Every year we take a day trip to Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It's a great deal. For ten bucks a person we get a luxury bus ride including mixed drinks and bagels during the ride. The bus trip is sponsored by my employer so the down side is traveling with my co-workers. It's not that I don't like my co-workers, for the most part I do. It's just nice to be away from them considering all the time spent with them during the week.
We sat in the sixth row of the bus. Coolers carrying the drinks were in the first seat on our side, followed by the couple who were going to serve, then a few rows of some of my closest co-workers. One the other side of the aisle, was a seat full of more coolers, a seat with some of the executive staff, and a seat with the bagels, paper plates, and plastic cups. All the rest of the seats were occupied with people, it was a full bus. It's a popular trip.
Jeff's eyes were instantly drawn to the people across the aisle. They were extremely large - I mean the people not his eyes. I know I secretly wondered how they could be comfortable since they probably had to squeeze into the seats to fit. Jeff didn't say anything but I could guess what he was thinking. By the time we got to Kenosha, we were half-way through a bloody mary and a bagel with cream cheese. As we hit the toll booth, we had a second drink and that would be enough of that.
Jeff leaned close to me to ask if I knew those people stuffed into the seats. I told him I did, the guy worked in my department so I knew him pretty well. "I can't believe it, he's eaten two bagels and now he's eating not one, but two egg mcmuffins." Yes, I did see the McDonald's bag but I didn't pay that close attention to anything else. After the mcmuffins were downed, he went back for another bagel. Jeff couldn't believe it. "He's eating another one! - Geez" I answered, "You don't get to be that size without trying." He was just disgusted.
We got off the bus and spent the morning shopping. We started out at Christkindlemarket. Even though it was pretty cold out, we like the atmosphere of the little shops and it's really neat to look at all the European wares for sale. Jeff bought me some Irish cashmere scarfs. They were so pretty it was tough to decide which ones to choose. After that, we walked across the street to Macy's. It felt good to get indoors and warm up. Macy's was just crazy busy. We walked through the first floor where there was plenty of security people dressed in black. They looked like Secret Service. It seemed a little odd. We shopped all the other floors when the store announced that Jessica Simpson would be giving autographs in a few minutes. There was a catch, the autograph was only given to the first 300 people who purchased $90 worth of her perfume. That explained all those security guards dressed in black. I had to get a glimpse. Jeff mildly complained uttering something about Tony Romo. Secretly, I don't think he was too disappointed once he got to see her beauty. In standard touristy fashion, I stopped and took a picture of her much to the dismay of the Secret Service - like dudes.
After that we worked our way down Michigan Avenue where Niketown had a sale. That was a first so we made out on the deals. We went through all the malls and got Lauren's Christmas present at Bloomingdale's. While we were there we ran into Jean, a friend who lives in the Lake Geneva area.
We did our traditional stop to get a drink on the 95th floor of the Hancock building. The view was incredible as always and we were happy to be off our feet for the first time since we got off the bus. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the ambiance and toasted the start of our holiday season. It is a nice tradition. When we got to the bar we had a 20 minute wait and by the time we left people in line had an hour wait just to get into the bar. We timed our visit perfectly. It was 4:00 when we left which gave us just enough time to get some early dinner before getting back to the bus.
Another tradition we have is dinner at China Big Bowl. It's next to Chicago Harley and across from the bus stop so it's the perfect place to end the day. Dinner is excellent. It's authentic, the ingredients are fresh, and the wait staff is wonderful. We really like it there. After dinner we walked over to the bus stop and even though we were 10 minutes early, the bus was already there so we went right in and took our seats. Everyone got on the bus on time or earlier so attendance was taken and we headed out 5 minutes before we were scheduled to leave. It was nicer than waiting for someone who is late, expecially when everyone is tired and a little cranky from the long day. A bunch of people spent the day bar hopping through Chicago so it's funny to see them stumble onto the bus and into their seats. Usually they're sleeping before we get to the expressway.
We settled in for the ride back when the guy across from us started making requests. Can his wife have the seat that contains the box of bagels in front of him so they can stretch out? Can he have more bagels? That's when Jeff noticed them drinking their ice cream drinks they carried on and eating yet more bagels! He was appalled. I was amused. Thank goodness Jeff napped part of the way home! It's funny the things we notice when there's nothing else to do. This was our seventh year on this trip and it won't be our last.
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It's hard to believe but it's true. I am a grandma today. Bailee gave birth to an 8-pound 21-inch long baby boy. He was a month early and he arrived on the day of her baby shower. The whole family was here, we fed them, visited with them, and had a wonderful afternoon together. My friend, Carol even brought me a gift. It was a wonderful day but I'm sure it was disappointing to our guests. It was hard to cancel with such short notice so we had no choice but to wait for everyone to show up. We asked the guests what we should do about the gifts they decided as a group that anyone who wants to come back next Sunday should and Bailee could open them at that time. Getting to see the baby this evening was the best thing ever. I tried not to cry, Bailee was doing enough of that for all of us. The baby seems big but babies of diabetic moms are usually large so the doctors expected a 10-pound baby at full term. Since he was early, he spent his first day on oxygen in the ICU but we still got to spend time holding and rocking him. He is 16 hours old in this photo. We have photos of him hooked up in to all the wires in the ICU but Bailee hates those photos so I won't post them. He is beautiful.
I started a quilting class a few weeks ago and for some reason I really took the whole 'class' thing way too seriously. After finishing my degree not too terribly long ago, I just thought I would have to buckle down. As it turns out, I don't have to show up, keep up, or read up on anything in particular. It's a go at your own pace, work on a project of my own choosing type of atmosphere. The instructor brings in samples and suggestions for new projects but otherwise it's learn what you don't know when you want to learn it. And here I was worried about missing the first class and getting behind. The beauty of this class is that it has given me incentive to finish things and to schedule a sewing day besides the class time.
