Dude Where's My Phone

The other night I was up way past midnight searching for my cell phone. I had called the hubby earlier in the evening wondering if he was going to come home for dinner or not (I was hungry). He said yes, he'd be home at some point, but that I should fend for myself. Groovy. I ate, I was happy. I placed the phone on the coffee table so it would be within easy reach should I need it.

The rest of the evening I kept busy restocking the dog food, taking out the trash to the garage, ordering Toastmasters supplies, making a flip book for E's super-cool and awesome boss, wrapping said gift, making several loaves of banana nut bread, cleaning the kitchen... I was all over the first level of the house doing various tasks and chores.

Later the hubby arrives home. He watches a little TV then goes to bed. I start cleaning up and putting my craft supplies away. I go to grab my cell phone from the coffee table so I can recharge it. It's not there. I look under the coffee table it's not there either. I wonder if perhaps it got caught in a sofa cushion. I displace Karma so I can toss pillows and cushions in search of my cellular link to the outside world. Not there, but I did discover something disgusting that I shan't discuss here.

I search all the trash cans, recyclables, went through all my crafting supplies (which are plentiful), the Toastmasters files, the fridge (one just never knows), the garage, my purse, E's laptop carrier, ... the darn thing is nowhere to be found. I ask the hubby, "Hey, have you seen my phone? I left it on the coffee table and it's not there."

"Hmm, no I haven't seen it. Want me to call you?"

No ring. D'oh. I left my phone on silent again, dang it.

"Oh well, I don't know where it is honey. Sorry." He goes to sleep.

I want to go to bed too but wondering where my phone is drives me insane; I can't sleep. I'm so careful with my stuff, I usually know where everything is. How can my phone be MIA?

I retrace all my steps and search everything again. It's very, very late. I decide to continue the search in the morning. In the master bedroom closest, while changing for bed, I notice my phone on Erik's shelf above his hanging clothes, next to his dress shirts waiting to visit the dry cleaners.

Argh. I want to make mean pirate sounds and scream, but the hubby is sound asleep. T'would be quite rude to awake him just to let him know how displeased I am about his relocating my cell phone, I resist the temptation. Happy Festivus baby, I let you sleep that night. You can return the favor by never again misplacing my phone.

The Cost of Christmas

Since this holiday season always ends up costing us more than we plan on spending I thought it would be a good idea for Erik and I to make each other a gift. He immediately knew what he wanted to make me. I however hadn't a clue what to make him, so I asked, "Hey, what would you like me to make you?" Answer: a bench.

This should have been an easy task and probably would be except my whole plan was squashed when E didn't have to go to Florida as originally planned. That was when I had set aside time to design and buy materials. Instead we went to Home Depot together so he could get supplies to make my gift and while we were there it only made sense for me to purchase the items I would need. Since he was present I thought I'd let him have some input in the design since I hadn't a chance to draft anything yet. He decided on a bench with storage. Fine, I love storage, one can never have too much storage or be too organized.

I bought some wood, L-brackets, screws, etc. At this initial phase I only planned on making the frame and would figure out the rest the following weekend. Yesterday I built the frame and it looks decent. Yesterday we also went to Lowes because I didn't like the feet that Home Depot had. I let E choose the feet for his bench and he chose well. But the feet, the top, and the other needed incidentals to complete the bench are quickly adding up. Turns out it would have been way less expensive for me to just purchase something for the hubby... oh well.

Buying something isn't nearly as fun as playing with power tools. Oh wait, we don't have any real power tools. I don't count my cordless, electric drill as a "real" power tool. Sure it works and gets the job done, but a band saw, or a heavy-duty dual bevel sliding compound miter saw... now that would be cool! Maybe for next Christmas the hubby will make me a workshop with my own bench so I don't have to sit on the cold, concrete garage floor.

Race ya!

Whenever sirens are blaring in the Antelope Valley (California) vehicles pull over providing emergency vehicles with room to speed on to their destination.

I'm sure there are some people in the Knoxville area that move aside so the police, fire department, etc. can do their thing, but I never saw evidence of it. Instead in Knoxville if there is an accident almost everyone comes to a complete stop to rubber neck it: "Hey is the person dead? Almost dead? Dying? I gotta check this out!" However, if there is nothing to see: "Oh, it's just an ambulance. Well I'm not pulling over, I'll just speed up and race him!"

