accents

I adopted an east coast accent while away. Last night at volleyball practice i said, "cwall the bwall!" Just now, I told my coworker I'd get him a qwarter for a soda.

it never gets old

Weather. I just had a conversation with my coworkers...they didn't go outside this weekend 'cause it's "freezing." If it gets below 60, they don't know what to do.
Thin blood.
I love my life.

work

it's very cool to have a job i can come back to after vacation " not be inundated with medial tasks. i have actual projects " work to do. i have to think.
i love my life!

NYC summary

Sat: landed at 7:30. got to Shannon's at 8:30. left to meet Nicole, Chad " friends, but only made it six blocks 'cause of the rain. got chinese " went back to shannon's
Sun: early mornin' trip to the Statue of Liberty " Ellis Island. lunch in SoHo. shopping in Chinatown. walk through Times Square " Rockefeller
Mon: to NYC by myself. Wall Street. south Manhattan. shopping on 5th Ave (H&M). dinner in Connecticut at cousin Michelle " Joe's
Tues: trip to Boston with Joe. Lexington, Concord, Boston history tours. Fascinating. I'm actually interested in history now. Met up with Burgey at 9 " stayed at her place.
Wed: errands " Fenway Park with Burgey. stuck in the largest traffic jam in Massachusetts history on the Wed before Thanksgiving (took 9 hours to get to NYC)
Thurs: up EARLY to get to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Amazing. I teared up I was so excited to be there. A stroll through Central Park " turkey dinner at Shannon's.
Fri: World Trade Center. bus up to 5th Ave shopping. Macy's. walk by Empire State Building. walk by MoMA (too busy). Guggenheim Museum. cosmo at a bar in NYC. the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular!
Sat: taxi driver asked me to dinner next time i'm in town. flew home with a layover in Mpls, and I got to see John, Lori, Mark " Laura. woo-hoo! there was even snow falling!

NYC observations

I had a great trip! It was fantastic to catch up with a few friends " family, and superfun to see a new city " lifestyle. Here are some of my observations:
-it's old...there's lotsa history
-it's old money. not new money like CA. and there's lots of it.
-there's more trees " grass there than in San Jose. and Central Park is gorgeous. the drive to boston is amazing, too. i dig the east coast. i think i'd like to live out there some day. coastal living rules!
-people are beautiful on the east coast, too. fake beautiful. ridiculous, i believe cousin joe said. less blonde than the west coast, but just as fake.
-you gotta walk FAST
-you gotta walk everywhere. shannon doesn't have a car, so we trained it. on friday i wore shoes with heels 'cause we went to the Rockettes, and my feet still hate me. what great exercise, though.
-there is more opportunity to learn about history " politics out east...it's everywhere

bathroom

Scene: VERITAS, Building A, 4th Floor
My cube is right outside of the restrooms. The 5' tall, thin wall around me doesn't keep much out. Nor do the thick, wooden doors to the bathroom. I hear several things happening that I don't want to know about. But, more, I hear several conversations happening while takin' care of business. There's one particular male who talks to anyone " everyone. I haven't heard him go in without striking up conversation, yet. Do most people talk as they pee???

New York City!!!

I am off to the East Coast for the week, and I can't wait! Doesn't really feel like I need a vacation, as I've been on a sort of vacation for a couple months now, but it's all good. I can't wait to see all NYC has to offer...the Thanksgiving Day parade, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, museums, etc. Plus, I'm heading up to Boston for the day to see Burgey, my friend from Israel, and having dinner with my cousin " her husband one night. Life is good!
If you need to contact me, my cell phone will be best. Otherwise, kristieh@gmail.com.

manager

Yesterday my manager busted me out at our 1on1. She said she'd overheard me the week before on the way to lunch saying, "I don't understand how you people get any work done. I mean, it's November 12 and it's 70 degrees outside. The sun is shining, the sky is blue..."
She had to bust me out because when she moved here from Michigan a while back, she said the exact same thing to her coworkers.
Since moving here I have realized how trained I am to be outside when it's nice. I mean, we just don't get that many perfect days in Minnesota....when you do, you go outside " enjoy it.

respect

Tonight I learned a lot about MS " its treatments. My new roommate, Ashley, has MS and needs help with her shots sometimes, so we watched a video " chatted about it. Medicine is fascinating.
Plus, my level of respect for anybody who lives with a restricting medical condition and keeps a positive attitude about it has grown. And I am so thankful for my health.

personality

Today my coworker Espie walked by, noticed my bare feet " called me a hippie. Two minutes later we were talking about my upcoming trip to NYC, and she called me sophisticated. Am I cool, or what?!?

Mom, Kenny & I do Alcatraz at Night!

Quake Day at VERITAS!

On Wednesday, November 17, the Global Security and Safety Department is hosting VERITAS second annual Earthquake Preparedness Day. As part of this event, the following activities will take place:

At noon in the VCafé, there will be a 30 minute presentation on earthquake preparedness and emergency planning for your home. The presentation will be given by “Earthshakes Inc”.

Between 11am and 2pm in the VCafé, Earthshakes will be onsite selling earthquake information, maps and survival kits.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about recent earthquake activity in the Bay Area and how to protect yourself and your family before, during and after an earthquake.

caffeine

I have been trying my damndest to give up caffeine. It's not working. The main reason it doesn't work is that caffeine is a social thing for many - people are always going for coffee. We all know I love people, therefore I go for coffee. Only makes sense.
This does not make up for the Pepsi I'm drinking right now, though. Maybe I just give up " sell my soul to the caffeine gods.

wine tasting

My life is amazing. I went wine tasting near Sacramento this weekend. Sat on the porch of Lava Cap, looking out over the vineyards " hills. I drank some wine, ate some crackers " cheese...had good conversation. It was 65 degrees " sunny, and at one point of the drive I saw snow-capped mountains.
I miss snow. But I LOVE it here!

my JO team is selected!!!

I officially have a JO team to coach!!! We had tryouts on Sunday morning, and 82 girls showed up to try to get on my team of 12. DAMN! Talk about difficult decisions. Luckily, everyone was there to help out " give me suggestions...and we narrowed it down. Only 2 of the players I selected went with another club, and we had back-ups, so I'm good to go. I'm so excited! Two of the girls even gave me a big hug after they found out they were selected. My life rules.
Note: the girls who wore uniforms " looked the part made an impression walking in the door. If you ever tryout, dress the part. :-)

weather…again

Kids, it's November Second. 11/2/04. I just got done playing volleyball in the sand outside, and it's almost 80 degrees. My life is so good!
Oh...and I'm wearing sandals today.

boys on the coast…

...have it made. i mean, the ocean at sunset...hot dang!