A really cool extra is that the instructor, Sallie Jo was my daughter's sewing instructor when she was in high school. I mentioned that Bailee was my daughter and she remembered her and asked me to bring her along. The two of them caught up like old friends. Bailee brought samples of her work along and it was like she was a natural assistant to Sallie Jo. I felt like the underachiever in a group of great artists. That's OK though, it was inspiring to be around such good talent.
I think I will be taking this class next semester and I think Bailee will be back to visit.
A really cool extra is that the instructor, Sallie Jo was my daughter's sewing instructor when she was in high school. I mentioned that Bailee was my daughter and she remembered her and asked me to bring her along. The two of them caught up like old friends. Bailee brought samples of her work along and it was like she was a natural assistant to Sallie Jo. I felt like the underachiever in a group of great artists. That's OK though, it was inspiring to be around such good talent.
I think I will be taking this class next semester and I think Bailee will be back to visit.
Adam's mom threw Bailee a baby shower yesterday. She invited all their relatives, all her friends, and some of Bailee and Adam's co-workers. I was really apprehensive about attending it, seeing as I really didn't know anyone except Bailee and Adam. It didn't help that the shower was being held in a bar. I'm not fond of filling my lungs with second-hand smoke all afternoon to then have to go home and totally change and shower to remove the stink. But I have to go, Bailee needs me there.
The bar is not an ordinary bar, Adam's mom happens to bartend there on a part-time basis. It's a nice thing to have access to something like that for events like this. But this wasn't your average corner, neighborhood bar - this was an average corner, neighborhood gay bar. There were artistic photos of very good looking half-dressed men with other half-dressed men hanging on the walls. Not that it's a bad thing, I don't mind the gay bar thing, I still don't like the smoke and stink of bars. But on the other hand, I do like the beer so I was in for the afternoon.
Adam's family was very nice, his brother and sister were really cool and his mother was very outgoing. There were so many people there, they were all truly blessed to have such a large extended family and many friends. I was happy to see that BJ's girlfriend, Lauren came. It was so good to see her since we haven't seen her since BJ left for Yuma.
The gift opening took a long time with so many generous people. Even the gay bar clientele brought gifts. Nice designer baby clothing. How cool. I don't know what I was expecting but whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised by the kindness and generosity of all these people. Bailee is very lucky to be entering in such a nice family.
The bar is not an ordinary bar, Adam's mom happens to bartend there on a part-time basis. It's a nice thing to have access to something like that for events like this. But this wasn't your average corner, neighborhood bar - this was an average corner, neighborhood gay bar. There were artistic photos of very good looking half-dressed men with other half-dressed men hanging on the walls. Not that it's a bad thing, I don't mind the gay bar thing, I still don't like the smoke and stink of bars. But on the other hand, I do like the beer so I was in for the afternoon.
Adam's family was very nice, his brother and sister were really cool and his mother was very outgoing. There were so many people there, they were all truly blessed to have such a large extended family and many friends. I was happy to see that BJ's girlfriend, Lauren came. It was so good to see her since we haven't seen her since BJ left for Yuma.
The gift opening took a long time with so many generous people. Even the gay bar clientele brought gifts. Nice designer baby clothing. How cool. I don't know what I was expecting but whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised by the kindness and generosity of all these people. Bailee is very lucky to be entering in such a nice family.
I am not a real fan of movies like The Dark Knight. But when Jeff actually decides going to the movie is what he wants to do, who am I to argue? He generally doesn't have an opinion about how he wants to spend a Saturday night - he just goes with the flow. Since I'm a homebody for the most part, I'm OK with staying at home. I agreed as long as we went early enough to get a good seat since the movie just opened last night. Jeff doesn't usually go anywhere until the very last possible minute.
We got to the theater 20 minutes before the 7:20 movie started, with 10 people in front of us, management announced that the next showing is sold out. We decided to buy tickets for the 8:10 showing then come back a little later. When we got to the front of the line the sales clerk informed us that we bought two of the last 25 tickets available. In that case, instead of leaving we figured we should just get in line.
When we got in we headed to the back of the theater for our version of the best seats in the house. The movie started and I wondered how I would stay awake since these kind of movies are really not my thing. Not to worry in this case, it was gripping from the very beginning. The plot was complicated so paying close attention was important, like when watching one of the Bourne movies. I was hooked. Nothing like intrigue, a complicated plot, and an incredible performance by Heath Ledger. This movie had a very talented cast but Ledger truly stood above them all. Every time he was on the screen, I felt like this was a disgustingly real character who could psychologically manipulate us all to believe that this kind of evil could possibly rule the world. His manaical ideas on chaos, order, anarchy, and morality as well as his ruthlessness towards his villain counterparts makes for a criminal who can haunt one's dreams.
The special effects were incredible. The motorcycle riding up the side of a building and the helicopter scenes had me believing these moves were really possible. I love Chicago so the city backdrop's familiarity was an awesome addition. I don't want to mention how things end up but the writers are truly genius. The complexity was compelling and the dark side of the comic book series was apparent. Living 'happily ever after' certainly was not the final word. It's not often a movie is this good. I would be surprized if there were no Oscars for this film.
Jeff was so enticed by the movie that on the ride home, he was already planning on getting Matt to go with him to see it (again). I am glad I agreed to see this, it was worth it.
We got to the theater 20 minutes before the 7:20 movie started, with 10 people in front of us, management announced that the next showing is sold out. We decided to buy tickets for the 8:10 showing then come back a little later. When we got to the front of the line the sales clerk informed us that we bought two of the last 25 tickets available. In that case, instead of leaving we figured we should just get in line.