In Knoxhell when I pulled over for emergency vehicles I had to wait to get back on the road because all the people behind me just kept on driving and wouldn't let me back in. I wonder what the "racers" would think or feel if it was their loved one in the back of the ambulance trying to get the hospital. I have to think they would care... right? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Knoxhell is a rather small community. Most people know each other. The chances they either directly, or have 3 or less degrees of separation, with the person in the ambulance is probably pretty great. I would suspect they would want to get out of the way so their friend, family member, neighbor, fellow church member, etc. had a better chance of survival. But I'm just RONG. It's way more important to be the first one at the stop light.

Thanksgiving

This year, just as last year, we got to spend Thanksgiving with good friends! It was wonderful. We haven't been able to spend time with J & T since before we moved to TN. Being with them was like we never left! We had a fantastic dinner at J's parent's home (a.k.a. The Compound) and then we saw Stranger Than Fiction afterwards. All in all another wonderful Thanksgiving that left me happy to have such people in my life.

Happy E

Good news! The hubby doesn't have to travel to Florida tomorrow, Sunday, the last day of the "Thanksgiving Holiday" a.k.a. busiest travel time of the year.

I'm so glad he gets to stick around awhile longer before having to do the dreaded depo. Normally he doesn't mind depos, but this particular situation has just been troublesome.

I'm glad he caught a break on this. He was just miserable on Wed. when he first discovered he would have to book a flight to FL the day before Thanksgiving. This in and of itself was quite stressful.

Now... it's all just a distant memory. Yeah. I get to spend the WHOLE weekend with him (just as I did last weekend and the weekend before that). How fabulous. He's such fun to be around. I'm so very thankful to have him in my life. Thanks E for being YOU!

All Done (almost)!

I've got almost all of our holiday gifts under control. Most are already wrapped and just a few still need to be completed. Can't write too much about it since I want it to be a surprise, but I've been having a great time making them! Some of the presents I'm creating I like so much I just may have to make some for myself after the New Year.

P-Pod

I miss you Pam more than these mere words could ever convey. I got your voice mail message and haven't called you back because I suck as a friend. I think of you all the time and can't wait for your return to Cali.

I LOVE your Audrey Hepburn photo - you look fabulous! And on Andrew's blog he's posted some pics of you and my goodness your hair is long. I know E and I moved to Palmdale only 6 months ago but it sure seems like so much longer. Thank goodness for blogs! I look forward to reading more about your school experiences, fun with family and friends, and your thoughts, worries and dreams!

Just some stuff

Last Sunday I started to feel very, very lethargic. I thought perhaps I was just relieved to have one commitment completed so I could focus on the next. However when Monday hit I realized that I had caught the little bug that was flying around the office. Yuck. I still had the parade to contend with and sure as hell didn't want to have to deal with a cold.

I started popping over the counter meds to help alleviate the symptoms and went to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 pm every night. That helped but then Saturday's parade just did me in. The parade committee leaders wanted all the volunteers to show up at 6:00 am. Mind you the parade wasn't scheduled to start until 9:00 am. Anyway, there I was waiting for sun to begin its rise at 6:00 am. Weather was chilly 30-40 degrees. I had on many layers but it was still $#!%$!# cold. Nothing happened until at least 7:00 am. So for an hour all us volunteers just stood around waiting... and waiting... and waiting... I won't bore you with all the details.

Today when I woke up I felt as I did last Monday. Great, another week of feeling like crap. At least this week my hours will return to part-time. Last week we were super busy so I was coming in early, staying late... This week I should be able to recoup much quicker - I hope!

But speaking of work... they like me. They really like me. I took on a part-time temporary job just for some extra holiday cash and well, it turned into permanent work. Apparently the big boss liked me so much he's willing to bring me on as a real employee so as not to lose me. How fabulous! That lifted my spirits a ton. I really enjoy the work and the people. And, the part-time hours really help with that, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm! These hours still allow me time to enjoy the volunteer activities that keep piling up as well as other endeavors. Anyway, being a real employee gives the hubby and I some much needed health, vision and dental insurance among other things. Yeah for benefits!

Next - AES

Whew, finally most of my big volunteer projects are done... for now. The Fall Conference for Toastmasters is over. The parade is over. Next up is the American Enterprise Speech Contest (AES).

