Breaking the silence here to just say that I've spent 12 at least 14 hours this weekend preparing 3 amended Federal tax returns (2005, 2006, 2007) and 3 amended State tax returns (2005, 2006, 2007). Changes to the Federal tax returns resulted in changes to the State tax returns.

I found the problem last weekend and researched what needed to be done: For each year, file a Form 1040x with an amended Form 1040 and revised schedules, and file a Form 540x with an amended Form 540 and revised schedules. 6 sets of paperwork. 6 manila envelopes.

I can't believe I forgot to deduct the property taxes on our home for the past 3 years! And, while preparing the amended forms, I discovered I didn't deduct on our 2006 Federal return the 2005 State taxes paid with our 2006 State tax return. So, that was added to amended 2006 returns.

I'm filing our 2008 tax returns based on info in the originally-filed 2007 returns, so I'll need to file amended 2008 tax returns after April 15. I think I'll wait until after we hear back from the IRS and Franchise Tax Board about our 3 years of amended returns to file the amended 2008 tax returns.

FairTax anyone? Count me in.

Easy and quick to make!

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of choice) - less oil with ground beef
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped (or red bell pepper or combo of green and red)
• Choose one meat:
  • 2 large skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
• 8 oz. La Victoria Mild Taco Sauce (or taco sauce of your choice) - Salsa can be substituted but don’t also add onion and bell pepper listed above
• Choose one or more:
  • Tacos: 8 corn tortillas, fried in oil or steamed in microwave
  • Burritos: 8 wheat or flour tortillas, steamed in microwave
  • Nachos: Corn tortilla chips
• Extras:
  • Pinto or black beans (refried or whole), heated
  • Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Tomatoes, chopped
  • Black olives, sliced
  • Sour cream
  • Lettuce, chopped

In large pan on high heat, saute onion in oil until almost clear. Add bell pepper and meat and mix well. Reduce heat to medium, stir regularly, and cook until meat is 1/2 done. Add taco sauce and reduce heat to simmer. Stir regularly and simmer until meat is cooked and sauce is desired consistency.

Serve as tacos, burritos, and/or nachos with your choice of extras.

About 8 servings.

I spent the past few hours cleaning up the hard drive of my computer. Here are a few photos I took in February but never got around to posting.

Wildlife

Horses next to the campus where I work. There are cattle in the hills too. I've personally seen a coyote and deer (not together though!). There have been reports of tarantulas, rattle snakes, and other wildlife.

My Commute - Palm trees to Concrete

These were taken while driving. Not recommended.

Yes, there are palm trees in California!

Green hills in February (golden brown in summer!). Cattle on the hills.

The bad traffic jams are on the other side of the freeway! Reverse commutes are nice!

Concrete jungle.

I bought an external hard drive in December 2007 so I could backup my PC. Of course, the box containing the drive stayed unopened on the floor of my home office until this past Saturday - yes, 7 months of having but not using a backup system!

I bought a Western Digital WDG1T7500N My Book Pro Edition 750 GB from Amazon for $283 - the price is now $329.99. Using the Retrospect backup software that came with the drive, I setup an automatic daily backup running at 12:00am each evening which I may change because the backup doesn't run when the PC is in standby mode.

I tested a restore and it worked great!

Cleo napping in Jasmine's bed.

Earlier this week, Bill brought home the Thailand Coca Cola can. It is 2 of 5 in the Coca-Cola Olympic Games Collector Series for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Plane dropping red fire retardant on the fire on the hillside of Eden Canyon in Castro Valley on June 19, 2008.

Bill brought this odd can of Coke home today! Koka-Kona Koka-Kora Koka-Kola [see Kat's comments below] is Russian for Coca-Cola.

When I thought the spelling was Koka-Kona, I of course immediately thought Kona, Hawaii!

The can is 1 of 5 in the Coca-Cola Olympic Games Collector Series for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. I'm interested to see the other 4 in the series! I didn't take a photo of it, but the regular Coca-Cola logo is also on the can (as seen on the right side of the second photo).

[Update] In Russian, it is still Coca-Cola. A Russian cursive lowercase l and uppercase L looks like a lowercase n in our A-Z alphabet. The HTML character is л which is л.

Today is the first of 11 3-day weekends for the summer. I attacked my long-time running list of Things To Do - and had a peaceful day organizing and relaxing!

1. Air in tires and tires rotated at Big O Tires (finally! was on the list for a few months)
2. Clean my car windows inside to remove the blurry film of gunk that accumulates over time (finally! was on the list for a few weeks)
3. Remove the torn car seat cover from the passenger side seat (I had already removed the driver's side seat cover years ago) (finally! been meaning to remove it for months)
4. Remove every piece of clothing from my closet that doesn't fit, that has a stain, that is so outdated that I wouldn't wear it even if I could fit into it
5. Sort through all of the extra hangers I've accumulated over the years; determine which type and color of hangers to keep; in my closet, replace hangers in colors I don't like with colors I do like; group similar types and colors of hangers together and put in a box for donation
6. Remove a bunch of buttons from my jewelry box (new clothes sometimes come with extra buttons and they end up in my jewelry box)
7. Organize my sewing box while putting the buttons away and looking for a particular button
8. Sew that button on a blouse so I can wear it again
9. Watch a sappy movie while cuddling with Cleo and cry at the end
10. Finally get around to putting clothes to be donated in bags - 8 plastic food-shopping bags!
11. Go to local donation place with clothes and extra hangers, discover they had already closed, come back home, and put the to-be-donated stuff in my craft room for my next weekday day off next Friday

And, now, Round Table pizza for dinner while watching the NASCAR truck race! Go Kyle Busch!

Another month since I posted… still not much going on. Bah.

Crochet: 4 completed lap blankets for donation, as well as a round "color wheel"-style lap blanket just big enough to cover my knees (which sometimes ache from being cold when I'm otherwise comfortable or even warm!). I made the color wheel-style blanket just to see how it could be done - and then I quickly got bored with it.

Gardening: Lots of plants moved or pulled out or planted in both the front and back gardens. Photos were taken before tearing down the vines and after, but I'm too lazy right now to fix 'em up for the blog and post 'em. The gardens have lots of color and are semi-full (some brown spots where soil shows through!) and will be very full as the weeks go by!

Bay Area weather: Too freakin' hot last week, especially Thursday through Saturday. I melted several times. Gardening in the heat is best done after a thorough soaking with water from the hose from hat-covered head to shoe-covered toes - I high recommend it! Sunscreen too, of course.

New stove/range: The very old 40-inch stove with 2 not-working burners and 1 not-working smaller oven was finally replaced. After a third burner decided to stop working, Bill was left with 1 burner and just couldn't seem to get the hang of cooking with only one. We talked about getting the stove repaired but discovered it would cost almost as much as getting a new stove. So, we got a new stove! It's another white 40-inch stove with 4 burners and 2 ovens (one small, one regular-sized) - a Frigidaire 40-inch Freestanding Electric Range with Self-Cleaning Primary Oven (FEF450BW).

Our now grown children will be surprised that the stove was finally replaced! For a very long time, there were only 2 working burners! I have photos of the old stove and will get photos of the new one soon(ish).

Greg's visit in late March: My son's visit with me in late March - and Bill's visit at the same time with his son in Maui - were great! Greg and I did a Lost: Season 2 marathon during his visit! We also went to SFMOMA in San Francisco one afternoon and walked around Yerba Buena Gardens across the street. I have photos to show, but I'm too lazy right now get them posted!

Bill did get stuck in Maui when Aloha Airlines went bankrupt and stopped flying planes, but I was able to do magical things via the Web that he couldn't do via the phone or in person! I got him a flight home the same day he was supposed to return home! Whoop!

My job: I moved to a new office space in the same building I moved to last summer. I'm now in an office with 2 yellow walls and 2 white walls, a long window, a smaller window, a lovely 3-sided desk, and its own air conditioning unit and portable heater. It's in the "north wing" of the building (actually, the garage of the old house converted to office space). There's a great view of the Bay from the smaller window, but because I'm light sensitive, the blinds are always closed so I don't really have a view at all. But that's OK with me - I have quiet and personal space and am quite comfortable in my new office!

The college switches to a 4 10-hour day schedule for the summer starting next week. I'm using comp time and vacation time to do 4 8-hour days instead. Nice!

NASCAR: As I predicted, Kyle Busch is kicking butt this year! ! And, Tony Stewart is also doing well, although he hasn't gotten a win yet this season.

Gas prices: I saw regular unleaded gas at $4.01 and $4.03 at two different gas stations on my way home today. Yikes. When will it stop? Or, better yet, go back to normal?

I just realized I haven't posted in a month! Not much going on, I guess.

On the crochet front: There are 5 more lap blankets to photograph and post about. I'm currently working on 2 more. I've been adding to my pattern collection through regular hunts on eBay.

On the Bay Area weather front: There have been a few rainy days in the past few weeks, but mostly it's been sunny - and today is just beautiful! I still haven't gotten the gardening bug, but I expect I will with more sunny weekends.

On the home front: Cleo and Jasmine are healthy and loving. Bill and I are healthy, not-so-wealthy (but we're comfortable), and wise!

Bill has said he wants to take very other Friday off during the time the college where I work switches to 4 10-hour day work weeks this summer. Hmmm, we'll see if that really happens! The workaholic in him may not let him take 3-day weekends through the summer. He works most Saturdays now - which means 1-day weekends. What's he going to do with himself during regular 3-day weekends? Hmmm, let's see…I suppose he can start by finishing painting the trim on the house! Right now, we're probably not going to re-paint the house, since the medium grey color looks better with the white trim.

On the money front: Gas prices are going up. Food prices are going up. The stock market goes up, then down, then up, then down. Interest rates are down. My retirement account balances are down.

On the California state budget front: The state is cutting education budgets this year and next year. This "year" is a fiscal year that ends June 30, 2008. So, the budget cuts for this "year" need to be made out of the remaining 3 months or so of a budget that was prepared in fall 2006 and has been guiding the college since July 1, 2007.

And next year's budget (July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009) is also being cut, including that we won't be getting increases in funding that had been expected (well, as "expected" as you can get when you know the state is having budget problems). So that means another hiring freeze, increasing expenses (for utilities and supplies and equipment and computers and software and …) out of a budget that isn't increasing, and more cut backs and doing without at the college.

We haven't come back from the last big budget cuts several years ago. We still put off buying office supplies. We still have unfilled positions, with other people picking up those duties - which makes for very busy (and potentially burned-out) workers.

There are things we should or could be doing that we can't do because there aren't enough people, there isn't enough money for the people or supplies or equipment, there isn't enough time in the day to do what needs to be done.