When we got in we headed to the back of the theater for our version of the best seats in the house. The movie started and I wondered how I would stay awake since these kind of movies are really not my thing. Not to worry in this case, it was gripping from the very beginning. The plot was complicated so paying close attention was important, like when watching one of the Bourne movies. I was hooked. Nothing like intrigue, a complicated plot, and an incredible performance by Heath Ledger. This movie had a very talented cast but Ledger truly stood above them all. Every time he was on the screen, I felt like this was a disgustingly real character who could psychologically manipulate us all to believe that this kind of evil could possibly rule the world. His manaical ideas on chaos, order, anarchy, and morality as well as his ruthlessness towards his villain counterparts makes for a criminal who can haunt one's dreams.
The special effects were incredible. The motorcycle riding up the side of a building and the helicopter scenes had me believing these moves were really possible. I love Chicago so the city backdrop's familiarity was an awesome addition. I don't want to mention how things end up but the writers are truly genius. The complexity was compelling and the dark side of the comic book series was apparent. Living 'happily ever after' certainly was not the final word. It's not often a movie is this good. I would be surprized if there were no Oscars for this film.
Jeff was so enticed by the movie that on the ride home, he was already planning on getting Matt to go with him to see it (again). I am glad I agreed to see this, it was worth it.
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Yesterday was BJ's graduation party. It was a perfect day, the weather was warm, the sun was shining, everything was right except that the pool wasn't ready yet. Since it's so early in the season, it wouldn't matter if it was open, it would be too cold to swim in anyway. Between the volleyball court by the creek, the hot tub and the fire pit, there is enough to keep us all entertained.As people started to arrive, family grouped together at two tables, our friends grouped together at another, and BJ's friends took up pretty much the whole back yard. The half barrel of Heinekin was flowing, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We cooked up 15 pounds of tenderloin steaks and 15 pounds of chicken breasts. I made different side dishes; potato salad, seafood salad, pasta salad, calico beans, plus all the fixings for chicken and steak sandwiches. We had bowls of fruit, chips and dips, salsa, and a veggie platter. But the best part was the wonderful graduation cake from Rich's House of Cakes.
It's hard to gauge a party when hosting it. I barely had 5 minutes with any one group but I think it all turned out well. I drank tequila with the boys and Pat, one of my co-workers joined in. All the laughing, conversation, food, and drinks were flowing well. As everyone departed, I had wished I could have spent more time with everyone. Luckily for me, Jeff is a wonderful host. He kept everything going as did BJ.
As it got later, BJ's core group of friends were still in the back yard. We hung out in the hot tub with the neighbors and had a nice fire going. As it got later it was time for us to retire. Jeff and I headed up to bed but one of BJ's friends, Eric followed. So we all had a drink in bed together - as crazy as that sounds. We kicked Eric out so we could get to sleep.
When we got up in the morning, we found Josh and Mark sleeping in the living room. It was way early for them so I went outside and started cleaning up so there was less noise in the house. I finally finished cleaning up the back yard - and the fire was still smoldering so it was good that I went out there early - then I went inside and scrubbed the floor. Jeff and I put all the garbage in the truck and hauled it directly to the dump, there was too much to wait till garbage day.
BJ got up and made his friends breakfast. It was a wonderful bonding time for all of us. It's very difficult to think about BJ leaving for a new job in a new state soon. But for this day, the party was a great time and I am glad we could make it happen for him.
It's been so long since his journey through college began. After spending the first year of school at UW-Oshkosh in the pre-engineering program, it was already time to transfer into the engineering school at UW-Milwaukee. And after three years there, BJ's decided to work a co-op job for the city of Waukesha, then spent a summer working as an intern for the city of Kenosha, he still is a few credits shy from graduation. At the end of the co-op, he completed that last semester of schooling and luckily the city of Waukesha gave him a part-time position so he could make some extra cash during school. Anyway, 6 years later he is finally done. Working at the two city jobs gave him a broad understanding of new construction, constant repair of old construction, city government and politics, and government workers - both good and not so good. I've always said that whether an experience is good or bad, as long as you learned something, it was worthwhile. He learned alot. He learned about good managers and bad employees, contractors, developers, engineers and the work that they do, and how to work with them all. Unfortunately for the young, a little disillusionment comes with working. Especially when the dream and the reality are somewhat different. His experiences gave him a good start and now he has a job with a company whose goal is to be the largest construction company in the world. They are already extremely large, he had to interview in Vancouver, WA for a job assignment in Winterhaven, CA. He is smart and I am certain that success is well within his reach.
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The graduation ceremony was a wonderful celebration with all the pomp and circumstance to be expected. It was a thrill to see him walk in with all the other graduates. We were so proud. As he headed across the stage to get his degree, we all screamed. Bailee, Lauren, and I were definitely out-shouted by Jeff. He was just beaming with excitement for his son. After the ceremony we went to Port of Hamburg to meet up with BJ's friends. A nice group of them stopped in. BJ decided that we would go for dinner at Celito Lindo's, a nice simple place with good Mexican food. We all had a great time drinking margaritas and congratulating him on his success.
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The graduation ceremony was a wonderful celebration with all the pomp and circumstance to be expected. It was a thrill to see him walk in with all the other graduates. We were so proud. As he headed across the stage to get his degree, we all screamed. Bailee, Lauren, and I were definitely out-shouted by Jeff. He was just beaming with excitement for his son. After the ceremony we went to Port of Hamburg to meet up with BJ's friends. A nice group of them stopped in. BJ decided that we would go for dinner at Celito Lindo's, a nice simple place with good Mexican food. We all had a great time drinking margaritas and congratulating him on his success.
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Today we attended the Order of the Engineer ceremony as part of BJ's graduation and entry into his career as a civil engineer. This was a nice event held at UW-M and included all the engineering disciplines. Each discipline had a speaker that talked about their specialty and how important this event was as they enter into their area of expertise. Part of the ceremony was to take the oath of the Obligation of the Engineer. It's a creed that is similar to the one taken by medical students that started with Hippocrates. It's not a membership to a club, it's intent is to foster an ethical code to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity by making the best use of earth's precious wealth.
