I hope you all had a VERY Merry Christmas! Felix and I had one of our best holidays ever, spending the day with family and stuffing our faces with incredibly delicious food.
The highlight, though, was Rob's eChristmas card, which is amazing. I've watched it countless times, and I'm still not tired of it. To really get the full effect, you need to have Flash 6 and a decent connection speed. So without further ado, turn UP the sound on your speakers and here you go!!!
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Monday, December 23, 2002
I don't know if any of you have seen Apple's switch campaign, but as usual, their marketing is clever, witty, and funny. To be honest, I've always been a huge Apple fan. My brothers and I grew up on a dinky ol' Apple IIe - you know, the green screen computers that couldn't even turn on unless you inserted a run floppy. In college, I continued my passion as a die-hard Mac lover. It was with great reluctance that I laid my Quadra to rest and converted to a PC, but like the rest of the world, it's sometimes really hard to be isolated with an Apple when you're surrounded by a swarm of PC clones.
Even though I've fallen to the dark side, I still follow Apple's comings and goings fairly closely, always hoping to see them make a comeback. Thus, it was with great delight that I watched them introduce their switch campaign. My favorite ones are the hapless teenager (trust me - I spend 24/7 with adolescents, and they're, like, totally like that), and the hilarious Santa Claus.
And of course, we can't forget the parodies. That's the side effect of coming up with something clever - everyone wants to imitate you. So for all you Star Wars fans, this one is particularly funny.
It remains to be seen as to whether or not the switch campaign will actually make people switch, but I remain hopeful. Gotta love Apple!
Even though I've fallen to the dark side, I still follow Apple's comings and goings fairly closely, always hoping to see them make a comeback. Thus, it was with great delight that I watched them introduce their switch campaign. My favorite ones are the hapless teenager (trust me - I spend 24/7 with adolescents, and they're, like, totally like that), and the hilarious Santa Claus.
And of course, we can't forget the parodies. That's the side effect of coming up with something clever - everyone wants to imitate you. So for all you Star Wars fans, this one is particularly funny.
It remains to be seen as to whether or not the switch campaign will actually make people switch, but I remain hopeful. Gotta love Apple!
Thursday, December 19, 2002
Our beautiful baby niece Claire was born today! She came into the world at 5:33pm, weighs 7lb 9oz, and is 19" long. Felix and I visited our little cutie-pie and her proud parents at the hospital tonight, and the two of us were absolutely delighted. She's just SO cute with the most adorable dimples you've ever seen!
We already went to the mall and bought her a Christmas gift. It's only been a few hours, but I already just LOVE being Aunt Kathy!!!!!
We already went to the mall and bought her a Christmas gift. It's only been a few hours, but I already just LOVE being Aunt Kathy!!!!!
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
We had our company holiday party on Monday and it was TONS of fun. We all spent the entire afternoon at Dave and Buster's, which is basically an outrageously fun playroom for adults, and had an amazingly fun time.
The most amusing part of the day, however, wasn't watching my team flail over Dance Dance Revolution or scream in terror while trying to shoot Jurassic Park dinosaurs. It was actually the simple act of walking through the door. You see, Dave and Buster's isn't just a fun place to go...it really is only for adults. You have to be 21 to get in, and they post hefty bouncer-types at all the entrances to enforce their policies. Imagine my amusement when the big ol' security guy held up his hand, stopped me at the door, and gruffly asked to see my ID. Here I am, a 28-year old married woman who's four months pregnant and sporting a great maternity outfit. Totally surprised, I just handed over my 1974 DOB license, and after some scrutiny, I was allowed to enter. It was really quite funny. Hanging out with my enthusiastic just-out-of-college team, I've rarely felt more old lady in my life! I'm just glad I didn't start laughing in his face; he would have kept me out, I'm sure!
The most amusing part of the day, however, wasn't watching my team flail over Dance Dance Revolution or scream in terror while trying to shoot Jurassic Park dinosaurs. It was actually the simple act of walking through the door. You see, Dave and Buster's isn't just a fun place to go...it really is only for adults. You have to be 21 to get in, and they post hefty bouncer-types at all the entrances to enforce their policies. Imagine my amusement when the big ol' security guy held up his hand, stopped me at the door, and gruffly asked to see my ID. Here I am, a 28-year old married woman who's four months pregnant and sporting a great maternity outfit. Totally surprised, I just handed over my 1974 DOB license, and after some scrutiny, I was allowed to enter. It was really quite funny. Hanging out with my enthusiastic just-out-of-college team, I've rarely felt more old lady in my life! I'm just glad I didn't start laughing in his face; he would have kept me out, I'm sure!
FINALLY! My blog is working again. Felix, bless his heart, was kind enough to move a bunch of stuff related to our website around so that we'd have tons more room for pictures. More importantly, we're completely free and clear of Geocities, which means that I don't need to see those annoying internet ads pop up anymore! However, in the interim, things went nuts for a little while, and my blog stopped working for about a week. Not sure why - just stopped working. Felix's only response after some puzzling was to just leave it alone for a few days. Maybe it would figure it out on its own. Right...Leave it to an electrical engineer with a BS/MS. He always knows what he's doing - yup, yup. Ha! As much as I hate to admit it, though, he was right. Everything seems to be ok today. Weird, mysterious, and unexplainable...but that must be why they pay Felix the big bucks.
Thursday, December 05, 2002
They say that your hormones go totally wacky when you're pregnant. I think one book described it as "possible erratic mood swings." I've certainly found myself bursting out in tears one minute and laughing hysterically the next...all while I'm watching television commercials.
Anyway, I received this e-mail today that just had me bawling in front of the computer monitor. Overwhelmed by sentiment (and probably those ridiculous hormones), I just had to share this with you all. Hopefully, at least one of you will shed a tear and then I won't feel like such a freak.
Anyway, I received this e-mail today that just had me bawling in front of the computer monitor. Overwhelmed by sentiment (and probably those ridiculous hormones), I just had to share this with you all. Hopefully, at least one of you will shed a tear and then I won't feel like such a freak.
Favorite Teacher
Her name was Mrs. Thompson and his was 'Teddy.'
As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant.
It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners ... he is a joy to be around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class".
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her
Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents.
Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used
to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour.
On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he
decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer - The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did.
And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
Warm someone's heart today ... pass this along. Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a person's outlook. And please try to do it in a positive way. "Friends lift us to our feet ."
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
The countdown is every where I look.
...5 days until I see Ben and Jean!!! They're coming to visit, and I especially can't wait to compare pregnancy notes with Jean. I might have to tone myself down, though, since I haven't been sick at all. Not one single day. It's not something that someone who's yacking every moment wants to hear, I suspect.
...11 days until our seniors are FINALLY finished with their program. No more terrible college essays to read and revise. No more frantic teenagers running in and out of our centers. No more panicked parents flooding my appointment schedule and voicemail. Just peace and quiet.
...22 days until Christmas. I haven't done a whit of shopping, and Felix and I decided last year that we would not be wimps this year. No more gift certificates for our friends. No, we're going to go with meaningful, thoughtful, individually chosen gifts for everyone. I think we were crazy when we resolved to be special this year, but now it's too late. I just gotta suck it up and get in gear.
...23 days until Tim and Lisa's due date. I'm not sure what I'm more excited about - finding out whether they have a boy or girl, or becoming a real live auntie!
...2 months until we find out if we're going to have a boy or girl. I can hardly wait. For a girl who always reads spoilers, skips to the end of the book, and finds out about the surprise ending before I go to the movies, the wait is absolute torture. Tomorrow is my second appointment, and Felix and I are going to try to weasel our way into an ultrasound. If I'm lucky, my baby's gotten the vibe and will reveal the truth to me! Or not. We'll see.
...3.5 months until our annual Whistler trip. It's always around now that I start obssessing. There was snow, too, when we went home to NJ for Thanksgiving, and that defniitely didn't help the anticipation. Whistler...Whistler...Whistler...
...6 months until little baby arrives. A long time away, but something I find myself thinking about every day. My latest is trying to remember to sing and read to the baby; Tom swears that life is that much better if you chat with the babe in the womb. Don't know if that's true (how does one hear anything in there?!), but any advantage I can give to my little sweetie is worth it.
...5 days until I see Ben and Jean!!! They're coming to visit, and I especially can't wait to compare pregnancy notes with Jean. I might have to tone myself down, though, since I haven't been sick at all. Not one single day. It's not something that someone who's yacking every moment wants to hear, I suspect.
...11 days until our seniors are FINALLY finished with their program. No more terrible college essays to read and revise. No more frantic teenagers running in and out of our centers. No more panicked parents flooding my appointment schedule and voicemail. Just peace and quiet.
...22 days until Christmas. I haven't done a whit of shopping, and Felix and I decided last year that we would not be wimps this year. No more gift certificates for our friends. No, we're going to go with meaningful, thoughtful, individually chosen gifts for everyone. I think we were crazy when we resolved to be special this year, but now it's too late. I just gotta suck it up and get in gear.
...23 days until Tim and Lisa's due date. I'm not sure what I'm more excited about - finding out whether they have a boy or girl, or becoming a real live auntie!
...2 months until we find out if we're going to have a boy or girl. I can hardly wait. For a girl who always reads spoilers, skips to the end of the book, and finds out about the surprise ending before I go to the movies, the wait is absolute torture. Tomorrow is my second appointment, and Felix and I are going to try to weasel our way into an ultrasound. If I'm lucky, my baby's gotten the vibe and will reveal the truth to me! Or not. We'll see.
...3.5 months until our annual Whistler trip. It's always around now that I start obssessing. There was snow, too, when we went home to NJ for Thanksgiving, and that defniitely didn't help the anticipation. Whistler...Whistler...Whistler...
...6 months until little baby arrives. A long time away, but something I find myself thinking about every day. My latest is trying to remember to sing and read to the baby; Tom swears that life is that much better if you chat with the babe in the womb. Don't know if that's true (how does one hear anything in there?!), but any advantage I can give to my little sweetie is worth it.
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
I'm desperately shopping. In the last three weeks, I've slowly outgrown almost every skirt, dress, and pair of pants I own. I'm down to four pairs of drawstring pants and two drawstring skirts. This past Friday, I had to give up my last pair of jeans.
It's a sad thing.
Tomorrow, I'm going to Target to get some storage boxes for my clothes. Might as well stick them in the garage, since I won't see them for a good year or so. In the meanwhile, I've been surfing Old Navy and Gap Maternity. It's not as fun or as easy as I had hoped; maternity clothes ain't that pretty, and the pictures of these models with HUGE stomachs are frightening me. I'm just barely at the end of my first three months! I dread to think what and how many pounds lay around the next corner. Ah well. I just have to suck it up and accept that stretch and belly panels must be my fashion of choice for the next few months.
It's a sad thing.