Ack. Enough of that depressing talk.

On the family front: My son will be visiting for a few days next week! Whoop! And I'm taking 3 days vacation next week. I think a 2-day work week is just what I need - as long as the nice sunny springtime weather holds!

Bill is flying to Maui on Tuesday to visit his son for about a week. And, no, I don't mind him going to Hawaii without me. After our last trip to Maui in July last year for Billy's wedding, I'm all Maui-ed out and don't want to go back. Too windy, too crowded, incompetent airline staff, reserved seats that weren't reserved, too windy, too crowded. Did I mention too crowded and too windy? Oh, and incompetent airline staff and no seats reserved even though I reserved seats? Did I mention crying - not just a few tears, but real crying - in frustration and anger and flying-related stress after finally getting through security? No, I'm definitely not ready for another Maui trip.

Or any other trip requiring a airplane.

Even my December trip to Oregon to visit my son just about wore me out - 2 flight delays and a flight switch.

On the job front: After over 6 years at the college, I still enjoy my job. There are projects and enhancements - and a redesign - that need to happen, but I don't have the time and there doesn't seem to be money in the budget to get me a reliable, knowledgeable assistant, so those things are remaining undone. As they have for the past 3-4 years. The website design is 6 years old and needs to be changed. I'm gradually, as time permits, doing what I can behind the scenes in the XHTML markup to make it more straightforward to switch over to a new design when (if) the time comes.

I like the people. I like the higher education environment. I like the campus location, nestled in the foothills surrounded by open hillsides, trees, cows, horses, birds, and squirrels. I feel I'm appreciated, valued, and respected as a person and in my job. I'm not so keen on some things and a couple of the people can be very irritating, but the advantages and things I like far outweigh those.

On the NASCAR front: My boys Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch are doing well so far! Kyle is number 1 in points! I still say he's gonna win the Cup this year.

Hubby bought himself a new toy Monday night! Today was the first day I could see it since mornings are dark and evenings are dark!

A 2008 Chevrolet Colorado LT Crew Cab in Ruby Red. With the higher gas prices and about 9 miles per gallon, random things going wrong here and there which needed fixing on his 1997 Chevrolet Silverado Z71, and a $200+ registration fee coming due, he wanted a new, more dependable truck with better gas mileage. So, here it is!

Most of the time, his toys are more expensive than mine!

His: New truck, motorcycle, table saw, etc.

Mine: Small digital cameras, sewing machine, fabric, crochet books,… - even the Dell XPS 400 desktop computer I bought in April 2006 was only $2,245.

Favorite: Red smiley banging its head against a red brick wall!

A close second: Yellow smiley banging its head again a red brick wall.

My bright red 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 passed the 100000 mile mark during the commute home tonight. I brought her home on April 30, 2000 with only 53 miles on her - most of which I had driven during my rather lengthy test drive. She's still a great car!

Who visits this website?

My site stats tell me there are quite a few people visiting this website from their email account. That means people have received a link in an email message and clicked on it to visit a page on this website.

Who are you? What were you looking at? Did you find it helpful?

...

Where have I been since my last entry on August 15?

At home. At work. Crocheting. Or not depending on the heat and how tired I am.

I have been holding off answering most emails due to being too tired to think about answering.

...

How is Babette?

My Babette Blanket is folded nicely and rests over one side of the couch. I run my hand over it and smile almost every time I walk by.

...

What am I working on, crochet-wise?

1. Patchwork Solid Granny Squares Blanket for Bryan - Black, White, Grey, Green, Blue, Red (start Aug. 25)
2. Ripple Blanket for Bill (start Aug. 18; then too hot so put aside to do granny squares)
3. Ripple Lap Blanket - White, Lavender (start May 29; Jun. 2 put aside for Pineapple Blanket, then Babette Blanket)
4. Granny Square Lap Blanket - White, Tan, Green, Pink, Yellow, Blue (start Jan. 22; put aside early Feb. after 20 squares; picked up again May 28; put down again May 29)

No photos of any of them at this time. I am not excited by the prospect of working again on #3 or #4, so I will probably pull out #3; not sure about #4.

...

How have I been feeling lately?

Since returning from our Maui vacation for Billy's wedding in early July, I was exhausted for quite a few weeks. Some days worse than others but always very tired. A heat wave for 2 weeks in August made it worse. No energy, no desire for energy. Blah. I finally started feeling less exhausted about 2 weeks ago - and this week it's been cooler and I'm lovin' it! 70-75 degrees is perfect.

...

Anything unusual happen in the past few weeks?

Yup. I had a minor bumper-bender accident on the freeway one morning. Well, actually, it was on a single-lane freeway off-ramp that is also on-ramp for that freeway - and it is also an on-ramp to a second freeway. So, there's a lot of merging and non-merging traffic - merging from left to right (off-ramp to second freeway), and merging from right to left (on-ramp to first freeway), and not-merging traffic (on-ramp to second freeway).

Damage to my car was very minimal - a few scratches and a loosened front bumper. It cost $105 to have the bumper removed, rubber grommets securing the bumper replaced, and the bumper re-installed. The other car's rear bumper was dinged and scratched a little more. However, since the car was a Beamer (BMW), I expected the cost to repair his bumper to be more - but I didn't expect it to be over the $750 report-to-the-DMV limit. But it was, and I received a notice and form from the DMV telling me I needed to complete and return the form ASAP or my driver's license would be revoked. Now, if my insurance company didn't tell me how much the other car's damage amounted to (and they didn't), how am I supposed to know that it was over the $750 limit? So, anyway, I filled out the form and returned it.

Our car insurance is up for renewal in October, so I will see then how much this little bumper bender affects my car insurance rate.

My driver's license is up for renewal in October. Just a few days before the accident, I received a notice from the DMV that I could renew it online. I haven't yet checked it out to see whether the bumper bender will affect that renewal.

...

How's work going?

I don't talk much about my job on this website. I'm a Web Designer for an East Bay college. I'm happy there. I've worked there 5 1/2 years. In addition to web design, I've been interested in instructional technology (online education technologies and methodologies) since 2001, and I completed a series of masters-degree-level courses to earn a Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning in December 2001. The web technologies I use to manage the college's websites are the same web technologies used by support personnel of the online education program. In addition, I have a background in systems administration, database management and programming, and am familiar with the processes of managing user accounts and supporting users (such as our faculty and students).

Since early July, I've spoken a few times with the new Dean for the online education department about expanding its services and creating an integrated team to support both the college's website(s) and online education program. She's on board with the idea, but of course there is a formal process to get pretty much anything implemented at most (all?) slow-moving governmental institutions. There has to be a plan, champions of the plan, and funding for salaries (and training and...). There has to be buy-in by college administration, and job descriptions need to created or expanded or changed which requires negotiation between the classified staff's union and college administration.

I can see the possibilities of my idea - I see it right there in front of me. And I see myself involved to lead the team. But I don't know how to get there.

Time will tell.

...

What am I doing tonight?

Hubby and I are going out to dinner at Horatio's, a steak-and-seafood restaurant at the San Leandro Marina. Tomorrow is our 17th Wedding Anniversary! Whoop! And, next May will mark 22 years for our Soup 'n' Sandwiches Anniversary (our first dinner together! tuna sandwiches and vegetable beef soup with the kids).

We got back Tuesday evening. I was inexplicably exhausted through yesterday. The photos above are:

1. View from the lanai of the condo where we stayed in Kihei
2. Windsurfers at Hookipa Beach Park (past Paia on road to Hana)
3. View from Billy and Rowena's house (those are the neighbor/landlord's goats)
4. Sunset from our lanai - taken by Bill
5. Sunset from our lanai - taken by Bill
6. Honolua Bay (I think!) where Bill spent a day with Billy and friends

Maui is lovely, except for the high winds, sweaty heat, and traffic! Airline travel was not lovely or nice or even OK. I'll leave it at that.

We attended my stepson's wedding, met his wife and members of her family, met his Hawaii friends, saw where they live (renting a small 2-bedroom house on a hillside overlooking the ocean!), and generally just relaxed. And, the Playful Pineapples Wedding Afghan was a big hit with the bride!

I'm glad to be home again with my kitties, crochet projects, garden, and backyard swing...

My impressions of Maui from this trip...

First, the good:

• Clear blue skies
• Clear blue-green ocean waters
• Air conditioning in cars and condos and stores and ... is wonderful
• Great view from our condo's lanai

Now for the bad:

• Hot, sweaty weather
• Very windy (blow-you-down windy in the afternoons!)
• The wind kicked up lots of sand in the water which is bad for snorkeling
• Lots of traffic
• Lots of people
• The island is too small for me
• Expensive - even more so than the Bay Area
• Lots of construction in progress for more housing and hotels
• Although adding lanes to main roadways is in progress, it is not enough to keep up with the number of people and cars

Ah, the Internet... Couldn't stay away...

I just sent my son an email and thought I'd check in here too...

We arrived yesterday afternoon, had dinner at Outback Steakhouse at 4pm, went grocery shopping, stayed awake as long as we could (I was exhausted at 3pm), and went to sleep at 8:30pm. Very exciting.

This morning, Bill went off to spend the day with his boys, so I've been driving around the island, stopped at a mall to go to Longs for sunscreen, and stumbled upon a coffee shop with Internet access!!! Whoop! It's not close to where we're staying, so I may just have to find another place closer to where we are if I need another "fix"!

It's *VERY* windy here. Sweaty hot.

I've not felt much like posting lately. But I have been regularly updating my Health Tracker with (almost-)daily exercise! And I've been busily crocheting away...

No knitting has been done. No quilting either. No sewing. Not even attempted.

I've crocheted a blanket for my neighbor Candace who has had a bad run of it lately - more about this in another post later. I've crocheted a 6-to-24-point round ripple blanket for William (someone special I worked with until his last day - today!) - more about this in another post later. I've made a ripple lap blanket to join the other lap blankets for 2007 donation later this year - again, more in another post later. And, in March, I made 4 scarves using sock yarn - I'm not sure what to do with them now (possible gifts for co-workers, I'm thinking).

Earlier this month, our DVR recorded The Art of Quilting and I was fascinated by the technique called "fusing". It involves ironing pieces together to make designs instead of sewing pieces together. This allows for more freedom in design - it lets ideas and creativity flow. And much less time (i.e., none) is spent sewing pieces together! And sewing is just one of the hang-ups I seem to have about quilting. Fusing may just be the answer to my reluctance! So, I bought 2 fusing books at Amazon to try to get my quilting juices flowing! The Art of Quilting show featured a group of women who formed The Chicago School of Fusing (not really a "school" - go to the website and check it out!). The books I bought were authored by two of these women: Laura Wasilowski and Frieda Anderson. (Laura looks very much like my friend Paula!)

