merry christmas!

at the end of practice last night, we had the usual huddle and team cheer...and the girls always get to decide what to say. one of 'em piped up with, "merry christmas!" and the HR in me automatically freaked out, i thought about it, looked at the other coach and finally said, "ok...as long as everyone's ok with it..."

"1 - 2 - 3 merry christmas!"

i wish i didn't freak out about saying "merry christmas"

(happy hannakuh or chanukah, too!)

Twins!

someone in minnesota needs to buy this:
See all games in the 2009 season for just $250 per seat... the best season ticket deal in the Twin Cities!

yum!

You Are Pecan Pie Soda

Sweet, but totally nuts

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

hilarious!

karin found this link

someone in my family needs truck antlers for christmas

a runner's facebook

www.athlinks.com
it's awesome - you can find people, races, your results, etc.
my page

environmentally friendly?

i love the environment. i do. i do what i can to keep it clean...

a couple months ago, my clinic switched my inhaler. i got a letter about it, but barely read it. (mybad) when i went in for a refill on my prescription, i noticed that the inhaler was pretty different...but assumed it'd work. ya know, help me breathe when i was strugglin'. sadly, it don't work. not only does it clog up from time to time, it doesn't fix my breathing! i have an attack, it does nothing for me. i ignored it for a month, thinkin' it was allergies...but then i had another really bad attack, got frustrated and emailed my doctor.

she said, "Yes, it's a similar complaint. We changed to the environmentally friendly inhalers. We were distributing the old inhalers until we ran out. You can get a nebulizing treatment in clinic if you need one."

seriously???? she wants me to take a ton of time to go in for a nebulizing treatment when my old inhaler woulda just fixed this immediately. stupid.

i gotta figure somethin' out here...

mani/pedi day!

Roommate did a search for cool pedicures to get during the holidays and came up with this. Great ideas…I really like the snowflakes...but I can’t get past how ugly the toes are. (I hope the writer of the blog never reads this entry)

I hate feet. No one really gets to touch mine, and I touch no others. But my toes are much cuter than these ones.

marathon!

why not, i say? 26.2 miles on july 26th. donate to Team Fox if you'd like - link.

run run run!

nephew AJ

my sister just texted me to let me know the paper called her son, aj, to interview him about the Root Beer Float float. i can't wait to read the article!

he's the family's future stage performer, without question. yay!

holiday time

it makes me want to party, party, party...which does not bode well for work.

i'd just rather be social, enjoying the time of year with friends, than sitting at my desk revising a powerpoint presentation ten times over.

christmas! christmas! christmas!

shopping with strangers

As is often the case when I go purse shopping, I found two that I liked…didn’t love either of them…couldn’t decide between them. I was about to pull out my phone to email a picture to roommate for advice when a chickie next to me said, “go with the turquoise one.” Surprised, I looked at her, sighed with relief and said, “thank you.” I put the brown one down and walked to the cash register. My life was made so much easier by a stranger…

Of course, I ran into her at dinner across the parking lot and she asked me if I went turquoise – I said I had, thanking her again…then she tried to sell me on her “company,” offering me a job. She said we looked “bright and ambitious” and would be perfect for it. I explained that I love my job, so I’m not interested. (we finally got it out of her that it’s Primerica…enough said)

Sidenote: trendy purses are HUGE these days

the Merc says...

The San Jose Mercury News has an article today about San Jose falling to #4 of safest cities to live in...I'm ok with living in #4.

ho ho ho hint

i think i'm hilarious. after telling my dad that i'm out of pink golf balls (which he bought me), i said "ho ho ho hint." he's smart - he'll catch it.

email don't's

interesting read
my favorite - "I don't want to discuss this in e-mail. Please give me a call."

crazy idears

Since we moved downtown, I’ve noticed a few kiddos skateboarding around the neighborhood – some to get to SJSU (smart move, I say). It looks like fun…and way more efficient than walking…so I’ve decided I want one. It’s 3 ½ blocks to wings…and it’d be so much more fun to skateboard over than walk (in my mind). Plus, I could get those cool skater shoes, skater hair and maybe even skater clothes (probably not). Unfortunately, few peeps are supportive of this idea:

kristie44: why won't i survive a skateboard???
lercher: 1) you're 30
lercher: 2) coordination and balance, are not your greatest strengths
lercher: 3) they're dangerous
lercher: 4) you're 30
lercher: 5) the ground is very very hard, you are not
lercher: you should totally get a skateboard

this morning I got an email from Jeff Galloway, running guy, about a free marathon training program that starts in January. For some reason, I’m inspired and thinkin’ about it. It’s the SF Marathon in late July – I totally have time to get prepared and don’t have to worry about it conflicting with coaching in the spring so much. But it’s a marathon…I’ve been pretty adamant about never running a full 26.2 miles at once. But I’ve got this crazy idear…

I’m going skateboard shopping tonight. As for the marathon, I’ve gotta sleep on it for at least two nights before I commit…if I commit…

cranium!

i'm not usually a board game person...i avoid them with my family, to my mother's dismay. but i went to the canadians' place last night to play cranium - and it's awesome! you should go buy the new one...'cause i didn't like the old one...but the new one's great.

in their words: The new edition of the smash-hit Cranium game with 46% more shouting, 84% more fun, and 100% more percentages! Featuring 15 activities, 600 all-new cards, and collectible, customizable movers -- with hats!

in roommate's words: perfect cranium night - "breast-stroke", putty, hawaii's coffee, youtube...

revelation #328

i don't like to work, but i love my job.
(good place to be in life, since i gotta work)

happy thanksgiving!

i had an awesome trip home to see the fam...thanks to brother kenny for frequent flier miles and first class!

one of the big events was creating a float for the Ely, MN Holiday Parade. it was last minute, as we'd thought there'd be a firetruck for the kids to ride on, but my sister is the macgyver of float-making. we took a couple electrical wire spools, a brown tarp, some clear plastic and tubing...and created a root beer float.

you can read about dorothy molter here, if you'd like.


and the kids...all seven of them...are pictured on flickr .


my sis texted me this morning to let me know we won a hundred bucks for our float float. exciting!

please?

Ramen Noodle Salad (easy)

Mix #1
1 lb bag of coleslaw mix
1 C. sunflower seeds
2 pkgs ramon noodles

Combine crunched up noodles, coleslaw mix and seeds

Mix #2: (dressing)
1/3 c vinegar
½ c. sugar
½ c. veg oil
2 pkgs. Seasoning from noodles

Pour dressing over mixture #1 just before serving

i don't know how people come up with this stuff, but my sister provided the recipe, i have it prepared and i'm bringin' it to the work pot luck tomorrow. i hope it's yummy!

seasons

last weekend was summer - 80 & sunny
this weekend is fall - 65 & sunny, with changing leave colors
next weekend is winter - 10 & snowy
after that, i come back to "winter"

i planned this well...as long as i survive two winters in one "winter"
(i'm going to MN for both thanksgiving and christmas this year)

perspective

life keeps getting put in perspective for me. it's tough to absorb, but good. some days i think i've got it so hard, but...relatively speaking, the things i complain about are ridiculous.

morning

i hate mornings. i'm not good at 'em. i try not to talk to people at work before 10am. it makes things easier for all of us. :-)

this morning i had to start with new hires before 9, though...and i did ok. and then i went to get some coffee (which turned into hot chocolate 'cause i'm feelin' awake) and ran into a manager i need to recruit for. i asked a few questions and finally he said, "ya know, my head is still foggy - let me look think about it and get back to you."

i'm so proud that i was able to catch someone before they "woke up." last week i got burned pretty bad 'cause i wasn't functioning, yet and someone had a lot to say to me.

my glasses

i've got three decent pair of glasses that i've collected over the years. one for my desk, one for my car, one for my purse. makes it easy and convenient, should i ever need to see better.

a few weeks ago, i stepped on the ones for my desk...and put off getting them fixed. finally, i got so frustrated yesterday that i took my lunch break to go get them taken care of. and now they're just about perfect. yay!

what'd i get frustrated with yesterday? the fact that i had to reach down into my purse to get glasses instead of just grab the ones i had sitting on my desk.

how lazy am i?

my sister, my hero

she's awesome. truly awesome. i'd even say she's my best friend. wasn't always, but at some point, something changed, and i know i can go to her with ANYTHING.

anyway, she's a 4th grade teacher in northern minnesota near a native american reservation. that place is a mess...and she gets their kids. she's probably the only stable person that several of them have in their lives - and school is the one thing they can count on being there. the stories she has are amazing...and i pretty much stand in awe of what she can do. last year she potty trained two fourth graders by giving them stickers at the end of the day...

so there was a car accident on monday morning that killed a 9 year old boy...and his mom is in critical condition at the hospital. that boy was in my sister's class. it is rare that i hear my sister call out for help, but she has...which means i gotta do what i can. if you're the prayin' type, throw up a prayer for my sister and her class...and the counselors...and the school. i just can't imagine explaining death to a bunch of 9 year olds who have lost their friend. ugh.

sad post. sorry. my way of coping is by askin' others for help, i guess.

coaching '08-'09

You may remember that last year I had the easiest tryout ever - signed 11 girls after tryouts, got 1 more without a problem. I was amazed. You may also remember that old club pulled some shenanigans with another coach that made me mad, and I decided it’d be my last season with that club. But then I forgot to do anything about it…

There has been so much more drama around coaching this year that I don’t even know where to begin…but I will. 

