November 2008 Archives

I just watched a review on the LG Dare that came out back in June. I think I like it even better than the Storm. It looks like it costs $199 but then there is a $50 rebate. And I also get another $50 off for the New Every Two Discount. The data plan for this phone is also quite a bit cheaper than the blackberry one. It is only $69.99/month.

CNET Review

Another random but thorough review

I am all set to head over to the Verizon store tomorrow and pick up one of these phones and upgrade my plan if I like the phone in person as much as I do online. I am super excited :)

I just ordered a few small crafty projects. Things I will make as gifts. Easy things that I should be able to handle.

Ornaments:

 






Fleece Blanket:

 
 

I ordered them at Joann.com. I can't wait for them to arrive so I can get started.

Also, as soon as I hit publish I will have successfully completed the NaBloPoMo: National Blog Posting Month challenge!

 would not consider myself a crafty person.  I have a much more mathematical/logical/scientific mind than an artistic/creative one. 

However, I do wish I were an artistic/creative/crafty person.  I love hand made things.  I am envious of all the Etsy shop owners and their abilities.  I love poetry and wish I could write well.  I wish I knew how to knit and make beautiful handmade cards.  I wish I had an eye for photography.  I'd love to make professional looking scrapbooks.  I wish I had an eye for design and had a beautifully decorated home.  I'd love to make a handmade quilt.  I try and try, but these things just do not come naturally to me.  After many years of trying and failing, for some reason I continue to have this desire.  It just won't let go!

One of my sisters is a beautiful writer and also a pretty talented drawer and painter.  I think she inherited the genes from our grandmother on our father's side.  Our grandmother is in her late 80's and uses a digital camera to take beautiful pictures and then uses the computer to create her own greeting cards with the pictures she's taken to send to people on special occasions. 

Not much point to this post, I suppose, except to vent my frustration.  It is being brought to the surface by the holiday season and also the need to decorate portions of my house.  I may head over to Michael's in a little bit to see if I can get one of those kits to make Christmas ornaments.  That's about the extent of my abilities.

I will leave you with a picture of a few ornaments I made and gave to people a couple of years ago. 

I am not an early riser, and I generally hate shopping.  And I definitely hate crowds.

That should be enough to tell you that I did not partake in the 4 AM shopping extravaganza that always takes place the day after Thanksgiving.  I never have, and if I had to guess, I never will. 

I did end up running into WalMart around 3:15p to grab a couple of small items.  I wanted a shower squeegee and a lingerie laundry bag.  I bought one a couple of months ago at Target but the first time I used it, it ripped.  I also ended up buying my first Christmas gift for the season.  A video game that I know The Boyfriend has been wanting.  So I guess that means I have officially started my shopping.  I dread this every year.  I am a bad shopper.  I can never think of great ideas for gifts.  And when I do have an idea, I am paranoid that it is really some awful gift that the recipient will hate and either laugh at me behind my back (or in front of my face!) or hide it in the deepest darkest corner of their basement or attick.  It stresses me out beyond belief.  I really do like giving things to people, when I know that they will like what I have gotten.  And I don't really worry about the money.  I just never have any good ideas.

Did you wake up at an ungodly hour and head out to the mobbed stores?  End up getting any great deals?

I am thankful for my wonderful boyfriend who takes care of me, supports me, carts me around everywhere, chooses to spend his time with me, and has improved my life in so many ways over the last 2+ years.

I am thankful for the daily hugs and kisses and other little things that make me feel loved.

I am thankful for my wonderful parents who would would do just about anything for me and gave up so much for myself and my sisters.

I am thankful that I now get along with my sisters fairly well.

I am thankful for my job.

I am thankful for my co-workers who are such wonderful people.  I consider many of them my friends.

I am thankful for the generous amount of vacation time I get a year.

I am thankful for my home.

I am thankful for the internet.

I am thankful that there will be a new President come January 20th.