Crazy Aunt Purl (who I've written about before) - Laurie - has written a book! Called Drunk Divorced and Covered In Cat Hair. I'm so excited! It comes out is October - I pre-ordered it right away as soon as I heard the news!

The plan for the weekend is to get around to posting photos and descriptions of recent completed crochet projects (but plans can be changed...).

As I photographed completed projects this morning, Jasmine (aka Jaz) decided she wanted to help me by pointing out details in the Cluster and Lace Granny Square Lap Blanket - and then Cleo, of course, had to jump in to help with the Burgundy Shells Scarf!

I've been uninspired lately. The livingroom becomes a mess when I cannot settle on a project (see photo)!

A few things are distracting me... Two of those are the HDTV service and a DVR!

I've had the Wallace and Gromit movie from Blockbuster.com waiting for over a week now for me to watch it (Bill doesn't want to see it). We didn't get around to watching the Flags of Our Fathers movie rented from a local Blockbuster store, and I missed the late-date due date so we got a call that we've purchased the movie but it can be returned for a $1.25 re-stocking fee - I took care of the return yesterday after work.

Bill's cousin Jimmy and his wife Sarah are having a second baby (a girl this time!) in early July. I bought a large skein of Lion Brand Pound of Love in Pastel Pink last Monday, but haven't had any success in finding a pattern I want to work on. I've started and pulled out 3 attempts so far at ripple patterns.

Thinking the pink yarn was putting me off, I switched to trying to make myself an earth-tone warm, soft scarf with the remnants of the on-hold-since-April-2005 Jazzy Beach Wrap cardigan I pulled out last Sunday while watching NASCAR's Daytona 500 race. I really like the texture of Bernat Soft Boucle yarn but it's difficult to find a pattern that "works" with it! The bumps in the yarn make stitches difficult to see so detailed patterns aren't good to use. Lacy patterns are OK, but I don't want the scarf to have large holes since the scarf is supposed to keep my neck warm! Last night, I tried 4 or 5 patterns from 280 Crochet Shell Patterns but none of them have worked for me. Bah!

Yesterday, I gave Jimmy and Sarah the layette set (melon, purple, green, yellow, white) I made in November 2005. It is more "girl" than "boy" so I didn't give it to them for the first baby (Samuel... Sammy!). The jacket in the layette set is a bit small, but it is perfect for a baby girl's baby doll! I would like to make a pink baby blanket too, but if I can't get past the pink, they'll have just one blanket instead of two.

The knitting books I recently bought are great! However, since knitting is not second nature to me (like crocheting is), it takes more attention and I just haven't been able to split my attention between watching our favorite TV shows and knitting... so I haven't been knitting... or teaching myself Continental Knitting...

I got out of bed at 8:00am this morning, made breakfast and coffee, and sat down at the computer... and I'm still sitting here over 4 hours later... with a headache and now hungry for lunch. But, I've caught up on responding to blog comments and have read my regular blog reads. Time to eat lunch, shower, and probably watch Wallace and Gromit.

View from the condo's lanai.

Bill has mentioned taking a longer vacation (10-14 days) in September near our anniversary to Kona-Kailua, Hawaii (our preferred Hawaii vacation destination). He's also mentioned taking a few days this summer to drive up the coast toward Portland, Oregon so we can spend a few days visiting with Greg and Lauren. Right now, I'd prefer to visit my boy over being trapped another 12+ hours at airports and in airplanes, even if it is a long drive in a car!

In honor of Valentine's Day and Sexual Responsibility Week, the college where I work held several health education-related events.

Where else can I list "Sex in the Quad" on the home page of my employer's website?

The college is closed today for the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday holiday. That means I didn't go to work today. And, in turn, that means I've been by myself all day, except of course for the company of Cleo and Jaz (who sleep some 20 hours a day).

My job keeps me from being a complete hermit. I'm not a social person. While at work, I interact with people (usually by email) on work-related projects and do some workplace socializing with my co-workers.

There are a few core people in my life: My husband, my son, and my Mom.

Even though we don't see each other regularly or keep in contact by phone or email regularly, I consider Paula my closest friend and share with her my deepest thoughts and feelings. We became friends while she worked with me from 2002-2004.

Tj and I worked together from 2002-2006 and had lunch or coffee together every few weeks; now we talk or see each other every 6 months or so.

A budding friendship with someone I clicked with in mid-2003 when we met at Kaiser faded away toward the end of 2005. We are close in age and similar in some ways, but she's in a place in her life very different from where I am: 2 young boys vs. adult children living on their own, stay-at-home mom vs. always worked, husband with very lucrative high-level office job vs. husband who loves his blue collar average-salary job, difficult mother-in-law vs. no mother-in-law, big family vs. small family.

My "best friends" friendship of 29 years ended early last year. It had been fading for a long time. I hope she is happy.

...

Enough melancholy! Bill got home from work as I was writing and editing and editing some more. Need to spend time with someone besides myself and Cleo (who's been sitting either on my lap or on the desk next to me).

Today is 4 days into January and I'm feeling better than I have in a few months. I'm actually sticking to the 5 "Everyday Things" on my 2007 Taking Care and Improvement List!

... Well, so far anyway...!!!

The Favorite (aka Cleo) allowed me to get a close-up photo of her, but only while she looked away from the camera. Beautiful soft hair!

I thoroughly enjoy reading Laurie's blog Crazy Aunt Purl. I can't count the number of times I've teared up, smiled, cried crocodile tears, laughed out loud, or laughed so hard I cried.

I'm not from the South, don't live in or near Los Angeles, have not been divorced, don't knit, don't have a gardener, don't have a horrific commute. I grew up and still live in the East Bay Area of California, am married to a man I've known for over 20 years, have one adult son and two adult step-sons, have an obsession for a craft involving yarn (crochet), started gardening a few years ago, and on most days enjoy my commute.

Laurie has a gift for writing. She says what is true and honest in her thoughts and in her heart. She also posts photos of her 4 cats and what they're thinking. She's made me a bit more thoughtful and appreciative for what I have and want and know and love.

Here in California, 2006 is winding down and 2007 will begin in almost 9 hours. Laurie has posted her list of The To-Dos and To-Don'ts for 2007. Amie at NexBlog posted her 2007 list based on Laurie's list.

Near the start of 2004, I made a list of 104 for 2004, a shorter version of the 204 for 2004 lists that were popular in late 2003/early 2004. I did a lot of the items and didn't even attempt others. It was a list focused on getting things out of the way rather than a list of doing things for improvement.

Laurie's list includes Practical, Everyday, and Main Event items, and is focused on taking care and improvement. I may make my own list for 2007 following Laurie's format.

[Update April 23, 2007] Crazy Aunt Purl has written a BOOK! Read more at CAP then order it at Amazon: Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split.

A few weekends ago while on the way home after having a morning coffee and conversation date with Paula, I stopped by Home Depot to see if they had any Norfolk Pine trees - and they did! So, I bought the one that spoke to me most out of the bunch of Norfolk Pines in the garden section.

However, even though Bill got the boxes of decorations down from the garage attic, the tree stayed in our garage until last weekend. It's bugged me the past few years that our tree looked kinda plain so I wanted to find garlands to go with our new-ish decorations. Michaels Craft Store had just what I wanted: strands of red beads! I also bought a few strands of icicle garlands.

Last weekend, even though I was really really really tired and didn't feel much like getting off the couch (at all), I finally pushed myself onto my feet, brought the tree into the house, and decorated it.

I've been enjoying the sparkles each evening!

Today, I was described as "a level-headed member of the radical group". It wasn't meant to be insulting, and I didn't take it as such. It did, however, take me by surprise. I have never considered myself to be "radical" in any way - overly rational but never radical. Interesting.

When I reacted by surprise to "radical", someone else said I was "outspoken" - which I've also not considered myself to be in most cases, unless I felt something was wrong or unfair in some way - or maybe she meant "outspoken" group...?

Yes, very interesting.

It is flu and cold season. The Why Don't We Do It In Our Sleeves? link was emailed to all college employees by the college's Student Health Center. I've been doing this for quite some time, thinking that sneezing and coughing into my hands wasn't such a great idea.

I remember watching a television show about this house (or one remarkably similar)! Here's an online tour of the house with photos and descriptions of many cat-related modifications made to the house for their cats' enjoyment!

The Cats' House Online Home Tour (click the left- or right-pointing cat images to go to previous or next page).

I am conservative in my clothing, my personality, my (current) home appearance. So is hubby. However, bold color appeals to me and I enjoy my cats immensely... Having holes in walls and planking from room to room also appeals to me! Not to Bill, though.

Oh, my! A cat tree (also called cat house) not covered in thick carpet! with curvy lines! made with beautiful wood! Very stylish.

The Refined Feline, stylish furniture both you and your cat will enjoy.

Oh, my! I love it! The Purple Store is "for people who love purple and those who shop for them."

Gotta have it! A purple turtle!

[via PrincessTrish]

Day 1 (Friday): Lots of laying around in sloppy but comfy gardening/painting pants and t-shirt topped with a "sexy" flannel shirt.
Day 2 (Saturday): Lots of laying around in comfy sweat pants, comfy dark blue turtles t-shirt.
Day 3 (Sunday): Lots of laying around in purple pajamas.
Day 4 (yesterday): Lots of laying around in green pajamas.
Day 5 (today): Back to work.

I totally lost my sense of smell and taste Saturday. Bill BBQd steak and salmon, made garlic fried potatoes, and a mix of mushrooms, onions, and zucchini. Could have been liver with spicy hot peppers and it would have tasted the same. Like eating a piece of paper, but without the paper flavor.

For a brief moment after my shower Sunday morning, I caught a whiff of shampoo scent but then it went away. During breakfast yesterday, the pancakes were almost flavorful. We had lasagne (a frozen family size lasagne dinner from Safeway) last night and I could almost taste the tomato sauce. So there was hope for more tastes today!

Regular doses of cold and flu medicine since Thursday and cough syrup since Saturday morning helped improve breathing and reduce coughing tremendously!

Hopefully, back to near normal health tomorrow!

While talking to Bill in the kitchen tonight, I opened 2 cans of tuna, drained the water, and put the meat into a bowl. Then I followed him down the hall to our bedroom to look for a how-to book about flooring I thought I bought last year. Not there. We walked back down the hall to the kitchen. A dark ball of hair flies across the kitchen doorway into the living room...

Guess who's been eating tuna? My sweetheart Cleo, of course!