It goes like this:
"As an Engineer, I pledge to practice integrity and fair dealing, tolerance and respect, and to uphold devotion to the standards and the dignity of my profession, conscious always that my skill carries with it the obligation to serve humanity by making the best use of Earth's precious wealth."
Each graduate is given a stainless steel ring that is meant to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession, to bridge the gap between training and experience, and to present to the public a visible symbol identifying the engineer.
This was a wonderfully, intimate event with a small group of graduates. Each student was given a certificate of the event followed by hors d'oeuvres and punch. We are so proud of our boy.
I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon for a physical. I haven't had one in a while and since I recently turned 50, all of a sudden it seemed like an absolute must to get this done, sort of a birthday present of well-being. I left the visit feeling pretty good, my doctor said I was in great shape. It was a great weight off my shoulders to know that I hit the big-5-0 without maintenance medications or strict warnings about changing my habits like many people I know. My doctor told me that I have the bone structure of a 21-year old and my HDL (good cholesterol) is 97. All is well with the world.
Evening came and I was still riding the high of my younger-than -50-feeling. I logged on to my iTunes account and downloaded a new song from The Roots called The Seed 2.0. I recently heard the song in a movie and it took me a while to track down the name of the group and the song. I was feeling pretty hip and trendy and on top of all things new and fresh.
Then my son came home. I touted my great medical report and informed him of my new iTunes purchase anticipating his impressiveness with my ability to stay in touch with all that is new and fresh. I mentioned The Roots in a matter-of-fact fashion like it was yesterday's news. As it turns out, it was yesterday's news. His response was, "Oh, I saw them last summer at the Dave Matthews concert. They are pretty good."
Pop! ....my hip and trendy bubble burst. OK, so it was new to me, not the rest of the world. Old age, here I come - but not without kicking and screaming.
Evening came and I was still riding the high of my younger-than -50-feeling. I logged on to my iTunes account and downloaded a new song from The Roots called The Seed 2.0. I recently heard the song in a movie and it took me a while to track down the name of the group and the song. I was feeling pretty hip and trendy and on top of all things new and fresh.
Then my son came home. I touted my great medical report and informed him of my new iTunes purchase anticipating his impressiveness with my ability to stay in touch with all that is new and fresh. I mentioned The Roots in a matter-of-fact fashion like it was yesterday's news. As it turns out, it was yesterday's news. His response was, "Oh, I saw them last summer at the Dave Matthews concert. They are pretty good."
Pop! ....my hip and trendy bubble burst. OK, so it was new to me, not the rest of the world. Old age, here I come - but not without kicking and screaming.
I went running outside today for the first time this season. The temperature was 29 degrees on my weather station when I left the house. I was a little nervous since it's been so long. And as it turns out, I overdressed. I was sweating within the first half mile. The familiarity of my route brought me comfort after a long winter off the trail. It was great to see that the fishermen were right where I left them back in November.
I love the NCAA tournament. I fill out my bracket and turn in my 5 dollar bet just like everyone else. The only difference is that I truly don't care how I do, in fact, I can never remember who I picked by the time the first game starts! I took off Thursday and Friday to watch the games and by the end of the second round I have an idea of who's who but I still can't reconcile that to my picks.
Thursday we went to Champp's to watch the games. With all the tv's, it was a great place to hang out. We spent the entire afternoon there and left after the second round. We figured it would be better to be home for the night games so we don't have to worry about designated drivers and we can watch the games in PJ's - nice and comfy.
Friday it was snowing so hard when we got up that we didn't even think about spending the day in a bar. We did go out to get some groceries early in the day since it was supposed to keep snowing even harder by the afternoon. The thought did cross our minds to stop as we got closer to Champps, but we decided that since the storm was going to keep getting worse (and it did) it was best to pack it in at home.
The games were great, always exciting and there's something special about college basketball more so than many other sports. And NCAA time is so much fun. It's become a big part of the coming of spring for us.
The second Friday, we went to a Third Ward Bar called Fanatics. The place was pretty unobtrusive from the outside, but inside was pretty cool. They have a 9-panel television with 6 smaller tv's, 3 on each side of the large one. There are leather reclining chairs surrounding the televisions with curved booths behind them so there's a great view everywhere. Behind the booths are bleacher seats to watch the games. The waitstaff was really nice and the food was decent. The menu was very limited, but that was OK. And the best part was the prices were reasonable, unlike most Third Ward establishments.
Wherever we went the talk is all about the games. It doesn't matter whether chatting with friends or total stranger, everyone is into March madness.
Thursday we went to Champp's to watch the games. With all the tv's, it was a great place to hang out. We spent the entire afternoon there and left after the second round. We figured it would be better to be home for the night games so we don't have to worry about designated drivers and we can watch the games in PJ's - nice and comfy.
Friday it was snowing so hard when we got up that we didn't even think about spending the day in a bar. We did go out to get some groceries early in the day since it was supposed to keep snowing even harder by the afternoon. The thought did cross our minds to stop as we got closer to Champps, but we decided that since the storm was going to keep getting worse (and it did) it was best to pack it in at home.
The games were great, always exciting and there's something special about college basketball more so than many other sports. And NCAA time is so much fun. It's become a big part of the coming of spring for us.
The second Friday, we went to a Third Ward Bar called Fanatics. The place was pretty unobtrusive from the outside, but inside was pretty cool. They have a 9-panel television with 6 smaller tv's, 3 on each side of the large one. There are leather reclining chairs surrounding the televisions with curved booths behind them so there's a great view everywhere. Behind the booths are bleacher seats to watch the games. The waitstaff was really nice and the food was decent. The menu was very limited, but that was OK. And the best part was the prices were reasonable, unlike most Third Ward establishments.
Wherever we went the talk is all about the games. It doesn't matter whether chatting with friends or total stranger, everyone is into March madness.