Tomorrow, I'm going to Target to get some storage boxes for my clothes. Might as well stick them in the garage, since I won't see them for a good year or so. In the meanwhile, I've been surfing Old Navy and Gap Maternity. It's not as fun or as easy as I had hoped; maternity clothes ain't that pretty, and the pictures of these models with HUGE stomachs are frightening me. I'm just barely at the end of my first three months! I dread to think what and how many pounds lay around the next corner. Ah well. I just have to suck it up and accept that stretch and belly panels must be my fashion of choice for the next few months.
Monday, November 25, 2002
We're excited...
...about being parents in June!
Yes, it's true; we're looking forward to a newcomer to our family! We're thrilled to announce that we're having a baby, and the due date is June 7th. At our first doctor's appointment, we heard the baby's heartbeat, and in January, we'll find out if we'll have a mini Kathy or little Felix!
Stay tuned for more updates...
...about being parents in June!
Yes, it's true; we're looking forward to a newcomer to our family! We're thrilled to announce that we're having a baby, and the due date is June 7th. At our first doctor's appointment, we heard the baby's heartbeat, and in January, we'll find out if we'll have a mini Kathy or little Felix!
Stay tuned for more updates...
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
Thursday, November 07, 2002
Random tidbits for a Thursday night.....
If you yell for 8 years, 7 months, and 6 days. you will have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)
If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it.)
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)
A cockroach will live 9 days without it's head, before it starves to death.
(Creepy.)
Banging your head against a wall will burn 150 calories an hour.
( Do not try this at home...save it for work.)
The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(Yeah, but is it worth it to be a FLEA?)
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)
Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I've always wanted to know.)
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmmmmmm.........)
Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)
Elephants are the only animal that can't jump.
(Ok, that could be a good thing.)
A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.
(I know some people like that.)
Starfish have no brains.
(I know some people like that, too!)
Polar bears are left handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)
If you yell for 8 years, 7 months, and 6 days. you will have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.
(Hardly seems worth it.)
If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
(Now that's more like it.)
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
(O.M.G.!)
A cockroach will live 9 days without it's head, before it starves to death.
(Creepy.)
Banging your head against a wall will burn 150 calories an hour.
( Do not try this at home...save it for work.)
The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.
(Yeah, but is it worth it to be a FLEA?)
The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.
(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)
Butterflies taste with their feet.
(Something I've always wanted to know.)
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
(Hmmmmmmmmmm.........)
Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people.
(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)
Elephants are the only animal that can't jump.
(Ok, that could be a good thing.)
A cat's urine glows under a black light.
(I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.
(I know some people like that.)
Starfish have no brains.
(I know some people like that, too!)
Polar bears are left handed.
(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)
Monday, November 04, 2002
Wow - is it really November? I posted a picture of all the lovely Halloween pumpkins on our homepage, but you can also go here to see a picture of us with our proud carvings.
Actually, that reminds me. It's time to scoop those puppies off our porch and toss 'em in the dumpster. When I came home yesterday, I couldn't help but notice that our neighbors had entered the very sad and very scary pumpkin sag stage. It had collapsed from it's original 12" beautiful height to a mushy 2" pile of pumpkin goop. Can't forget the puddle of ooze that forms around the corpse either! Can you imagine how hard it'll be to clean that thing up?!
That's right - enjoy the pictures 'cause the original is going OUT today!
Actually, that reminds me. It's time to scoop those puppies off our porch and toss 'em in the dumpster. When I came home yesterday, I couldn't help but notice that our neighbors had entered the very sad and very scary pumpkin sag stage. It had collapsed from it's original 12" beautiful height to a mushy 2" pile of pumpkin goop. Can't forget the puddle of ooze that forms around the corpse either! Can you imagine how hard it'll be to clean that thing up?!
That's right - enjoy the pictures 'cause the original is going OUT today!
Thursday, October 31, 2002
I'm crazy, I know. I haven't blogged in over a month, and here it is at 1:24am that I've finally decided that I have something to say.
Actually, I don't really have anything to say.
Rather, I was just looking at Chrissie and Jean's webpages, and for some reason, I was suddenly overcome with extraordinary guilt for not blogging more earlier. What could I possible be doing with my time anyway, especially now that I only have on job, right? Well, guilt affected that, too. My boss practically broke down when I told him that I was leaving, so my heart caved and I agreed to stay on through Reunion Homecoming Weekend. Big mistake! My life has been crazy as hell from my last entry of September 21st through just last week on Monday, October 21st. That's right - I was crazy enough to stay A WHOLE 'NOTHER MONTH wrapping up my job after I decided to quit. And boy, I felt sympathy for my boss, but they sure work you to death once they realize you're leaving!
I'm a sucker.
Oh well. I'm finally living a semi-normal life as a person with one job, and slowly, I can feel myself recovering from being overworked. I'm still in a sort of shell shock (sometimes, I find myself just sitting down, completely spaced out and utterly exhausted), but I think it won't be long before I'm back to my usual smiling self. Can't wait for that to happen 'cause I sure am tired of feeling tired. Felix's mom has been especially cute; she's called me recently to see how I'm doing and encouraging me to get more rest. Mom-in-laws can come up with some great ideas sometimes! And along those lines, I am OFF to bed. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Actually, I don't really have anything to say.
Rather, I was just looking at Chrissie and Jean's webpages, and for some reason, I was suddenly overcome with extraordinary guilt for not blogging more earlier. What could I possible be doing with my time anyway, especially now that I only have on job, right? Well, guilt affected that, too. My boss practically broke down when I told him that I was leaving, so my heart caved and I agreed to stay on through Reunion Homecoming Weekend. Big mistake! My life has been crazy as hell from my last entry of September 21st through just last week on Monday, October 21st. That's right - I was crazy enough to stay A WHOLE 'NOTHER MONTH wrapping up my job after I decided to quit. And boy, I felt sympathy for my boss, but they sure work you to death once they realize you're leaving!
I'm a sucker.
Oh well. I'm finally living a semi-normal life as a person with one job, and slowly, I can feel myself recovering from being overworked. I'm still in a sort of shell shock (sometimes, I find myself just sitting down, completely spaced out and utterly exhausted), but I think it won't be long before I'm back to my usual smiling self. Can't wait for that to happen 'cause I sure am tired of feeling tired. Felix's mom has been especially cute; she's called me recently to see how I'm doing and encouraging me to get more rest. Mom-in-laws can come up with some great ideas sometimes! And along those lines, I am OFF to bed. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Saturday, September 21, 2002
I'm quitting my job.
Yes, that's right. Job number five in six years is goin' down the tubes. It's not that I don't love Stanford. Everyone knows I LOVE Stanford. The people, the campus, the center - what is there not to feel absolutely crazy about?! My adoration for my alma mater and its community is not the issue. In fact, when I was desperately scrounging for a job, Stanford was my only dream. I flatly refused to apply anywhere else and was willing to keep pounding on their doors until someone would take me in. Of course, two months after I had settled into my beautiful new cube with a front seat view of the gardens, palm trees, and fountain, I got the call that Achieva was for sale.
Sometimes, I think the Fates are just giggling themselves to death out there.
So, for the last year, I have struggled through twelve to fifteen hour days, seven days a week. I've been clinging to both Stanford and Admissions Academy, refusing to face the reality that I've been running myself into the ground. I must be at least three feet under by now, and a few more months of these will put me six feet down for sure. The weirdest part is that I love the Admissions Academy work, but I love Stanford's environment and people. If only there was some strange way to throw the two together.
I've realized, though, that there isn't. And I'm tired. No, I'm exhausted. On Monday, I'm finally admitting defeat, throwin' the towel in, and quitting Stanford. My only question is whether or not Admissions Academy should be considered job number six....
Yes, that's right. Job number five in six years is goin' down the tubes. It's not that I don't love Stanford. Everyone knows I LOVE Stanford. The people, the campus, the center - what is there not to feel absolutely crazy about?! My adoration for my alma mater and its community is not the issue. In fact, when I was desperately scrounging for a job, Stanford was my only dream. I flatly refused to apply anywhere else and was willing to keep pounding on their doors until someone would take me in. Of course, two months after I had settled into my beautiful new cube with a front seat view of the gardens, palm trees, and fountain, I got the call that Achieva was for sale.
Sometimes, I think the Fates are just giggling themselves to death out there.
So, for the last year, I have struggled through twelve to fifteen hour days, seven days a week. I've been clinging to both Stanford and Admissions Academy, refusing to face the reality that I've been running myself into the ground. I must be at least three feet under by now, and a few more months of these will put me six feet down for sure. The weirdest part is that I love the Admissions Academy work, but I love Stanford's environment and people. If only there was some strange way to throw the two together.
I've realized, though, that there isn't. And I'm tired. No, I'm exhausted. On Monday, I'm finally admitting defeat, throwin' the towel in, and quitting Stanford. My only question is whether or not Admissions Academy should be considered job number six....
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
5 Secrets to a Great Relationship
1. It is important to find a man who works around the house, occasionally cooks and cleans and who has a job.
2. It is important to find a man who makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man who is dependable and doesn't lie.
4. It is important to find a man who's good in bed and who loves to have sex with you.
5. It is important that these four men never meet.
........gotta love it. =)
1. It is important to find a man who works around the house, occasionally cooks and cleans and who has a job.
2. It is important to find a man who makes you laugh.
3. It is important to find a man who is dependable and doesn't lie.
4. It is important to find a man who's good in bed and who loves to have sex with you.
5. It is important that these four men never meet.
........gotta love it. =)
Friday, September 06, 2002
I wanted to post a long, in-depth, analytical (yet interesting) blog about my 10-year high school reunion. But just thinking about that made me feel tired. Sorry. Instead, I thought I'd post a note that I sent out to our alumni e-mail distribution list. To be honest, it pretty much captures everything that I felt about the experience anyway, and I spent a helluva time writing it. Perhaps that's why I feel way too drained to write more about the reunion. **grin**
I will, however, add a few private notes that I didn't post to the group 'cause they probably shouldn't go public. I was amazed at how great the women looked and how surprisingly...different or unchanged...the guys looked. I was also blown away by how nice some of my classmates are. Man, I really didn't know some people at all. One highlight had to be the alumni directory, which was printed up by the reunion company who organized the whole thing. A classmate's name was misprinted as Wildride, which I just could not stop cracking up about. Guess you had to be there. Overall, the weekend was simply wonderfully strange, surreal, and FUN. The reunion had everything you would expect...including the flirty girl who drank too much and hung on your husband (yes, I hovered over Felix **quite** possessively). It was great, as you'll see below, and I definitely can't wait until the next one.