A couple months before tryouts, I emailed old club to see if I’d have a spot. My assistant had been helping with summer clinics and I hadn’t been asked, so I wasn’t sure. They said “it’ll probably work out that way, but we’ll confirm soon.” Three weeks before tryouts, I got an email telling me when tryouts would be for old club. I decided if I was going to coach for them, I’d go it alone and “dump” my assistant. I asked them if they had another spot for him in hopes that I could give him options. They strongly suggested I stick with him after being “completely shocked.” I talked to him, he talked to them, we all talked, I felt bad, I didn’t know what to do, I told the club that I’d just coach with him again and told him the same. I mean, what was one more year? Meanwhile, I was talking to a new club about the possibility of coaching for them (sneaky, I know). My assistant knew about it, but old club didn’t. For a couple weeks, I talked and checked it out and didn’t know what to do – new club is shiny, sparkly, fun and high quality. Old club is a known quantity, but I’d sorta made a commitment. A week before tryouts, new club & I decided that we probably had enough girls to have a 13s team, so I should go for it. I told old club that I wouldn’t be coaching for them again…then I told old Assistant. Oops. It’s not the nicest, most responsible thing I’ve done, but somehow it’s all worked out. (funny how that happens)

Old assistant has become head coach for old club and I think he’ll do great. And old club didn’t get screwed over too bad by my leaving so late in the process. (assistant woulda never done it had I left three weeks before tryouts – he woulda bailed, too – yay for procrastination)

I’m the head coach for a 13s team for new club. Of course, because change is usually hard, it’s been rough. I went from 4 girls to 16 back down to 6 up to 8, finally finishing at 12 at 10pm the night before signatures were needed. I’ve got some girls that are a bit rough around the edges…but they’re the ones that learn the fastest and grow the most in a season. I’ve got some really great girls that will lead the team in a lot of ways. I’ve got some involved parents that don’t seem overly involved, yet. I’ve got an “assistant” with 25 years of coaching experience, including college. The new club is so fun and so organized and so talented that I don’t know what to do with myself. We’re truly a team of coaches, tryin’ to teach some kids a great game – the support is amazing.

That was a lot of words…if you skimmed it, just know that I had coaching drama, got through it and am soooooooo excited about the coming season that I don’t know what to do with myself. And thanks to those who put up with my reactions to the drama…there was at least one very rough, long night.

www.alcisvolleyball.com

it doesn't hurt to ask

last month i realized i was low on my monthly cell phone minutes, so i upgraded to the next highest plan. i knew it wouldn't kick in until the next billing period, but i thought i could make it just one more month.

i just checked my bill - and have an extra $75 charged for overusage. darn.

as the subject suggests, i called good ol' AT&T and asked if they could help me...and he's managed to find a way to knock $65 off my bill. i only have to pay $10 extra for my misjudgment. whew.

go AT&T and the iPhone!

donuts

coming in to a fresh, glazed, warm donut on a friday morning is one of my favorite things ever

firemen!

i knew firemen were men of many talents...and save people in many ways...but i had no idea that they help people who lock their keys in their car!!!!!

it's funny how i can suddenly start forgetting my keys in my car ALL THE TIME...

a revolutionary step

i'm eating a tuna fish sammich for lunch.

i got bored with turkey, beef or chicken sammiches...so i moved on to the next option in the cafeteria...tuna fish. after a quick taste-test, i decided to jump all the way in. and it's yummy! i eat tuna fish sammiches now. it's been years and years and years.

last night i went to sushi...and am finding more and more sushi-type things that i'll eat - tofu sushi, shrimp sushi, etc. of course, my favorites are still teriyaki beef & chicken and veggie tempura, but my mostly-psychological-hate of fish is SLOWLY decreasing...

random thought day

i've gotten enough sleep, have had my caffeine, am feelin' pretty good...yet, i'm still having those "so tired my mind is whack" moments.

bathroom stalls - because i'm tall enough, i usually grab the top of the door to close and lock it. what do short people do?

just an example.

cucumbers

on one of those days that i wasn't totally with it, i accidently put cucumbers on my sammich. it was one of the most brilliant things i've done, as i now love cucumbers on my sammiches. adds a crunchy yumminess.

weekend

i played some volleyball.
HSM3 was incredibly awesome. i hope to go again soon.
i played some kickball (a quick strategy session got me to 1st base...and the session is documented on facebook...it was a little nerve-wracking, as we didn't want to win and have to play kickball all day). we lost the game.
we curled my hair.
i became Kimmy Gibler for a night...while roommate pulled off an excellent DJ Tanner.
i ate delicious cajun food for breakfast.
i coached a little...and things are coming together for the '09 season.
i rested.

my car still needs to be cleaned in a serious way. sorry, pitter patter.

hope ya'll had a great weekend, too!

HSM3

i am excited to see this movie...tonight...opening night...after all the teenyboppers have gone home to meet curfew.

we did it!

seriously? some running drama

There were over 20,000 competitors in Sunday's Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. And 24-year-old Arien O'Connell, a fifth-grade teacher from New York City, ran the fastest time of any of the women. But she didn't win.

story is here

decisions

i may be the worst decision maker ever. it's just hard to totally commit to something i only sorta wanna do when i have something i really wanna do, but ain't sure it's possible. and then i have to take other people into consideration. and my own morals/ethics/reputation...yeesh

thanks to those who've listened to me over the past two weeks.

(i'm leaving this cryptic 'cause it's more fun)

brief history of sweater-wearing

1978 - 2004
- lots and lots of sweaters, almost year 'round
2004
- very, very few sweaters, maybe jan - march; trying to build up summer wardrobe
2005
- a couple more sweaters, especially when it got "down" to 70 in november
2006
- gradual increase in sweater-wearing
2007 - 2008
- sweater wearing starts in october, as soon as the weather man says "high of 70"

i am a california wimp. and the number of sweaters in my closet has decreased exponentially.

all this blogging

i gotta admit, it's tough to keep up on this blog while i'm twittering and facebooking, too. apparently, i don't have much to say these days.

it's friday. i'm feelin' good about that. coming straight from vegas to work on monday was rough and i've been waiting for friday ever since. i played a bunch of volleyball this week...some kickball...a little hang-out time...and i've got a great weekend ahead of me. woot woot! (i worked, too)

i think i officially decided that coed volleyball sucks out here unless i set...and i don't set (reverse coed is ok). i played on a solid team last night, but rarely touched the ball. it's hard for me to stay focused and give 100% when i rarely need to jump to action. somethin' to think about...

i'm also going through coaching drama. hoping it works itself out today, but we'll see...

that's all, folks. you are updated on my life. solid week, good weekend ahead, still no homework. :-)

first it was 1, now 3

a while back my marathon-running friends were saying it took them 3 miles before they felt like they were in the running groove. at the time, it took me about 1 mile and i decided that it was the way to go - i usually only go 4-6 miles, so having a 1 mile warm-up sounds much better than a 3.

tonight i realized that i've hit the point where it takes me 3 miles to get in the groove. ugh. i went 3.7 miles...that is rough.

i guess it's good that i'm in pretty good shape...but this is a tough side-effect.

pumpkin carving

i expect to see a few pics of these this halloween season, friends.

mine will be pictured, once carved.

striking fear in those around me

i was caught shaking my fist at my computer today. the site wouldn't let me log in with what i thought was the password. turns out it was my mistake, but...the IT guy is a little scared of me now. seems worth it.

what happens in vegas...

…usually stays there. But not when I have a blog.

