I know I haven't posted forever... but they won't let me see the LJ at work anymore, and I haven't been motivated to check it at home very often. Too many other things to do, I suppose.
Someone nudged and nudged, and poof, I'm posting. (hiya my nudging friend!)
I'm sitting in a lovely Panera, waiting for a friend while I check email with the WiFi. I know it's a personal thing that bugs me, but seriously, was there a rash of people raised in a barn or something? So many people eat with their mouths wide open. So many people eat chips with a loud CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH that is SO loud that you can hear it from across the room. It's not a random sighting... and it's not just kids. It's mostly adults - adult professionals at that.
Color me irritated or whatever, but I'm stumped. Wow... really? Yikes...
OTHER than that, things are going wonderfully. Wedding planning has accelerated to warp speed, and we're at t-minus 31 days until the big event. Friends and family from all over are coming, and we couldn't be more excited.
We think we've finally settled on a honeymoon location (yay!)
Hope your day is going well, too, my LJ pals. Hugs!
It's me, Josette, looking for someone in my circle of pals that might want to go to a baseball game tonight at RFK stadium. They're not great seats, but the tickets are free... thought maybe you guys might like to go.
TWO TICKETS
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
vs.
NEW YORK METS
Friday, Sept. 29, 2006 7:05pm
Section 529
Row 8
Seats 6 & 7
Please let me know either way... before I put them on CRAIGSLIST or FREECYCLE for free...
Cheers,
~ Josette ~
Current Mood:awake
Current Music: "Till My Baby Comes Home" Luther Vandros
You scored as Zoe Alleyne Washburne. The Soldier. You are the second in command, and that is fine. You like a chain of command, but only when the one in charge has earnt your respect. Those who earn your love or loyalty will find no one better to guard their back.
Ya know, I just feel better when I exercise. It may stink getting dressed for it, getting myself there, and working through the uncomfortable stages along the way in my routine, but it does get easier. And I do love the way I feel afterwards as I'm heading for a shower.
I find it easier to exercise in the afternoon or evening than before work. Maybe it's the darkness at O-dark-AM, or the chill in the air. We'll see what the summertime brings, when it's actually nicer to exercise outdoors before it turns into a humid oven.
Any tips on "pushing through the pain" (albeit not the type of pain you'd see a doctor for) during exercise/training would be appreciated :)
My sleepiness this morning, however, is due to staying up too late with my friend TiVO... where IS my coffee mug?!?
Feb. 16th, 2006 @ 08:50 am
Sorry to be out of the loop, but I've been a tad busy with that thing they call life. My home computer situation is still pretty weak, so most of my time spent checking LJ has been at work, and even then sporadically. But I’ll try to be a better girl ;-)
I’ve been working this “new” job since September of last year. It’s better in a whole lot of ways, but the pay isn’t the best. Made more dough at the last job b/e I worked so much overtime. But I’m not sad to be rid of the 60+ hour weeks where I was working on my feet all day on a cement floor, that’s for certain.
I’m so close to the Potomac that I should probably just cross it and work in DC at this point… the money would be better. But I really like the people here, and the position. However, even my boss doesn’t think I’ll be here in a year! He’d like it if I was, but he doesn’t expect people to stay here long at this salary level.
Yes, I’m still working for the Federal-es, but that’s cool. At least I know the rules ;-)
At this precise moment I’m taking a break from doing my payroll entry duties. So many things that need to be entered post-haste, as a Holiday is fast approaching on Monday. Since it’s the last Holiday we’ll see until May (i.e. – the beginning of Summer), many people take time off around the day in question. Is anyone out there doing something fun over the Holiday?
Last Friday I got to volunteer at Frazier’s place with some pals that were on-duty (M and K). It was a good time, lots of great conversation, and even W was there to keep me company. Hadn’t seen him in a while… also have not had massages with him in a while. His hands are pure magic.
Saturday, the day of the big snow storm here on the East Coast, I actually had to come into work. It wasn’t so bad, because I beat the storm system into work just as it started around 3pm. I worked until 5am the next day (Sunday), and was pretty pooped.
The snow had really started to fall and accumulate at such a fast rate of speed between midnight and 5am that the plows and salt trucks couldn’t keep up with it. Heavy, wet snow weighed down the tree tops causing breakage of limbs, downed trees, and even uprooted ones along the short mile between my worksite and the hotel room my company had provided.