I will, however, add a few private notes that I didn't post to the group 'cause they probably shouldn't go public. I was amazed at how great the women looked and how surprisingly...different or unchanged...the guys looked. I was also blown away by how nice some of my classmates are. Man, I really didn't know some people at all. One highlight had to be the alumni directory, which was printed up by the reunion company who organized the whole thing. A classmate's name was misprinted as Wildride, which I just could not stop cracking up about. Guess you had to be there. Overall, the weekend was simply wonderfully strange, surreal, and FUN. The reunion had everything you would expect...including the flirty girl who drank too much and hung on your husband (yes, I hovered over Felix **quite** possessively). It was great, as you'll see below, and I definitely can't wait until the next one.
In no particular order, I just wanted to drop a few personal thank you's to...
Brian Gay and Sarita Finnie - Thanks for putting Saturday together! It was a lot of fun to hang out casually, and I really enjoyed seeing people who weren't able to come to Friday's event.
Brian Sapp - Thanks for being the first classmate to greet me. Your enthusiasm and warm smile made me remember everything that I loved about growing up in Long Valley, and any nervousness that I felt immediately disappeared.
Laura Crupi - Thanks for bringing a yearbook! That was SO much fun to look at, especially with the real life 10-year versions standing right in front of me. :) I also appreciated your courage in coming up to make welcoming remarks with me; frankly, I wasn't sure if you, Brian, and Sarita would actually do it!
Jill Rolser and Jason Ayres - Thanks for deciding to come at the last minute! I'm certain there were other people who weren't sure if they'd make it or even if they wanted to come, and I'm so glad you guys decided to do it.
Michelle DeFilippis, Cherilyn Guido, Emily Canova - Thanks for having dinner with me. It was tons of fun catching up after ALL these years. Emily, Cherilyn - congratulations again on your upcoming weddings! I just know you guys are going to have the best time. Michelle - thanks for bringing pictures of the kids; SO cute and beautiful.
Todd Katcher and Katie Baker (Shoot! I can't remember your married name!!!) - Thanks for being familiar faces in a crowd of distant memories. Meeting up twice in two years is not bad, and I hope we'll only have more opportunities in the future.
Tammis Deklos - Thanks for coming and dragging your husband along, too! Felix is still talking about how super nice you and Josh were, and considering that we're thinking about moving to Colorado someday, I hope you don't mind if I drop you a line once and awhile.
Karen Hildreth - Thanks for just cracking me up and satisfying my curiousity. You brave girl! All the questions that we were all dying to ask, but were afraid to do it. I couldn't help but laugh when we realized that we had probably never exchanged more than 2 words in high school, and I really hope that we'll find future chances to stay in touch.
Kristin Jasinkiewicz, Chad Griffiths, Brian Lindley, and Dan Aron - Thank you for being such great reunion classmates! Chatting with you guys really brought back the fun memories, and I definitely had a much better experience than I expected because of the conversations and smiles you shared with me. I dug up old pictures of everyone after I got home to CA, and I have a ridiculous one of Chad from 7th grade in a togo, which I just might have to post on our website! :)
Alison Morici - Thanks for stopping by to say thank you. It was so sweet of you, and I hope your husband will pass along this e-mail message to thank you for coming to the reunion.
Michelle Carangelo, Robin (Magrino), and Amy Zeier - Thanks for coming on Saturday. I'm so glad you were able to make it. Robin - you hafta tell my dad HI the next time you're in the office. :)
Dave From - Thanks for being at the airport on Sunday! What a weird coincidence bumping into you, and I simply had to tell you that it made my day. I was chatting with Felix while we were waiting in line, telling him again how glad I was that I had come, and there you were with your beautiful baby. It just made me smile to run into one final classmate before I left for home.
Corey Ark, Melissa Hockstad, Joe Miscione, Pam Lee, Teri Halat, Suzanne Connolly, Amanda Drenning, Jen Gallo, Shannon Natysin, Terri Kashi, Brenda Carkhuff, Charlie Ellis, Dawn Esporrin, Chris Feltman, Rusty Parrino, Lisa Hays, Chuck Grom, Jeannie Holl, Pam Howorth, Cono Cirone, Patty Kuzminski, Jen Matrician, and everyone else who braved their nerves and the unexpected to show up at the reunion - thank you SO much for deciding to come! The reunion was that much better with each of you there, and I sincerely hope that you will make the same decision to attend in years to come.
Finally, to my old gang - Elizabeth, Margret, Meg - thanks for being you. Ya'll know how I feel about you guys, so 'nough said. I'm just glad we've had 10 more years as friends, and I can't wait for the years ahead.
Wednesday, September 04, 2002
Oh my. You just gotta take a look at this.
My personal favorite is Roxanne.
.........crazy...........
My personal favorite is Roxanne.
.........crazy...........
Thursday, August 08, 2002
My 10-year high school reunion is next week, and I'm already having a great time. Why?
Gosh, where should I start?!
Let me begin by explaining that I grew up in this teensy little town in New Jersey. No, it wasn't the nasty parkway part of New Jersey; it was the northeastern, leaves-turn-colors-in-the-fall, preppie part. I mean, the place was named Long Valley, and the same people I went to nursery school with were basically the same people I graduated from high school with.
Out of the two hundred and sixty-some folks in my class, I was one of only two people crazy enough to go west of Minnesota. That's right. Everyone else pretty much stayed on the eastern half of the country. We were provincial folk.
Anyway, coming out to California was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Even now, I'm amazed at how much I've seen, learned, and matured. Now that my high school reunion is approaching, however, I have suddenly started realizing that not everyone else was so lucky. Remember my off-beat sense of humor? I've been very amused at discovering what some of my WMC classmates have been up to.
Here's a great e-mail that I received today, for example:
OK, so what makes this suggestion so absurd? Well, the guy who wrote it was the best man at another high school classmate's wedding a couple of years ago. The groom was a very good friend of mine, and Felix and I flew all the way to Durham, NC to attend the event. After the wedding, the best man stayed up into the wee hours of the morning and got completely drunk. I'm talking smashed beyond belief. He then proceeded to dive headfirst into the shallow end of the hotel's pool, crack the top of his head open, and leave this disgusting trail of blood all the way back to his room. Oops, I neglected to mention that he did all of this while fully decked out in his tux. Yes, that's right; squeaky rental shoes and all.
HOW DO I KNOW THIS?! The morning after the wedding, Felix and I went down to the hotel lobby with my high school best friend Elizabeth, where we found a very distraught mother of the groom. Naturally, we asked her what was wrong and heard the entire gory tale. The worst part was that she was terribly concerned about getting all the tuxes returned on time without penalties or worse. Southern hospitality and sheer sympathy kicked in, and the three of us offered to take the matter off her hands.
Elizabeth, Felix, and I gathered all the tuxes, ties, shoes, and bags and trundled off to the rental shop. You should have SEEN the look on the shopkeeper's face when she pulled the nasty tux out of its bag. It was still dripping wet, reeked of chlorine, and was covered in horrible bloodstains. It was absolutely grotesque. The funny part was that the shopkeeper was able to peg exactly what happened. "Looks like someone went a little overboard on the drink, fell in the pool, and had a serious accident." I guess people who deal with weddings have seen it all.
Two years later, that same idiot of a classmate is suggesting that we all pay $20-$40 to go to a party room club?! Hmmm.......yes, ok. Some people clearly don't grow up; they just grow older. It's so bizarre to me that 10 years can go by, and as much as I've changed, others appear to have remained exactly (and sadly) the same.
My reunion is going to be sooooooooo interesting. I can't wait.
Gosh, where should I start?!
Let me begin by explaining that I grew up in this teensy little town in New Jersey. No, it wasn't the nasty parkway part of New Jersey; it was the northeastern, leaves-turn-colors-in-the-fall, preppie part. I mean, the place was named Long Valley, and the same people I went to nursery school with were basically the same people I graduated from high school with.
Out of the two hundred and sixty-some folks in my class, I was one of only two people crazy enough to go west of Minnesota. That's right. Everyone else pretty much stayed on the eastern half of the country. We were provincial folk.
Anyway, coming out to California was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Even now, I'm amazed at how much I've seen, learned, and matured. Now that my high school reunion is approaching, however, I have suddenly started realizing that not everyone else was so lucky. Remember my off-beat sense of humor? I've been very amused at discovering what some of my WMC classmates have been up to.
Here's a great e-mail that I received today, for example:
An idea for Saturday...When I read this, I couldn't help but roll my eyes with disbelief and laughter. I should explain that our reunion starts with a formal get-together Friday night - dinner, dancing, etc. Saturday, however, has been up in the air, since no one has really stepped up to plan anything. Instead, all sorts of e-mail suggestions have been flying around on our class e-mail distribution list.
Since there aren't that many people, maybe a party room at a club/bar -- something like $20-$40 a person, we guarantee the place a minimum of people. I'm in Florida, and 'party-rooms' like that are popular. If someone can look in to that and offer some suggestions, it might be a good idea.
OK, so what makes this suggestion so absurd? Well, the guy who wrote it was the best man at another high school classmate's wedding a couple of years ago. The groom was a very good friend of mine, and Felix and I flew all the way to Durham, NC to attend the event. After the wedding, the best man stayed up into the wee hours of the morning and got completely drunk. I'm talking smashed beyond belief. He then proceeded to dive headfirst into the shallow end of the hotel's pool, crack the top of his head open, and leave this disgusting trail of blood all the way back to his room. Oops, I neglected to mention that he did all of this while fully decked out in his tux. Yes, that's right; squeaky rental shoes and all.
HOW DO I KNOW THIS?! The morning after the wedding, Felix and I went down to the hotel lobby with my high school best friend Elizabeth, where we found a very distraught mother of the groom. Naturally, we asked her what was wrong and heard the entire gory tale. The worst part was that she was terribly concerned about getting all the tuxes returned on time without penalties or worse. Southern hospitality and sheer sympathy kicked in, and the three of us offered to take the matter off her hands.
Elizabeth, Felix, and I gathered all the tuxes, ties, shoes, and bags and trundled off to the rental shop. You should have SEEN the look on the shopkeeper's face when she pulled the nasty tux out of its bag. It was still dripping wet, reeked of chlorine, and was covered in horrible bloodstains. It was absolutely grotesque. The funny part was that the shopkeeper was able to peg exactly what happened. "Looks like someone went a little overboard on the drink, fell in the pool, and had a serious accident." I guess people who deal with weddings have seen it all.
Two years later, that same idiot of a classmate is suggesting that we all pay $20-$40 to go to a party room club?! Hmmm.......yes, ok. Some people clearly don't grow up; they just grow older. It's so bizarre to me that 10 years can go by, and as much as I've changed, others appear to have remained exactly (and sadly) the same.
My reunion is going to be sooooooooo interesting. I can't wait.
Saturday, August 03, 2002
Wow. It's been a month since my last blog. That's a LONG time!
Well, I'm not offering any excuses. I'll just dive right into today's thoughts, and hopefully, my next blog after this one won't be so far away...