Roommate & I flew out Saturday morning…after solidly celebrating Yak’s birthday for a few nights in a row. We landed…we got to our Castle…we went to find food in New York City (anything’s possible in Vegas). While waiting for our scrumptious Irish Pub burger to arrive, some fine lads sat at the table next to us…and one of them showed me more of his crack than anyone else ever has…on accident. I started giggling, he overheard, he busted me out…then he told the waitress to buy us another drink, ‘cause no one should be put through that. We graciously accepted our peace offering, ate our scrumptious burgers and continued on our Vegas adventure.

We walked the Strip on Saturday afternoon…saw many things, people and plants. It’s Fall in Vegas, apparently…lots of orange, red and yellow.

When one goes to Vegas, they’re often asked if they’re going to see a show. Well, we did. We saw one of the greatest shows on earth – The Block. At least, that’s how they’re referring to themselves now (ridiculous)…it was The New Kids on the Block, fifteen years later. I gotta say – they put on an awesome show. Mostly old stuff…a little new stuff…some cheesy lines…some classic moments reborn…it was awesome. And the outfits some of the chickies put together made it all the better – so much neon, scrunched clothing, NKOTB tshirts, buttons, etc. Roommate & I were in our Old Navy numbers, but didn’t’ show nearly enough skin (compared to others). Anyway…we saw a great show. I <3 Donny 4eva.

Yesterday we saw the Globe of Death on Fremont Street…three dirt bikes, one 15 foot circular metal cage. K-raz-y. And awesome. That was added to lots of lights, a laser show, cheap beer, cheap gambling and some winnings. Good stuff.

Other things happened in Vegas…they’ll stay there. 

Sidenote - I set a new life goal…to learn everything there is to know about tequila…and this link was sent to me in response:
http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/

family

family is awesome. my older bro just emailed me to say he'd use his miles to get me a flight home for Thanksgiving. i get to meet baby Charlotte! and hang out with my family on Thanksgiving! mom's cookin'!

thanks, bro! i'm still a little in shock.

teams

last night i figured out part of my problem with playing volleyball these days - i miss playing on teams with my friends. i miss playing with people i did stuff with outside of volleyball. that just adds an awesome social aspect to it that's currently missing (for the most part). and it makes it easier when i mess up - friends are less intimidating than "teammates."

if you're reading this and we play volleyball, you're my friend. and i appreciate you, but there are 6 people on the court.

so either i make it a goal to become friends with the people i play with, i suck it up...or i make a team with my friends. hmmmmm...

california...

It is not my favorite when the sky has this nasty smoggy lookin’ stuff in it. I mean, I breathe that. But whateve’…it’s a beautiful day in NorCal otherwise!

I went to a ‘breakfast with your labor lawyer’ thing today. First of all, I way overslept, so I am grossly unshowered. I haven’t done that in forever and kinda felt like I was 15 while rushing around, trying to get outta the house. Guess I ain’t grown up afterall (phew!). Secondly, I learned that California leads the way with a lot of laws. Federal legislation gets passed, but California has already been following it for a while, so it doesn’t really affect us. Or, at least, we’ve already adapted to it. Fascinating. My pastor has been sayin’ that California leads the way of the world…I guess he’s pretty much right. (I’m sure there are caveats to this)

it has come...

the week that roommate & i go to Vegas(h) to see NKOTB!
in the wise words of yakov: oh oh oh oh oh...oh oh oh oh...oh oh oh oh oh...the right stuff...

2:05:28

it's pretty great to run a half-marathon and feel like i was in good enough shape to do so. without a ton of training, no less. of course, this means that i won't feel the need to train for any more half-marathons that i might sign up for, but at least i gotta maintain my current running. which is doable...i can maintain this. it clears my head, keeps me healthy and gets me outside for a bit.

here, here, to a great half!

congrats to jj, brandy & the others on PRs.

twitter & 12seconds

i'm twittering. jim's request put me over the edge and i had to make it happen. i think it was the way he said, "twitter, good woman" that did it.

also, you should check out www.12seconds.tv it's awesome. i can get you an account if you'd like.

fun online things friday!

dipping sauce

You Are Barbeque Sauce

You are a social person. You enjoy cooking for other people. You are both skillful and competitive. You enjoy mastering hard tasks. You appreciate complexity more than simplicity. Your taste in food tends to lean toward interesting flavors. You appreciate exotic spice combinations. You tend to like cutting edge, fusion cuisine. You get along with all personalities from a distance. Except salsa personalities, who always seem to annoy you.

What Condiment Are You?

a good question

Last night I was asked what it was like to grow up in a small town…
The first word that came to mind was – simple.

I knew everyone, everyone knew me…I didn’t care so much about the clothes I wore, the car I drove, etc…I just wanted to hang out and enjoy life. I’m sure a big part of this was the way my parents raised me…but life really is simpler in small town Minnesota. A trip to Pamida can be done in 5 minutes. There are 10 restaurants to pick from, 8 churches and 12 bars. The cops knew who I was and wouldn’t give me a ticket because of it (not that I’d ever get pulled over). You don’t need much money to survive. You can just go outside and play…no worries about nasty traffic or dirty old men. Life is just simpler. And I love that I get to go back to it once in a while to remind myself of it.

Still don’t wanna move back to Minnesota, though.

it arrived

annual goal...accomplished!

a few years ago i was talking to my dad about going fishing for a day...and after i told him the details of my plans, he said, "with you, it's really just about the story you can tell afterwards." i wasn't sure what to say...because, truly, i was about to spend eight hours of my day in a car so i could fish for a few hours on opening day. kinda a ridiculous way to spend a day so i would have a cool story afterwards. and i did it...and i told everyone about how cool it was.

this past weekend i hiked Half Dome. i've been wanting to do it for the past three years, but after working my butt off to get to the top and back, i realized the main reason i did it was so that i could tell the story of how i hiked Half Dome. it is about 7 miles of a pretty treacherous hike up a mountain, followed by about one mile of climbing up a steeper rock, ending with 160 yards of life-threatening cable climbing. and then you gotta turn back and go back down. the view at the top is completely awe-inspiring...and overcoming that challenge is absolutely awesome...but you can also drive a car to Glacier Point and see a lot of beautiful mountains.

i don't want to downplay this accomplishment - i am really excited that i finally hiked Half Dome. it is really cool that i get to tell the story (there are many details i'm leaving out). but in the future, i may question my motives before taking on fairly major challenges.

email forward

this is great...but even greater because my awesome sister sent it to me.

Friendship Promises

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enough of that Sissy Crap!

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems, that always sound good, But never actually come close to reality?

Well, here is a series of promises
That actually speak of true friendship.

You will see no cutesy
Little smiley faces on this card -

Just the stone cold truth

1. When you are sad -- I will
Help you get drunk and plot revenge
Against the sorry bastard or bitch who made you sad.

2. When you are blue -- I will
Try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will
Know you are plotting something
That I must be involved in.

4. When you are scared -- I will
Rag on you about it every chance I get.

5. When you are worried -- I will
Tell you horrible stories about
How much worse it could be,
Until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused -- I will
Use little words.

7. When you are sick -- I will
Tell you to stay the hell away from me
Until you are well again.
I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall --
I will Point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

This is my oath....
I pledge it to the end.
'Why?' you may ask.
'Because you're my friend!'

Friendship is like
Peeing your pants:
Everyone can see it,
But only you can
Feel the true warmth.

Send this to 10
Of your closest friends,
Then get depressed
Because you can only think of 4.

i found a negative!

I really haven’t had any complaints about living in the Bay Area…at all. It’s expensive, yeah, but there’s plenty of explanations for that. Mountains, ocean, great weather…

While chatting with some coworkers today, I realized that I finally have a solid complaint…and I’ve referred to it before…but it has more impact now. I think I’ve talked about how dehydrated I always am – I just can’t keep up on water. It’s annoying, but I can deal. I drink a lot of water. Someone told my mom a couple months ago that it’s partly because of the salt in the air from the ocean….which kinda made sense to me, so I bought into it. The salt dries everything out – my blood, my skin, etc. Here’s the kicker – it’s also drying out my hair. I know I kill my hair every so often with dye, blowdry it every day and curl or straighten it…but it used to be able to handle all that. Now it’s just dry and a bit annoying. Humph.

Unfortunately, Minnesota friends, this isn’t enough to get me to move back. Sorry.

my top 10 iphone apps

Esteem aid – tells me how awesome I am whenever I want it to
ayePhone – clever & makes pirate noises…the only app I’ve paid money for
SportsTap – tells me the Twins score (or other sports)
Facebook & MySpace – of course
Yelp – helps me find places to eat, get my nails done, etc
Admit One – helps me find a good movie
UrbanSpoon – would randomly tell me where to eat…but I haven’t used it, yet
iPint – I win a beer!
PhoneSaber – my own light saber
BubbleWrap – it’s fun

Pirate Day!