I am thankful for generous neighbors who snow blow driveways without being asked or
expecting anything in return.

I am thankful for chocolate.

My wish list seems to be getting quite long lately.

• Desk for the Den/Study
• Pull out sofa for the Den/Study
• New blinds or shades for the 3 bedrooms
• New computer monitor
• New small flat screen lcd tv for the living room
• New big flat screen lcd tv for the family room
• Coffee table for the family room
• Nicer seating for the family room
• Island for the kitchen (kinda like this one from IKEA, but something with 2 stools would be nice)
• Some sort of wall shelving to display my Beleek and Swarovski collections
• New chair for the living room
• More furniture for the guest bedroom -- a night stand and cute lamp
• A small canon digital camera
• A new cellphone
  

I think I need a second job, or a new job, or more creative ways to save or.... something.

A new feeling has come over me the last 6 months or so. I actually look forward to going home and visiting my family, or having them come visit me here.  I miss them.  And it has been cathartic to visit with them the last few times.  I feel better and refreshed and somehow have a new perspective after time spent with them.  These things rarely happened any time in the past. 

I could really care less about the whole Thanksgiving feast, but I intend to fully enjoy and appreciate the next few days spent with my family. 

I hope you have an enjoyable Turkey Day!

I just spent most of the evening and night crunching numbers on my health insurance options for next year.  With the deductibles and co-insurance and HSAs and Flex Spending and out of pocket maximums, it can get pretty complicated.  Not to mention it's all just a guess as to how many doctor visits and prescriptions you will need next year.

I ended up creating a fancy spreadsheet with all kinds of functions.  I can just plug in the numbers for pretty much any variable and it will immediately calculate the end number for me, along with all of the subtotals.  I have so many doctor visits with both my primary care, physical therapists and other specialists and a few prescriptions a month that it is really hard to figure out which plan would be best.  I'm also not entirely sure which medications I will be taking next year.  I may stop taking some and start taking others based on some test results I should be getting soon.  There may be another specialist I may need to start seeing. 

I am going to take it home with me tomorrow when I go and visit my parents so they can help me make a decision.  My dad loves calculations and crunching numbers.  I think he'll be impressed with my Excel abilities since he almost never touches a computer. 

I'm just hoping that I'll only have a few doctor visits and a few regular prescriptions.  No surprise specialist visits or surgeries or lab tests.  It would be nice to have that for once.

Grammar Lesson #2: Who vs. Whom.

This is another one I can never keep straight.  I generally try substituting both into my sentence and figure out which one sounds better.  Usually, they both sound equally correct and I just default to Who because I think it sounds slightly less pretentious. 

So I decided to type it into Google and see what I could find in terms of actual grammar rules around this.

Turns out, there is a fairly simple way to figure out and remember which one is correct.  You can either answer your question or restate it using "he" or "him".  If "he" sounds better, use "who".  If "him" sounds better, use "whom".  Easy, right?

Examples:

• Who went to the store to get the milk?  He went to the store to get the milk.
• Does anyone know who spilled coffee all over my desk?!  He spilled coffee all over my desk.
• We all know who pulled the prank even though no one will admit to it.    He pulled the prank.

• Whom should I ask about getting a refund?  You should ask him about getting a refund.
• Whom did you vote for as our next President on November 4th?  I voted for him on November 4th.   
• I have a lot of grammar questions but I don't know whom to ask.  Ask him.

The official grammatical rule for when to use who and when to use who is: who is always used as the subject of a verb (who went, who spilled, who pulled) and whom is is used when you are referring to the object of a sentence (ask whom, vote for whom, refer to whom).

he = who (both end in a vowel)
him = whom (both end with m)

Questions or examples you still are not sure about?  Ask away and I will hunt down the answer for you.