For my birthday I really wanted to go out for brunch. I figured this would be a way for my family to get together, have a nice visit, and allow everyone to do what they want with the rest of their Sunday. And luckily my birthday fell on a Sunday, making Sunday Brunch at the Packing House an easy choice. The food is always fabulous and it's close to home. I'm sure it was a little inconvenient since 10 am is pretty early for those who are younger, but it's my 50th birthday and so I get to have things my way for this one day.
One thing I will remember is the temperature. After a long, cold winter with more snow to come, this day was warm and sunny and walking outside was refreshing, not biting cold. As it turns out, the Packing House opens at 10 and we got there 10 minutes early so we had to wait outside. We walked a block enjoying the great weather. By the time we were headed back, the kids were pulling into the parking lot.
Pauline, the hostess greeted me with a big Happy Birthday, and we talked about how well we've aged. I felt like a VIP with all the special attention by her and the staff. We ate like little piggies and spent a long time chatting and hanging out.
After breakfast, Bailee came home with us and we headed out to do some birthday shopping while everyone else went their own way. It was a nice way to spend the day. When I turned 40, it was all about partying and hanging out with friends, this birthday was much less eventful and I am truly grateful for that. All that wild and crazy stuff was fun, but I really need to soak up this milestone quietly and thoughtfully.
One thing I will remember is the temperature. After a long, cold winter with more snow to come, this day was warm and sunny and walking outside was refreshing, not biting cold. As it turns out, the Packing House opens at 10 and we got there 10 minutes early so we had to wait outside. We walked a block enjoying the great weather. By the time we were headed back, the kids were pulling into the parking lot.
Pauline, the hostess greeted me with a big Happy Birthday, and we talked about how well we've aged. I felt like a VIP with all the special attention by her and the staff. We ate like little piggies and spent a long time chatting and hanging out.
After breakfast, Bailee came home with us and we headed out to do some birthday shopping while everyone else went their own way. It was a nice way to spend the day. When I turned 40, it was all about partying and hanging out with friends, this birthday was much less eventful and I am truly grateful for that. All that wild and crazy stuff was fun, but I really need to soak up this milestone quietly and thoughtfully.
Since I saw the movie Idiocracy I worry about whether or not this could really occur. Sometimes, I am afraid that it's closer than I think...
I go to the fitness center every morning. There are two televisions set up with satellite dish hook-ups. On this day, only one is working, since I get there first, I have dibs on the one that works. So as usual, I turn on CNN. Since the primary was yesterday, the news coverage is all about Obama's big wins here as well as the other states.
About 45 minutes into my morning work-out, two younger women come in. Today they are a little distraught, they can't watch Saved by the Bell. The TV just doesn't work. They fiddle with it for a good 10 minutes before they give in.
I am certain that some would call me a little obsessive about my routine, especially in comparison to these two. Their idea of a workout is to crank up the incline on the treadmill and enjoy a power bar while walking on the ramp and chatting about their lives, work, etc. They certainly won't ever break a sweat.
Since their sit-com isn't on they are forced to watch CNN, after all, I have dibs. One of them turns to the other and inquires, "Are there primaries in ALL the states?" Followed by, "Northern Wisconsin is full of Republicans because they all love their guns."
I go to the fitness center every morning. There are two televisions set up with satellite dish hook-ups. On this day, only one is working, since I get there first, I have dibs on the one that works. So as usual, I turn on CNN. Since the primary was yesterday, the news coverage is all about Obama's big wins here as well as the other states.
About 45 minutes into my morning work-out, two younger women come in. Today they are a little distraught, they can't watch Saved by the Bell. The TV just doesn't work. They fiddle with it for a good 10 minutes before they give in.
I am certain that some would call me a little obsessive about my routine, especially in comparison to these two. Their idea of a workout is to crank up the incline on the treadmill and enjoy a power bar while walking on the ramp and chatting about their lives, work, etc. They certainly won't ever break a sweat.
Since their sit-com isn't on they are forced to watch CNN, after all, I have dibs. One of them turns to the other and inquires, "Are there primaries in ALL the states?" Followed by, "Northern Wisconsin is full of Republicans because they all love their guns."
Tough boss is really hard on bad boss. I discovered one of his patterns. When he lies, his voice crackles. The more the crackle the bigger or the deeper he is in his lie. Every Friday he sits in tough boss' office and he has to explain why he accomplished nothing on his task list. This is the difficult thing about sitting outside of tough boss' door. I can hear everything. She is fair but firm with everyone, she lets no one off the hook, and her expectations are very high.
This day, the list is getting longer of unaccomplished items, the explanations are getting weaker, voice cracklier. I almost feel sorry for him. And a little ashamed of myself since I can hear all this. At the same time it gives me a sense that there is some justice in the world. After all, he is getting paid a lot of money to do absolutely nothing. The meeting goes almost an hour and by the end of it, he has no voice left. Lots of big lies.
I am so glad the weekend is here.
This day, the list is getting longer of unaccomplished items, the explanations are getting weaker, voice cracklier. I almost feel sorry for him. And a little ashamed of myself since I can hear all this. At the same time it gives me a sense that there is some justice in the world. After all, he is getting paid a lot of money to do absolutely nothing. The meeting goes almost an hour and by the end of it, he has no voice left. Lots of big lies.
I am so glad the weekend is here.
I had the best Valentine's Day ever. Bailee took off of work so she could come with her dad and me to the VA Hospital. I've spent the last week making little Valentine's treats for the patients there. Elementary school children made Valentine cards and we went with the Legion Riders group to hand out the candy and cards. It was a good time, chatting with the patients and bringing them a little cheer.
When we got through the entire floor we were assigned, we went to the nursing home section and visited with the residents there. We had so many valentines, we spent an hour and a half just going from room to room handing them out without running out. Bailee was a little shy at first but she really got into it after a while. One of the nurses explained that there was a dying man and even though he looked comatose, he could hear us and she urged us to talk to him. So we did. Jeff thought that would make me cry, it didn't but what did was the young Veteran in the wheelchair with no legs. For some reason, I've linked VA Hospital patients with old men, I had blocked out the effects on the young guys. Apparently for good reason, it was too much to bear.