My pirate name is:

Iron Grace Kidd

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

tomorrow - be prepared

it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

men to avoid

this article is helpful...and pretty hilarious...some of my favorite parts:
But there are certain types of guys who should be NOBODY'S type.
The OverEater: It's an irritating fact that men can eat more than women.
Do not walk away -- run.
He's certainly cute, but he just never stops.

and there's so much more...

mornin' news

i used to love the Today Show...but it's just gone downhill. and now i can't find a channel to watch - suggestions?

as great as espn is, i can't do it every morning.

hiccups

i just had 'em for the first time in a while...i don't like 'em. i'm glad they're gone.

Big Day

my company filed an NDA today - new drug application. it's a huge deal, 8 years in the making. we had ice cream to celebrate and decorated the place up fancy. to make my company even cooler, the CEO & president both served ice cream to all the employees.

i can't imagine the party we will have if/when the FDA approves this thing. i can't wait to plan it! (no jinxing)

in other news, the Boof Bonser tshirt i ordered for my nephew arrived today. i can't wait to see him in it.

second weekend of freedom

so this was the second weekend that i haven't had filled with major plans since school ended...and i still don't really know how to deal. it's pretty crazy - around 1pm i hit a point of "what will i do with all my time?" - but then i find plenty to do to fill up my day. and i love it. sundays full of fun, random things pretty much rock. and a guilt-free day at the beach was equally fantastic.

someday soon i'll find something to pursue/focus on/be passionate about. for now, i'm trying to learn how to rest and relax. it's a struggle...but good for me, i think.

san jose runners

san jose runners are friendlier than mountain view runners. this shouldn't be a surprise, as it gets a li'l stuffier the further up the peninsula you go (no offense, peeps)...but it's pretty evident. or maybe it's just evening runners...i'm not used to them, either.

no less, i like it when fellow runners give a nod, wave or friendly "hi!"

ps i've recently heard the nickname "Man Jose" and it makes sense. again, quality, not quantity, people

another life goal

become a member of the "minnesota twins wives' organization"

over 4 years...

i've been in norcal for over four years now...and i still have "i totally get to live here" moments. i hope they never go away.

a li'l embarassing

i had to go to the dr today to make sure my tailbone's not broken. i had to talk to at least four hospital people and they all asked what i was in for..."uh, the weird bump that replaced the bruise on my butt..." then i had a ""butt-ray"". (roommate's code word for xray of the butt)

at least i don't have a donut, yet. and i told the doctor that i wouldn't fall any more.

this one's more fun

Your Lucky Underwear is Blue

You are caring and extroverted. You've made relationships your number one focus, and your lucky blue underwear can bring some balance to them. You thrive in one-on-one situations. You are a good listener and a natural born therapist. Sometimes you let the concerns of others become too important in your life, leading to stress and worry. If you want more balance, put on your blue underpants. They'll help you take care of yourself first.

What Color Is Your Lucky Underwear?

purple

You Are Grape

You are bold and a true individual. You are very different and very okay with that. People know you as a straight shooter. You're very honest, even when the truth hurts. You are also very grounded and practical. No one is going to sneak anything by you. People enjoy your fresh approach to life. And it's this honesty that makes you a very innovative person.

What Color Purple Are You?

i'm not ready!

there's a big game on at 4pm today...a big game...kinda sets the mood for the rest of the season...and i'm not ready for it. it's still baseball season, man! but somehow, by 4pm, i will be football ready.

go Vikes! my pride, friendship with roommate and fantasy football team are depending on you.

my favorite kitchen appliance

yup, i've got one. sometimes, i use the kitchen.

my favorite thing in there is the timer on the coffee pot. there's nothin' better than comin' back from a good run to some yummy coffee.

baby update

she was born yesterday...she came very quick...everyone's healthy and happy...and her name is Charlotte. li'l bro just sent me a text message that said he got instant gray hair. funny kid.

see you at Christmas, baby Charlotte!

welcome, new baby hegman!

she was eight pounds somethin'. that's all i know...little bro was just so excited that when he talked to dad, he forgot some details. and dad was so excited that he forgot to ask for details. but yay baby!

i'll get details tomorrow.

warning: on directions

i feel like this just needs to be put out there - if you get directions from me, you should highly doubt that they're correct. i think 80% of the time i tell you to go right when i mean left, and vice versa. even if i'm sure that i'm correct, i may still be wrong.

now you know - if you get directions from me, they may be ok...or you may just want to add an extra 20 minutes on to your time to account for a wrong turn.

the perfect weekend in MN

A few of my favorite things…
- Sebastian Joe's
- Green Mill goodness
- a new summer bevvie with the Lercher's
- Traveling Pants
- a GREAT BBQ
- a broken bum
- rest
- donuts!
- a wedding specta-color
- family time…love those kiddos
- lots o' driving/thinking time
- a great last day of meals
- quality friendships, great weather, funny moments…it was the perfect weekend trip to MN. Thanks to all!

blog slackin'

just haven't had much to say lately, i guess. or i'm too busy to get on the world wide web for fun. humph.

i head to minnesota today - very exciting! lots o' time with friends in minneapolis, a grand colorful wedding, a day with the family (come on, new niece, get born!), another day in minneapolis. it'd be awesome to squeeze the State Fair in there, but i don't think it's gonna happen for me. roommate & yak will have to enjoy some fried goodness in my honor.

oh, and i got my final grade. i'm DONE.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

eddie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

guardado's back with the Twins! i know i'm late on this, but roommate mentioned it last night and i just found the article. woooooooooo!

urban runner

with the new home, i have become an urban runner. it's pretty annoying to be stopped at stoplights, but just .7 miles away is an urban trail. it's perfect. and when i got to the trail and was confused about where to go, a nice runner came by and told me what i needed to know. one way goes 1.5 miles, the other goes forever...i chose the 1.5 mile route, but had to turn around at the sleeping people under the bridge. it was still a good 3.5 mile run. next time i'll try the direction that goes forever...

anyone know the etiquette on running by sleeping peeps? i assume i should avoid them and let them slumber...

new home!

my favorite part about the new home is that i get a drawer for flipflops. it's awesome.

hair

i just decided that i want to stop twirling my hair...or playing with it. if you see me, you can slap my hand. or kick me in the shins (lightly). help me stop!

time overload

i know i'm currently busy with moving and travelling...but i'm trying to figure out how to fill my time after labor day. how many volleyball teams do i commit to? will i get bored with only one night of my week filled? if i do commit to something, could it be golf or something new and different? that sure sounds appealing...

i imagine my free time will be filled up soon...i'm just trying to make sure i commit to things that are fun. school was unfun for a long time...i deserve it. :-)

have a great weekend!

working with scientists

i love it 'cause i get emails like this:

As a reminder when you drop off your pipettes please have the Pipette clinic form and the decontamination form filled out with the pipette.

arguing & negotiating

i hate these things and they are a pretty big part of my job. i know it's good for me...and it's important to improve my skilz...but, yeesh, it's stressful. people are just annoying - if they could see it my way, the world would be a better place. (hahahahahaha)

anyway, i'm gonna make a phone call and see what i can negotiate...fun times!

the clone wars

i got to see Star Wars: The Clone Wars last night...it's fantastic! fantastic in a super cheesy, cartoony, star wars way. i had no expectations, so it was easy to enjoy the movie.

Ahsoka Tano was my favorite character - she is AWESOME and has her own fan club! as Anakin's new padawan, she kicks some serious butt. she also had some quality one-liners that i wish i could remember...something about it only being miles and miles of gritty and course sand, something about how "cute" jabba's baby was, something...

favorite mornings

one of the very few times i can get out of bed uber-early and not hate life is when i'm about to go golfing with dad. when i go to minnesota, we get up around 6 and head out to the course...this morning i picked him up at 6:30...we got 10 holes in...i came to work. it was awesome.

thanks, dad.

my eyes! my eyes!

i had an ergo check on my desk at work...since he moved my screen further away to be "appropriate", i need glasses to see anything. it's sad.

but it's friday! i don't have to write a paper this weekend...nor do i ever have to again. woot!

and my parents are here! i like hangin' with them.

end of something?

In about four hours I turn in my 28 page strategic business plan (that was supposed to be 40) and give a ten minute presentation on some stuff about Northeastern Minnesota and Canoe Country Electric…and then I walk away, hoping for a passing grade. As soon as that comes in, I have an MBA.