Home today sick with a cold. Been sneezing a lot, especially at work, since Monday. Big, hearty sneezes that shake the walls. By 2:30pm Wednesday afternoon, I was dead-beat sleepy tired. By yesterday at lunchtime, my sinuses were a little stuffy, nose a little runny, and throat a tad sore. By bedtime last night, a little worse. This morning, a low-grade headache, congested sinuses, swollen throat. So I decided to take a sick day.

[sarcasm] A lovely way to spend the 3-day Labor Day weekend - laboring with a cold! [/sarcasm]

Morning: Made a pot of decaf coffee - hot stuff is good on the throat. Drank it with a package of sugar-free Nestle hot chocolate mix and CoffeeMate - yum. Checked work email and read the Hamster Time forum to catch up on Big Brother 7 All Stars 24-hour live feed recaps. Felt cold (it's supposed to be a hot day outside) and huddled with a blankie on the couch watching a 2-hour Fear Factor featuring reality stars getting another 15 minutes of fame. Was trying to nap in bed when hubby called to say he'd be coming by in an hour or so with a Mocha Frap from Starbucks for me - icy stuff is good on the throat too.

Afternoon: Napped until hubby walked through the front door and woke me up - I think I heard myself snore just before I woke up! Hmmm, must be the cold since I don't snore... Tried to find something on TV while drinking my yummy Mocha Frap. Daytime television sucks so I returned to the BB7 forum where not much is going on. Tried to find some interesting recently BB7 videos on YouTube that I hadn't already seen. Found a video of the latest ImproveEverywhere mission. For the umpteenth time today, checked my work email. Added more movies to our Blockbuster queue. Began writing this entry 20 minutes ago and finished the Mocha Frap...

Fascinating so far.

My 3-day weekends for the summer are over. Bummer. It's hard to believe 12 Fridays have already gone by. Back to 8-hour days 5 days a week starting today. I really like working 4 9-hour days (I take 1 hour of vacation each day to make 40 hours a week). If I didn't have to take a 10% cut in pay and pay 10% of my benefits, I would switch to a 4-day week working 9 hours each day.

...

Craftwise, I've been uninspired since before we left on our Hawaii vacation. Other than the 3 1/2 books I read on vacation and the 1 1/2 books I've read since we got back, I haven't done much except watch lots of TV and DVDs.

...

We're working our way through DVDs of Rescue Me season one right now, then moving on to season two. I want to get Bill involved with Lost but he says he's not interested. I'm gonna try, though, with the first DVD of season one.

We've switched from Netflix to Blockbuster's online DVD service because it is cheaper. Blockbuster is $7.99 for 3 DVDs (one at a time) and 2 coupons for free DVD rentals at Blockbuster stores. Netflix is $9.99 for an unlimited number of DVDs (one at a time). The usual turnaround for us is 1 DVD per week by mail so the Blockbuster plan works nicely for us.

...

Before we left on vacation, Bill offered to switch the bedroom he uses as his office with the smaller room I use as my craft room. So, I took him up on it! We switched rooms last weekend. My new craft room has lots more room and natural light and a great breeze through the window! Bill decided to use his new space as a TV Room since he really doesn't need an office (hmmm, not that he really needs a TV Room either...). We moved the TV from our bedroom into the TV Room since we don't watch TV in bed anymore. This weekend, we bought a new recliner chair in a nice shade of sage/light olive green for the TV Room. We also hooked up the livingroom TV to also display on the small TV in my craft room (which used to be in my office for when I used the treadmill... but since I haven't used the treadmill since probably January...). Now, Bill can watch a football game or whatever in the TV Room while I'm watching something in the craft room or livingroom.

...

Even though I've been uninspired craftwise, I did try to jumpstart myself yesterday afternoon by starting a sewing project: a t-shirt using flannel fabric which I'll use as a sleep shirt. I had to do something (besides sit on my butt) when I kept nodding off while watching the NASCAR race even while my Tony Stewart was winning! The back and front and sleeves are cut from the fabric. Now I just have to figure out what to do next... I've read the pattern directions and read about sewing online and in a book, but I'm just not comfortable with the pattern markings.

...

Greg and Lauren took the Oregon bar exam at the end of July. They'll get the results sometime in September. In the meantime, they're still looking for jobs. Makes me nervous, but something will work out.

...

I have quite a bit of sock yarn that I'm not sure what to use it for. I'm not on a crocheted socks kick anymore. In fact, they're just not comfortable. Unusual and cute for when I'm feeling that way, but not for everyday use.

...

I collected more fabric in the past month or so. Another sale at Jo-Ann Fabrics. At about $80-85 each visit, I must stop the insanity. I have been able to resist the recent 30% and current 40% off sales on Keepsake Calico fabric.

Must. Not. Buy. More.

Must try to use what I have collected.

...

The monthly online transfers from my checking account into my ING Direct savings account are growing.

Must. Not. Buy. More. Fabric. Or yarn... Or other collectibles...

Must. Put. More. Into. My. ING. Account.

I think I bought this in June, an impulse buy of a turtle freak! It's a sippy cup for a toddler. I got it at a local Starbucks during their brief "Dot and Dash" campaign, with a storybook about a ladybug and a turtle. I had seen the sign above an empty basket a few times - whatever had been in the basket was sold out. I think the sign was an image of the children's book cover. Anyway...I walked into Starbucks one day last month - and there it was, the only object in the basket, a single turtle sippy cup. And I had to have it! My inner child wanted it. My practical adult self said I could use it to hold something in my craft room.

Paula has decorated the fence in her backyard with a variety of items (license plates, signs, frogs, and more!). I've found it relaxing to sit and just look around at all the things there are. Of course, each piece has meaning for her - I just find them interesting to view!

When I saw the 3-piece set of turtles, I immediately thought I might start my own backyard art fence-wall. Now that I'm home, they probably aren't going to be put in the backyard - lack of space and I spend more time inside than outside... Bill has offered to exchange his "office" (one of our extra bedrooms) for my current craft room (a smaller space). If this exchange of space is made, there's plenty of room for hanging the turtles! If not, I'll still find a place for them in the current craft room or my home office. I'm not exactly sure where I'll put the turtle hook or what I'll hang on it, but it matched the 3-piece set so I got it!

The stuffed turtle is so different from other stuffed turtles I've seen! The fabric is dark and dramatic - and soft and cuddly. This guy now sits on my nightstand.

When I saw the turtle and babies pool set, I just had to get it! I don't have small children, I don't have grandchildren, I don't have a pool (not even a kiddy pool), and I don't take baths. I don't know what I'll do with it, but...it's mine. All mine! Too cute!

I got all of the above, 2 wonderful t-shirts with really nice turtle designs, and a few gifts at a small, crowded shop run by a really nice man - Pacific Nature in the tourist-friendly Kailua-Kona shopping center on Alii Drive. I recommend a visit to the shop for all!

I found the fun socks at a different store in the same shopping center. These very comfortable and cute socks are made in the USA for For Bare Feet. I got 2 pair of turtle socks for myself, and a bunch of other designs (tropical fish, hibiscus, sea horses, sandals) for gifts. These sandals socks and another of the green turtles design are the only pairs I haven't yet given to their intended recipients.

At a fine jewelry store, I found a lovely pair of 14 karet gold earrings in a turtle design on posts by Wyland for $130. Years ago on a Kona vacation, I bought a wonderful pair of gold turtle earrings, but recently lost one of the set at work. In the past 8 years or so, I've fallen in the habit of rarely wearing earrings - or any other jewelry except a watch. Because of this lack of jewelry wearing, I managed to avoid buying the pair of turtle earrings...but I have the salesperson's name and business card if I change my mind... Other turtle earrings on posts were found at different stores, the $230 set was similar to the $130 set, but the design of the $36 set was much rougher (not finely detailed).

[update] Well, slap me silly! I just found the earrings on Wyland's website for $89!

Late Monday evening last week (June 10), we arrived home from 2 weeks in Kona on the Big Island, Hawaii. A 2-hour delay at the Honolulu airport meant landing in Oakland at 12:15am Monday night/Tuesday morning. Luckily, Bill had suggested when we were making vacation plans that we also take off the day after our return. Sounded good to me, so I did. He did too, but of course felt compelled to go to work Tuesday morning at 6:30am as usual! (By the way, 6:30am Pacific time is 3:30am Hawaii time!) I was exhausted Tuesday (and the rest of the week!). Grocery shopping and laundry were on Tuesday's list of things to do.

Since returning from vacation, the bah-humbug don't-know-what-project-to-do feeling I had before we left has continued.

When I cruise crafty websites, I wonder at the inventiveness and creativeness of others...and wonder where they find the time. Then I remember that I'm watching TV or in some other way choosing not to work at creative projects.

So, during today's NASCAR Cup race, after my boy Tony Stewart crashed and dropped back 20+ laps, I dragged myself off the couch to take photos of the Julianna cardigan, as well as cute turtle goodies and colorful tropical-themed socks I bought in Hawaii. They're coming up next!

I finished the Julianna cardigan on the 16th (no photos yet). It definitely doesn't fit me, so I'll give it to Elizabeth at work if it fits her.
...

I started the Easy Breezy Cardigan with purple Microspun yarn, got the body almost done, discovered it really didn't fit me. It fit Patrice at work and looked great as a colorful vest (the Easy Breezy Vest!) to offset the neutral colors she usually wears, so I finished the bottom edging and sleeve opening edging and gave it to her as a vest (no photos yet). I started another Easy Breezy Cardigan for myself and am thinking it may be just a little too tight, but I'm not going to pull it out yet. [5:15pm I crocheted a few more inches, tried it on, decided it wasn't working for me, and pulled it out. I'm now considering taking this project to Kona with me!]

...

In spite of receiving the Quilter's Pack of sewing machine feet, I haven't yet tried to use one. In addition to my usual delay tactics when it comes to needing to be perfect at something or not do it at all, there was a heat wave for a few days that kept me imobile in front of a fan at all times.

However, it was a lovely day yesterday! I spent 5+ hours transplanting pot-bound plants, moving plants from here to there, getting rid of plants that weren't working for me, planting new ones, de-weeding, deadheading, watering, sweating, getting sore, itching...

...

Bill and I are leaving Tuesday morning for a 2-week vacation in Kona on the Big Island, Hawaii. I'm a bit antsy about what I'll do to keep myself occupied during the vacation! I can't bring enough yarn with me for 2 weeks, so I won't be bringing any. I don't plan to bring my sewing machine and all the tools and supplies that go with quilting. Mom suggested I could bring a cross stitch or other needlework project, but there's nothing I want to work on. So, I'm bringing a few books and am hoping my hands (and brain!) don't get too itchy for a project to work on!

Question: What do 14S, 16P, 16, 16W, 18, 18W, 1X, M, L, and XL have in common?

