online that might work. So I'm waiting for it to cool to 110 degrees, and it's taking forever, but looking promising. It's just a little thicker than syrup right now. I'll post the recipe if it works...

Faces

This was a fun little distraction from doing homework ... and studying ... and fixing my template ... I know it's a weird picture, and I'm not quite sure what I was doing at the time. But look at all the people it thinks look like me! Apparently, fair-skinned white girls all pretty much look the same.

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

Yikes!!

You might be wondering... what on earth is going on here??

I'm learning HTML. Or XML. I'm not really sure. But I'm trying to make myself my very own template!

In case you're wondering, I'm using these great websites for help (and my personal webmaster!):

Palette Builder
Tizag HTML tutorial
Computer Hope color codes

To Do

Here's the weekend's to-do list:

• Go to the grocery store, for my caprese sandwich fixings and Von's chili. Did it! But I may need a trip back already for the things I forgot.
• Bake foccacia. I'm going to try this easy focaccia recipe, maybe with some alterations, but I'd also like to try this garlic cheese flatbread recipe sometime also.
  
• Run or yoga at least once each day.
• Try to find the maker's mark in my engagement ring. This site might be just the ticket.
• Study for my PM midterm.
• Finish my SQL coding homework.
• Start drawing ERDs for our group project.
• Work at least a little on the blanket I've been knitting for years now!
• Email my resume to the career center for approval.
• Buy new sunglasses (my $5 Wal Mart ones are peeling and irritating my skin, and remind me how mad I am at them).
• Organize my wedding inspiration pictures, and work out a comparable Google spreadsheet system to compare costs.
• Get in to using Google calendar. I'd use it more often, but I don't care for any of the display gadgets. It has a lot of potential though. I did set up a week reminder for birthdays. Plus I don't really want to carry a calendar with me.
  

Next week:

• Take my PM midterm.
  
• Go to the first information session about my required international trip.
  
• Go to the rotational employee meeting.
• Return the bland, boring scrapbook I bought. I saw this one and immediately changed my mind.
  
• Maybe go to the Bridal Showplace next Saturday.
  

Baking

Yay! I'm spending the afternoon in the kitchen! :-)

Shoes

Week

Wow, the week has gone by so fast. It seems like just Monday I was wishing it was Friday already.

Monday:
Was a holiday for every company except for mine. It's alright, though, because I had what's becoming a fairly typical, uneventful day. I stopped off at Target for a gift bag, snack bar, and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte on the way to PM class. Since when is a tall latte $4??? I think for Christmas I will ask for a very generous gift card, otherwise I won't be able to justify my peppermint, gingerbread, or egg nog lattes.

Tuesday:
I went to yoga, and the class was almost empty! The problem with going to class by myself is that when someone ... um, over extends themselves, and ... well, farts, there's no one to laugh with. It just seems rude to laugh by yourself. I tried the turkey chili from the cafeteria, but it was a weird sort of spicy, not the good kind. And nothing like the Von's chili, which could possibly be the best chili ever. I went up to LA for class and didn't have any money so I couldn't buy anything more than a bag of Skittles, but Andy made me a sandwich when I came home.
So sweet! Every time I go to the little shop in the business building, I want the caprese sandwich. It's $7, though, and they don't take cash. As I didn't have cash, I decided I'd just go to the grocery store and make my own, and bake my own foccacia to boot. I also got to deliver a gift to one of my birthday girls, which of course was fun. I did a little better than average on my non-midterm midterm, but I feel kind of slighted about my pre-fall grade. To be fair, I didn't put in much effort. But at least I sat through the whole thing, which is more than I can say for most people!

Wednesday:
The best part of today was going to Todai for lunch with Andy and friends. It's not fun not seeing him for most of the week. I sent out about eight emails through Here Comes The Guide to potential reception venues, and sat and stared at my inbox waiting for replies. I didn't want to go to self-help class; even though it was fun I simply couldn't wait to go home. But once I was home the exhaustion from the week, being sick, and the pressure of work, school, wedding planning, property purchasing, car buying, along with not being able to do the little things that I enjoy so much, really got to me. But I was so worn out that I think I eventually just passed out.