Overall, it doesn’t really feel like a huge deal. It’s this annoying thing that has been taking up a lot of time for the past three years, and now it’s almost over. I’ve whined a lot, stressed out even more, learned a couple things, met some great people, and had it paid for by work. It hasn’t seemed worth it at times, but I’m sure it’ll come in handy some day. (this last business plan that I used for dad helps it seem more worthwhile)

To make this truly an emotional post, I'm going to thank everyone who helped me through this b*tch of a goal. I really have whined a lot. You listened. You made me study. You gave me great study breaks. You even helped me reward myself sometimes. Thank you!

So, for the most part, this feels like no big deal. But every once in a while it hits me - holy crap, I’m going to be done with an MBA. Like, tonight. Let the parties begin!

roommate, be proud

You Are a Mac

You are creative, stylish, and super trendy. You demand the best - even if it costs an arm and a leg.

Are You a Mac or a PC?

then what?

all i have left to write is the conclusion to my paper...and i should probably go through it at least one more time to make it better...but i'm struggling with this last step. i mean, what will i do when the conclusion is written and my last paper is done?!? weird.

of course, i still have a presentation to put together, but that should only take one night. i get to talk about where i grew up, the market there, the people and maybe some electrician stuff...it'll be awesome. if i could pull out my Minnesota accent, it'd be perfect, but that's been difficult, as of late.

at the car wash

i hate it when funny, evil things happen to me and no one is around to watch and laugh.

on my way to start writing, i decided to stop and wash my car. at first, i thought i should wait until after writing to do it as a reward, but then i decided that it just needed to be done.

the car wash is an old school, put $2 of quarters in and use the hose, kind of car wash. so i put my money in. suddenly, it was evident that there was a hole in the hose, as it was exploding all over...focusing on the top of my head. rough. after an "are you kidding me?!?," i grabbed the hose and curled it up so the water was directed towards my car...which i did for three more minutes to at least rinse my car. unreal.

i had to go home to dry my hair before heading to the coffee shop. talk about makin' me crabby - i like to delay homework, but usually with something fun, not torture.

life is rough. let the strategic plan begin!

somethin' in the air

makes this a great day. i don't know why, but it is. i'm feelin' goofy, fun and happy. i completely made a fool of myself when i greeted our candidate at the front desk 'cause i just wasn't thinking clearly, yet...but we all laughed it off. and then we all got excited that it's friday.

on my way to work, i got behind a license plate frame that said:
romeo oh romeo
where the hell art thou?

made me laugh

lecture is over

so i had my last lecture class tonight...ever. hopefully. at SJSU for an MBA, anyway. and dude made it as unbearable as he could.

this whole 5-6 weeks has been a review of MBA school...mostly theory...not much practical stuff. and tonight he took a couple hours to review our review. UGH! but it's over. i gotta let it go.

and i gotta get this strategic plan WRITTEN...

today is full of fun

roommate & i gave 30 days notice to our current evil landlord. woot! woot!
we worked out a later move-in date, so as to not spend millions on duo-rent.
starbucks lost water pressure, so i switched it up to iced tea...and was totally ok with it.
it was pretty funny to watch starbucks customers try to cope with this dilemma.
sangria at fiesta del mar was a brilliant lunch.

and now...i made a funny...
[14:32] Yak: how's it haning?
[14:33] kristieh: it hanes ok
[14:33] kristieh: usually her way, though
[14:33] kristieh: oh, that turned into a BAD joke

learned lesson on weather

tonight was weird - cloudy, breezy, cool. at dinner, i was told that it was *gasp* perfect earthquake weather. on my way home, i saw a rainbow, which seemed out of place. i texted a friend and got the reply of, "it's earthquake weather." then it started raining...in august...creepy.

fascinating. i didn't think we could predict earthquakes, but it seems that there are a few hints...and i'm ready! just nothing super dangerous...a li'l shake is ok.

before friday...

Your challenge: If you had your own country, what would it be? Tshirts emblazoned with your nation's name, etc are encouraged!

throw the ideas at me, peeps!

go Giants! humph, Twins

i took jeff to a game last night...sorta in return for the game he took me to...but also 'cause he's one of the few Giants fans i know that would go to a Monday night game. and he's cool, i guess. :-)

i don't think the night has quite as many adventures as 2006 - i wore no nacho cheese, i forgot the magic orange sweater, i didn't talk about all of my dream "jobs," caltrain was not free and there was no couple sucking face in front of us. actually, there were a few Braves fans right in front of us.

it was still an awesome time...things of note include:
- i got to experience Zeke's Bar
- we ate four GIANT hot dogs (i'm still feeling sick)
- i had received rock star seats behind home plate from a volleyball parent
- we had a nasty Bud Light
- a couple of guys took off their shirts for the tomahawk chop in the last innings
- jeff wore mustard, but the Tide Stick saved the day
- caltrain was much quicker on the way home thanks to a book
- the Giants WON!
- yasuda bought me Happy Donuts for the ride home

as for the Twins, the score was 6-0 when i looked in the middle of the game...then i thought i may as well check it out at the end of the game...and it was 11-6???? so i look at the iphone...seattle scored 10 runs in the 7th inning...ugh. come on, boys!

forget all that football crap

Go Twins!

sometimes, the world is against me

i'm overly dramatic today, but it's kinda fun.

i struggled getting to the gym and was out of sorts throughout.
i got an email from a friend that said i disappointed her without actually saying it...'awesome.'
stupid favre is still all over the stupid news...and now the vikings are involved. i'm pretty sure i'd disown the Vikings if they ever have favre on the field in purple. actually, i'm more than pretty sure - i'd revoke my fanship immediately. it's hard enough just knowing that they talked to him. stupid purple team. and i've decided that favre is a greedy sob 'cause all he really wants is the extra $25m the Packers are offering him to not play. seriously. paid to not play. dude is ridiculous. green and yellow are still stupid colors. and if he wants to play, he needs to find another hobby. dude is older than me!

so, really, i'm dramatic because of this favre crap i saw on the tv while working out. i'm far too emotional about this whole thing, but i'm not changing it. so there.

new favorite blog - HR-y

roommate's mom found a new favorite blog for me - Evil HR Lady. EHR Lady says, "Why am I evil? Well, I'm not, but that's the perception of all of us in HR. Need to fire someone? Come to HR. Need to explain to someone why, even after working their rear end off all year, that their annual increase is 2.7%? Come to HR. Need to come up with new mountains of paperwork? Come to HR. So, come join me on the Evil Side. Oh, and send me your HR questions."

(sidenote: Team Shibby is in the finals again today...I plan to cheer them on in person...but, here's some virtual cheer, too!)

weird obsessions

So I’m obsessive about a couple things…and I can’t seem to change it. The most well-known is my fingernails – they gotta be perfect all the time. I carry my file with me everywhere, as well as clippers. I’ll pull either one out at dinner, if the need arises. It’s rude, I know, but I can’t help it. If, by chance, I don’t have my file (ack!), I will chew my nail until it’s satisfactory, or I find a file. It’s ridiculous.

Enter the new obsession – gmail labels. I had assumed it was perfectly normal to have 20+ labels and make sure every incoming email had one. It makes sense to me. Labels were good…but then Google brought the colored labels on, and I didn’t know what to do with myself…it’s awesome! Every email gets a color and a label…and most of the colors make sense. Green = money, red = bills, etc.

Roommate has brought it to my attention that not EVERY email requires a label…and it’s a little weird that I think so. In response - pbfpbpbpbfpbpbf. I have two weird obsessions…that I can think of…and I say it’s ok. (plus, I tried and I just can’t help it)

twitter

i've tried to stay away...but the twitter video may convince me to sign up...i'm kinda like carla.

brilliant marketing - go apple

this morning i got behind an suv with that familiar apple sticker in his window. strangely, something seemed off - and then i realized that the apple was backwards. i understand that in his rearview mirror it looks perfect, but is that the point? come on, selfish brothe'...do it for the people.

i can only assume that apple has trained me through marketing to believe the bite in the apple should face right.