I decided that I would like to turn the spare room upstairs into a study. My first goal was to purchase a new desk. So yesterday I dragged the boyfriend shopping with me to help pick one out. I am not looking for anything particularly fancy or expensive. I'd just like something that looks decent for preferably under $200. I was looking for something simple, dark, a corner desk, maybe 50 to 60 inches wide, included keyboard tray and, possibly, a monitor stand.

First stop was Office Max. They had a pretty decent selection. But most everything was either too small, too too big or too expensive. Some were ok but were a hutch style that had a bunch of crap on top. So then we went to Staples. Pretty much the same problem there but with slightly less to choose from. Then we tried Target which, as expected, had about two options. We were right by Sears so stopped in there quickly to see if they had anything. They didn't, but we spent some time drooling over some really nice TVs.

After we got home I tried searching on the internet. I didn't find much that interested me. This one is ok but I'm not in love with the style (mostly the color). I REALLY like this one but it's more than I wanted to spend. This is also along the lines of what I was looking for but also too expensive.

I had no idea shopping for a desk would prove to be so difficult. Do you have a desk that you just love or a study you've just decorated? Send me pics!

Of all the celebrity tots out there, I would have to say that Suri Cruise is my favorite. I first saw Katie in Dawson's Creek in 1996 or 1997 and really liked her and the show. Yes, I know I'm way too old to have liked that show. Let's just call it my guilty pleasure and move on. Of course I also loved Tom back in the day, too. I think pretty much any woman my age had a crush on him at one point.

Anyway, here's a little Suri cuteness for you.





Who is your favorite celebrity tot?

Now, on the topic of celebrity tots who look just like one of their parents, is it just me or does Ava Phillipe look like a mini version of Reese and Matilda Ledger look like a mini version of Heath?

I have an article of clothing that is my favorite to wear during the late fall/winter months.  It is a brown hooded sweater from Gap that I received as a gift for either my birthday or Christmas two years ago.  It is so comfortable, and every time I wear it I get complimented on it. 



I also have another fleece sweatshirt that I love to wear bumming around on the weekends when it's cold outside.  It's from Old Navy, gray, v-neck, and was also a gift. I don't even remember how many years it has been in my closet now.  Probably THE most comfortable thing I have ever owned.  Seriously.

Do you have a favorite article of clothing that you love to wear over and over?

Not much to say today.  Made it to the eye doctor appointment.  Everything looked good.  He is having me try a different brand of contacts to see if they feel more comfortable.  I go back in two weeks for a follow-up.  He'll dilate my eyes and order the contacts if the trial pair he gave me seem to be working out.  I came home to try and look up the type of contacts he gave me but I wasn't able to find them.  All I can remember is they are two week soft lens disposables made by Cooper Vision. I wanted to see how much the lenses were going to cost me.  Guess I'll have to call them tomorrow to ask. 

I have been in such a foul mood the past few days.  Focusing on the negative.  Worrying about things that haven't happened yet, and that I have no control over anyway.  I thought it might be good to shift my focus a little bit and make a point to acknowledge the positive things. 

1.  Wonderful boyfriend who came to pick me up a bring me to work this morning so I wouldn't have to drive.

2.  The weather tomorrow is supposed to be better than yesterday and today.

3.  Successfully made it through the first 19 days of NaBloPoMo.

4.  Tomorrow is my Friday.  Another 4 day work week!

5.  Friday is Payday.

6.  Got my STAR Rebate in the mail this week.

7.  My girl scout cookies still have not been delivered, but I did pick up some other cookies while at the grocery store tonight.

I am so not ready for winter.  I never am, but this year is no exception.  Freezing cold + snow = unhappy erin.

That eye doctor appointment I mentioned the other day?  It was supposed to be today but I never made it.  I left work at 5:00 for my 6:00 appointment leaving me plenty of time.  I usually leave work after 6, but I didn't want to stress about the weather or feel rushed.  Plus, I figured I could leave a little early after working from home for 3 hours the night before.  Because of the shitty weather, there was a bad accident and other minor accidents on the expressway.  It took me over an hour to go 7 miles to my house.  They eventually closed the portion of the expressway I was on in both directions.  It was 6:15 by the time I got to my house (about half way to the doctor's office) and called to let them know I wouldn't make it.  I unhappily rescheduled for Thursday evening.