AES is put on by the National Management Association (NMA). NMA is comprised of various chapters throughout the United States. The chapter in my area is working with local Toastmasters groups to sponsor high school students.

The primary purpose of the contest is to promote a better understanding of the American Enterprise System among high school students. Involving youth in researching, writing, and delivering a speech on American's economic system will increase their awareness of economics and serve as a reminder to the audience of the important role that a competitive economy plays in our ability to compete worldwide.

This contest also provides an incentive for the development of communication skills that are so vital to those entering the workforce.

My job is contact local high schools and educate and inform them of this opportunity for their students. There are four competitive levels and prizes of the contest:

1. Chapter - Competition between high school students sponsored by an individual NMA Chapter (in my case local Toastmaster clubs). Prize money is determined by the Chapter but not to exceed $500 for 1st place.
2. Council - Competition of Chapter winners. Prize money to be determined by the Council but not to exceed $750 for 1st place.
3. Area - Competition among Council and Chapter winners. Prizes (Savings Bonds): 1st place = $2,000; 2nd place = $1,500; 3rd place = $1,000.
   
4. National - Competition among the six area winners. Prize (Savings Bonds): 1st place = $10,000; 2nd place = $5,000; 3rd place = $3,000. $500 cash will be given to the 4th through 6th place winners.

This all started in 1988 (and I was a high school student at the time) but had never heard of it till now. It's doubtful that even if I had known of this when I was eligible that I would have entered. But all the same, I'm excited to be a part of it now. I think it's a fabulous opportunity for America's youth. I can't wait to see how this unfolds.

The Toastmaters club that I belong to already has a young member who is interested in participating in AES. I'm sure I'll get to work close with her to assist, guide and mentor in anyway I can. But I also want to be sure that other young adults in the area are able to be a part of this too.

What a chance for me to be more involved in my community! I'm sure I'll make a lot of great contacts along the way, maybe even some new friends.

Busy Day

This morning the hubby and I had a lot of errands to run so we decided to enjoy some breakfast first to get us through the day. I like Denny's so asked to go there. Erik is not as fond of it, but he agreed. We got our name on the waiting list and discovered that some friends of ours were already seated and had invited us to join them. How fabulous! Had a great breakfast: good food, great friends.

From there we went to check out Erik's office. New paint and carpet have given the whole office a fresh look. Erik choose a nice sage green. The lobby and hallways are white and most of the other offices are various earth tones.

Next we headed to Target for some sundry items. What a fantastic experience. Parking was easy and close to the door, only one screaming child that we were able to get away from quickly, and Target had the items we wanted, except for spray paint. Oh well, I'll take 2 of 3. But wait, we were able to get a ton of Greenies (really good doggie treats) for dirt cheap! They were on clearance?! Happy, happy critters.

PetSmart was next on the agenda. Since we were able to get all the greenies we could store and more, we only had to pick up some doggie food.

On to TJ's. There we got milk and other basic necessities. Finally homeward bound so Erik could watch football.

I headed back out to get the spray paint I needed for the table centerpieces I'm doing for Toastmasters. Wal-Mart, in comparison, to Target, was pure hell. LOTS of screaming kids, long, long lines, more screaming kids, small children running about as if Wal-Mart was their own personal playground. I sought out an employee to open the locked spray paint cabinet so I could purchase blue and silver paint. From there I went to wait, and wait, and wait some more in the check out line. Finally I paid my $4 bucks cash and change and ran for my life. Ugh, I do not like Wal-Mart.

My hand still hurts from all the spray painting I did yesterday - and that was with the hubby's help! I took today off from painting, but I will need to finish it up by this weekend.

This afternoon I worked on the various spreadsheets for the volunteer project I'm helping with. Still have lots to do. The friend I'm helping out gave me a very disorganized list of names and information that needs to be put into spreadsheet form. I'm doing the best I can but unfortunately I don't quite understand the thought process of how the information was sent to me. It was haphazard at best.

This evening the hubby and I walked the dogs. We walked about 3 miles. It was wonderful. No wind and the temperature was perfect. If only our mutts were leash trained. Hopefully if we continue to walk them they'll get better.

Now I'm blogging on Erik's laptop and hanging out in front of the TV just taking it easy. What a nice end to a busy day.