(also, the email i send from my phone is now tagged with "iPhone power" instead of "Sent from my iPhone". it makes me laugh and i think i'm brilliant)

seriously? favre, seriously?

the old man needs to retire. i don't understand what he's thinking.

from this article: Favre told the site, "I don't want to be a distraction to the Packers, and I hope in the next few days we can come to an agreement that would allow me to continue playing football."

i'm sorry...i try not to get political on this thing...but, yeesh...the man is crossin' the line. at least the Vikings aren't talking to him. phew!

too many movies

i think i've seen too many 'shoot 'em up' movies lately. half a mile into my run this morning, i came across an empty water bottle. i had to avoid it because i knew that if i kicked it, it would explode and take my foot with it. it'd be rough to lose a foot.

granted, i was still half-asleep...but it's weird that these things go through my mind all of a sudden.

hidden talent

At my “new” job, I've been pushed to discover a skillset I didn't know I had - I can make signs and fancy emails with the best of ‘em. I throw in a few graphics, try out new fonts, organize the page…and suddenly, there’s a great sign. As a matter of fact, I recently received an email from a Sr Dir that said, “I hate to ask, but you’re so good with the graphics…will you make a sign for this?”

Maybe I shoulda just been an admin. (terrible, worst idea ever..mainly because details aren't my thing)

huh...chiropractor done good

i went to a new chiro today 'cause my neck still hurts. i've only gone to a chiro a few times and i have new insurance, so i had to pick a name out of a hat. fortunately, i think she'll work out.

she's so good that my left leg grew one inch after she cracked my neck a few times (according to her). she also worked my stress knots like never before and might be able to get 'em out after a couple sessions. those tricky ultrasound machines, i tell ya. and her elbow.

(ps roommate reminded me that i threw my iphone across the room last night when the apps wouldn't work right. there's probably reason it stayed home today)

no iphone!

i know i'm not the only one to ever feel this way...and i'm certainly not the first to blog about it...but i left my iphone at home today.

i realized it at the first light i hit on my way to work...i totally freaked and thought i might lose my mind...but then i decided to leave it behind. and i'm ok. i've survived over an hour already. at this point, i may even wait until the end of the day to go get it. crazy, isn't it?

it's funny when the thing i think i rely on the most isn't available...and i survive.

new life goal

use public transportation daily

not my best day

- i woke up with the worst crick (creek, crique, krik?) in my neck ever. it won't go away and i have a pretty awful headache from it.
- had a great run, though my neck hurt the rest of my body
- dropped Pitter Patter off at the shop for her 60k check-up
- rode my bike to work
- got some work done
- got news that a dude i was in a wedding with was shot while on policy duty in ft myers...tearfully sad.
- paid a bunch of money for Pitter Patter's tune-up
- had to ride my bike back to Pitter
- drove home
- got to catch up with Roommate Anne
- tried to go to volleyball, but my car wouldn't start. and there's a big pile of gas underneath it. not good, i'm pretty sure
- left a voicemail for car guy
- am trying to do this strategic plan for school, but am a bit stumped (plus, it's not due tomorrow...why would i work ahead?)
- am icing my neck with a frozen giant hershey's bar

thanks for letting me whine.

dark knight

the hype is right. and if you go, go to the IMAX.

djg's review

and from hlmm:
tons of TENSION mixed with some HUMOR alongside some ACTION and sprinkled with a little PSYCHOPATHIC MURDERER on top

sangrita

when i was in mexico city, i fell in love with good tequila. it's just tasty. but they serve it with some tomato-juice type thing that no one i've asked has heard of. i finally emailed my mexico city tour guide/friend and he filled me in...now you get a lesson in tequila, as well:

Its name is "Sangrita" and its a mixture between tomatoe juice, black pepper, salt and Tabasco sauce drops.

It's a shame that no one there has heard about it, cause its so famouse. But you can tell anyone that when you ask in a Mexican restaurant for Tequila shot, its mandatory that the waitress brings you two glasses (one with tequila and the other one with the "Sangrita").

Even when you ask in a restaurant for a tradittional "flag" (You know the three colors of the Mexican Flag: Green, White and Red) they will bring you three glasses: A lemon juice shot (Green), a Tequila shot (White) and a Sangrita shot (Red).

:-)

water

go comment on roommate's challenge

the Perfect Day

tomorrow morning i'm waking up early to head to San Francisco.

first, we're going to stop at Starbucks to make the morning easier. at 10am, we'll be viewing Dark Knight in the IMAX. afterwards, we're heading to AT&T Park to watch some major league baseball (one of my favorite things to do). after the Brewers have successfully put the Giants to shame, we'll head to some yummy restaurant and enjoy a night out in SF.

i predict it to be one of the best days of my life and i'm not even worried about setting my expectations too high.

*sigh* my hero

morneau was the best, once again. the guy never seems to fail me.

i am still waiting for him to ask me to marry him...

while i'm talking about the Twins, i should mention that they've been rockin' pretty hard lately. lots o' wins (i got to see one of them in the 'dome) and just a couple losses. 1.5 games back...not bad.

happy belated 4th!

i shoulda posted this a while ago...but, seriously...seriously.

CA is a huggy state

this recently hit me...when i meet new people - especially close friends or families of friends - i don't walk away without getting a hug.

as roommate knows, i'm not a hugger. i try to be nice, and will hug back when hugged, but i usually don't initiate. i think it's a midwest, respect my space, thing.

great weekend

for me, a great weekend is made up of productivity, rest and fun. i got a lot done, feel refreshed and laughed quite a bit.

my golf game didn't improve, but playing 10 holes can't hurt. i didn't get all the way through chapter two of my homework, but i'm halfway there. i got a new iphone. i laid on the beach.

life is good. i almost feel ready for work tomorrow.

non-flip-flop day consequences

i didn't wear flip-flops yesterday. they are my shoe of choice, and yes, i often sneak them in to work and pretend i'm still a professional....but not yesterday. unfortunately, my poor toes hated being trapped in shoes and are rebelling a bit today with pain. nothing excruciating - just a reminder that flip-flops are the way to go.

(nope, no iphone for me, yet...maybe after lunch)

3G iphone eve

if any faithful west coast readers want to show up early to stand in line with me tomorrow, let me know. i ain't goin' in there alone.

mn peeps, i wish you all the luck (roommate, you're included in that).

"new" dance!

it's new to me...the melbourne shuffle.

i HAVE to learn how to pull this off (can't you see it now?!?)

the beginning of the end

tomorrow night my last MBA class starts. i'm pretty anxious about the whole thing - just one more pretty huge project and i have my MBA. 6 weeks of fairly intense school stuff. and i just noticed that i have class all day this coming saturday - i guess the beach will have to wait.

a funny video on the hands-free talking

hands-free talking

Senate Bill 1613 by Senator Joe Simitian prohibits drivers from using hand-held cell phones on California's roadways beginning July 1, 2008. Hands-free devices such as bluetooth headsets will still be allowed. This new California driving law will impose a fine of $20 for a first-time offense and $50 for each additional offense.
- that's from this site

i only messed up once in the past week, but the cops didn't catch me. i'm waiting to see who will be busted first...me or someone i know...

a change in lunch

we changed our lunch program...it's no longer two bucks...but it's only $3.50, so i'm still not complaining.

and with our new vendor it's like i get to be a sandwich artist every day! my own personal Subway (that i share with a couple hundred others).

good books

i've read some good books lately...see www.goodreads.com and look me up. set up an account and start reading.

yay, friday-like day!

summer of '08

I was at a Girl Power meeting for professional women a couple weeks ago and started a list of summer goals…the gals I was with added to it:
• Big raise (or lottery)
• Roller coasters in Vallejo
• Disneyland
• Trapezing
• Half dome
• Great America
• Half marathon (5k for non-runners)
• Karin builds another website
• Espi gets a job
• Go somewhere you’ve never been before (CA or not)
• …
I just found the slip of paper and felt this needed to be documented

the return

i hate the part of vacation where you get back and realize that very little has changed...it's like you never left. humph.

(the vacation hangover is always rough, too)

favorite kid quotes from the week

trev: are you going to win the race tomorrow?
me: not a chance
trev: then why are you even doing it?

me: jaks, you better go finish your sandwich
jaks: you're a sandwich

after putting make-up on for the first time all week, morgan looked at me and said, "wow, you look beautiful today"

blogging vacation

i have vacation brain two days early, so i'm just gonna vacation from blogging. it just seems like something i can immediately vacation from. i mean, i gotta show up at work for another day...can't get out of that.

minnesota lakes, here i come!