Today is the first Friday of 12 in a row that the a majority of college staff is off for the summer (it's a voluntary program that almost no one doesn't sign up for!). In return, we work 4 10-hour days Monday through Thursday. This year, I've again elected to work 9-hour days and take an hour of vacation each day. Adding an extra 30 minutes to the start and end of a work day is so much easier than adding an hour on both ends!

And what have I done this fine, sunny, beautiful Friday morning? I woke at 6:15am when Bill left for work, got out of bed around 6:30, read email and surfed regular blog reads until 7:30, fed the cats, read the newspaper (which really means skimmed the headlines), took a shower, and made and ate breakfast (a leftover BBQ hamburger, and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh strawberries) in front of the TV... And for 45 minutes got sucked into the nothingness that is daytime television. What a waste - of my time and of a great form of communication and entertainment.

I broke free from the hypnotic rhythm of channel surfing from one bad program to another, looked at my list of things to do (some I want to do, some I need to do, some I should do) and came up with nothing much I wanted to do at that time. But I picked one item (wash the cutting board cover with some laundry to get out the white lines I marked on the top for quilting), moved on to another (clean the inside of my car's front window), and then another (continue shredding old tax-return forms and related paperwork/receipts). Three trips to the recycle bin later, the shredder has overheated and needs a rest before I can continue shredding - and the load of wash is in the dryer.

What'll be next...?

[5:10pm] Let's see... finished 2 more loads of laundry, made 5 more trips with shredded paper to the recycle bin, replaced yarn with folded fabric on one shelf of the metal storage cabinet in the craft room, realized I have way too much yarn (but I knew that already!), warned myself not to get too much deeper into fabric collecting, tried to nap on a lawn chair on the shaded deck in our backyard, watched the 2-hour Alias series finale (still lots of unanswered questions), dropped off mail at the post office, stopped by Starbucks for a Venti Mocha Frappuccino Lite, and made a few more blog entries. I'm saving gardening and watching the 2-hour season finale of Lost for tomorrow!

Greg and Lauren arrived in Portland Saturday afternoon. They'd signed the lease and were getting ready to unpack their cars when he called. Greg said the apartment is nicer than expected and the complex is across the street from a shopping center with a bank, gym, and Starbucks (a comment for me I'm sure since he doesn't drink coffee!). They had stopped by Lauren's grandparents' farm on the way and had some dried deer meat (deer jerky?) and buffalo ribs and meat. Greg is game (pun intended) for anything, so he was interested in experiencing deer and buffalo. I'm definitely not!

We got back Monday night, exhausted from a full day of traveling. Yuck.

My boy is a law school graduate and will be a lawyer (after passing the bar and getting a job)! Wow. How'd that happen? He even looked like a grown-up in his black suit, white shirt, shiny black shoes, and tie! (Since he's 27 years old, I suppose he should look like a grown-up in a suit and tie!)

The flights to Virginia and back weren't bad, but my legs ached and I just really needed to put them up. On the way back, I was very hot and uncomfortable. Bill and I didn't sleep well any of the 4 nights at the motel. I would probably travel more I could recline or lay down or stretch out.

It was a lovely Mother's Day where I got to see my son graduate from law school! A bit of rain, but it cleared up before the ceremony. When Greg walked out of his bedroom with his suit pants, shirt and tie on, I was so surprised! That's my boy! My son! All grown up. I was speechless for a few minutes. And very proud.

Mom, Bill and I sat in the front row on the left side of the stage. Perfect for picture taking! Greg asked me years ago to not put his photo on any website, so I won't post pictures of him (unless he's blurred out). A few photos from our trip to Virginia are posted above, however.

Sandra Day O'Connor was the commencement speaker. She was relaxed and funny, then got down to serious talk about the three branches of government and the importance of the judicial system and contributions of attorneys. It was a pleasant speech.

Since my digital camera can record video with sound, I have four short videos: part of Sandra Day O'Connor's speech, Greg and Lauren receiving their law school diplomas (the real one, not just a temporary fake!), and the graduates' cheering "06! 06! 06!" at the end of the ceremony. There are also photos of Greg and Lauren in their graduation robes, as well as photos of family.

Afterward, we briefly attended the reception at the law school, then headed to Greg and Lauren's apartment to celebrate their graduation. They had spent days preparing special dishes for all of us to eat - most of it was pretty good! Greg enjoys cooking and usually fancies up whatever it is he's making. I imagine he got that from his father! I certainly don't enjoy standing in the kitchen fiddling around with food that disappears in 10 minutes or less!

I imagine that Greg and Lauren may have had the largest number of guests at the graduation! Greg: Me, Bill, Grandma, his father, his stepmother. Lauren: Her mom, dad, grandmother, sister, and 2-month old nephew.

It was good that Bill and I rented a car since there wasn't enough room in Greg and Lauren's two cars for all of us! Budget Rent-A-Car was $16.49 a day (plus tax) - cheap! The woman behind the counter asked me if a Mustang was OK, and I said "Sure" not knowing it was a brand new V6 2006 Ford Mustang in silver with a black "MUSTANG" stripe on each side with only 108 miles on it. When we returned the car, it had 372 miles. I was the designated driver since both Mom and I get car sick if we sit in the backseat - so, we didn't have to deal with the difficulty of getting into and out of the backseat like Bill and Greg did! The car was a pleasure to drive! (Darn it, I didn't get a photo of the car, although Greg may have a few on his digital camera.)

Greg and Lauren left Virginia in their nearly identical Chevy Cavaliers (his gold, hers forest green) to head toward Portland, Oregon where they'll be settling down. They decided to move there because it's a growing area and housing costs aren't as ridiculously high as they are in California. Their Oregon bar review classes start Monday.

At dinner time on Wednesday, I heard from Greg. They were in Wyoming where the sky had been a "beautiful blue with fluffy white clouds" all day (his comment) and were planning to get to Odgen, Utah before stopping for the night. He estimated they would be in Portland by Saturday - which is today!

The Web is a wonderful tool! Greg and Lauren used Craigslist in Portland to apartment hunt from Virginia, and Google Earth to locate apartment buildings on a map to see the surrounding area. One apartment had a brown field behind it and Greg was able to see construction vehicles. He questioned the landlord about the quietness of the area since construction was being done. They decided to take a different apartment that is a little cheaper, has a washer and dryer in the unit, and doesn't have a construction site behind it.

Hmmm, Portland is much closer to the Bay Area than Virginia so travelling to see them won't be so awful next time!

Greg is graduating from law school on Sunday - which coincidentally is also Mother's Day! His girlfriend Lauren is also graduating.

Mom, Bill, and I are flying to Virginia Thursday morning bright and early to spend what is basically the entire day in two airplanes and three airports before arriving to have a late dinner with Greg and Lauren. Since we're renting a car for the few days we'll be visiting, Greg sent us directions to our motel. He included this note on one of the turns:

Turn LEFT at STOPSIGN (if you turn right you'll enter Camp Perry - training grounds for the CIA - they WILL shoot you if you go too far :)

Hmmm, I'd like to see the CIA training area... [just kidding] I wonder if they shoot first and ask questions later...! [/just kidding]

Lauren's mom, stepdad, father, sister, her sister's baby, and grandmother are expected, as well as Greg's father and stepmom. I'm a wall flower among groups of 3 or more people, but Bill can talk to anyone. [semi-joke] We have the car so we can get away if needed... [/semi-joke]

Jasmine and Cleo enjoy keeping watch at the screen of the sliding glass door in our bedroom. There is much for them to look at in the backyard: birds (including the occasional hummingbird), bees, flies, wasps, plants, flowers... Stray cats in the neighborhood try to attack our babies through the screen door which results in loud hisses and screeching cries from both sides of the door. To make the stray cats stay away and give our cats and ourselves peace, I suggested we place a piece of plywood with nails driven through it on the step of the deck outside the screen door - our Anti-Cat Board with Nails. The strays will hopefully learn to stay away after stepping on the nails once or twice.

..Sorry, this page is not available. If you are the owner of this site and believe this message to be in error, please contact support.

No one wants to see that message displayed for each of their websites. And for their web hosting company's website. And the hosting company owner's blog. And for many of the other websites known to be hosted by that company.

Yet that was the message I saw yesterday afternoon for each of my websites, my hosting company's website, the owner's blog, and other websites I know are hosted by that company.

Websites down. Email down. Helpdesk down. Support forum down.

Is it a server problem? a DNS problem?

Who to turn to?

Well, since I know the hosting company is a reseller of a larger web hosting company, I visited their support forum on which there were no references to server or DNS problems. Hmmm.

Did something go wrong with billing? Was the reseller's account closed for some reason?

Did the reseller close their account without notifying clients? The owner doesn't present herself as a flake on her blog, and she has been reliable for the 3 years or so I've been hosting with her.

Then, a few hours later, the websites and email were back. I still have no idea what happened.

Today is our 20th Soup 'n' Sandwiches Anniversary! 20 years ago tonight, Bill invited Greg and me to have dinner with him and his boys. Tuna sandwiches and vegetable beef soup. Our first "date."

Throughout the years, we've celebrated this anniversary by having tuna sandwiches and soup (usually not vegetable beef since it's not one of my preferred soup choices) or having dinner out. Last year we may have had Bill's BBQ cheeseburgers - one of my favorites! Tonight, however, we went to Sizzler in Hayward where they serve very tasty Mega Bacon Cheeseburgers and french fries. Delicious!

20 years. That's a whole child born and raised and graduated from high school and sent to college. I moved into my own apartment with Greg when I was 19.

Just 3 more years until Bill and I have been together as many years as I was when we met (stop trying to calculate! I was 23 years old).

Where does time go?

It's taken quite a number of hours to setup the new PC, but it's done for the most part.

• Installed frequently-used software
• Transferred data files
• Installed Thunderbird on old PC, imported Outlook email into Thunderbird, exported email, and imported it into Thunderbird on new PC (used MozBackup, a freeware Windows utility)
• Moved new PC into old PC's place at computer desk
• Setup old PC on other side of computer desk
• Connected 4-speaker surround sound subwoofer system (from old PC) to new PC
• Connected printer to new PC

Whew.

The big box arrived yesterday. The other two today. And the padded envelope last week.

It's all here! My new baby Dell! (Way before the reported ship date of May 1!)

But I'm waiting until I have more energy and time before it gets set up. Tomorrow morning, however, is gardening time.

Oh, boy. At least the national debt is more!

My new Dell Dimension XPS 400 has just been ordered and will be shipped around May 1, 2006. Very cool!