STOP THE RIDE!!!!! PLEEEEASE!! LET ME OFF RIGHT NOW AND STOP THE RIDE!!!!! I took the team out to Great America today for a some good ol' fashioned fun and games. We're a great group; all twenty-somethings who love to laugh, talk, and hang out. I love all of them. Everyone met up at the gates at 10am, and we went straight for the rides. We rode just about every roller coaster in the park, gossiped over lunch, and really bonded as a group.
Our last ride of the day was Delirium, Great America's latest thrill ride addition. It was surprisingly tame with a rather gentle swinging motion, although it definitely took you pretty high into the air. The best part of the ride, however, was this woman who was sitting straight across from me. The minute we started moving, she became absolutely hysterical. I've never heard anyone scream as loud as she did, wildly kicking her little legs as we sailed through the air. Her eyes were scrunched so tight that her entire face was wrinkled, and at some point, she actually covered her face with one hand...although the screaming never stopped.
And how did the rest of us respond? Everyone was cracking up. That's right. No sympathy. No concern. Just laughter all around. In fact, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt, and I kept it up the entire ride.
I know, my sense of humor is a bit off. The interesting thing, however, is that everyone else around me was also laughing at this poor woman's antics. Isn't it odd how the human condition works?
When the ride ended, I fully expected the woman to depart in tears. But no, she simply left her seat and calmly walked away. Strange!!! But oh so funny...my oh my...
Well, I'm not offering any excuses. I'll just dive right into today's thoughts, and hopefully, my next blog after this one won't be so far away...
STOP THE RIDE!!!!! PLEEEEASE!! LET ME OFF RIGHT NOW AND STOP THE RIDE!!!!! I took the team out to Great America today for a some good ol' fashioned fun and games. We're a great group; all twenty-somethings who love to laugh, talk, and hang out. I love all of them. Everyone met up at the gates at 10am, and we went straight for the rides. We rode just about every roller coaster in the park, gossiped over lunch, and really bonded as a group.
Our last ride of the day was Delirium, Great America's latest thrill ride addition. It was surprisingly tame with a rather gentle swinging motion, although it definitely took you pretty high into the air. The best part of the ride, however, was this woman who was sitting straight across from me. The minute we started moving, she became absolutely hysterical. I've never heard anyone scream as loud as she did, wildly kicking her little legs as we sailed through the air. Her eyes were scrunched so tight that her entire face was wrinkled, and at some point, she actually covered her face with one hand...although the screaming never stopped.
And how did the rest of us respond? Everyone was cracking up. That's right. No sympathy. No concern. Just laughter all around. In fact, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt, and I kept it up the entire ride.
I know, my sense of humor is a bit off. The interesting thing, however, is that everyone else around me was also laughing at this poor woman's antics. Isn't it odd how the human condition works?
When the ride ended, I fully expected the woman to depart in tears. But no, she simply left her seat and calmly walked away. Strange!!! But oh so funny...my oh my...
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Things are pretty quiet right now, so I thought I'd share my little painting fiasco with you. If you're not familiar with my history, I moved six times in four years after I graduated from college. That's right - packed, moved, unpacked...packed, moved, unpacked...you get the picture. Why so restless? Frankly, I just get bored. In each apartment/condo/home, I would be happy for awhile, and then one day, I'd look around and think YUCK. I'm tired of looking at the same ol' walls; it's time to move on.
This was kind of an issue when Felix and I started looking to buy a place. Before we signed the papers, he stated quite firmly and clearly that I would have to be willing to stay put for at least five years. At least. And I assured him that it wouldn't be a problem. The issue with my previous abodes was that I didn't own them; even if I was sick of my home, I couldn't change anything without the landlord's permission. Besides, who wants to spend time and money on something that you eventually walk away from?
Our new home was different. A completely blank canvas on which I could have fun and satisfy my limited attention span, which of course leads us to the painting fiasco. The first thing I wanted to do was repaint our walls. Everything was white, white, white, and I wanted vibrant color. Of course, I also thought it would be easier to get these changes out of the way before we filled our place with furnishings.
First, we painted a big accent wall. The living room/dining room area and entry way went from white to a darkly dramatic red. It's really stunning. After this long project, Felix was pretty much pooped. So on my own, I painted our bedroom a golden yellow and our half-bathroom a minty green. We were up to three different colors, and at this point, my honey put his foot down and suggested that I slow down before our house became a rainbow. I agreed.
A few months went by, and the minty bathroom started getting on my nerves. Everytime I went in there, I felt annoyed. No biggie; it's my house, right? Another gallon and a few hours later, the bathroom's grey. Felix's comments ran something along the lines of, "Huh, our paint colors seem awfully dark. Can't you pick shades that are lighter?" I retorted that dramatic change required dramatic color.
I should have known that I'd stew over his input.
A few more months went by, and I found myself staring at our bedroom walls. Golden yellow...golden yellow...huh. It was pretty dark. In the meantime, I prepared to paint our downstairs bedroom, which is currently our guest room/home office but will eventually be our guest room/nursery. While I was sifting through paint chips, Felix joked about how we should move downstairs because our room looks more like a kid's room than the future nursery. What? Who says grown-ups can't have patchwork quilts and Winnie-the-Pooh pictures on the walls?! The more I thought about it, the grouchier I felt.
Home Depot to the rescue again. I picked up a gallon of very light sage green for the downstairs and a gallon of very light lemon-yellow for upstairs. Struggling around all the furniture that now resides in our home, I painted one full wall in our room. Painted one full wall downstairs. Uh-oh...
The light sage green looked like our formerly minty bathroom's twin. Even as I was rolling it on, I hated it. The lemony yellow, however, was quite lovely, and I stockpiled all of the Winnie-the-Pooh frames to take downstairs. Felix remarked positively on the lighter color (hurrah!!! he likes it!!!), although he was equally dismayed by our minty sage green. I tossed the green gallon in the garage and painted three more lemony yellow walls, as well as finished most of the trim. One night, Felix and I were getting ready to go to sleep, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "You know, I don't like this as much as I thought. The lighter color makes the room feel cold. What was wrong with the original color?" ARGH!!!!!!!!! What happened to the dislike for dark colors? What happened to asking me to choose paler shades? What about living in a kid's room rather than an adult's? What, what, WHAT?!
Tossed lemon yellow gallon in the garage. Bought another golden yellow gallon from Home Depot. I repainted everything only to discover that my new golden yellow was just a touch darker than the original.
So here we are. It's July 3rd, and I'm practically ready to be shipped to the funny farm. I've still got my one minty sage wall downstairs rubbing me the wrong way, and everytime I go in our bedroom, I'm plagued by two ever-so-slightly different shades of yellow. Thank goodness for the four-day weekend. I've got a few more trips to Home Depot and few more days of painting to make everything soothing again. It's that or move!
This was kind of an issue when Felix and I started looking to buy a place. Before we signed the papers, he stated quite firmly and clearly that I would have to be willing to stay put for at least five years. At least. And I assured him that it wouldn't be a problem. The issue with my previous abodes was that I didn't own them; even if I was sick of my home, I couldn't change anything without the landlord's permission. Besides, who wants to spend time and money on something that you eventually walk away from?
Our new home was different. A completely blank canvas on which I could have fun and satisfy my limited attention span, which of course leads us to the painting fiasco. The first thing I wanted to do was repaint our walls. Everything was white, white, white, and I wanted vibrant color. Of course, I also thought it would be easier to get these changes out of the way before we filled our place with furnishings.
First, we painted a big accent wall. The living room/dining room area and entry way went from white to a darkly dramatic red. It's really stunning. After this long project, Felix was pretty much pooped. So on my own, I painted our bedroom a golden yellow and our half-bathroom a minty green. We were up to three different colors, and at this point, my honey put his foot down and suggested that I slow down before our house became a rainbow. I agreed.
A few months went by, and the minty bathroom started getting on my nerves. Everytime I went in there, I felt annoyed. No biggie; it's my house, right? Another gallon and a few hours later, the bathroom's grey. Felix's comments ran something along the lines of, "Huh, our paint colors seem awfully dark. Can't you pick shades that are lighter?" I retorted that dramatic change required dramatic color.
I should have known that I'd stew over his input.
A few more months went by, and I found myself staring at our bedroom walls. Golden yellow...golden yellow...huh. It was pretty dark. In the meantime, I prepared to paint our downstairs bedroom, which is currently our guest room/home office but will eventually be our guest room/nursery. While I was sifting through paint chips, Felix joked about how we should move downstairs because our room looks more like a kid's room than the future nursery. What? Who says grown-ups can't have patchwork quilts and Winnie-the-Pooh pictures on the walls?! The more I thought about it, the grouchier I felt.
Home Depot to the rescue again. I picked up a gallon of very light sage green for the downstairs and a gallon of very light lemon-yellow for upstairs. Struggling around all the furniture that now resides in our home, I painted one full wall in our room. Painted one full wall downstairs. Uh-oh...
The light sage green looked like our formerly minty bathroom's twin. Even as I was rolling it on, I hated it. The lemony yellow, however, was quite lovely, and I stockpiled all of the Winnie-the-Pooh frames to take downstairs. Felix remarked positively on the lighter color (hurrah!!! he likes it!!!), although he was equally dismayed by our minty sage green. I tossed the green gallon in the garage and painted three more lemony yellow walls, as well as finished most of the trim. One night, Felix and I were getting ready to go to sleep, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "You know, I don't like this as much as I thought. The lighter color makes the room feel cold. What was wrong with the original color?" ARGH!!!!!!!!! What happened to the dislike for dark colors? What happened to asking me to choose paler shades? What about living in a kid's room rather than an adult's? What, what, WHAT?!
Tossed lemon yellow gallon in the garage. Bought another golden yellow gallon from Home Depot. I repainted everything only to discover that my new golden yellow was just a touch darker than the original.
So here we are. It's July 3rd, and I'm practically ready to be shipped to the funny farm. I've still got my one minty sage wall downstairs rubbing me the wrong way, and everytime I go in our bedroom, I'm plagued by two ever-so-slightly different shades of yellow. Thank goodness for the four-day weekend. I've got a few more trips to Home Depot and few more days of painting to make everything soothing again. It's that or move!
Saturday, June 29, 2002
Drumroll please......
I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT!
That's right. Tim and Lisa are having a baby, and I am sooooooooooo excited. They invited us out to dinner with Lisa's brother and girlfriend, and while we were chatting, they dropped the big news. Woo-hoo! I must say, the idea of being an aunt is almost as thrilling as having my own little cutie-pie. I can go shopping. I can babysit. I can take adorable pictures. I'm so thrilled that I've been grinning from ear-to-ear nonstop!
Aunt Kathy and Uncle Felix. Music to my ears.
I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT!
That's right. Tim and Lisa are having a baby, and I am sooooooooooo excited. They invited us out to dinner with Lisa's brother and girlfriend, and while we were chatting, they dropped the big news. Woo-hoo! I must say, the idea of being an aunt is almost as thrilling as having my own little cutie-pie. I can go shopping. I can babysit. I can take adorable pictures. I'm so thrilled that I've been grinning from ear-to-ear nonstop!