(i don't have much time in minneapolis, unfortunately...i fly to duluth on friday, run Grandma's Half Marathon saturday morning, head to minneapolis for church and the Twins game on sunday, back to ely sunday night...until the next sunday when i fly out of duluth. if i can somehow see you, awesome...if not, i'll be back labor day weekend)

easy conversation

part of my job is checking references...and i have discovered how much easier it is to talk to someone who's having a good day. i just got off the phone with a jolly ol' guy who had nothing but great things to say about his former colleague. i got to smile and laugh through the whole conversation...with this person i'll probably never meet...about this person i recently interviewed. love it.

i'm gonna try to always be a happy person on the phone. it's more fun.

twisted monday thought

wouldn't it be funny if you came in to work one day and the bathrooms had been switched? overnight, the men's had become women's and vice versa. the door you're used to going in to is no longer for you...

yay....leg!

burgey told me about an awesome awesome miracle homeopathic ben-gay type thing. arnica montana. you can find it at Whole Foods.

last night i RICEd (rest ice compression and elevation) my thigh...woke up this morning able to walk. yay! i'll be able to race on saturday!

uh oh...leg

how do you fix a bruised muscle within a week? I gotta run Saturday.

I tried to run through willlo at our tourney today. That is a bummer, but we got to play this weekend!

great words

this has come up twice in the past 24 hours, so let's get it rollin'...

click on 'comments' and leave a list of your favorite words. there are many, so don't hold back...or don't make comments, but read through this soon-to-be great list.

to clarify, it can be a list of fun words to say, great words that need to be brought back, gross words...

workin' out

i passed by a dude walkin' to work doing bicep curls with his briefcase.

i wish i woulda gotten a pic, 'cause that would make this funnier.

SF Giants 5K!

2nd Annual Plate to Plate
5K Run/Walk Across Home Plate

Sunday, August 24, 2008
9:00 a.m.
5K Timed Race, Run & Walk Across Home Plate
Post-Race Festival with live music, food and giveaways
San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres

The first 3,000 people to register will get a free ticket to the game!

sign up and join our team - http://platetoplate.kintera.org/quierofunk

huh

Your Preppy Name Is...

Emmons Chaplin Rutherford the Third But most people know you as Babs

What's Your Preppy Name?

baby brother

my baby brother turned 28 today. holy cow. 28. i need to give him a call to pass along my birthday greetings.

one of my favorite stories - when i was about to graduate from high school, he looked at me and said, "but who's gonna protect me when you're not here?"

dude is 6'2" and a well-respected athlete...but he still needed his big sister. i love that kid.

(this turned into a sappy post...i've got wet eyes)

a lesson on mountain lions

apparently there was a mountain lion siting near the trail i run on in the morn. after reading the sign, i know that i need to face the mountain lion, make some noise and make myself really big. seems to be the opposite of sitting really still when a bear gets close to me (that was taught in MN).

will someone let me practice some day soon (roommate)? i want to be prepared.

another successful season

yay! the girls played awesome this weekend...seriously. (besides the one game against the team we've gotten creamed by at least three times this season. we were beat mentally before we got on the court.) we ended up moving from 35th place to 6th, overall. they played HARD and played well.

as usual, i teared up with pride during the last game...it's just pretty exciting to see how far they've come as a team in six months.

it does seem that i've gotten more used to this. the end is not as dramatic in year 5 of coaching as it was in year 1 or 2. huh. i'm trying to write a sappy, "thanks for everything" email, but i don't think it's gonna happen. i think i'm just gonna let it go...

sidenote: one of my favorite things about this last tourney is that it's huge and i run into several girls i coached in the past. it's good to know some stick with this great sport of volleyball.

the purple lady

i don't think i've told you about the purple lady at work. well, let me begin...

she wears more purple than anyone i've ever seen before. even more than crazy purple ladies at church. her shoes are purple. socks are purple. pants/skirt, shirt, belt. it's all purple. everything. and it's all different colors of purple.

this is weird to me. if i ever attempt something like this, stop me. i love purple, but...

the company snack bar

it's almost an extension off my desk. somehow, i can usually walk by it without grabbing a snack. it took me a couple days to get to this point, as there are Red Vines, the ultimate in licorice snack, but i just can't eat all day every day (sad).

this morning i realized that those who feel guilty about taking from the snack bar have to say something to me. rationalization, perhaps? i rarely look up to see who's there, so it's funny. also, i haven't brought much of anything to contribute to the snack bar, but i get thanked often. i always point to chickie behind me, who's actually responsible.

mmmmmmmmm, snacks.

my new thing

i drop the r off a word when it's at the end. othe', smothe', hey the'...

i did it loud and clear at the tourney on saturday. everyone in the gym heard me say, 'hey, you gotta talk to each othe'. assistant coach made fun of me.

it's june!

holy crap, where is the year going? oh, yeah...it went to school, coaching and work. after this coming weekend, all sorts of free time shows up in my calendar! and a trip to northern minnesota! i *heart* june.

i thought of something funny to blog on my run saturday, but it's not coming to me. i did learn that it's ok to run against the wind on your way out 'cause that means it pushes you home...helpful.

sex and the city tonight. i'm looking forward to it...in my cool red shoes (sometimes i try too hard).

gas!

yup, i paid over fifty bucks to fill Pitter's tank. ridiculous.

segways are everywhere!

last weekend i was running the trail by my house and was passed by a dude on a segway. those things are pretty dang quick...and i thought, "yes, yes, i do live in silicon valley."

i just got an email:
San Jose Municipal Golf Course
Segway Rental Special
San Jose Municipal Golf Course and Santa Teresa Golf Club have a new promotion involving the Segway X2 single rider golf unit.

life

last Christmas my 3 year old nephew was asking his other grandpa a bunch of questions...the way 3 year olds do. grandpa dixon got a little tired of answering and said, "jakson, what's the meaning of life?" jakson thought about it, looked at him, and said, "be happy."

he's brilliant. just be happy, man.
(can't believe it took me 5 months to post this story)

iphone case

Griffin did it...the most perfect iphone case ever. it's not too slippery, it's not too sticky, it's not too thick, it stays on...i love it.

go get one. if you have an iphone, of course (all the cool kids do)

book club update

we read Peony in Love last month. i recommend it. it's sort of a chinese history lesson inside a luv story.

i think everyone in da club dug the book.

9.5 miles, a B+ and more to come!

i managed to run 9.5 miles this past weekend and felt pretty great about it. i'm still a little shocked - didn't know i had it in me. but that means i'm more on track for the coming half than i thought i was. woo!

i pulled out a B+ in marketing, which kinda shocks me. of the 5 essay questions, i had a solid answer for 1. thank goodness it was marketing, which is mostly BS, anyway.

entrepreneurship looks to be an A or A-. i'll take it!

i'm registered for my final class. i never have to go to the main SJSU campus again, 'cause the last class is "off campus." and i've heard great things about the prof.

i've still got a team fox website if you want to donate.

it's already wednesday. two more weekends of coaching and i'm done with most commitments. oh, what to do next...

love/hate and season finale week

man, this week is rough as far as tv goes. my emotions are all over the place and i have to wait until next season to put them back together...and then the writers will do it again next season. yeesh.

runner's greeting

On my run this morning, I decided that I need to figure out how I’m going to greet other runners/bikers/walkers. I’ve nodded, I’ve spoken, I’ve waved...I’d like to be able to say “good morning” to those i pass, but realized that it usually comes out very forced – either high pitched, way too breathy or like a grunt (I am running, after all).

I’m taking suggestions...but I’m seriously thinking about giving the peace sign to everyone I pass. How funny would that be?

likes/dislikes

likes - leftover cheesecake for breakfast
dislikes - new door dings in Pitter Patter

nanolaminate capacitor

"Your team has been selected as a finalist for the Business Plan Competition to be held on Thursday May 22nd, 9-12:30 in BBC 032. You will be informed of the exact time of your presentation by Wednesday. Presenters have 10 minutes to make their presentation, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. Please confirm ASAP that you can attend. Best wishes, Anu"

honestly, this is the funniest email i've gotten in a while. if you heard me talk about the nanolaminate capacitor this past semester, you've gotta think this is a joke. but no, we've made it to the final 8 (out of 55).

RunNMC and Densercap, the multilayer advantage

hahahahhaha
physics roommate, be proud. also, jeremy, take some credit for this.

wii fit

i thought about getting one...until the parody. go watch it.

clapping

in church yesterday, i decided that i have pretty great respect for those who clap even when they can't keep the beat. my favorite are those who are completely a half-beat off...just clappin' to the beat of their own drum. i love it.

(yeah, it happens to me all the time)

best friday ever!

this could be it...
NKOTB was on the Today Show...and they were AWESOME! man, oh, man...i wish i could be in Boston for their show this weekend. sure, they're old...but they're workin' out the same moves, same sound, same stuff. their voices still aren't all that great (except joey & jordan, i think).

along with the same moves, they've got a "new style!" for Hangin' Tough. if you missed it on the Today Show, i hope you see it soon. clever, very clever.

reunion tours are a great idea. that's my final thought.