Thursday:
Not having to go to class is fantastic. I didn't go to yoga and instead ruined all the healthy eating I've been doing because our department hosted a pizza lunch. It was fun, and I had no idea how funny some of the people I work with are! After a slightly botched attempt to surprise my friend with her very belated birthday gift, I went home, took an easy run, and talked to my parents for a very long time about wedding related things (I think I'm hardly a bridezilla, but I feel like I have to talk over every decision!). Andy came home rather late with my cold, so we got smoothies from across the street, came home and made him soup, and sent my mom the information I'd found so far. I also finished reading Critical Chain, which ended up being as cheesy and self-serving as I expected. The concepts are good, and the author is very good at explaining them, even if he beats a dead horse occasionally. It's a little like the Da Vinci Code - the history and theory are fascinating, but the story that drives it is formulaic.

These are my total weakness, by the way. Not cookies, not ice cream, not alcohol. I could eat boxes and boxes. Made of 100% recycled paperboard!


Friday:
I found out that our chapel is available both weekends we were considering, which was great news! Now we just need to reserve it. I also typed my Critical Chain notes for my group. We had lunch at My Place (a sports bar, not my home!), and I finally got to deliver my last birthday gift for a while. It made her so happy! Which, of course, made me happy. I went to the grocery store after work, where the ATM never works, forgot a number of things, and dragged it all home. My mom wants to come out to visit, and help me find reception venues, but I just don't have the extra time. We had dinner at the Corner Bakery, came home, read, and that was pretty much the night.

Really?

So, the other day, at work, we watched a video, and my friend and I were sitting in the back and both noticed this startling similarity:

















We both thought the same thing, so it's not just me. Really?? We make Johnny #5??? Seems like we're about 20 years too late. But cool!

<> OK, apparently my company doesn't make that. The iRobot company is famous for the Roomba and Scooba (which I want!!).

Hammer

I saw this posted on TMZ today - MC Hammer is dead??

He looked pretty good when we saw him a couple of weeks ago. Older, but healthy. Good thing he's not dead; he's still pretty much rockin'.

Weekend

The past few weekends have been really great. Very fun, very active. This weekend sucked, all because I was sick.

Friday I missed Oktoberfest, Saturday I missed our potential Temecula trip and the USC-Stanford tailgate (perhaps just as well!), today talking Andy into visiting Disney's California Adventure, and no running or yoga whatsoever.

Instead, I spent all Friday sleeping and studying. I did pay my $63 so the state will continue to allow me to drive, but with that and the plane tickets not showing up until the first of the month, I've got to be more careful what I spend. We went across the street to Islands for dinner, which just about killed me and my diet. Then, instead of going out (because after dinner I was on my last leg), we picked up The Lives of Others. I've had some time to think about it now, and it was definitely a good movie. Not the type I usually like, but I can still appreciate a good one when I see it. Although, it was very long, and I think I just passed out after.

Saturday I slept ... and slept ... and slept. I finished my project management homework, not without typos, and spent part of the day in bed reading Critical Chain. It. Is. Awful. But at least I was still working something off my list. I used our wonky banana to make muffins, but they came out really dry because it really takes two bananas to make a good muffin. We'd planned to go out for a celebratory dinner, since I couldn't make it Friday, but we ended up getting Chicago for Ribs (yum!) takeout and listening to the last few minutes of the USC-Stanford game on the radio (it wasn't on TV!). I did some database homework, wedding planning and ... can't really remember what else!

Today was laundry day. That was rough, but at least we got it done early in the day. Andy made pancakes, and I could have eaten about 50 but I didn't. Then spent the afternoon doing database homework, writing out some answers to the Critical Chain questions, and working the project management practice midterm. I also got to finish up the guest list! It looks like we'll get the chapel that we want, but now it's a matter of finding a reception site. They are all so painfully expensive! Well, not expensive per person, but the minimums make things tough. And while all that is important, I have this up to torture myself:


Who wouldn't love a $10,000 dress from the one designer who doesn't seem to have a California store?? I bought a copy of People magazine in June just so I could have a picture of this dress. Now, it seems, I just have to get my mom out here to look for reception sites and dresses.

So, I didn't even get everything I needed to get done this weekend. Why do I have so much homework??? Bleh. I need a snack.