OT

This week was not a good way to start the new year.

Work was otherwise uninspiring. By Friday I had to wear my glasses after spending the week staring at the computer all day. I'm a little disillusioned with having done the exact same thing for the past 15 months. Next Thursday we're to find out our new jobs. And, there could be a fight brewing.

I start class on Monday. This semester I'm taking:

• Globe (required, no way around that!)
• Designing and Building Spreadsheet Models
• Legal Environment of Business

My two electives were carefully selected on the basis of having <4 on the "challenging" score (plus, confirmation from past students). On the other hand, I'm really, really tired of school. Taking three classes at once is exhausting and not good for one's health. I have the photo evidence to prove it! The syllabi for my two electives haven't been posted, so I really don't know what the schedule is on those. But I spent last week slowly eating through four long, convoluted articles on globalization ... and I realized I wasn't really in the mood.

The topper for this week: the program fee for the international trip was due Friday, not in May when the grades and bills are settled. I know, I know. "You're getting an MBA for free, don't complain!" Well, when you don't make that much money to begin with, and suddenly have to withdraw $3,000 from your very slowly growing savings account, it's tough. Add to that I have to front the money for books, and our Disneyland annual passes expire this month. I was pretty bummed Friday.

We spent today looking at wedding reception sites that I had researched. It was a beautiful day, and Andy took some amazing pictures, but the most beautiful of the places we visited was far outside our budget (not saying I won't make an appointment, but it is a lot of money). Why are weddings so horribly expensive??

There were good things that happened this week. And check the other blog for our wedding updates. But I'm actually looking forward to next week, because I feel like I need to try again!

1/8/08

Today was kind of a downer of a day.

• Normally I wouldn't say anything about work, but running queries and then analyzing the results gets boring after the first week. As is looking for paperwork that is so old, it smells like a library. On top of that, someone camped out in my cube for an hour.
  
• I'm kind of fed up with our local Von's, so I planned on stopping at an Albertson's on the way home from work. Turned out, the store I stopped at on Seal Beach Boulevard is closing, and had nothing in the way of what I was looking for (strawberries, eggplant, and zucchini). Which meant another stop, when I was trying to meet Andy at home early and I was already tired.
  
• All the shoes I like fall in to the following categories:
• $50
• Sold out in my size
• Does not come in a size that fits me comfortably

That being said, there were a couple of good things that happened today:

• I actually found eggplant, zucchini, and strawberries (though not in their peak condition) at the Seal Beach Ralph's across the street. All that because I thought it would be fun to make ratatouille!
• I printed a couple of pictures using Wal Mart's online 1 hour printing, and they were ready for me to pick up after work for 48 cents. I'm sending pictures of my using her spatula (a Christmas gift) just for fun.
  
• Taco Tuesday!
• While I was across the street, I bought a cheese slicer from Linens & Things. They do indeed take competitor's coupons.
• After dinner I finished the fruit tart I was working on for Andy's aunt and uncle. I did my best to spruce it up a little too! The recipe came out so well, I'm going to make it when my mom comes out to visit.
  

Puree

Normally, at work, I work. But today, while I was running queries, I was really dreaming about my bakery. Pink walls, white iron tables and chairs, yellow cushions, and a white counter. And people would come in for their morning coffee and a muffin or cupcake, and I'd make special-order cookies.

On a side note, I'm willing to make monogrammed sugar cookies for your wedding (or whatever). Cheap.

Then I decided I wanted to make a tart. So Andy and I went out to the grocery store for some necessities, came home, and got to work. I used this Martha Stewart strawberry tart recipe; but, strawberries just aren't in season. In fact, our grocery store is really ghetto and was actually sold out of a lot of produce. Sure, probably not a lot of people are interested in buying zucchini or eggplant this time of year, but you'd think they'd have something. Anyway, for breakfast tomorrow, we're having a peach tart.

On top of that, while we were out, we stopped by Wal Mart to buy a cheese slicer (don't ask). Andy had decided that my hand-held kitchen mixer just wasn't cutting the mustard, even though I like it and think it's cute. So he bought me a new, fancy, six-speed, double mixer. And it literally pureed my tart filling. Yay for fun presents!

I know - I get excited about weird things. But I'll be having sweet dreams of what I can do with those six speeds.

Busy

Who would have thought I'd still be busy, even when school wasn't in session?

Up this week:

• Check up on my Paste magazine renewal and gift subscription. Why do magazine subscriptions take so freaking long to process??
• Try to make it to a Talbot's to return a shirt. I'm about 30 years too young for that store.
• Make a list of reception sites to visit (next weekend??).
  
• Wash my car. Although, that might not be as necessary any more.
• Register for the Crate & Barrel registry party. Finally, time for me to start feeling like we're actually getting married!
  
• Buy a 16.5" x 21.5" frame for my Keepon poster, if nothing else but to get it off the floor.
• Investigate the Disneyland half marathon. I think I'd really like to do it again, but hopefully not in 85 degree weather.
• Start my class reading. I have a bunch for my first Globe class, but I don't even know what books I need for my other two. I plan on buying those Monday.
  
• Work, of course, and bring something for the rotational potluck Friday.

Weekend

I spent all day Friday at work thinking about a trip to Paris. Mostly because MSNBC was telling me all about the best of Paris and a combination trip to Paris and Amsterdam. I guess I was just tired of the dreary weather, because a trip to rustic Catalina was looking pretty nice too.

I'm sure you've heard on the news we're getting disastrous rain, but it didn't really start until I left the gym around 5:30. I had to run 25 minutes and 10 minutes on the real stairmaster because we had a pizza and movie date, and I had to make up for all the Goody's pizza I knew I was going to eat! We ended up driving around all over to find Shaun of the Dead at a local Blockbuster, and I'd vote the pizza and Asti champagne really made the movie worthwhile. Oh, and Simon Pegg's face makes me laugh.

Saturday we got up and Andy made pancakes. We spent the day doing laundry, and I went through all of my wedding stuff that had accumulated over the fall semester, started cutting out pictures I liked, and organizing them in my planning binder. I don't have any more decisions made, aside from the save the date card design, but at least I feel organized and ready to go. For dinner, I made Spanish rice, black beans, and spicy beef for burritos. Not bad for my first try! But I don't think next time I will double the rice recipe.

Sunday was a crazy kind of day. It rained all of Saturday night, and let up in the morning, so Andy thought it would be a good idea to go on a little hike. Despite my saying that hiking during the worst weather we've seen in 3 years, the thunder we heard right before our friend met up at our apartment, or the nearly pea-sized hail that fell just before we got out the door, we went hiking. I was lured by the White City remains - the story is really fascinating. It was only a 5 mile hike, but I felt really out of shape on the way up. Lucky for us, it only rained a little. The trail was surprisingly really busy given the conditions. Afterwards, we went to Big Mama's Barbecue, which was on Lake in Pasadena on our way out. The restaurant was empty, the food was fantastic, and we saw San Diego pretty much win it against Tennessee. We exchanged pictures and made hot chocolate before our friend left, I called my parents (to let them know we were not actually evacuated, flooded, or without power), and spent the evening getting ready for the week.

Case

It's amazing how accurate this is. And it's not helping my dreading the first day of school on the 14th.