Today was just one of those long exhausting days where it feels like everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.  Too bad I have no cookie dough ice cream left and those girl scout cookies still have not arrived.

So when the temperature falls below 30 degrees and it is snowing outside, what type of attire do you wear?  Pants and sweater?  Heavy jacket?  Boots?  Perhaps a hat and/or some gloves?  Well, that's what I tend to wear. 

Tonight, coming out of the mall, it was 29 degrees and lightly snowing.  I saw a young kid wearing shorts.  Shorts!  This wasn't an isolated case.  It seems to be a common sight every winter.  Could someone please explain the rational behind this to me?  I don't think I will ever understand, but please, feel free to try and educate me.

I've had a rather bad two days. 

I just broke down and had a horribly disgusting binge session with cookie dough ice cream. 

Feeling... a bit... ill... now....

Emotional eater much?

Yeah.

A while back I had 2 different girl scouts come to my door asking if I wanted to buy some girl scout cookies.  When the first girl came I ordered a box of Thin Mints and a box of Tagalongs.  When the second girl came The boyfriend was here so I asked him what kind he wanted.  He said Caramel Delights and I ordered a box.  I don't like them, but I thought it would be nice to have a box for him.  Last week the second girl came and delivered the Caramel Delights.  Ever since then I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my two boxes. 

I could really, really go for a cookie or two right now.

A short while ago I went over to one of my favorite stores,Target, looking for a pair of winter boots.  I ended up getting a cute pair of black flats instead.  I didn't need another pair of black flats, but I couldn't resist.

I was wearing the new shoes to work a few days later and then it suddenly hit me that my shoes matched almost perfectly with a purse I had gotten as a gift a few years earlier and happened to be using that day.  I pointed it out to a couple of girls that I work with that I am friends with and they seemed pretty impressed by how well they matched since it was just a coincidence.

I pointed it out to The Boyfriend a little while later and he was not nearly as impressed.  He did not think they were close to a perfect match.  He thought the colors were a little different and the material was different.  He didn't think they matched any better than any other black purse and black shoes.  Now I know they weren't a perfect match, but they never will be unless they were made together and meant to match.  But to get them at completely different times and completely different stores, I thought it was pretty neat.


(click image for larger version)

So what do you think?

Quick!  Come over to my house!  Drive by and check out the front yard.  And then get out of your car and check out the back yard.  I just spent so many hours out there cleaning it all up.  I mowed, I raked, I used the tarp, I used the leaf blower.  You must come now though, because it will all look like crap again in another 24 hours!  There can't be too many more weeks of this, right?  RIGHT?

I started wearing glasses in 7th grade when I was 13.  After I graduated college at the age of 21 I finally switched to contacts.  I hated glasses, but was always too afraid to try contacts.  The thought of poking myself in the eye and attaching something to my lenses was scary.  And I wanted to no part of it.  Once I finally tried them though, I thought they were the best things in the world.

I really don't like going to the eye doctor.  Even though I have contacts and should go every year, I only go every two or three.  I hate the eye drops and if I have to pick out a new pair of glasses I am hopeless.  Nothing ever fits because I have such a small face and I never think anything looks good on me.

I think the last time I went to the eye doctor was October of 2006 and I got a new pair of glasses at that appointment.  I dragged my mom with me so she could help me pick out a pair of frames.  She wasn't much help, but we had about 3 employees go around with us trying on nearly every pair of frames and then taking a vote.  That's how bad I am.  I just let them tell me which ones to get. 