Yesterday morning, I surfed over to the Jo-Ann Fabrics website to look at sewing machines. The $199.99 on-sale Singer 7462 Electronic Sewing Machine (also on special now with free shipping) caught my eye. It has good reviews so I tried to view the online demo but the Quicktime icon was "broken". I downloaded and installed the latest free Quicktime player (which is combined with iTunes). The installation required a reboot which I did then walked away for one reason or another. When I came back a while later, the Windows 2000 startup screen was still displayed. Uh-oh.

Tried CTRL-ALT-DEL - nothing. Tried to power off - nothing. Hit the "emergency" reboot button under the power switch. Watched the boot sequence. Stuck again at 13 blocks on the progress bar of the Windows 2000 startup screen. Hit the reboot button. Hit F8 during the boot sequence and try Safe Mode. Stuck at startup screen. Hit reboot button, hit F8, tried "Last Good Configuration" (but don't read the instructions completely). Stuck at startup screen.

Took a deep breath. And another. Hit reboot button quickly followed by power off button. Let the computer sit while I measured, cut, and sewed...

I tried to ignore the problem but became more and more sick to my stomach about it. A few hours later, I tried "Last Good Configuration" again (reading the instructions this time: who knew you had to hit "L"!?) - and it worked!

The computer (hard drive?) has been making noise for many weeks (months?). But, it's not a clicking or a grinding sound so I wasn't too worried about it (obviously since it's been months!). Recently, however, the sound is more like a switching gears in a small manual-shift sports car.

The computer is still making noise, but the programs and data files (and photos and all my other "stuff") are there. It reboots cleanly now, without getting stuck at the startup screen.

And, Quicktime worked so I could view the Singer 7462 sewing machine demo!

I think my computer is jealous. Jealous that I'm thinking about buying an electronic sewing machine. Jealous that I won't have as much time to spend with it if I get a new sewing machine. However, it has more than just that to be jealous about...

My computer was brand new with lots of good stuff in October of 2000 for $5,000 - yes, that much. I ordered it with what I wanted: large 21-inch monitor, 500mb RAM, DVD, CD-RW, ZIP, Windows 2000, Microsoft Office Pro, more. It's now 5 1/2 years later and similar PCs cost about $800-900. The computer is still what I want and need, except for 2 things: I'm nearly out of disk space on the 40gb hard drive and...and I need a backup solution.

A backup solution that is automatic and reliable. Something that doesn't involve copying many gigabytes of files to 650mb CD-RW disks or dealing with tapes. Something easy.

So, I spent some time yesterday evening hunting for a new computer on Dell's website. One with a built-in backup solution (Dell's "DataSafe" which uses Ghost to copy designated files to a backup hard drive) and a larger hard drive.

The new computer I'm looking at has a 19/20-inch widescreen flat screen monitor (which I don't really care about since I'm very happy with my current 21-inch CRT monitor), 250gb hard drive with DataSafe (which I need), Windows XP (which would be nice to have), 1gb RAM (but the 500mb I have now has been plenty), and more (most of which I don't need). But it doesn't have a ZIP drive - and I have a lot of ZIP disks I use to bring files to and from work. I know I could use a USB jump drive, but I already have 30 or so ZIP disks that have been working just fine.

For ergonomic reasons, I am not considering a laptop / notebook PC. The keyboards are too narrow, the screens aren't large enough and are difficult to see in some lighting, and I can't sit just anywhere to be on a computer (gotta take care of my back).

What's a worried, backup-less computer user to do? Especially when her computer is making odd sounds...

Just thinking "out loud" now...and trying to talk myself into buying a new computer...

I was very very relieved when the computer successfully booted and I could see that all programs and files were still accessible. I teared up a little with relief. The possibility of losing 5+ years of photographs and other files is not a pleasant thought.

Is not feeling the fear of losing all my files worth buying a new computer? Even if the cost is just over $2,200 (including tax, free shipping)? For a computer with more power and more features than my current computer, more than I even realistically would use? (Of course, the starting price is $999, but that doesn't include DataSafe or Microsoft Office.)

Granted, I could take $290 off the total if I didn't get the 20-inch widescreen flat screen monitor. I could reduce it further by not ordering the wireless keyboard and mouse ($40) and a few other things to bring the total to about $1,750 (including tax, free shipping).

Hubby says "Go for it. You use it. You want it. Buy what you want. You can afford it. You'll be miserable if you lose all your files." (We keep our finances separate except for "joint" expenses, so it's easy to encourage each other to spend money on "toys"!)

Last night, sometime after the computer was again working, it occurred to me that if I hadn't e-filed our tax returns Friday evening and had waited until Sunday as Bill suggested, we would have been late late late if my computer still had not started correctly. He understood the full magnitude of the situation at that point. No computer = Loss of something we (mostly I) rely on pretty regularly.

[7:10pm] Oh, and, I'm concerned that some of my software won't run on Windows XP, such as Photoshop/ImageReady 7, Illustrator 9, Dreamweaver MX, and more!

[7:34pm] By the way, I finished our tax returns in late February using TaxCut, but had not yet e-filed because we owed just over $2,000 combined in State and Federal taxes.

This is a great tutorial: Super Simple Light Tent.

[Updated] Related links:

• How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio
• On Assignment: Shoot Your Shiny New Gizmo Like a Pro

At least until I get distracted or burned out, it has been Get Organized Day. So far, I've:

• Straightened the contents of the linen closet
• Straightened the contents of the bathroom cabinet
• Removed the collection of empty water bottles from my car (I bring 2 full bottles of water with me on my drive to work and toss 1 empty bottle on the backseat floor each morning)
• Removed bits of paper, tissues, gum wrappers, etc. that end up on the floor of the front passenger seat in my car when I don't have a bag for small garbage items
• Hung an empty plastic grocery bag from the shift handle in my car to use as a garbage bag
• Cleaned out my email Inbox
• Cleaned out my email Sent folder
• Removed all messages from my email Deleted folder
• Paid bills via online banking (which I love using!)
• Balanced 2 months of statements for my checking account
• Balanced 3 months of statements for our Joint checking account
• Ordered maps from AAA to prepare for trips to Virginia and Hawaii

Like last weekend, I still have plans to finish by Sunday evening the Flattering Jacket (sweater) I'm crocheting for myself. I just need to make and attach the 2 sleeves...gotta finish it soon so I can wear it a few times before the weather gets more Spring-y.

[7:40pm] I spent the afternoon cleaning out and organizing my bedroom closet. This included going through 4 copy paper boxes of old papers related to university enrollment, classwork from a variety of university courses, financial aid, employment (paycheck stubs, benefits brochures, reimbursement forms, and more), and job search that were stored in the bedroom closet. Of these, about 2/3 box of papers is being kept. For the shredder, I culled a full box of miscellaneous paper with Social Security Numbers or other private-type information and another full box of old tax returns and related receipts. My shredder's going to be very busy after Tuesday when the now-full recycle bin has been emptied by the waste management company (i.e., garbage collector).

Tomorrow, I plan to buy one or two shelf units to put in my closet for better stacking of shoes and sweaters, etc.

Right now, however, I hear the sleeves for my sweater calling me to make them...

[1:30pm Sunday, March 26, 2006] And so it continued through this morning...Get Organized Day. I bought a few items at Home Depot to help me better organize my bedroom closet: a 48-inch x 25-inch bookcase and 2 additional shelves (to store shoes, folded sweaters, and other items), 2 30-inch wide shoe racks (to hold photo albums, not shoes), and 2 30-inch x 12-inch open storage blocks to hold miscellaneous items). Bill and I put them together after breakfast and all is now tidy in my closet! Whoop!

I closed my freelance web design business at the end of 2003. My main email address (which I don't use for this website) has been at my freelance business domain name since...well, a long time (1998?). That domain name is up for renewal near the end of this year. So, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and change my main email address to the domain using my name.

What a pain in the butt! In addition to contacting friends and family about the new email address, I have to change my email address for all websites I've registered at - and want to stay registered at - to use my new email address. This includes listservs, forums/message boards, Amazon, PayPal, Barnes and Noble, GoDaddy, banking websites, and about 30-50 more websites. Yikes.

Because there are so many websites I've registered at using my now-old email address, I may have to renew the domain for one more year so I can keep forwarding email from the now-old email addres to my now-new email address until I can be sure I've updated my subscriptions/profile information at all the necessary websites.

Oh boy! Fun-fun-fun!

This true story of Owen (the baby hippo) and Mzee (the ancient tortoise) made me cry! Get the new book about them at Amazon: Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship. Learn more at Lafarge Eco Systems and read the caretaker's diary.

We've indulged ourselves in a lovely set of kitchen knives from JC Penney. We must now be careful not to cut off a finger or two...!

cooks Elite Cutlery 22 Piece Block Set. Regular price $379.99; sale price $199.99; less 20% associate's coupon good only on February 12; plus tax; plus shipping = $194+. (The set is now on sale for $179.99.)

• Double forged blade
• Triple riveted, bakelite handles
• Taper ground stainless steel blades
• Full tang provides balance
• Bonus santoku, a $19.99 value
• Dishwasher safe (but hand washing recommended)

Includes: 8" and 10" chef's knife, 8" slicer, 6" sandwich, 3¼ and 3½" parer, 6" boning, 4½" and 5" utility, eight 5" steak knives, 6" carving fork, kitchen shears, 8" sharpener, 24-slot knife block and a bonus 7" santoku knife.

I've been regularly donating blood at the American Red Cross since December 2002. In July 2003, I learned I'm a "Baby Donor" since I have CMV Negative blood which is given to babies, burn victims, AIDS patients, etc.

I attempted to give blood on Saturday, without much success. Unusual too since I've been called a "fast bag filler" more than once. After 20 minutes of me squeezing and/or rotating the rubber ball and the technician gently pushing the needle here and there to try to get blood to flow at more than a crawl, the blood stopped flowing when the pint-size bag was less than half full. Bummer! And, a partial bag can't be used.

Scar tissue at the donation site inside my right elbow has been slowly building up. (There is no usable vein in my left arm.) I've asked at least 3 technicians whether I'll be able to continue to donate blood and none of them have wanted to tell me I should stop. So, apparently there isn't a rule against donating blood (or attempting to) if you have build-up of scar tissue.

I've searched Google and checked the Red Cross website. I've been unable to find much information about donating blood and scar tissue. There is this one May 2001 article by About.com's Expert on Donating Blood which indicates:

It's a matter of who is doing it and how they were taught and which techniques they prefer to use.

Maybe Saturday's technician didn't get the needle all the way into the vein? I certainly drank enough water the day before and that morning to ensure a good flow.

I don't want to stop saving babies with my CMV negative blood. I will try again in 8 weeks and hope I get a technician who has better skills with scar tissue.