Aunt Kathy and Uncle Felix. Music to my ears.
Tuesday, June 18, 2002
Phew...Commencement is behind me at last, and my Stanford schedule is finally slowing down. Just in time, too, 'cause my Achieva schedule is speeding up!
It's been pretty crazy trying to maintain the house, get enough to eat, squeeze in some sleep, and stay on top of the PILES of work. There have been a few days where I think I was seriously cracking up. Everyone's been a bit worried about me, so my mom "sent in the troops." My brother Rob graduated in May and just came out a few weeks ago to lend us a helping hand. In the tradition of wearing multiple hats, he is our database administrator/marketing director/community outreach guy. I don't exactly know how long he's going to be staying with us, but I'm SO glad he's here.
The latest dilemma is whether or not I'm going to keep working two jobs in the fall. (But Kathy, isn't that an obvious decision? Who in their right mind would keep up a psycho 7-days-a-week-million-hours-a-day schedule?!) Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not that easy! I love working at Stanford. I just love it. Not to gush, but I'm just overjoyed to be back on campus and surrounded by Stanford. On the other hand, I'm also completely and utterly exhausted. Just the other day, Felix thought I'd had one drink too many because I was totally incoherent and acting like a freak; nope, I was just so tired that I couldn't think or see straight. I collapsed on the couch and fell asleep for four hours, missing a really yummy dinner even though Felix waved the food underneath my nose.
It's not good.
So.....what should I do? My current plan is to simply stall. The summer is totally kick-back, so I can take it easy and devote more time to Achieva. Two months to come up with the perfect solution. I just hope I have enough energy left in me to figure it out!
It's been pretty crazy trying to maintain the house, get enough to eat, squeeze in some sleep, and stay on top of the PILES of work. There have been a few days where I think I was seriously cracking up. Everyone's been a bit worried about me, so my mom "sent in the troops." My brother Rob graduated in May and just came out a few weeks ago to lend us a helping hand. In the tradition of wearing multiple hats, he is our database administrator/marketing director/community outreach guy. I don't exactly know how long he's going to be staying with us, but I'm SO glad he's here.
The latest dilemma is whether or not I'm going to keep working two jobs in the fall. (But Kathy, isn't that an obvious decision? Who in their right mind would keep up a psycho 7-days-a-week-million-hours-a-day schedule?!) Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not that easy! I love working at Stanford. I just love it. Not to gush, but I'm just overjoyed to be back on campus and surrounded by Stanford. On the other hand, I'm also completely and utterly exhausted. Just the other day, Felix thought I'd had one drink too many because I was totally incoherent and acting like a freak; nope, I was just so tired that I couldn't think or see straight. I collapsed on the couch and fell asleep for four hours, missing a really yummy dinner even though Felix waved the food underneath my nose.
It's not good.
So.....what should I do? My current plan is to simply stall. The summer is totally kick-back, so I can take it easy and devote more time to Achieva. Two months to come up with the perfect solution. I just hope I have enough energy left in me to figure it out!
Thursday, May 30, 2002
We just celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and it was simply wonderful.
A delicious dinner at The Plumed Horse.
A stunning night out at Cheval.
And I'm exhausted. One of these days, when I actually get a full night's rest, I'll fill ya'll in on all the details. Felix, I love you more and more every year.
A delicious dinner at The Plumed Horse.
A stunning night out at Cheval.
And I'm exhausted. One of these days, when I actually get a full night's rest, I'll fill ya'll in on all the details. Felix, I love you more and more every year.
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Good grief, it's past midnight. You know, working two jobs is much more difficult than I thought. Hello?! Yes, I know, what else was I expecting?! I guess I'm just foolish that way.
Today, however, was a rather amusing day.
At 3pm, I suddenly discovered that I had been wearing my dress backwards the entire day. The light bulb realization came while I was wondering what had been feeling so scratchy on my chest...only to look down and find my clothing tags irritating my skin. Oops.
Tonight, Felix also called one of our friends a busybody. Hee-hee! The funniest part is that this is just another one of those husband-wife moments that I love so much. Why do I gleefully delight in such gossip? Because nothing is secret or sacred between spouses. Love it! I swear, marrying Felix and having him as my best friend has turned out to be the bestest and funnest decision I have ever made.
Finally, I realized that our "spring fling worlds colliding" BBQ is just a few days away! Yes, the Felix/Kathy new friend campaign is off to a hot start. More importantly, it will give me a few hours that I'm not doing work, and I crave those moments more than anything else. Now I realize why it's terrible to work from home...you can never escape! Work's at work and work's at home! Argh...
If I hurry away now, I can get to bed by 1am. So goodNIGHT. (Are you wondering if the busybody is you? Heh, heh...we'll never tell!)
Today, however, was a rather amusing day.
At 3pm, I suddenly discovered that I had been wearing my dress backwards the entire day. The light bulb realization came while I was wondering what had been feeling so scratchy on my chest...only to look down and find my clothing tags irritating my skin. Oops.
Tonight, Felix also called one of our friends a busybody. Hee-hee! The funniest part is that this is just another one of those husband-wife moments that I love so much. Why do I gleefully delight in such gossip? Because nothing is secret or sacred between spouses. Love it! I swear, marrying Felix and having him as my best friend has turned out to be the bestest and funnest decision I have ever made.
Finally, I realized that our "spring fling worlds colliding" BBQ is just a few days away! Yes, the Felix/Kathy new friend campaign is off to a hot start. More importantly, it will give me a few hours that I'm not doing work, and I crave those moments more than anything else. Now I realize why it's terrible to work from home...you can never escape! Work's at work and work's at home! Argh...
If I hurry away now, I can get to bed by 1am. So goodNIGHT. (Are you wondering if the busybody is you? Heh, heh...we'll never tell!)
Saturday, May 04, 2002
This site is so very very cool.
All I could think was...whoa...who has time to hunt down all of these?!?! There are apparently a lot of people out there who've got a bit of time on their hands. Fun stuff!
All I could think was...whoa...who has time to hunt down all of these?!?! There are apparently a lot of people out there who've got a bit of time on their hands. Fun stuff!
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Craig's List is San Francisco's ultimate classifieds. It's totally grassroots, and everyone I know who lives in the city uses it.
Pretty amazing stuff.
So Felix sent me an e-mail today; apparently there's a rather fascinating section on missed connections. This one was especially amusing.
Thankfully, I don't have any missed connections; Felix came along and saved me.
Pretty amazing stuff.
So Felix sent me an e-mail today; apparently there's a rather fascinating section on missed connections. This one was especially amusing.
Thankfully, I don't have any missed connections; Felix came along and saved me.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
I just read the most frightening article. If there's one favorite food category for me, it would have to be carbs. I love bread, I love rice, I love potatoes....OH do I love potatoes. French fries, baked potatoes, tater tots, mashed potatoes, yum, yum, YUM! That trendy no-starch diet would kill me.
Imagine my dismay when I sat down to surf the news today, only to discover that the latest and greatest studies show that starches could kill you! I am so horrified. Apparently, fried and baked goods are loaded with carcinogens. Boiled is safe...but boiled? Yuck.
This is almost as scary as when I was on my high school debate team and uncovered tons and tons of evidence that the world was going to end. That's right - it's only a matter of time before another speeding asteroid crashes into our puny earth and wipes us out, just like the dinosaurs.
Extinction and cancer-causing fries. Such terrible, terrible, things.
Imagine my dismay when I sat down to surf the news today, only to discover that the latest and greatest studies show that starches could kill you! I am so horrified. Apparently, fried and baked goods are loaded with carcinogens. Boiled is safe...but boiled? Yuck.
This is almost as scary as when I was on my high school debate team and uncovered tons and tons of evidence that the world was going to end. That's right - it's only a matter of time before another speeding asteroid crashes into our puny earth and wipes us out, just like the dinosaurs.
Extinction and cancer-causing fries. Such terrible, terrible, things.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Felix and I are on the campaign. We need to get ourselves some more friends. You see, I believe that there are two types of people in the world: the kind that have a lot of friends they hang out with, and the kind that have a lot of acquaintences but really only hang out with a core group of friends. Felix and I are definitely the latter.
Excluding siblings, we basically have three or four best buddies. That's it. These are the folks we see once, twice, sometimes more a week. The kicker, though, the reason why we're on the campaign trail is that our friends are MOVING AWAY. Far, far away. (Jean, you lucky dog! I can't believe George and Lisa are leaving us!!!!) We've actually known about the possible moves for quite some time now, but I don't think the full import of the situation truly dawned on us until recently.
When they move away, we won't have any friends left.
You might think I'm being dramatic; I admit that I have those tendencies. But even Felix agrees that we're soon to be friendless! It's so depressing. Fortunately, I'm not the sort to stand aside while the inevitable runs me over. No way. We're strategizing - looking over our name rosters and worming our way into other people's lives. I'm busily planning lunches, phone calls, parties, and gatherings, anything I can do to renew old ties and establish new ones.
We gotta get cracking! Moving day approaches, and if we haven't sorted things out by then, it'll just be me and Felix. Scary thought.
Excluding siblings, we basically have three or four best buddies. That's it. These are the folks we see once, twice, sometimes more a week. The kicker, though, the reason why we're on the campaign trail is that our friends are MOVING AWAY. Far, far away. (Jean, you lucky dog! I can't believe George and Lisa are leaving us!!!!) We've actually known about the possible moves for quite some time now, but I don't think the full import of the situation truly dawned on us until recently.
When they move away, we won't have any friends left.
You might think I'm being dramatic; I admit that I have those tendencies. But even Felix agrees that we're soon to be friendless! It's so depressing. Fortunately, I'm not the sort to stand aside while the inevitable runs me over. No way. We're strategizing - looking over our name rosters and worming our way into other people's lives. I'm busily planning lunches, phone calls, parties, and gatherings, anything I can do to renew old ties and establish new ones.
We gotta get cracking! Moving day approaches, and if we haven't sorted things out by then, it'll just be me and Felix. Scary thought.
Friday, March 29, 2002
I just have to add a post to say...
...that Chrissie's nephew is REALLY the cutest baby I have EVER seen. She's mentioned it more than a few times, but frankly, everyone always thinks their baby, niece, nephew, grandchild, godchild is the most adorable child in the world. Normal folks know that's simply impossible. Not every tot can be #1.
Hate to break it to you, but some babies ain't so cute.
Not the case with Chrissie's nephew. He is truly awwwww-my-heart-aches-he's-SO-cute adorable. Her latest set of pictures had me literally wishing I could pull the little guy right off my screen; too huggable to believe!