If I had stayed 30 additional minutes, they would have asked me to stay until noon. Next time…
In a few hours, after a brief Siesta, I woke up to a beautiful sunny day! The roads were clear, the air was crisp, and I was happy to be heading home. There was much more fun in store for my weekend :::grin:::
We’ve really been quite lucky in the DC area. This is only our 5th snow event this year, and the winter has been unseasonably warm. It’s like I’m waiting for the other boot to drop and the big storms that the Boston area is receiving to come our way. Who knows, the winter isn’t over yet. Besides, snow is fun! It’s the windy cold that I don’t enjoy quite so much. :-(
Monday was a whirlwind of errands and hanging out with friends. Tuesday was Valentine’s Day, and it sure was sweeeeeeet in my neck of the woods.
Speaking of hanging out with friends, I’m doing it more so than ever – virtually. My best friends got me addicted to a little online roleplaying game that you might have heard of… WOW? World of Warcraft? Or, as they say, War-crack. And how…
So now the desire to get a working computer pieced together is a pretty strong one. I’d like to purchase a new one, but at this time it’s not a wise choice for my budget. Maybe this fall, who knows.
If this job I’ve been hoping for DOES get advertised, finally, and I get an interview, I know I’ll land it. I’m great in an interview! I’m hoping for Summer, but at this point, I’m guessing it won’t happen until Fall 2006. When that happens, bamm, new computer… guaranteed.
Until then, my friends, I enjoy reading your posts. Sorry to have lurked so heavily lately. Looking forward to seeing you around the LJ pool, the DC area, perhaps a happy hour or two, and maybe even some of you at Fraizer’s place on Saturday night. That’s going to be a blast!
Ooops, break time is over, back to work! TTFN and cheers!
Feb. 15th, 2006 @ 05:22 pm
Hey there, If you're a busy gal (like me) that may not have a heck of a lot of time for baking goodies for upcoming parties and dinners, and happen to live in the DC/VA area, you're in luck! There are some really great bakeries that cater to your requests - but you need to order in advance. If you're seriously thinking of placing orders, I'd say this is your last week to do so - but check the websites or call to verify.
The apple pie is both pretty and tasty: Pie Gourmet, 507 Maple Ave. W., Vienna, 703-281-7437 or 800-387-9319. www.piegourmet.com.
Try their Blackberry Pie - it is the bomb! Hill High Orchards, 35248 Harry Byrd Hwy. (Route 7), Round Hill, 540-338-7173. Hill High bakes 38 varieties of pies.
And if you're looking for amazing cakes made with real ingredients, try the following shop. My favorite (for many years) is their Black Forrest Cake: Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe, 2150 N. Culpeper St. (at Lee Highway), Arlington, 703-527-8394. www.heidelbergbakery.com.
I went shopping earlier, and all the Christmas stuff is already either out or going up. We haven't even had Thanskgiving yet... what gives???
And by the way - slowing down an old classic song (for example "Let It Snow") does NOT make it a new song. It's the same song... the same OLD song. Doesn't matter who sings it, the style of the groove, the instrument variety, it does not matter. The original is still better, so get with the writing of new songs already.
I've been trying to donate platelets (white blood cells) now for a few weeks. Because they require a higher iron and red blood cell count than if I were just donating blood (red blood cells), this has always been an issue with me.
My Mother has the low blood pressure and low iron count, and my Father has the high blood pressure cornered for the entire family. In a way, I'm lucky to have similar traits as my Mom. Low blood pressure can be good... but it can lead to fainting spells. I've not experienced this but once in my life. My Mom, on the other hand, used to faint a lot in her young adult years!
Anyway, through research, I've discovered that there are things I can do to bring the iron count up. Eat certain foods, bind iron supplements with Vitamin C so that it's absorbed into the system faster. More spinach, more instant oatmeal, more meat.
Meat? Lately, on my most recent "diet", I've been practically a vegetarian. There is very little meat, if any, in my diet. More on that in another post...
So I went in on Friday to have the iron count checked... and I was right on target! However, over the weekend, it went back down again. Tried to donate on Monday, and thus, was deferred. :::many grumbles:::
If anyone out there in LJ land has any tips for increasing iron intake and absorption, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm scheduled to donate again on Friday morning.
Cheers! ~ Josette ~ PS - if you live in Virginia, PLEASE get out there and vote!!!
Nov. 8th, 2005 @ 02:04 pm
Don't know if it's a good thing or a sad thing, but I have most of these songs. Although there are a few that don't ring any bells... gotta check that out.