All the same, I will do this again, only next year I will make sure I have a lot more candy so I can stay longer. 
When we got through the entire floor we were assigned, we went to the nursing home section and visited with the residents there. We had so many valentines, we spent an hour and a half just going from room to room handing them out without running out. Bailee was a little shy at first but she really got into it after a while. One of the nurses explained that there was a dying man and even though he looked comatose, he could hear us and she urged us to talk to him. So we did. Jeff thought that would make me cry, it didn't but what did was the young Veteran in the wheelchair with no legs. For some reason, I've linked VA Hospital patients with old men, I had blocked out the effects on the young guys. Apparently for good reason, it was too much to bear.
All the same, I will do this again, only next year I will make sure I have a lot more candy so I can stay longer.
I had a major blonde moment today.
It was almost 8AM. I logged on to the HOG website, waiting patiently, ok frantically for the Aerosmith, Kid Rock tickets to go on sale. The site information says the link will be available at 8AM central so I am ready. Today is the 12th and I've transferred $250 to my checking account to cover the cost of the 10 tickets I want to order.
It's 8AM. Nothing.
I open a new window, a new IE session and log into the HOG site again. Nothing.
I call my daughter at Harley.
"Do you know what's going on with the HOG site!?! I can't see the link to order the concert tickets!", I shriek into the phone. She calmly states, "Although I have nothing to do with HOG, don't they go on sale on March 12th?"
Oh crap! Today is February 12th.
It was almost 8AM. I logged on to the HOG website, waiting patiently, ok frantically for the Aerosmith, Kid Rock tickets to go on sale. The site information says the link will be available at 8AM central so I am ready. Today is the 12th and I've transferred $250 to my checking account to cover the cost of the 10 tickets I want to order.
It's 8AM. Nothing.
I open a new window, a new IE session and log into the HOG site again. Nothing.
I call my daughter at Harley.
"Do you know what's going on with the HOG site!?! I can't see the link to order the concert tickets!", I shriek into the phone. She calmly states, "Although I have nothing to do with HOG, don't they go on sale on March 12th?"
Oh crap! Today is February 12th.
So here we go with interviews, round 2. Only this time it gets really weird. Bad boss does 2 phone interviews with 2 more candidates that I rejected. This time he doesn't even invite bad employee. He decides that we should bring in both candidates. Candidate 1 is from the area, has lots of QA experience but most of it short term, and none of it health care related which is really important. Candidate 2 puts on his (or her - can't really tell by the name) resume that he has knowledge of Medicare/Medicaid. I rejected this candidate because I believe the resume was padded. This person worked for a company that made ferry boats and then worked for a bank - so where the hell would Medicare/Medicaid come in?? Did I mention that the resume was so full of spelling and grammar errors that it was extremely difficult to read? But bad boss says the guy has lots of Medicare experience - he says when you follow the breadcrumbs it all came out in the phone interview so we should really bring him in.
Bad boss has a new boss who is really tough, so I mention to her my concern and send her a copy of the resume. I thought she was going to flip - she didn't even want to discuss the qualifications, the look of the resume was enough of a bad sign to her. Did I mention that this candidate lives in New Jersey? So bad boss wants to fly bad candidate in for an interview! Tough new boss says no, so bad boss makes the QA team phone interview.
The interview was an amazing exercise in futility. The first thing that happened is this guy spoke in bad broken English so fast none of us understood 75% of his words. When we finally go a word in we asked about the Medicare/Medicaid experience. He read the textbook definition of Medicare. We asked which state's Medicaid rules he knew, He read the textbook definition of Medicaid. We asked when he used this knowledge in his work and he got angry. He said I NEVER SAID I WORKED WITH IT I SAID I HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF IT. The guy then quoted answers to questions we normally ask about knowledge of UB04 forms and RUGs codes. But we didn't ask those questions - turns out bad boss gave him the answers and told him we would ask. I then asked the guy if he ever wrote documentation, instructions, or manuals. He said yes, he did manual testing. I reiterated the question. He answered the same so he couldn't even understand what I was asking. By then we all gave up and said thanks for your time.
We tried, but it was pretty awful. We were laughing at the answers to simple questions that this guy either didn't understand or we couldn't comprehend because of his accent. Even bad employee rejected him. Which is unusual - I'm sure bad employee would love it if we hired someone worse than him. We reported back to bad boss, then reported it to human resources, then reported it to tough boss. Bad boss was in trouble.
Next thing you know, bad boss is saying that the people doing the phone interviews must have been two different people since he had such a good experience. We quoted the stuff the candidate repeated that bad boss told him. Plus if you were going to have someone sit in to interview for you, would you want someone who didn't totally suck?
I think bad boss knows he's in deep doo-doo.
Bad boss has a new boss who is really tough, so I mention to her my concern and send her a copy of the resume. I thought she was going to flip - she didn't even want to discuss the qualifications, the look of the resume was enough of a bad sign to her. Did I mention that this candidate lives in New Jersey? So bad boss wants to fly bad candidate in for an interview! Tough new boss says no, so bad boss makes the QA team phone interview.
The interview was an amazing exercise in futility. The first thing that happened is this guy spoke in bad broken English so fast none of us understood 75% of his words. When we finally go a word in we asked about the Medicare/Medicaid experience. He read the textbook definition of Medicare. We asked which state's Medicaid rules he knew, He read the textbook definition of Medicaid. We asked when he used this knowledge in his work and he got angry. He said I NEVER SAID I WORKED WITH IT I SAID I HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF IT. The guy then quoted answers to questions we normally ask about knowledge of UB04 forms and RUGs codes. But we didn't ask those questions - turns out bad boss gave him the answers and told him we would ask. I then asked the guy if he ever wrote documentation, instructions, or manuals. He said yes, he did manual testing. I reiterated the question. He answered the same so he couldn't even understand what I was asking. By then we all gave up and said thanks for your time.