I just struck out 3 for 3! Instead of emailing, I thought I'd call my father, my friend Paula, and my son Greg but ended up leaving messages. I should've just sent email!

Merry New Year! I'm feeling unusually chatty... Let's see...what's been going on with me?

Not a whole lot! Hmmm, except for my crocheting addiction that is!

The college closed the week between Christmas and New Years and I took two days off before Christmas when Greg visited for a short week from Virginia where he is in his third year of law school. As all law students are, he is stressed with law school activities and coursework! We spent a quiet few days sitting around together just enjoying the downtime. He and his girlfriend Lauren (also a third-year law student) plan to move to whichever city/state they get jobs in after graduation in May.

Speaking of crocheting (I was, wasn't I?)... It's relaxing and meditative, especially when a rhythmic pattern is used, and creative. It can also be challenging - like crocheting with thread (the hooks are so tiny!) or learning different styles of crochet (like Crochet on the Double and Tunisian) or experimenting with new types of crocheted items.

After a few years of crocheting as Bill watched NASCAR races each weekend, I became a huge fan last year of Tony Stewart and was very VERY pleased that my boy - MY driver - won the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup! While in Reno last August, Bill's cousin placed a $20 bet for me on Tony winning the Allstate Brickyard 400 - and he/I/we won ($140 for me - lots more for Tony!)! Whoop! I'm eagerly awaiting the start of the 2006 NASCAR season in February so I (and Bill too, of course) can spend hours each week watching races and related coverage on TV! (Yes, seriously.)

While I don't think I'm totally crazed with my Tony Stewart crush, I do have a "20" Tony Stewart NASCAR license plate frame on my car, a "20" window cling in my car's rear window, and a 2006 Tony Stewart wall calendar in my office at work. For Christmas, Bill fed into my endearing obsession by giving me a Tony Stewart collectible figure! I consider my crush under control, however, since I haven't decorated the house - or any room in it - with Tony Stewart collectibles (yet!).

The girls (our cats!) are healthy and happy. Hmmm, Bubba never seems to be exactly "happy" but Cleo and Jasmine are! Bubba is 17 years old. Her vet said she's an excellent "'88 model" and may live to be 30! (I think 30 is exaggerating, but the Guinness Book of World Records certified a 37-year-old cat!) Both Cleo and Jasmine are 8 1/2 - third graders in people years! Cleo is totally devoted to me and Jaz is definitely Bill's cat!

I continue to donate blood on a regular basis. I'm CMV negative (also referred to as a "baby donor") so my blood is used for babies, burn victims, HIV/AIDS patients, etc. Giving blood is an easy way to save lives, and it takes very little time! Blood supplies around the country are LOW - make an appointment with your local Red Cross or blood bank to donate blood! (Yes, I'm a living commercial!)

With the threat of high blood pressure drugs looming over me, my doctor gave me 4 months to try to lower my blood pressure and lose some weight. So, I began an exercise routine on October 3. I began walking 10 minutes at a low speed and incline on my until-then-unused treadmill and have built up to 30 minutes at a speed of 5 mph on incline 4.5 at least 4 times each week. So far, not much weight has been lost, but I definitely have more stamina and feel a difference in pants! Wouldn't you know it, though, I developed adult-onset asthma which seems to have been triggered by the regular exercise. It's a perfect excuse to NOT exercise, but it's made me even more determined to continue!

There was a time when I was closer to being a first-adopter of technology - way back in 1996-1997 when work was an obsession.

I was one of the first people I know to buy a digital camera in early 1997 (an Olympus D-320L (not-so-good quality) for $640). In mid 2002, I bought my second and much-better-quality digital camera (a 3.1 megapixel Fuji FinePix 2800 6x Zoom for $275) and haven't wanted to invest further (it does what I want it to) - although the photographer in me is curious about the newer SLR-type digital cameras that can use my Nikon lenses...!

But now, Bill and I are happily falling behind the times as far as technology and entertainment goes - I suppose we're "old folks"! We don't want to be connected at all times. In fact, we like being mostly unconnected.

A note from my boy son:

I noticed the money transferred into my account. Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to support myself someday... I am 26 years old ya know :)

I gave him (a not-yet-starving law school student) money so he can visit me this month and have some extra to buy food with for a few months when he gets back to Virginia. I've been telling him for years that he'll support me in my retirement!

OMG! I don't remember where I saw these, but they're WONDERFUL, especially since I'm a cat lover!

• Tree Decorating 101 - My son's response: "Annoyingly cute." Ha!
• StuffOnMyCat.com

Bill bought himself a new toy on Friday! A new BBQ - with a side burner! He BBQs dinner so frequently (probably 3-5 times a week - even during winter!) that the grill stops working properly about every other year and is replaced.

In the photo, notice the size of the old grill (left) compared to the new grill (right). I think he thinks he's cooking for an army, but there are only 2 of us!

Well, who am I to talk!? There is enough yarn in the "craft room" that I sometimes call it the "yarn room" or my personal "yarn store".

The sunshine after weeks of overcast or rain is making me giddy today!

...

Dee, our nextdoor neighbor, thanked me again this morning for the lap blankets I made for her and Van a few months ago (the Winter-themed ones). She keeps the red-and-white one on her bed and thinks how special it is that I made it for them. She also mentioned that it made her happy to see that I am content while I crochet and that it makes me happy. She remembers (as do I) when I wasn't happy for a long time (oh, say from early 1997 through early 2003). It's a lot more than crocheting again that improved my overall mood, but the creativity and colors and meditative repetition and knowing that I'm doing good things with what I make (like donating lap blankets to convalescent home patients/residents or making gifts for others) has definitely helped!

...

I'm starting an informal needle arts group for employees at the college where I work. Our first meeting is next Friday. In my mind's eye, I see women and men sitting in comfy chairs or around small tables working on needlecraft projects (such as crocheting, knitting, embroidery, cross-stitch, whatever) and sharing tips and tricks. Several people have emailed me to say they're excited by the idea, both skilled crafters and newbies. It should be interesting!

The idea first occurred to me around spring last year, but I sat on it until I was sure I wanted to step up to coordinate the group. The driving force behind the idea is to share my love of and skills in crocheting. I didn't want to limit participants to just crocheting, however.

In January, I checked in with college administration about the idea, and in February created a website for the group and announced the first meeting.

Wish us luck and success with the group!

While crocheting Sunday afternoon last weekend, I just had to take these photos of The Girls napping! The first photo is Jasmine keeping one eye open as she naps with Dad (my hubby Bill). The second and third photos are Cleo sound asleep (no one-eyed sleeping for her!) on the couch next to where I sit to crochet. She's The Baby who can do no wrong!

I got so much done during my 4-day weekend last week! Due to a migraine I had most of the time Tuesday through yesterday, I'm worn out now and just want to sit and crochet all weekend.

I'm working on an afghan for my son's girlfriend - he said she liked bold colors and abstract art so I'm making a granny square blanket with each square a different pattern and different color or set of colors. Originally, I was going to use Burgundy to tie it all together, but now I'm leaning toward Black because it's a much better unifying color.

If it isn't rainy this weekend and if the sun is out and if it isn't cold and if I feel like it, I plan to get some or all of the gardening tasks done this weekend that I didn't get done last weekend due to continuous rainy days.

If there's a sunshine day this weekend, I also want to make curtains for my office window from the Hawaiian-patterned fabric I bought last weekend (sunshine means I don't have to sit in a darkish room while I nervously use the sewing machine!).

So far, though, sitting on my butt crocheting sounds good - alternating with eating, snacking, watching TV, and sleeping of course!

(On a break at work...)

For President's Day, the college observes a 4-day holiday weekend so I'm off Friday through Monday. Hmmm, I may have already overbooked myself - and it's only Wednesday! Some of these will be done (hopefully) before Friday...

1. Done - Check-in with Eddie re her move this weekend - Wed.
2. Done - Get a b-day card for Greg, enclose a check, and mail it to him - Fri.
3. Done - Make Friday appointment to fix recall on my car - call Thursday - Thu.
4. Done - Get recall fixed on my car Friday - Fri.
5. Done - Rent a few movies at Blockbuster for the long weekend - Fri.
6. Watch those movies! (2 done Sun., 1 to go)
7. Done - Put away miscellaneous patterns I've recently accumulated - Sat.
8. Done - Pay joint bills - Sat.
9. Done - Balance joint and my checkbooks - Sat.
10. Done - Make copy of Melissa Etheridge's CD Lucky to keep in my car - Fri.
11. Post photos of V-Day hearts
12. Done - Take photos of Ann's cat toy - Sun., and...
13. Post
14. Take photos of Spotted Boxes blanket, and...
15. Post
16. Take photos of glass head with and without wimple, and...
17. Post
18. Done - PetSmart: cat nip and Iams Ocean Fish canned food (Cleo's fav!) - Wed.
19. Done - Rub cat nip onto the toy for Ann's cat and put in a sealable plastic bag (to keep my girls away from it!) - Wed.
20. Done - Vacuum Mom's PC - Fri., and...
21. Done - Return to her - Fri.
22. Done - Give unwanted crochet afghan pattern books to Mom - Fri.
23. Done - Email David re Mom's PC by Monday (working or not) - Mon.
24. Done - Take unwanted crochet sweater pattern books to BARC - Fri.
25. Done - Checkout fleece (on sale) at Jo-Ann's to cover my office window at work (to protect my eyes from glare) - Got two patterns of cool Hawaiian-themed fabric, so the window covering will block more light (twice the thickness!), the window displays a nice pattern from inside my office as well as outside my office facing the Quad, and I can switch from one side/pattern to the next at will by turning the curtain rod around! - Fri.
26. Done - If get window covering, get a curtain rod at Orchard Supply - Fri.
27. Done - Get lawn fertilizer/weed killer combo product, Round Up, and more rose/flower fertilizer at Orchard Supply - Fri.
28. Done - Review my budget and make adjustments as needed - Fri.
29. Done - Re-write my budget-and-savings account check register to separate budget expenses and savings monies, or figure how much in this account is savings and .. - Fri.
30. Done - Open ING Direct account - Fri.
31. After ING Direct account verified, transfer savings there
32. Done - Go through 2004 receipts, returned checks, bills etc. and file, shred or discard papers - Sat. and Sun.
33. Done - Go through Joint bill drawer and file, shred or discard papers - Sat.
34. Done - Go through my bill drawer and file or shred or discard papers - Sun.
35. Done - Go through old bank statements and checks (some from 1986!) - Sun., and shred everything up to January 2001 (save last 4 years)
36. Go through old tax returns and accompanying papers, and shred everything up to January 1998 (save last 7 years)
37. Done - Go through 2004 financial statements and any other possibly deductible items to prepare for taxes - Sun.
38. Done - Install TaxCut software and download updates as needed - Mon.
39. Done - Prepare Excel spreadsheet of income/expenses for freelance work - Mon.
40. Done - Do our taxes! - Drafts done - Mon.
41. Fertilize backyard plants in pots and ground
42. Clean front porch bench
43. Pull weeds in front and back
44. Put out ant stakes around front and back
45. Remove 3 rose bushes from the pots they were put into last weekend, cover the pot's drainage holes with coffee filters (which I forgot to do before!), and re-plant them into the pots
46. Move 2 remaining rose bushes from ground into pots
47. Pull out 4 climbing rose plants, package for delivery to Paula, and ...
48. Deliver them to her hopefully sometime this weekend
49. Look at container plants, decide which to keep/transplant/discard, and then do it
50. Clean out gardening cabinet
51. Wash gardening gloves
52. Clean gardening tools
53. Invoice 2 long-time, occasional freelance clients I haven't invoiced for 6+ months
54. Package safely and send Ed his mother's framed pictures - HOLD
55. Wash my car
56. Done - Do something about my printer that doesn't work - like buy a new one! - Ordered a Canon PIXMA iP3000 Photo Printer from Amazon - Fri.
57. Done - Have Mom come over to help me think out sewing the curtains together (first-time that I am!) - Fri.
58. Watch Alias taped Wednesday evening
59. Done - Watch Numb3rs taped Friday evening - Sat.
60. Done - Watch Daytona 500 with Bill on Sunday! - Sun.
61. Done - Go through my email inbox and delete, hold, or take care of messages - Sat.
62. Done - Wash, dry, fold 3 loads of laundry - Sat.
63. Done - Watch The L Word taped Sunday evening - Mon.
64. Done - With sewing machine, make sections in pocket of Bill's shop apron - Mon.
65. Start an Excel spreadsheet for 2005 freelance income/expenses