It's funny because I often joke with Felix that I will do my best to be an honest mother. If my little pumpkin is wrinkly or odd-lookin', I will simply accept that and not foist some distorted notion of "tell me my baby is great" on those around me. Felix laughs and tells me not to be absurd. Apparently, part of parenthood is entering this weirdly warped reality where one's child tops all others. Hmm...we'll see. One thing's for sure. Between my dad telling me that I'm getting too old (my aging genes are unraveling with each passing day) and my friends popping out newborns left and right, I sense that starting a family is in our not-so-distant future.
Then we'll see whose baby is cutest!
...that Chrissie's nephew is REALLY the cutest baby I have EVER seen. She's mentioned it more than a few times, but frankly, everyone always thinks their baby, niece, nephew, grandchild, godchild is the most adorable child in the world. Normal folks know that's simply impossible. Not every tot can be #1.
Hate to break it to you, but some babies ain't so cute.
Not the case with Chrissie's nephew. He is truly awwwww-my-heart-aches-he's-SO-cute adorable. Her latest set of pictures had me literally wishing I could pull the little guy right off my screen; too huggable to believe!
It's funny because I often joke with Felix that I will do my best to be an honest mother. If my little pumpkin is wrinkly or odd-lookin', I will simply accept that and not foist some distorted notion of "tell me my baby is great" on those around me. Felix laughs and tells me not to be absurd. Apparently, part of parenthood is entering this weirdly warped reality where one's child tops all others. Hmm...we'll see. One thing's for sure. Between my dad telling me that I'm getting too old (my aging genes are unraveling with each passing day) and my friends popping out newborns left and right, I sense that starting a family is in our not-so-distant future.
Then we'll see whose baby is cutest!
Monday, March 25, 2002
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
.....drum roll please.....
Yes, we finally have our own website. No more banners. No more annoying ads. And a REAL domain name.
www.kathyfelix.com
Boring, you say? Conventional? Perhaps. But let me tell you why commonplace is better than creative.
When I arrived at Stanford as a wee little freshman, the first thing everyone tells you is to think VERY carefully about what you choose as a username. Your SUID is not just your e-mail, they warn you; it's your Stanford label for life. Forever means nothing to most 17-year-olds, though. I watched some of my dormmates make sturdy and faithful choices - kwilson, mjohnson, and so on down the first-initial-last-name road. Whatever! I wanted to be creative and cute, choosing my high school nickname to represent me in the Stanford world. Others were motivated by more obscure reasons, picking oddities like demon, flame, and peaches. The dullards sniffed in disdain; how are you going to put that as your e-mail address on your resume? I just thumbed my nose back and thought, who cares about resumes?! That's years away.
Well, it's years away now. And the first thing that happened when I joyfully came back to Stanford to begin employment was to discover that I was stuck with the same cutesy-ootsy SUID. But I'd graduated! I'd left Stanford! I'd had other jobs and done other things with my life! I needed something standard and professional to put on my business cards and give out to my colleagues. Too bad...the warnings were true. I'm labeled for life. I wasn't the only person to get stung, either. My boss, in fact, who is a class of '75 grad, sheepishly admitted to me that he had also picked a less-than-ideal SUID as a wee little freshman as well.
Good thing we have aliases!
I learned my lesson and have completely changed camps. Old, stodgy, boring, and conventional sound great to me. Chrissie, I should tell you that Felix thought www.katlix.com was the scariest thing he'd ever heard. And Tom, I just don't think catbus would have held up.
So www.kathyfelix.com it is. At least it will stand the test of time!
Yes, we finally have our own website. No more banners. No more annoying ads. And a REAL domain name.
www.kathyfelix.com
Boring, you say? Conventional? Perhaps. But let me tell you why commonplace is better than creative.
When I arrived at Stanford as a wee little freshman, the first thing everyone tells you is to think VERY carefully about what you choose as a username. Your SUID is not just your e-mail, they warn you; it's your Stanford label for life. Forever means nothing to most 17-year-olds, though. I watched some of my dormmates make sturdy and faithful choices - kwilson, mjohnson, and so on down the first-initial-last-name road. Whatever! I wanted to be creative and cute, choosing my high school nickname to represent me in the Stanford world. Others were motivated by more obscure reasons, picking oddities like demon, flame, and peaches. The dullards sniffed in disdain; how are you going to put that as your e-mail address on your resume? I just thumbed my nose back and thought, who cares about resumes?! That's years away.
Well, it's years away now. And the first thing that happened when I joyfully came back to Stanford to begin employment was to discover that I was stuck with the same cutesy-ootsy SUID. But I'd graduated! I'd left Stanford! I'd had other jobs and done other things with my life! I needed something standard and professional to put on my business cards and give out to my colleagues. Too bad...the warnings were true. I'm labeled for life. I wasn't the only person to get stung, either. My boss, in fact, who is a class of '75 grad, sheepishly admitted to me that he had also picked a less-than-ideal SUID as a wee little freshman as well.
Good thing we have aliases!
I learned my lesson and have completely changed camps. Old, stodgy, boring, and conventional sound great to me. Chrissie, I should tell you that Felix thought www.katlix.com was the scariest thing he'd ever heard. And Tom, I just don't think catbus would have held up.
So www.kathyfelix.com it is. At least it will stand the test of time!
Monday, March 18, 2002
We're back! Felix and I had an amazing week-long vacation in Whistler. This is actually a tradition for us; Whistler 2002 was our fourth annual trip and each year seems to be even better than the last! Of course, being the compulsive, bossy, event-coordinator-type that I am, I organize our trips. To be fair, Felix put together the first visit...but I just couldn't resist grabbing the reins from him and driving every year after.
I choose the dates. I choose the place to stay. I book the rental cars and airport shuttles. And most importantly, I decide who gets invited and how many people get to come. (***evil laughter and hand-wringing here***)
Can we say power trip?
It's always a lot of fun. Most of our closest and bestest friends and family go, and we ski, ski, ski, and eat, eat, eat to our little hearts' content. Gotta love the eating. We even tried out a new German place this year called Bavaria Restaurant. The menu came complete with homemade bratwurst, real German beer, schnitzel, spaetzel, and strudel. They had it all. Felix ate this big ol' pork hock that was crispy and VERY tasty. Can't forget Mongolie Grill either, where you pay for your meal based on how much it weighs. Everything's make your own, and believe it or not, I ate more than anyone else. That's right, baby; 1.064 kilograms. I kicked Stan's butt, and if you've ever seen him tuck away a meal, you'd know why I'm so proud. I needed to be rolled home when that was over.
Yum!
Felix and I broke down and bought helmets, too. My head is SO huge. I had no idea. With the helmet on, it seems surprising that my neck can hold everything up! When we post our trip pictures, you'll see what I'm talking about. Short people shouldn't have such big noggins. Make me wonder if I wasn't meant to be taller...
This was also the first year that we've ever had video. Stan gave himself a birthday present by buying the most amazing camcorder I have ever seen. It's barely as big as my hand and was just sooooooo cool. Everyone had the chance to get some fun footage in, and the best part is that Felix decided that we should get one, too! Maybe not the same model (how much did you spend, Stan??? 'fess up!!!), but definitely one that we can have fun with.
So the trip was phenomenal and gave me much needed rest. As evidenced in my ability to write a nice long blog, which I haven't done in quite awhile. I also did some other playing around today...can we say new domain name? But that's a secret until I get the whole web-hosting thing figured out. When it's all launched and not broken, I'll let ya'll know. I promise.
I choose the dates. I choose the place to stay. I book the rental cars and airport shuttles. And most importantly, I decide who gets invited and how many people get to come. (***evil laughter and hand-wringing here***)
Can we say power trip?
It's always a lot of fun. Most of our closest and bestest friends and family go, and we ski, ski, ski, and eat, eat, eat to our little hearts' content. Gotta love the eating. We even tried out a new German place this year called Bavaria Restaurant. The menu came complete with homemade bratwurst, real German beer, schnitzel, spaetzel, and strudel. They had it all. Felix ate this big ol' pork hock that was crispy and VERY tasty. Can't forget Mongolie Grill either, where you pay for your meal based on how much it weighs. Everything's make your own, and believe it or not, I ate more than anyone else. That's right, baby; 1.064 kilograms. I kicked Stan's butt, and if you've ever seen him tuck away a meal, you'd know why I'm so proud. I needed to be rolled home when that was over.
Yum!
Felix and I broke down and bought helmets, too. My head is SO huge. I had no idea. With the helmet on, it seems surprising that my neck can hold everything up! When we post our trip pictures, you'll see what I'm talking about. Short people shouldn't have such big noggins. Make me wonder if I wasn't meant to be taller...
This was also the first year that we've ever had video. Stan gave himself a birthday present by buying the most amazing camcorder I have ever seen. It's barely as big as my hand and was just sooooooo cool. Everyone had the chance to get some fun footage in, and the best part is that Felix decided that we should get one, too! Maybe not the same model (how much did you spend, Stan??? 'fess up!!!), but definitely one that we can have fun with.
So the trip was phenomenal and gave me much needed rest. As evidenced in my ability to write a nice long blog, which I haven't done in quite awhile. I also did some other playing around today...can we say new domain name? But that's a secret until I get the whole web-hosting thing figured out. When it's all launched and not broken, I'll let ya'll know. I promise.
Friday, March 08, 2002
8.5 hours sleep in two days. That's basically one good night's rest spread way too thin. The Thursday/Friday conference turned out to be a nightmare and a half. No, really, I'm not exaggerating. In fact, it was so bad that the rest of the staff in our building even noticed. When the attendees left today, my co-worker from across the hall actually suggested that we have a little party on Monday to celebrate the fact that the #?@$! thing was over!
No one liked hosting them.
Ah well, such is life in a service industry. Besides, today was actually a great day. Why is that? I'm on vacation. Yup. When I left work today, I officially left for the week. Whistler, here I come!!!!! I even printed out a little picture from our trip last year and a good-bye-I'll-see-you-in-a-week note to tape to my monitor. Changed my voicemail. Cleaned up my desk. And left for vacation.
Mmmmmmm....I feel better already. **grin**
No one liked hosting them.
Ah well, such is life in a service industry. Besides, today was actually a great day. Why is that? I'm on vacation. Yup. When I left work today, I officially left for the week. Whistler, here I come!!!!! I even printed out a little picture from our trip last year and a good-bye-I'll-see-you-in-a-week note to tape to my monitor. Changed my voicemail. Cleaned up my desk. And left for vacation.
Mmmmmmm....I feel better already. **grin**
Wednesday, March 06, 2002
Chrissie's the bomb. I knew that if anyone would respond to my cry for help, it'd be her.
So now I'm at the hard part....what the heck am I going to choose for a domain name? Felix and I talked a little about it last night. Let's just say that we don't necessarily see eye-to-eye. In fact, at the end of it all, he just threw it back into my court. I'm the one who does more with the website anyway, he says.
Great. SO helpful.