About a month and a half ago I started having trouble with my contacts.  My left eye would really start bothering me.  It's like the contact didn't fit well so I could feel it and it just felt like there was always something in my eye.  Like whenever I would blink my eyelid would catch against the edges of the contact.  That is not a nice feeling.  I tried a few different pair and the same thing would happen.  Eventually I would be able to wear them for a week or two and then the same thing would happen again.  In addition to that, but eyes in general have just not felt comfortable.  They feel sort of red and swollen and bloodshot, like I haven't slept in days.

All of that combined, forced me to finally make an appointment.  I had to find another place to go because the place I usually go doesn't take my new insurance.  So I talked to a friend at work who went back in May and she recommended the place that she went.  I called yesterday and made an appointment for Tuesday evening. 

I think the problem with my contacts is the brand I have been wearing for 8 years don't work for me anymore.  I remember the last time I went the doctor mentioned the word astigmatism.  So my best guess is that the astigmatism has gotten worse and my eye doesn't like the contact anymore.  I know there are special contacts for people with astigmatism.  Hopefully I will just get a new brand and my eyes will be happy again.

I was debating whether or not I should get a new pair of frames as well.  I don't particularly like the ones I currently have anymore.  I think that since I rarely wear glasses (assuming the contacts are playing nice) and my current ones aren't horribly outdated yet and they are so expensive, I will hold off at least another year. 

So what has your experience with glasses and contacts been like?  What brand of contacts do you wear?  How often do you go to the eye doctor?  How often do you update your frames?

If you've read a previous post or two of mine, you have probably figured out that grammar is not my strong suite.  There are many rules that I just don't know or can't remember.  For the most part I have I vs. Me down.  I know the difference between there, their, they're.  I know when to use its and when to use it's.

I am pretty pathetic when it comes to the correct use of commas.  I never know when to use who vs. whom.  I am sure I often misuse that and which.  Another one that I never remember: Lie vs. Lay.  Is it I need to go lay down or I need to go lie down?  Neither one sounds terribly wrong to me, although lie does sound slightly better.  But what's the rule?  I took the time to look it up.

Lie is an intransitive verb and Lay is transitive.  Transitive verbs require an object, whereas intransitive verbs do not.  If you have a hard time remembering the difference just remember the prefix in- means not or without.  The easiest way I can think of two remember which is transitive and which is intransitive is to memorize one thing:  People lie down, chickens lay eggs.  No object in lie down, but there is an object in lay eggs.  Another way to try to remember it is, in the present tense lie means to recline and lay means to put or place.  Lie out in the sun versus lay the book on the table.  That takes care of the present tense.

The past tense gets a little tricky because the past tense of lie is lay.  When I got dizzy yesterday, I lay down.  To me, laid actually sounds better here, but there is no object so we use the past test of lie.  The past tense of lay is laid.  That one should be easy.

Now on to the present and past participles. 

The present participle of lie is lying.  I am lying in the sun and rather enjoying it.  Another example would be lying in wait for someone.  The past participle of lie is have lain.  I have lain in wait for hours at a time.

The present participle of lay is laying.  Simply add -ing.  That chicken is laying an egg!  The past participle of lay is laid.  I had laid the book on the table yesterday, but now it is gone.

So to recap:
(recline)      lie, lay, lying, lain 
(put/place)  lay, laid, laying, laid

I am prety sure I have a clear understanding now and got that all right.  If I didn't, please feel free to correct me and tell me so!

I am hoping that the more I write in the blog the better my grammar will get.  I hope to take the time to write something out on each of the rules above that I am never sure about.

Which grammar rules always trip you up?

Conversation with my boss today:

Me: I actually had a really productive day yesterday and almost completed that long list....

Boss:  You must have had your Wheaties for breakfast!

I was trying to explain that I had some extra time so I would be able to help out with another project.  Maybe it's just me, but I totally cracked up laughing.  Is your boss as awesome as mine is?