Additions will be made (started with 31) and put in order for tracking purposes... Because I'm just that way sometimes...!

Hmmm, not a bit of crocheting is mentioned, but I'll fit that in too!

Yesterday I got a lot done... Today I've gotten nothing done. Oh well.

Yesterday... I was up around 7:00am, piddled around on the computer, took a shower, ate a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and skimmed the newspaper; hung up about 20 items of clean clothing piled up on my dresser; stripped sheets off our bed and started the laundry; drove to Oakland where I donated blood; then I shopped at two different Orchard Supply Hardware stores for rose soil, flower seeds, and 3 16-gallon black plastic plant pots; ate leftover Friday night's dinner at La Imperial in Hayward for lunch and watched a little TV; mixed rose and flower fertilizer and poured it over the 5 rose bushes and all flowers in the front yard and pots on the front porch; pruned 9 rose bushes in the backyard, transplanted 3 of the 5 non-climbing varieties from the not-sunny-enough area into the 16-gallon pots, and positioned the pots on the very sunny side of the backyard; ran out of energy to transplante the remaining 2; took a long hot shower; watched TV and continued crocheting hearts for people at work (a project started Thursday evening) while waiting for Bill to come home from work; had a lovely and yummy early Valentine's Day dinner with Bill at Horatio's at the San Leandro Marina (we were seated at the same window table where we sat for our 14th anniversary dinner in September!); with Bill, put the sheets back on our bed; watched some of the pre-Daytona racing events we'd taped earlier in the day and Friday night's taped Numb3rs while I crocheted more hearts; and went to sleep around 10:00pm. I felt busy and productive!

So far today... I woke up around 8:30am, cuddled in bed with Cleo and Bubba until 9:00am, piddled online a little, debated whether to continue working on the roses, decided not to, took a shower, left a message for Paula asking whether she wants the 4 climbing roses from the not-sunny-enough area of our backyard, made pancakes for my breakfast (yes, I actually cooked something!), skimmed through the newspaper, watched TV and petted Cleo and Jasmine who had so kindly plopped themselves on my lap, developed the beginning of a migraine, ate a lot of Cheez-It crackers, took one Excedrin for Migraines pill, tried to nap on the couch and watch qualifying for the Daytona 500 next weekend, helped neighbor Dee register her Entertainment Book online when she stopped by, continued napping and watching TV, gave up napping, went to the corner store to buy a Diet Dr. Pepper (I ran out Thursday!) and bought a warm 12-pack because they didn't have any singles; talked with Bill when he called to say he was still at work and would be there a while longer; piddled online some more; watched TV and drank two cans of Diet Dr. Pepper over ice while finishing the 19 crocheted hearts to take to work tomorrow; and returned to the computer to make this entry. I feel like a tired slug. Bah!

Exciting day, huh?

I wanted to take photos of the red and white Spotted Boxes Lap Blanket I finished last week and post them here, shop for thick fabric or a fleece blanket or something to cover my office window at work, clean the cat hair and dust off the front porch bench, straighten up my home office, file away crocheted patterns recently added to my collection, wash my car, and more.

It's 5:30pm, Bill's still not home from work, and I'm headed back to the TV and my crochet hook now that I've made this fascinating entry about my weekend!

I laughed so hard tears ran down my cheeks! If you're a cat lover, you'll like this Lap Dance (Flash) movie.

Knowing how much I love cats, someone at work sent me this photo which had been sent to her... My cats are grey-and-black tabbies just like this one, but they are too large and clumsy to get on top of clothes hung on hangers!

I created this button for the Red Cross "Give Life" campaign (http://www.givelife.org/). Make an appointment, give blood, give life. Take a copy of the button for your website too!

I've donated blood regularly since December 2002 when I finally got off my duff after years of thinking about it. In July 2003, I learned I have CMV Negative blood which is given to babies, burn victims, AIDS patients, etc.

There was an article in the weekend newspaper about the Freecycle Network (http://www.freecycle.org/) - a free recycling website. I joined a few of the local groups at Yahoo Groups to see if anyone was giving away yarn (they weren't), so I put out a request for free yarn for the lap blankets I make and donate - and I've gotten a few responses!

Let's see... (I'll update with pattern names and photos - sometime!)

Since I began working on blankets again in May, I've completed the following crocheted blankets:

• Plum blanket for living room (to replace the white-and-aqua baby blanket I used as a lap cover)
• Striped scrap lap blanket in bright colors
• Mini granny-squares-in-stripes lap blanket in pastels
• Square lap blankets (2) consisting of one large basic-pattern granny square using brightly colored yarn scraps
• Granny square blanket in dark blues and greens

Hmmm, I've been just a bit "driven" to use up the scraps!

In addition, Bill finished building the backyard plant benches (painted sage green) and made two planter boxes (painted brick red) for the front yard, painted our bedroom, and painted our bathroom. I found time (in between helping Bill repaint our bedroom and "managing" the bathroom repainting project) to spend an afternoon with Mom at Filoli Center in Woodside (30 miles south of San Francisco) where there is a very large and varied garden! I also went plant shopping at Alden Lane in Livermore and got those plants planted.

What will you find here? Photographs of crocheted lap-size and other blankets I've made, as well as cross-stitch designs, paintings, and digital images I've created. Maybe other art projects as time goes on. I have not included my photography in this website, but I do have photography websites at:

• Snapshot Gallery (http://www.snapshotgallery.com/)
• [updated to new location] Tame My Mind - Imagery (http://www.tamemymind.com/photos/)
• Cheryl Lambert Photography (http://www.cheryllambert.com/photography/) (very image intensive)

I began creating digital art in late 1998 when I transferred to California State University Hayward and changed majors from Computer Science to a Multimedia option in Art. I soon added both the Digital Graphics and Photography options. My natural style leans heavily toward realistic scenes, such as those provided by photography without fancy filters and toning.

Painting is new for me. My first painting (other than paint-by-number kits when I was a kid) was made in January 2003. I took a Bob Ross "Joy of Painting" class at a local Michaels Craft Store. It was fun! I learned how to use a few different brushes and mix oil paints.

On April 19, 2003, I took a creative painting class, called "Painting from the Wild Heart" given by a woman painter in Oakland. We used tempura paints (which are water-based) on thick sheets of paper. The object of the class was to let go and and listen to your creative self, not to your inner critic. This is part of my attempt to break free from my realism box.

I've been crocheting since I was a little girl. I learned from my left-handed mother - I'm right-handed so I did what she did backwards. I've made quite a few blankets throughout my life, but have photographs of only a few of those I made years ago. I've been taking digital photos of my recent crocheted creations.

I also did embroidery as a kid, but grew to like counted cross-stitch more and more. I created my own cross-stitch 16" x 20" design of a man riding a stand-up Kawasaki jet ski for my then boyfriend (now my husband) for a Christmas gift in 1987. I have photos of only a few of my cross-stitch projects.

In March 1992, I was diagnosed with repetitive stress (tendonitis) in both wrists and required physical therapy twice a week for 6 months while I continued to work full time. At that time, it was prudent to choose to stop working on my crafts to give my wrists time to rest. So, I put all my crochet and cross-stitch projects away in 2 large plastic containers and placed the containers in the hallway coat closet where I wouldn't be constantly reminded about them.

In 2001 or early 2002 before my grandfather died, my mother made a very colorful crocheted lap blanket for him to keep his legs warm while he was out and about in his wheelchair. It was a big hit at the convalescent home: The colors were eye-catching, the hand-made blanket was a homey touch, and the smaller size (about 35" x 45") of a lap blanket is less likely to get caught in the wheelchair when it moves.

In late September 2002, I dragged out the 2 plastic containers and started crocheting again. I began making lap-size blankets (aka lap robes or lapghans) with the intent of donating them to the convalescent home that had cared for my grandfather. My mother joined me in this effort and together we shipped 11 lap blankets to the convalescent home in Wisconsin. The blankets were distributed during the December 2002 holidays by the managers of the home to residents who did not have much family contact.

I continue to make lap blankets and intend to donate them to a local convalescent home or other care facility in the Fall. I have completed 6 lap blankets and 1 full-size so far this year, each with a different design and different color scheme (since using the same pattern and same colors would be boring!).

I've worn wrist splints on both arms at night since early 1992. I've learned to compensate and work around my wrist problems, as well as a lower back problem that began in August 1996 as the result of a rough small boat ride with my son on Lake Tahoe.

As long as I don't overdue it and pay attention to how my wrists and lower back feel, I've been able to continue crocheting and cross-stitching. They touch something inside me that's been missing for 10 years.

I hope you enjoy viewing these projects as much as I enjoyed creating them. Many are projects I did a long time ago and gave to family members. Others I created when I was completing my undergraduate degree between June 1998 and December 2000. I'm also including my recent projects, including the lap blankets and my attempts at painting.