And tomorrow, I have this heinous (what a great word) conference that starts at 6am and runs until 11:30pm. Ugh. Double ugh. TRIPLE ugh. I am so not a morning person...
So now I'm at the hard part....what the heck am I going to choose for a domain name? Felix and I talked a little about it last night. Let's just say that we don't necessarily see eye-to-eye. In fact, at the end of it all, he just threw it back into my court. I'm the one who does more with the website anyway, he says.
Great. SO helpful.
And tomorrow, I have this heinous (what a great word) conference that starts at 6am and runs until 11:30pm. Ugh. Double ugh. TRIPLE ugh. I am so not a morning person...
Friday, March 01, 2002
Thursday, February 21, 2002
Whoa......
I was randomly clicking back through my archives and realized that it'd been awhile since I visited this really great time-wasting website. So I clicked it. And it's been totally updated!!!
Cooler than ever...
I was randomly clicking back through my archives and realized that it'd been awhile since I visited this really great time-wasting website. So I clicked it. And it's been totally updated!!!
Cooler than ever...
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
I really need a hobby. Yes, there are a number of activities that I do for fun...skiing, biking, and other random things. But those are activities, not hobbies. In fact, I've always been looking for something to call my own. When I was little, my dad suggested that I collect stamps. According to him, it'd be easy to maintain, fun to do, and might actually have some worth someday. Where are my stamps now? Uh...collecting dust at home in New Jersey somewhere. I just never really took to it.
I also tried knitting, which is my friend Elizabeth's talent. I think I went so far as to knit a pot holder. Maybe even two? I bought a lot of yarn though! Such pretty colors and textures...all gone to waste.
While Felix was in Taiwan, I picked up cross stich. Never one to start small, I bought this big ol' pattern of suns, stars, and moons. Really beautiful. Too bad I only finished one sun and half a moon.
So, when I announced to Felix last year that I was going to pick up photography, he was a little concerned. Unlike my other failed attempts to pick something up, photography would be a really expensive venture. It'd be a lot of money down the drain if I didn't follow through. Don't worry, I promised; this was a hobby I could get really excited about. Tom, who was already making some inroads into amateur photography, offered to help me find a camera on eBay. When the Nikon 8008s he won arrived, however, it was a complete mess. Wasn't it just my luck that his first time getting ripped off on eBay was over my $450 camera?! I managed to resell it for a rather pathetic price (I'm honest, even if others are not) and bought myself a nice little deal from Yahoo! Shopping. So far, I've shot three rolls...and they're OK.
I think I need to take a class. Gotta prove I'm serious. And gotta get this hobby thing going!
I also tried knitting, which is my friend Elizabeth's talent. I think I went so far as to knit a pot holder. Maybe even two? I bought a lot of yarn though! Such pretty colors and textures...all gone to waste.
While Felix was in Taiwan, I picked up cross stich. Never one to start small, I bought this big ol' pattern of suns, stars, and moons. Really beautiful. Too bad I only finished one sun and half a moon.
So, when I announced to Felix last year that I was going to pick up photography, he was a little concerned. Unlike my other failed attempts to pick something up, photography would be a really expensive venture. It'd be a lot of money down the drain if I didn't follow through. Don't worry, I promised; this was a hobby I could get really excited about. Tom, who was already making some inroads into amateur photography, offered to help me find a camera on eBay. When the Nikon 8008s he won arrived, however, it was a complete mess. Wasn't it just my luck that his first time getting ripped off on eBay was over my $450 camera?! I managed to resell it for a rather pathetic price (I'm honest, even if others are not) and bought myself a nice little deal from Yahoo! Shopping. So far, I've shot three rolls...and they're OK.
I think I need to take a class. Gotta prove I'm serious. And gotta get this hobby thing going!
Thursday, February 14, 2002
Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!
I must admit, I'm not really a romantic kind of gal. I think my brother Tom summed it up best when he told me that he wished he could find a girlfriend who was as low-maintenance as I was. I'm like a guy, he said; not a "real" girl. What does that mean?! There is a little bit of truth to that, though, which I discovered about myself in high school. You know how you dream about some hunky guy who will bring you flowers, whisper sweet nothings in your ear, and woo you with gifts, love, and romance? In 11th grade, I actually had a boyfriend who was like that. He bought me those sappy Hallmark cards with scripty writing on them. He gave me little satin heart pillows that said I love you. He dropped notes in my locker in the afternoon to tell me that he missed me...from seeing me that morning.
He drove me nuts.
At first, I thought...awwww, how sweet and romantic. What a cutie. Then I thought...ok, this is getting to be a little over the top. Finally I decided...he's a total sap and I hate him.
It only took me a few weeks to come to the conclusion that I did NOT want a romantic dreamboat. Our relationship didn't last very long, and after I dumped him, I treated him horribly just so I could try to get his lovey-dovey-ness as far away from me as possible. How cruel was I? Let's just say that years later, when we were both in college and catching up one day over Christmas break, he admitted that I was the second worst girlfriend he'd ever had. (First place went to one of my best friends - heh, heh.)
Anyway, the experience made me realize that I just wanted a regular guy who was more of a friend than a flower crazed lovebird. And believe me, marrying an engineer is almost a guarantee that you're not going to be drowning in romance. So Valentine's Day always makes me smile. While the rest of the world is swooning over roses and sharing wine over a candlelit dinner, I'm just snuggling up to the greatest love of my life, hanging out in our little home and totally and utterly happy.
I must admit, I'm not really a romantic kind of gal. I think my brother Tom summed it up best when he told me that he wished he could find a girlfriend who was as low-maintenance as I was. I'm like a guy, he said; not a "real" girl. What does that mean?! There is a little bit of truth to that, though, which I discovered about myself in high school. You know how you dream about some hunky guy who will bring you flowers, whisper sweet nothings in your ear, and woo you with gifts, love, and romance? In 11th grade, I actually had a boyfriend who was like that. He bought me those sappy Hallmark cards with scripty writing on them. He gave me little satin heart pillows that said I love you. He dropped notes in my locker in the afternoon to tell me that he missed me...from seeing me that morning.
He drove me nuts.
At first, I thought...awwww, how sweet and romantic. What a cutie. Then I thought...ok, this is getting to be a little over the top. Finally I decided...he's a total sap and I hate him.
It only took me a few weeks to come to the conclusion that I did NOT want a romantic dreamboat. Our relationship didn't last very long, and after I dumped him, I treated him horribly just so I could try to get his lovey-dovey-ness as far away from me as possible. How cruel was I? Let's just say that years later, when we were both in college and catching up one day over Christmas break, he admitted that I was the second worst girlfriend he'd ever had. (First place went to one of my best friends - heh, heh.)
Anyway, the experience made me realize that I just wanted a regular guy who was more of a friend than a flower crazed lovebird. And believe me, marrying an engineer is almost a guarantee that you're not going to be drowning in romance. So Valentine's Day always makes me smile. While the rest of the world is swooning over roses and sharing wine over a candlelit dinner, I'm just snuggling up to the greatest love of my life, hanging out in our little home and totally and utterly happy.
Tuesday, February 12, 2002
It's 11:31pm. I just got home. Felix isn't even back yet - he's at the Cupertino center, trying to get their e-mail up and running.
I'm tired...my right eye is teary, blurry, and achy (I just got LASEK done on my second eye this past Thursday)...my honey isn't here to cheer me up...and Chrissie is the best. The pencils totally brought a grin to my face, and I stuck your letter to our fridge, right next to the adorable announcement of your nephew's birth.
If you're still droppin' by and still reading my blog, thank you. You really do rock.
I'm tired...my right eye is teary, blurry, and achy (I just got LASEK done on my second eye this past Thursday)...my honey isn't here to cheer me up...and Chrissie is the best. The pencils totally brought a grin to my face, and I stuck your letter to our fridge, right next to the adorable announcement of your nephew's birth.
If you're still droppin' by and still reading my blog, thank you. You really do rock.
Good grief! I was just thinking about the fact that I hadn't blogged in awhile, so I went to the website...and saw that my last entry was January 22nd!!!!! Does anyone even read this anymore?!?!?! I'm so bad...
Let me just say that I am barely getting any sleep, much less time to blog. Excuses, excuses, you say. Well, here's a doozy. I can finally come out and tell everyone - I am now the proud owner of my very own business.
That's right. I'm CEO and President of a corporation. I've even got the EIN to prove it.
Shocked? Me, too. Felix and I have been wrangling over this business-buying deal for the last two and half months or so. It all started with an innocent phone call from an old friend of mine. He was a co-founder of Achieva, where I used to work, and I hadn't heard from him in ages. So we chit-chatted and caught up, and then he dropped the bomb. Achieva was selling off its assets, and in particular, they were looking to cut loose their two remaining college prep centers. Would I want to buy them? After the surprise wore off, I thought...YES, I would love to buy them. I never thought I'd be offered this kind of opportunity out of the blue, nevermind actually becoming a business owner.
To make a long story (and it's a very long story) short, Felix and I got a corporate attorney (they are SO expensive), made a ton of phone calls, talked to a million people, and argued and haggled our way into being business owners. I have employees. I have a payroll. And I'm incorporated. So...sleep hasn't really been in the picture lately, for me or for Felix. That's right - he's my VP, CFO, and IT guy all rolled into one.
What a sweetie!
Did I mention that we still have our full-time jobs, too?
Let me just say that I am barely getting any sleep, much less time to blog. Excuses, excuses, you say. Well, here's a doozy. I can finally come out and tell everyone - I am now the proud owner of my very own business.
That's right. I'm CEO and President of a corporation. I've even got the EIN to prove it.
Shocked? Me, too. Felix and I have been wrangling over this business-buying deal for the last two and half months or so. It all started with an innocent phone call from an old friend of mine. He was a co-founder of Achieva, where I used to work, and I hadn't heard from him in ages. So we chit-chatted and caught up, and then he dropped the bomb. Achieva was selling off its assets, and in particular, they were looking to cut loose their two remaining college prep centers. Would I want to buy them? After the surprise wore off, I thought...YES, I would love to buy them. I never thought I'd be offered this kind of opportunity out of the blue, nevermind actually becoming a business owner.
To make a long story (and it's a very long story) short, Felix and I got a corporate attorney (they are SO expensive), made a ton of phone calls, talked to a million people, and argued and haggled our way into being business owners. I have employees. I have a payroll. And I'm incorporated. So...sleep hasn't really been in the picture lately, for me or for Felix. That's right - he's my VP, CFO, and IT guy all rolled into one.
What a sweetie!
Did I mention that we still have our full-time jobs, too?
Tuesday, January 22, 2002
I have to admit that the thought of LASIK made me shudder for a long long time. A surgery where you're awake AND they're poking and zapping your eye? No way.
Well, I'm sitting here at my monitor right now, a contact lens in my right eye...and nothing in my left. That's right. I'm just looking around with my plain old eyeball.