My place of employment had this wonderful thing where they brought someone in who would personally come to our workspace and review our set-up and give us tips. There were enough slots for 16 people to sign up.

Since I have had to go to physical therapy twice in the last year and a half for neck and back pain, both likely related to sitting at my desk working at a computer all day, I did not hesitate to sign up. I know next to nothing about ergonomics or how I should be adjusting my workspace. All I knew was that I was probably doing something (or more likely many things) wrong.

So today was the day the woman came in to work with us. I was provided with this great new chair several months back, but silly me never bothered to figure out how to adjust it properly. One of the best features of the chair is how customizable it is. I was clearly not taking full advantage. Overall, I was slightly disappointed. I think that is mostly because my expectations were too high. The woman did give me some good information. She moved the lumbar support to the correct position which made a world of difference. She also recommended I lower my monitor and lower my desk. I knew my desk was way too high for me (I am short, barely hitting 5 feet) but had no idea that it could be adjusted. She also essentially game me a demonstration of how the chair works and all the different ways it can be adjusted. Another good tip she gave was to adjust the tilt of the chair frequently. Keep it locked in the upright position when concentrating on the computer, but if thinking or speaking with someone else, unlock the chair so you can rock back and forth.

After doing a little searching online, I found a pretty nice pdf available that has some good information. Pages 4-11 looked useful.

If you have any sort of back or neck trouble at work, I highly recommend adjusting your environment and doing some exercises/stretches at least every couple of hours. It really does help!

Sometimes I wonder why I still live in Upstate NY.  My body doesn't handle cold temperatures very well and I absolutely HATE driving in the snow.  I just checked the 10 day forecast and this is what I have to look forward to in the near future:




Good thing I bought that leaf blower, extension cord, and tarp tonight!  Heh.  It looks like I may get to use them on my day off on Friday.  It is currently supposed to be cloudy with a high of 59.

What a difference a week makes.

It's that time again, where my contract with Verizon is about to run out and I can get $$ off a new phone if I sign another 2 year contract. I actually got my notice a little while back and was starting to think I might ditch Verizon and get one of the new iPhones. The Boyfriend suggested I wait until the end of November and check out what new phones Verizon comes out with.

I just got a sneak peek at their new BlackBerry Storm that will be coming out this month. It's... pretty sweet. And also expensive. $500ish expensive. And, of course if I got this phone I would have to sign up for the unlimited data plan so that I could access the internet from anywhere and everywhere. Said plan is also expensive. $99 a month expensive.

Sigh.

Storm Interactive User's Guide

During the beautiful, warm and sunny day we had on Friday I decided to take some pictures of the backyard.  A lot of the leaves had already fallen so they didn't come out that great, but here is one of my favorites:


(click on the picture for a larger version)

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty great vacation day.  The weather was WAY nicer than anyone could expect for November in Upstate New York.  I was wearing a sweatshirt while mowing the lawn and got really hot.  Just a t-shirt in November?  Crazy.  There will probably be snow on the ground by the end of the month.

I got the lawn all cleaned up and headed out for a little errand.  When I got back I saw a few of my neighbors gathered at the end of the driveway of the house next door.  When I got out of my car one of them came over and told me that the previous owners of my house were here and asked if I had a minute to chat with everyone.  Apparently they were in town for something else and decided to stop by to see their old friends.  The previous owners moved down to South Carolina and the thought never even crossed my mind that I would ever meet them.  Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, here they were!  I was pleased that I had taken the time to mulch all the leaves in the front earlier in the day so it was at least looking nice for them.

My house is 50 years old and there have only been 2 owners before me.  The couple I met yesterday had lived here for 47 or 48 years.  That is a looooong time, at least in my world.  It was actually really nice to be able to meet the people who had cared for my house for so many years before it became mine.  They seemed pleased to be able to meet me as well.  They were both very, very nice and apparently pretty popular in the neighborhood.  We stood outside and chatted for quite a while.  I wasn't sure if I should have invited them (and the rest of the crowd?) in to see the house or not.  It seemed appropriate, but also strange.  I decided that since I hadn't prepared for company and the house wasn't in tip-top shape, I wouldn't extend an invitation.  Were they expecting one?  Are the neighbors all talking about me now saying how rude it was I didn't invite them in?  What do you do in this situation?