Doing the freecycle thing today as well... gotta love that list!
Cheers for now, and hugs to all of my Florida friends! Thinking about ya...
ON MONDAY OCTOBER 17TH, 2005 FROM 11 AM - 10 PM LEDO PIZZA - BETHESDA, MD AT WESTLAKE DRIVE WILL BE THE BUSIEST PIZZA RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD WHY? BECAUSE LEDO PIZZA WILL BE GIVING AWAY A FREE SMALL CHEESE PIZZA FOR ALL CUSTOMERS TO CELEBRATE OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
EVERYONE GETS A FREE PIZZA!!
THANK YOU FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS!!
Oct. 16th, 2005 @ 05:43 pm
If you have any interesting or fun things to do with the Google search engine, be a sweetheart and point me in that direction. In the meantime, have fun with this!
1) Visit www.google.com
2) Click on "Language Tools"
3) Type "Britney's mom is very nice" in the Translate Text box.
4) Select "English to Spanish" in the combo below.
5) Press Translate and wait for the translation.
6) Now copy the translated text from the above text and paste it in the Translate text box below.
7) Select "Spanish to English" in the combo below.
Sep. 5th, 2005 @ 06:55 pm
Hey there, Yesterday was yet another installment of why having a pool in your back yard in the summertime is so very cool. My roommates sponsor the local BLACK ROSE Tickle SIG (Special Interest Group). I'm not so much into the level of tickle play as they are, but I am interested in exploring erotic tickling (thanks, Chris M!) It's been on the BR calendar for two months, and the RSVP's dribbled in at a sloooooow rate. I'd rather just have a Tickle/BDSM party, but you really can't sponsor it that way. So... whatever works.
People came over - hooray - and we had much splashing in ye' ol' swimming hole. I was hustling around the house after a delayed salon appointment and shopping lines caused me to arrive a little later than I had hoped. I'm chopping onions, slicing tomatoes, and putting together some of my tasty dishes to contribute to the community table. I made a really tasty grilled veggie salad of sorts. Put three types of peppers, onions, and drizzeled my own special low-cal/high flavor seasoning mix over it. Threw it into a shaker basket and put it on the gas grill outside on low. Slow cooking in the flavor... mmm.
Someone from the party asked if they could help, and I asked him to please turn over the shaker basket at one point. He mentioned later that he had put the basket further inside the grill. I should have listened or processed that information more, because he put the handle a little too-far inside the grill. It absorbed major heat.
Yeah... you can see this train coming, can't you?
So I go to grab it, and blammo - instant blister burn on my right hand. My massaging hand. Owwie. I'm putting one of those ice packs on it, and alternating it with a fresh one. Lack of ice = really bad pain.
So I just looked a bit goofy in the pool, ice pack in hand. But it's all good... I dunked Mr. Helper several times, and we laughed it off. He's taking me to see an ABBA tribute band on Wednesday night, so I must not have water-logged him too much.
Later that evening, I got to do a lovely bondage scene with Mr. ABBA himself in my ugly orange swivel/rocking chair. My fabulous triple chocolate brownines were just coming out of the oven (topped with Edy's Vanilla Ice cream, of course), and people were converging on the kitchen in droves as the oven beeped that they were done. Throughout the house you could hear giggling, laughing, a flogger or two, and conversation. But for some reason, people stop just about anything for chocolate. Guess you have to have priorities, right?
Luckily, I remained tied neatly into my ugly orange chair and making interesting noises, even though people would parade by and jokingly say "I guess they'll be none left for you, Josie". Darn... a great bondage scene or a brownie... can you guess which one I'd pick? Talk about a fabulous new weight loss program!
The funky, ugly orange chair is not quite so ugly now, as I found it has some lovely uses to it. Mr. ABBA said to me one day "How could you throw away such a wonderful chair with so many sturdy tie-off points?" I said prove it... he did... and I guess CRAIGSLIST will have to go without one more used piece of furniture for sale.
I'd show you a picture of the funky colored chair, but I haven't quite figured out how to use that function on LJ yet. ;-)
Any-who, it was a lovely party. There's another one coming up in August, if you're a local BR person. Check the calendar for more information, and by all means, please RSVP if you're interested in coming. Swimsuits are optional after dark.