We tried, but it was pretty awful. We were laughing at the answers to simple questions that this guy either didn't understand or we couldn't comprehend because of his accent. Even bad employee rejected him. Which is unusual - I'm sure bad employee would love it if we hired someone worse than him. We reported back to bad boss, then reported it to human resources, then reported it to tough boss. Bad boss was in trouble.
Next thing you know, bad boss is saying that the people doing the phone interviews must have been two different people since he had such a good experience. We quoted the stuff the candidate repeated that bad boss told him. Plus if you were going to have someone sit in to interview for you, would you want someone who didn't totally suck?
I think bad boss knows he's in deep doo-doo.
Last Tuesday was Super Fat Tuesday - such a nice name for a day filled with primary elections and Mardi Gras.
So it would only seem appropriate to name this Tuesday, the day the Best in Show is named at the Westminster Dog Show - Pooper Tuesday.
And congratulations to Uno, the Beagle for winning this prestigious award. It's the first time a beagle won, Snoopy is very proud!
Conversation between bad boss and wonderful manager outside of my cubicle:
WM: "So you were in the service?"
BB: "Yes, I was in the Navy, went to 'Nam."
WM: "Wow, so you're a Vietnam Vet."
BB: "Yes, I was shot in the leg when my helicopter took off."
WM: "Shot?! So, you have a Purple Heart?"
BB: "Ummm.....yesss, I do"
WM: "Well, thank you for your service to our country."
I hate myself but I couldn't resist even though I know he is a liar. It makes me feel even more pathetic when I get this e-mail back from my friend who works at the VA: "The regional office here verified that Mr. L. served during the Vietnam era. The regional office could not verify that he was in Vietnam nor if he was a purple heart recipient." I just had to check.
WM: "So you were in the service?"
BB: "Yes, I was in the Navy, went to 'Nam."
WM: "Wow, so you're a Vietnam Vet."
BB: "Yes, I was shot in the leg when my helicopter took off."
WM: "Shot?! So, you have a Purple Heart?"
BB: "Ummm.....yesss, I do"
WM: "Well, thank you for your service to our country."
I hate myself but I couldn't resist even though I know he is a liar. It makes me feel even more pathetic when I get this e-mail back from my friend who works at the VA: "The regional office here verified that Mr. L. served during the Vietnam era. The regional office could not verify that he was in Vietnam nor if he was a purple heart recipient." I just had to check.
“Don’t send me e-mails. I read them on my Blackberry where I can only see the first line and I never go back and re-read them.”
“I was exposed to agent orange in ‘Nam. Either you get cancer from it or become immune, I became immune from cancer.”
“I know bad employee is lazy and doesn’t want to work, what am I supposed to do about it?”
“When I was at Gitmo, I used to get the best cigars.”
“Engineering reported to me that bad employee is doing peer-to-peer file sharing which is a security breach. Oh well, there’s no policy on that.”
“I work with the Navy Security forces as a consultant, San Diego, Colorado Springs, and Milwaukee are prime targets for terror attacks right now.”
“Milwaukee reminds me of San Diego, they are almost the same.”
“I was exposed to agent orange in ‘Nam. Either you get cancer from it or become immune, I became immune from cancer.”
“I know bad employee is lazy and doesn’t want to work, what am I supposed to do about it?”
“When I was at Gitmo, I used to get the best cigars.”
“Engineering reported to me that bad employee is doing peer-to-peer file sharing which is a security breach. Oh well, there’s no policy on that.”
“I work with the Navy Security forces as a consultant, San Diego, Colorado Springs, and Milwaukee are prime targets for terror attacks right now.”
“Milwaukee reminds me of San Diego, they are almost the same.”
This morning I went out to run errands. I had birthday presents to buy as well as door prizes for bowling tonight. Me and my team did pre-bowl yesterday just because we knew we would be going to a Packer party Saturday and we didn't want to be burdened with being on a schedule and having to get to bowling on time. I was pretty happy that I got all my shopping done. With my mom's and nephew's combined birthday party tomorrow, and my mom being so difficult to shop for, I was thrilled to get it done. The hard part was that even though all the shopping was done, since I am responsible for door prizes every time we bowl, even though I didn't have to bowl, I still had to drop the prizes off.
I stopped at home to wrap everything before I headed back out to drop off the door prizes. Since the drop off point was down the street from Petco where I get my kitty groomed, I figured I would take him with me and get his nails trimmed. I walked in the house to find Jeff standing in his long underwear. I had to ask...."Where do you think you are going in that outfit?" He says, "I am going to the game with the boy and his friends." My son had planned on going to the game without a ticket. His friends has tickets and he felt like he couldn't miss this opportunity to go to the playoffs knowing that plenty of tickets are scalped across the street from the stadium. Plus he had a free ride to Green Bay.
Next thing I know, out the door he goes, Packer gear in tow. Go Pack Go! I finished my wrapping, grabbed the cat and headed out. I picked up some snacks to take with me to the Packer party, after all, I was still going even though it would now be all by myself. The only thing that bothered me about going by myself was that I had never been to my friend's new house, it was an hour drive away, and I am not very good at remembering how I got somewhere. I knew I would find it during daylight alright but I wasn't crazy about driving home in the dark, through winding backroads not remembering which direction I took to get there.
The game was great, I couldn't resist making snarky comments on how the snow must be making things miserable knowing very well that Jeff and BJ were having the time of their lives. One can never be miserable when at Lambeau, there is just too much magic there. Even if you aren't a Packer fan. I drove home wondering how long it would take the boys to get home know very well it would be well after I went to bed. I figure at least midnight, especially with all that snow. I was glad the snow didn't come south, so I never saw any outside of what was on television.