Ah, the beloved vacation day.  With 2 months left in the year I found myself with 12 remaining vacation days to use before the end of the year.  If I don't use them by January 1, 2009, I lose them.  I wasn't about to let that happen!

I had trouble figuring out which days to take off.  Do I take large chunks at a time?  Do I take a bunch of long weekends?

I ended up taking off a bunch of Fridays (every one in November), some random days, and a large chunk between Christmas and New Years. 

I tend not to take vacation early in the year if I don't have a specific reason to take it off.  I took a week off in August to paint the house, I took a couple days to take a trip to Rhode Island in July. 

The Boyfriend isn't much into taking days off, and he's not much into taking trips.  So that usually leaves us with a bunch of days and not much time to use them.

Next year I am hoping to plan a big trip.  So far Ireland and Hawaii are at the top of the list in terms of places to go.  I think Paris would be pretty awesome too.  For now I will settle for my day off where I will just enjoy not being at work.  I slept in until almost 10 this morning so I'm off to a pretty good start  :)

Happy Friday!

Normally, I am not really that into TV.  I don't usually get hooked on any particular show.  If I miss an episode, no big deal.  This season I have several shows that I deem worth using the DVR if I am not going to be around to watch them.  Three of them I can blame on my boyfriend.  He absolutely LOVES Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother on Monday nights.  I enjoy watching them too and find them funny and entertaining.  Any Big Bang episode centered around Sheldon is sure to be awesome and have me laughing every few minutes.  The other fave show will be on in just over an hour -- The Office.  Also funny and entertaining.  I love the characters in all 3 of those, and that, I guess, is what draws me to them week after week.  It is so cute to the boyfriend get so into the shows and just laugh hysterically the entire time.  There are a few other friends at work that watch these shows too, and every Tuesday at lunch we rehash and replay pretty much the entire episodes for anyone there that hadn't seen them.

The show I watch, that the boyfriend could care less about, is House.  I've been a big fan for a few seasons now.  I love Dr. Gregory House and his relationships with all the other characters. 

What are you watching this fall?  What am I missing out on?

I was a good little American yesterday and made my way over to the polls directly after work at 6pm. There was no line whatsoever. I was in and out in under 3 minutes. I was glued to my television from 7pm on, presumably, just like almost every other American.

Last night was a good night to be a Democrat, and in my opinion, an American. It was a historic election. It restored my faith in our country. And I think it also did wonders for how the rest of the world perceives us. I am very proud to have been a part of this milestone. We voted for a black American to be our next President. We showed up at the polls in record numbers. I think we've come a long way since 4 years ago.

If you missed McCain's speech or Obama's victory speech you can check them out here and here. They are also at CNN if the video is loading slowly at the NY Times site.

It is painfully obvious that our country is in desperate need for change. I hope that Barack Obama will be the right guy to lead us in the right direction. Only time will tell, I guess. But I have Hope.

I was given the opportunity to experience something really, really special today.

My friend who is 20 weeks pregnant invited me to go to her ultrasound appointment with her this afternoon.  Her mom and husband went also.  Her dad was supposed to go but he was sick so he couldn't make it.  She invited me to go in his place.  I was pretty much in awe watching the tiny baby move around and listening the heartbeat.  I could see the abdomen move up and down as the baby breathed.  I could see the tiny, tiny bones in the fingers.  I could see the baby give mom a massive kick.  I could see the baby hiccup.  I saw the cutest little munchable feet and toes.  One of the coolest things is that my friend also got a dvd with some video clips along with the usual pictures.