I swear, if I type up one more long winded journal entry, and some freak act of nature (lightning/power outage) or environment (ferret running across the keyboard) closes the window, making me lose my entry.... :::grrrrr:::
Here, let me try this again…
I’m sitting at home contemplating naptime.It’s that time of the day when I know I should, but there are so many other things to occupy my fancy.To be frank, I haven’t quite figured out my sleep schedule since my work hours changed on June 12th.
For those that don’t know, I work odd hours, and generally I have liked it.On my old schedule, I worked from 8ish-PM until 5ish-AM or later.This gave me time to shop, run errands, and have some quiet time at home before having to lay down to rest for the day.Granted, if I wanted to have dinner with friends, it would have to be an early dinner before work or on the weekends.But dates and life were progressing nicely, so I didn’t mind.
With the promise of the new schedule (working midnight to 8ish-AM), I could have much better date and dinner nights with friends and the like.Heck, I’m even going to get to come to more local Happy Hours and Meetings, which is always nice.Next week’s BR meeting in particular looks like a really interesting topic.And besides, I haven’t been to a meeting in so long, I’ve yet to go to the new hotel.Yikes… that’s a long time folks.
Usually I work about 15 – 25 hours of OT a week.However, with the new schedule, I’ve found it hard to get back into the groove.I need to do it soon, because I have a myriad of vacations and fun weekend getaways lined up between now and my birthday.There was LR (a blast, to be sure), and now I’m looking forward to Beach Week in NC, my roommate’s wedding in FL, various weekend getaways, the Boston Flea, and a trip to visit one of my brother’s in NYC.
Yep, got to get crackin….
My recent (and thankfully brief) neck injury is recovered, and I’m getting back into the exercise groove.That, coupled with the new schedule and the summer heat, and I’m not really pushing up to capacity working OT.
Soreness went away, camp (LR) soon followed, and life was good again.LR… well that’s another story.
Anyway, I’ll figure out my social life vs. work life vs. OT vs. sleep schedule any day now.Just takes more planning I suppose.Extra summer daylight and pretty people passing by doesn’t help my concentration level any, though.
You scored as Albus Dumbledore. Strong and powerful you admirably defend your world and your charges against those who would seek to harm them. However sometimes you can fail to do what you must because you care too much to cause suffering.
I wanted to go to see the fireworks display somewhere near me (DC), but sleep seemed more important after a long day at work. Actually got 10+ hours of sleep, and felt completely refreshed and happy when I got up and moving.
My roommates have some family members over in preparation for their wedding next September. Everyone was somewhat concerned that all of the ruckus and fireworks being shot off in our cul-de-sac would wake me up. Silly humans... they don't know how deeply I can sleep with the white noise (fan) in my room.
When I was up and going, my pal - the TV - was playing some entertainment live from NYC. Macy's was putting on a fireworks show in a few minutes, and I was excited. Maybe I'd get to see a show after all!
I grab a shower, washing my long hair (a time consuming thing, I assure you) and get back to my room just in time. Trump and Al Roker(sp?) are doing the countdown for the fireworks display, and the audience is going wild.
The display was really beautiful, even if it was on TV and not live. I love fireworks - the colors, the music, the faces of the people in the audience, and the chills that run up and down my spine as music and explosions sync together.
Some of my happiest memories of childhood are around family excursions with my Mom to see fireworks. Trekking downtown in the heat, staking out a place, and her keeping us fed/hydrated and entertained for the long hours before the actual show. Watching the show on TV, I got an urge and called my mother to see if she happened to be watching the show...
... she was.
As we had a brief conversation, suddenly I felt myself tearing up without a real reason. My mother must have felt misty herself at that moment, cause she started humming along with the song that the Orchestra was playing. "Do you remember that song? I used to sing that to you as a little girl. You used to ask me to sing birds-fly, sing birds-fly!"
Then I remembered - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was playing, and it was a weird coincidence that we were talking on the phone and reminiscing at just that moment.
As we hung up, I felt a warm, happy feeling as the colors exploded in the night sky many miles away. But the 4th of July was a happy experience once again. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get to NYC for their fireworks show. Maybe I'll even get to go there with my Mom, or the entire family. Maybe next year. Maybe.
I swear, these little magic moments are some of the sweetest things in life. :-)
Jul. 4th, 2005 @ 10:22 pm
I was curious, so I joined. Very interesting... a girl could read and read and read on here for hours. Looks like it's bedtime for me, however - nite nite!
Jun. 30th, 2005 @ 04:44 pm
cheerful
and caffinated