It certainly was quite a difference from when we went to the San Diego game back in September:
I stopped at home to wrap everything before I headed back out to drop off the door prizes. Since the drop off point was down the street from Petco where I get my kitty groomed, I figured I would take him with me and get his nails trimmed. I walked in the house to find Jeff standing in his long underwear. I had to ask...."Where do you think you are going in that outfit?" He says, "I am going to the game with the boy and his friends." My son had planned on going to the game without a ticket. His friends has tickets and he felt like he couldn't miss this opportunity to go to the playoffs knowing that plenty of tickets are scalped across the street from the stadium. Plus he had a free ride to Green Bay.
Next thing I know, out the door he goes, Packer gear in tow. Go Pack Go! I finished my wrapping, grabbed the cat and headed out. I picked up some snacks to take with me to the Packer party, after all, I was still going even though it would now be all by myself. The only thing that bothered me about going by myself was that I had never been to my friend's new house, it was an hour drive away, and I am not very good at remembering how I got somewhere. I knew I would find it during daylight alright but I wasn't crazy about driving home in the dark, through winding backroads not remembering which direction I took to get there.
The game was great, I couldn't resist making snarky comments on how the snow must be making things miserable knowing very well that Jeff and BJ were having the time of their lives. One can never be miserable when at Lambeau, there is just too much magic there. Even if you aren't a Packer fan. I drove home wondering how long it would take the boys to get home know very well it would be well after I went to bed. I figure at least midnight, especially with all that snow. I was glad the snow didn't come south, so I never saw any outside of what was on television.
It certainly was quite a difference from when we went to the San Diego game back in September:
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Compared to what the guys saw on Saturday:
Now if only the Giants could pull off a win and bring the next game back to Green Bay - that is the only thing that could make this weekend any better.
OK, what I really mean is that I am in trouble. I can't help myself, I am obsessed, and I cannot stop. I bought a Wii for Christmas, not necessarily for anyone in particular, just so I had one. Since Bailee was moving out and BJ will be graduating soon, they didn't really care about a video game system. Besides, they each had their own systems. But everyone had one so I thought I would get one too. I figured we would play it on Christmas day. Then I figured I would put it back in the box and eventually sell it since I didn't think anyone really cared about it.
I was wrong.
But the problem is that I am the one who is hooked. Even Christmas dinner was late because I could not stop. Every night when I get home from work it's all I can think about. And it's not like I need a variety, I just have the sports games that came with the damn system. That is more than enough for me. I can't stand it, I have to stop typing now, I am almost at the pro level in bowling and tennis.
Almost.
I was wrong.
But the problem is that I am the one who is hooked. Even Christmas dinner was late because I could not stop. Every night when I get home from work it's all I can think about. And it's not like I need a variety, I just have the sports games that came with the damn system. That is more than enough for me. I can't stand it, I have to stop typing now, I am almost at the pro level in bowling and tennis.
Almost.
Today we are interviewing candidates for a job opening in my department. The job is Quality Assurance Analyst – the qualifications include a background working with Accounts Receivable programs and since we work in long term health care, medical billing would be a real plus. So the boss gives me three resumes. One guy has billing experience, one guy was a programmer with Abbott Labs, nothing to do with health care or billing really as well as very little QA, and the third woman worked with physical therapy billing – jackpot! So I tell the boss yes to the first, no to the second, and definitely yes to the third person. The boss sends me the interview times for the two candidates so I can sit in on the interviews. But what he doesn’t tell me is that he is still interviewing the reject candidate and the bad employee is sitting in on the interview. That’s gotta suck for bad employee, since he is not even qualified to work here at all and he is interviewing a guy with better qualifications than his own.
We get through the two interviews and they both went pretty well so I suggested that they both come back for a second interview where we bring in the subject matter experts to ask more questions. Then the boss tells me that he brought in the guy I rejected because he thought he would be a good candidate for the other job opening we have. The other opening is for a QA Analyst specializing in payroll. I ask why he thinks someone who was directly involved in setting up laboratories would have anything to do with a payroll system. Bad boss says, “He has some database experience which would make him qualified.” DATABASE experience! I thought my head was going to explode – databases are used to store information no matter what system you have. That is like saying that a hypochondriac would be a good doctor because they always KNOW there is something wrong with them.
We get through the two interviews and they both went pretty well so I suggested that they both come back for a second interview where we bring in the subject matter experts to ask more questions. Then the boss tells me that he brought in the guy I rejected because he thought he would be a good candidate for the other job opening we have. The other opening is for a QA Analyst specializing in payroll. I ask why he thinks someone who was directly involved in setting up laboratories would have anything to do with a payroll system. Bad boss says, “He has some database experience which would make him qualified.” DATABASE experience! I thought my head was going to explode – databases are used to store information no matter what system you have. That is like saying that a hypochondriac would be a good doctor because they always KNOW there is something wrong with them.
My daughter moved out over the Christmas holiday. She has a nice boyfriend and I wish her well, but I worry. She is a diabetic and needs special care and I hope he can handle it. Or maybe I just hope he will take care of her up to my standards. She mentioned that she would miss some of the amenities that I have. She likes to cook as much as I do, so going to a place where there is no Kitchenaid stand mixer, no vegetable steamer, and no deep fryer will be an adjustment. For Christmas, I did get her a Fry Daddy so she didn't have to miss all three. I would have got her the steamer but she didn't mention that until the day before Christmas, and I was through with that madness by then. As she moved her stuff into his apartment, he had a nice surprise for her. He bought her a Kitchenaid mixer. That was quite a wonderful (and expensive) gift, especially one week after Christmas! So now most of her stuff is gone and as I rummage through her room, I think of all the years gone by. I move from excitement for her new beginning and my new beginning as well. I think of how fun it will be to turn her room into a home office. It's like a blank canvas where I can paint and decorate any way I want. But the excitement turns to loss when I think of her not being here. Funny thing is when she's around, she is a chatterbox and sometimes I wish she would just stop talking for a few minutes. And now I find the quiet hard to take.
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