The twenty week ultrasound is the one where, if you are lucky and the baby is not modest, you can find out the gender.  My friend was lucky and also chose to find out the gender early.  She will be having a second little girl.

There were mixed emotions as I was standing there watching and taking it all in.  Of course I was very happy and excited for my friend.  And, of course I was a little bit sad that I would never be able to experience the same thing myself.  As I have gotten older, it's been harder and harder to deal with the fact that I can't have children myself.  In the last few years I have seen lots of friends have their first and second children.  It's hard to watch.  It's hard to see someone else experience this wonderful, amazing thing that I wish I could have, but know I never will.  It's almost like I'm being taunted.  I've been in a committed relationship with someone for over two years now.  I am with someone who I could picture myself actually having children with.  Before the last two or three years it was so much easier to put it out of my mind.  It seems to be in the forefront much more frequently now.

The time change always messes me up. I like how it is no longer pitch black when I get up, but I don't like how it is dark out before I leave work. I am always paranoid that I am going to miss when the time changing is supposed to be, or that I'll be an hour off and not be at the right place at the right time. 

I've been having trouble waking up in the morning's lately and so I thought I'd try a little experiment.  I left my alarm clock set to the Daylight Saving Time and didn't put it back an hour.  I set the alarm for 7:30 in the morning, hoping I would wake up at 7:30, get up at 8, and be at work by 9.  Meaning I would really be getting up at 7 and be at work by 8.

So did this little trick work?

Absolutely not.

I woke up at 6:30.  Turned off the alarm and went back to bed until the alarm on my watch went off at 7 and then 7:30. I finally got up at 7:45.

One more thing... watch the clip below and GO VOTE!

It is obvious I have no clue what I am doing when it comes to lawn care and gardening.  The previous owners of my house had it professionally landscaped.  There is a large number of large trees which makes it very park-like and very private.  That is all great, but it also means it requires a whole lot of maintenance.  I learned this in March and then continued to learn it throughout the Spring and Summer.

I learned about peonies, daffodils, lilies, azaleas, dogwood trees, and cottonwood trees.  I learned about poison ivy the hard way.  I learned about weeds and mulching.  I learned how heavy those brown home depot bags filled with leaves are by carrying 40+ of them from the back yard to the front curb.  I learned about the Scott's 4 step fertilizing program.  I learned what rhubarb was and tried it for the first time.  I learned that if I plant tomatoes and squash and zuccini in the back the animals will get more of it than I will.  I learned how much it costs to have trees trimmed and how they go about doing it.  I have learned a lot, but I still have so much more to learn.

Last weekend when I heard that it was supposed to be fairly decent weather this weekend, I decided I would put down the final step of the scott's fertilizing program -- the winterizer.  So yesterday I went out and mowed both the front and the back yards to chop up all of the leaves that were covering the lawn.  I figured today I would spread go to home depot and buy the fertilizer and then spread it.  When I got up this morning and looked out the window I discovered that the yard was completely covered again.  I immediately got discouraged.  And then decided it was probably too cold by now for it to do much good anyway.  And I didn't really feeling like going to the store and didn't really feel like spending the $50-$60 on the stuff anyway.  So I think I've already talked myself out of doing it.  I am hoping that the 3 other times I put fertilizer down will be enough.  I guess I will find out come spring time.  I learned today not to wait so long to get it done.

I just signed up for NaBloPoMo.  I am supposed to write a blog post every day during the month of November.  It shouldn't be too difficult since I posted nearly every day in the month of October.  The tricky part will be doing it, and coming up with something worthwhile to post about so it isn't totally lame.  Wish me luck!

Btw, how long do I have to wait before showing up in the blogroll?  It's been over 24 hours now.  I'm thinking I may have just done it wrong, but I'm not sure.  I sent the html for the link to my blog as the only thing in the body of my email.  Maybe it needs to be in the Subject instead?