I did it!
The whole procedure happened this past Thursday afternoon. I would have blogged about it earlier, but to be honest, I was a little nervous. Which made me feel a little superstitious. Who knows? Maybe talking about it too much ahead of time, or telling everyone I was going to do it would have totally jinxed me. Life only gives you one set of eyes. Why risk your luck?
And, I didn't even get the regular deal; I actually had LASEK done, which is an off-the-books procedure (not FDA approved yet). Interestingly enough, the whole experience was actually quite uneventful. Since I only zapped one eye, the surgery only lasted about 15 minutes. The laser itself was only on about 30 seconds. And even though I was awake, I didn't feel or see a thing. Numbing drops and Valium work wonders, let me tell you, and my vision is so blurry that I was completely oblivious to what was happening.
Afterwards, by the next morning, my eye had already gone from about 20/400 to about 20/70. Amazing. I have to admit - the first couple days were definitely not comfortable. There was one point on Saturday when I was pacing around the house, screaming about how I was going to tear my eye out and stomp all over it. The itchiness and ache was driving me absolutely nuts. Felix, sweetheart that he is, made me go to sleep. Good idea...he's always full of good ideas.
Overall, I think Felix's experience was MUCH more interesting. He watched the whole procedure from the waiting room on a closed circuit TV. I had no idea what was going on, but he saw every little gory detail. Felix said it was one of those things where you're totally fascinated and disgusted at the same time. You can't stop yourself from watching, but your face is totally drawn back in a grimace, even without you realizing it. The best part is, I still have my right eye to do (I'm scheduled to go in a couple of weeks), and they said we could bring a videotape! So, next time you're at my place, I can treat you to a private viewing of my own little horror show.
In the meantime, I'm finally back to work today, watching in wonder as my eye continues to improve. Life without glasses is just so sweet.
Well, I'm sitting here at my monitor right now, a contact lens in my right eye...and nothing in my left. That's right. I'm just looking around with my plain old eyeball.
I did it!
The whole procedure happened this past Thursday afternoon. I would have blogged about it earlier, but to be honest, I was a little nervous. Which made me feel a little superstitious. Who knows? Maybe talking about it too much ahead of time, or telling everyone I was going to do it would have totally jinxed me. Life only gives you one set of eyes. Why risk your luck?
And, I didn't even get the regular deal; I actually had LASEK done, which is an off-the-books procedure (not FDA approved yet). Interestingly enough, the whole experience was actually quite uneventful. Since I only zapped one eye, the surgery only lasted about 15 minutes. The laser itself was only on about 30 seconds. And even though I was awake, I didn't feel or see a thing. Numbing drops and Valium work wonders, let me tell you, and my vision is so blurry that I was completely oblivious to what was happening.
Afterwards, by the next morning, my eye had already gone from about 20/400 to about 20/70. Amazing. I have to admit - the first couple days were definitely not comfortable. There was one point on Saturday when I was pacing around the house, screaming about how I was going to tear my eye out and stomp all over it. The itchiness and ache was driving me absolutely nuts. Felix, sweetheart that he is, made me go to sleep. Good idea...he's always full of good ideas.
Overall, I think Felix's experience was MUCH more interesting. He watched the whole procedure from the waiting room on a closed circuit TV. I had no idea what was going on, but he saw every little gory detail. Felix said it was one of those things where you're totally fascinated and disgusted at the same time. You can't stop yourself from watching, but your face is totally drawn back in a grimace, even without you realizing it. The best part is, I still have my right eye to do (I'm scheduled to go in a couple of weeks), and they said we could bring a videotape! So, next time you're at my place, I can treat you to a private viewing of my own little horror show.
In the meantime, I'm finally back to work today, watching in wonder as my eye continues to improve. Life without glasses is just so sweet.
Monday, January 14, 2002
OK, so first, let's do a little catch-up.
Thursday's dinner was perfect. I'm actually shocked that it went over so well, and my boss (he's such a nice guy) even pulled aside the donor who ripped my head off that other time and filled her ear with rave comments about me. I love working here.
Friday, I left work at around noon, totally ill. The dinner rocked, but I think I must have gotten some kind of evil food poisoning that just knocked me off my feet. Between Friday and Saturday, I slept almost thirty-some hours. No, I'm not kidding. I wasn't that tired exactly, but when I wasn't out cold, I was yacking. So, given the options, I forced myself to sleep. I'd forgotten how scary it is to throw up; no wonder it makes kids cry!
The worst part about being sick Friday was that I missed going to see Beauty and the Beast at the IMAX theater! Jean was in town and everything, and I was sooooooo disappointed that I couldn't go. No one wants you making a mess on their shoes, however, so I thought it best that Felix go on without me. My honey said he'd take me some other time, maybe this weekend. He's the best.
It was a lot of fun seeing Jean. She and two of our other best friends are laying it on thick, campaigning to get us to move to Denver with them. Sigh. That's a tough one - between Portland, Seattle, Denver, and the Bay Area, who knows where we'll end up?! I think Felix and I have decided that there's about a 50/50 chance we'll leave the area. So if you want to give us your pitch, let us know!
Thursday's dinner was perfect. I'm actually shocked that it went over so well, and my boss (he's such a nice guy) even pulled aside the donor who ripped my head off that other time and filled her ear with rave comments about me. I love working here.
Friday, I left work at around noon, totally ill. The dinner rocked, but I think I must have gotten some kind of evil food poisoning that just knocked me off my feet. Between Friday and Saturday, I slept almost thirty-some hours. No, I'm not kidding. I wasn't that tired exactly, but when I wasn't out cold, I was yacking. So, given the options, I forced myself to sleep. I'd forgotten how scary it is to throw up; no wonder it makes kids cry!
The worst part about being sick Friday was that I missed going to see Beauty and the Beast at the IMAX theater! Jean was in town and everything, and I was sooooooo disappointed that I couldn't go. No one wants you making a mess on their shoes, however, so I thought it best that Felix go on without me. My honey said he'd take me some other time, maybe this weekend. He's the best.
It was a lot of fun seeing Jean. She and two of our other best friends are laying it on thick, campaigning to get us to move to Denver with them. Sigh. That's a tough one - between Portland, Seattle, Denver, and the Bay Area, who knows where we'll end up?! I think Felix and I have decided that there's about a 50/50 chance we'll leave the area. So if you want to give us your pitch, let us know!
Monday, January 07, 2002
I'm a little scared.
This Thursday (oh my gawd, it's only in TWO days!!!), we're having this super important dinner at work. The event is to honor and thank all the donors who gave millions of bucks to build our Center. And I'm starting to sweat. These past couple of nights, I have really started to not sleep well. Stayed up until 5am the other day, in fact. Flashbacks of my previous donor run-in, when a very important woman squashed me like a bug, are terrorizing me in my dreams.
It's not good.
And, to top it all off, guess what facilities dropped off at my desk today? My new cell phone. That's right, I now have a dedicated cell phone just for work. So now I carry two phones. The irony is killing me!!!
This Thursday (oh my gawd, it's only in TWO days!!!), we're having this super important dinner at work. The event is to honor and thank all the donors who gave millions of bucks to build our Center. And I'm starting to sweat. These past couple of nights, I have really started to not sleep well. Stayed up until 5am the other day, in fact. Flashbacks of my previous donor run-in, when a very important woman squashed me like a bug, are terrorizing me in my dreams.
It's not good.
And, to top it all off, guess what facilities dropped off at my desk today? My new cell phone. That's right, I now have a dedicated cell phone just for work. So now I carry two phones. The irony is killing me!!!
Thursday, January 03, 2002
Cell phones are the device of the devil. They're SO evil. The whole industry is one big conspiracy, designed to suck you in, take your soul, and leave you cursing their hellish ways. It all starts when you go to buy a phone. Sure, you think to yourself - you need a cell phone! Think of the convenience it'll bring to your life, the ease with which you can conduct business and personal matters with the mere touch of a button. Phones are like everyday accessories nowadays, and between the snazzy features, fun colors, and cute tinkly ringtones, is there no surprise that so many people own one?
It's like in that freshman psychology class I took when I learned about control. When you go to Vegas, the flashing lights, clinking coins, and ringing bells all create the illusion of winning, even while the house is robbing you blind. I look at my evil, evil phone...and I realize that my pockets are totally empty.
So I bought my fun phone with its fun ringtones and fun features. And I signed up for a plan, which is the second and bigger step closer to hell. How is that? To get the best bargain, I had to sign a one year deal, of course. And if I tied my home's long distance to my cell phone carrier, I got an even better deal! Penalties if I broke my contract were worth an arm and BOTH legs...but why would I want to get out of it? The discounts alone seemed too good to be true; I couldn't even imagine why I wouldn't want to take it.
Ha!
In the last few years of additional discounts, deals, and contracts, I've found myself grinding my teeth. Prices go up - I can't do anything about it. My first "fun and snazzy" phone broke - I had to wrangle Felix AND eBay to get a new one. My minutes get crappier and crappier - I'm bound by my contract. Suddenly, I find myself backed into a corner, faced with the difficult choice of coughing up yet more money to buy more minutes, or coughing up more money to escape my evil (SATAN!) cell phone provider, buy a new phone (BECAUSE NOW I'M ADDICTED!!!), and go with another provider (SATAN 2!!!).
Argh!
At least Fellowship of the Ring was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'm not sure what makes me more depressed. Contemplating my cell phone woes...or waiting a year to see the second part of LOTR. How sad...
It's like in that freshman psychology class I took when I learned about control. When you go to Vegas, the flashing lights, clinking coins, and ringing bells all create the illusion of winning, even while the house is robbing you blind. I look at my evil, evil phone...and I realize that my pockets are totally empty.
So I bought my fun phone with its fun ringtones and fun features. And I signed up for a plan, which is the second and bigger step closer to hell. How is that? To get the best bargain, I had to sign a one year deal, of course. And if I tied my home's long distance to my cell phone carrier, I got an even better deal! Penalties if I broke my contract were worth an arm and BOTH legs...but why would I want to get out of it? The discounts alone seemed too good to be true; I couldn't even imagine why I wouldn't want to take it.
Ha!
In the last few years of additional discounts, deals, and contracts, I've found myself grinding my teeth. Prices go up - I can't do anything about it. My first "fun and snazzy" phone broke - I had to wrangle Felix AND eBay to get a new one. My minutes get crappier and crappier - I'm bound by my contract. Suddenly, I find myself backed into a corner, faced with the difficult choice of coughing up yet more money to buy more minutes, or coughing up more money to escape my evil (SATAN!) cell phone provider, buy a new phone (BECAUSE NOW I'M ADDICTED!!!), and go with another provider (SATAN 2!!!).
Argh!
At least Fellowship of the Ring was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'm not sure what makes me more depressed. Contemplating my cell phone woes...or waiting a year to see the second part of LOTR. How sad...
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