*i can only expect the rest of this friday to be great - we have treats all day at work, happy hour is planned with some great friends tonight and whatever else comes my way.

interesting bay area thing

today is a Spare the Air Day in the Bay Area. every once in a while i get hit with a CA thing that i've adjusted to...and this is one of 'em. sometimes our air quality sucks. but it's ok - i still live near the ocean and haven't seen snow since december.

really, i should take the train to work or somethin'. maybe i'll work on getting a bike some time this summer.

not a great prof

it's tough when you have a prof and you come to find out that you just don't acknowledge her authority. (that's the nicest way we decided that we can put it)

last night she ended the semester on the perfect note...
apparently her record-keeping is off, because she was missing several assignments from students who were sure they’d turned it in. (kinda like elementary school) I was told by a fellow student to go check it out, so I was one of the last in line. The poor student before me got her butt chewed because the professor had “already explained several times that if anyone was missing an assignment, she’d email us.” I went back to my seat knowing she’d email me if I was missing any assignments and filled out the meanest teacher evaluation I have ever completed.

As I was leaving the class, prof stopped me to see if I’d checked on my assignments. I took a deep breathe and told her I would just wait for the email she was going to send if I was missing anything. She stopped me and said she’d like to check at that point. So I’m missing one assignment…I hope she doesn’t fail me.

Bad profs are frustrating. But I’m done with that class!!! One more final, and one more class to go with this silly MBA…

morning

this morning i woke up before my alarm clock and thought, "i've been sleeping forever."

it was strange. i'm still not sure how to deal with it. but i think it's good that i'm used to getting up early to work out. and when i don't get up early, i apparently feel like i slept "forever."

sporks!

i just heard that a company went to using sporks as a cost-cutting measure. that's just awesome. sporks.

i shoulda known...

You Should Maybe Go to Grad School

Grad school may be the right choice for you, but you need to investigate further. So put those studying skill to use, and pick a program that's perfect for you. And make sure you're going for the right reasons - not just to avoid getting a job.

Should You Go To Grad School?

but i got the email yesterday that said i'll be done august 13!!!

famished!

I feel like I’ve been starving for a few days now…but I’m eating. The only thing I can think to attribute it to is the amount of running I’ve been doing, but sheesh…it’s not like I’m avoiding food. I just can’t seem to keep up.

I plan to get a burrito for lunch to get rid of this issue.

Maybe I need more protein…I dunno…
(and i'm not taking the fact that i can take care of my starvation for granted...it's all relative, man)

networking?

as much as i complain about school, i've come to realize that i have met some pretty great people through the program. i've been fortunate when it comes to group work - just a couple peeps that i'd actually complain about.

saturday night i had dinner with last year's school crew...we now talk about running marathons and such (i guess i'll be doing one next year) instead of school. i'm the only one left with classes, so it's cool that we still get together.

this semester i've had two pretty great groups...focusing on fun, while learning something along the way. we've had lots of laughs, some actual work and other great convo's.

being in HR has made me pretty popular, as well - interview questions, networking questions, job questions - it's fun. i wish my network were bigger, but i do what i can.

i gotta get a couple people a job somewhere...

flat tire

cars are annoying when they don't work right...and last night i ran over something on the highway. it was quick, i felt a thud, mom & i threw up a quick prayer (we were chatting on the phone) and i kept driving. all seemed ok. a few hours later, however, my car was pulling to the right and making awful noises any time i ran something little over (those things they put in the lines in the highway lines). i got to my destination and confirmed that my tire was now flat. oops.

i've learned a couple things here:
1. terrible noises coming from the tire is a bad sign
2. i probably don't ever have to learn how to change a tire
3. driving 45 to keep the spare tire happy is HARD

cinco de mayo!

enjoy! make it a great day!
these california peeps know how to do it up right. i've enjoyed an excellent lunch, am waiting for 4pm margaritas & hope to enjoy some more after class tonight.

i don't remember much of cinco de mayo in minnesota. sad.

oops

i'm not sure i've gone through a drive-through without being on my phone in recent history. apparently, McD's got mad at me.

rotten tomatoes is right

Iron Man is pretty awesome. i'm not a huge comic book gal, but this movie was fantastic! funny, seemed pretty smart, a li'l intense...i recommend it.

rotten tomatoes is currently at 94%.

givin' blood

i got an email last week that they were short on my blood type, so i made an appointment. turns out the donation place is a half-mile from home. it was pretty great to go into an actual facility instead of the crampy bus that comes to work to get my blood. and the peeps were uberfriendly. i'll go back.

and, just so you learn something this week, i found out that i'm CMV negative, which the stanford blood center tests for. apparently, i have good blood that's safe for those with crappy immune systems. here's more:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus. About 50 percent of adults have antibodies to CMV, indicating that they were previously exposed to the virus. In people with normal immunity, this virus causes only a mild respiratory illness or an infectious mononucleosis-type syndrome. However, in patients with suppressed immunity CMV can cause severe illness.

Stanford Blood Center tests all donors for evidence of CMV exposure and about half of donations are found to be negative for CMV antibody ("CMV negative"). If you are CMV positive, your donation is still very valuable and will be given to a patient that does not require CMV negative blood. Blood from CMV negative donors is required for patients with suppressed immunity. Because most of our platelets are given to cancer patients who have suppressed immunity, we must collect most of our platelets from CMV negative donors.

jump around!

Months ago, I decided that this was my favorite song. I think it began one night at The Sportsman when we played a couple songs on the jukebox...House of Pain came on and we jumped...and jumped...and didn't stop until the song was over. That’s a big reason I love it – I can just jump and pretend I’m dancing. Perfect for a white girl from the Midwest.

Roommate made sure it played as I hit 30, texts come my way when it’s on the radio and if I play softball or kickball this year, it’ll be my walk-up-to-the-plate song…

The only problem I’m running in to now is that any time I hear it, I have to jump around…literally. It’s hard to run when my ipod plays it…it’s hard to drive…shower…put my make-up on…

resumes

please don't ever send out a resume with a typo. it's that detail thing - managers want everyone to be able to deal with details. and so does the recruiter...i try really hard to see past a typo, but it's a pretty huge ding to start out with.

it's bioanalytical, not bioanaltyical.

and that's my advice for the day.

appointments

i've found it to be a pain to make appointments - hair, doctor, eye dude, etc. it's just not easy to listen to the operator voice long enough to know when to push 1, 2 or 3...or to coordinate schedules...or talk to strangers. so i've discovered as many ways as possible to make appointments on the internet. it's awesome.

i bet this online appointment thing is a Bay Area/Silicon Valley bonus. i'll take it!

the 10k

this morning i decided that the 10k is about the perfect race. 6+ miles is a challenge, but do-able...it's double digits...and there are lots of them. i ran the Marine Discovery 10k this morning in Santa Cruz and we ran about 4 of the 6 miles along the coast, which is my favorite place to run. to top it off, we saw a whale at the end of the run. what a life i live...

i'm now more confident that i'll be able to run the half-marathon in june. phew.

harold & kumar are back

and for what you should expect from them, it was pretty great. laughs, nastiness, one-liners...and then true love. quality cinema.

this lady didn't think so...said they tried too hard this time. understandable, as they had a lot to live up to.

go see it, i say. just have your expectations set.

best outfit of the week

this dude totally wins the contest. stripes everywhere!
(i had to be very sneaky in taking his picture, so it's not perfect...but you can still see the striped pants, shirt & tie)

happy friday!

gooooooo Twins!

they won! but cuddy didn't play. :( but mauer & morneau did. :)

it's awesome when A's fans yell out "you suck" to the guys who are beating them (morneau, mauer). there were almost fists.

happy earth day!

i'm accidentally wearing green...but i'll just go with it and think i'm trendy.

turn off a light when you leave the room today.

vegas revisited!

it was another awesome vegas trip! relaxing (honestly), refreshing, quality conversation, fun, fun times.

i highly recommend Cirque's KA - it's the best cirque show i've ever seen...it was fantastic!

stress goes away...

...when the day comes that you have a flight booked to Vegas. yay!

this little weekend break is just about as perfectly timed as it could be. my brain has stopped working 'cause i'm moving too fast, so i just gotta stop and chill. what better way than with my college girls in vegas?

have a great weekend!

(go wild!)

if i had a dream...

...that i got fired, how possible would it be that it will happen?

hopefully it's limited, 'cause i told my bosses today about my dream and they laughed it off.

it's still a rough way to wake up, man.

(penguins are cute and the sharks and wild now have the same play-off record...twins lost, too)