Not Me! Monday

Another week, another Not Me! Monday.  

This week, I did (not) accidentally buy a rotten pumpkin to carve.  The innards were (not) brown instead of orange.  I was (not) sad that I couldn’t roast the seeds.

I did (not) set the jack-o-lantern out on my porch on a small table… right under the roof downspout.  It was (not) filled with about 3 inches of water when I went to light it Halloween night.  The top was (not) soft and did (not) cave in during the night.  I did (not) throw the jack-o-lantern away first thing the following morning.

I did (not) go to a Gopher’s football game this past weekend.  It was (not) like stepping into an alternate reality.  It was (not) the first time I’ve ever heard “rah” at a football game (it’s part of their song/chant).  The school song does (not) end with everyone spelling Minnesota.  Goldy Gopher (the mascot) did (not) have about eight wardrobe changes/Halloween costumes.   It was (not) cold enough that I ended up wearing all the layers of clothing I could find – plus hand warmers and a blanket :)

Now head over to MckMama’s blog to see what everyone else did (not) do this week.

Not Me! Monday

Finally!!!  Notice the lovely picture :)  It’s Not Me! Monday time again.  Head over to MckMama’s blog and see what everyone else did (not) do this week.

I did (not) finally get internet at my apartment.  I have (not) already lived here for three months and have just now signed up.  Internet at home will (not) get me blogging more.  I think.

Friday evening after a lovely dinner with friends, I did (not) bail on hanging out with them after dinner so I could go back to my place and watch Glee on Hulu.  I do (not) love Glee and would not spend a perfectly good Friday night watching episodes on the internet that will be there later. 

Not Me! Monday

I did (not) think that I had the button corrected this week. I did (not) get a rude awakening upon hitting "post" and realize that it wasn't working after all :(

This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This will (not) be a little catch-up post about my vacation which was (not) really, really fun! I did (not) spend a bunch of time with my sister and her kids. This did (not) include lots of cuddle time with Lynae, my newest neice who arrived 09/09/09. She is one of the most adorable babies ever! :)

The "Week of Wedding" at Disney was (not) amazing as well. I did (not) lose my camera charger while moving and was not able to take any pictures. I did (not) have a great time with all my long lost Florida friends at the wedding. Said friends did (not) repeatedly try to convince me to move back to Florida. They did (not) get me thinking that maybe I should look into it.

I do (not) have to pack up and go to DC again this week. I am (not) becoming an expert at packing just the neccessities for a week trip to DC. I do (not) know DC better than the neighborhood I moved to in July. I will (not) be staying in the world's smallest hotel room again because it's the closest hotel to the office that has availability. They do (not) charge $1 per square foot per night for the room.

Blogging does (not) get put on the back burner when I'm busy, so I hope things will slow down soon so I can post about the things I've promised.

Vacation and a Brick Wall

Yep - I went on vacation. For two weeks. I went back to visit my family in Florida including my new niece and attended a friend's wedding.
I got work calls on 8 different days while I was gone :(

And I came back to a harsh work reality. Not just an I've-been-gone-for-two-weeks-my-work-has-been-piling-up -while-I-was-gone reality, but a New-financial-systems-launch-this-week, Big-project-that-I-thought-I-was-finished-with-(twice)-needs-more-work, Welcome-to-budget-season-you-need-to-have-it-in-the-system-and-locked-this-week, Quarter-end, Government-fiscal-year-end-so-all-contracts-end-and-start-new-and-oh-yeah-you-need-to-create-the-invoices-for-them, can-you-do-this-work-I-said-I-would-do-while-you-were-gone-but-never-really-intended-to-do, can-you-price-this-deal reality. All of this is something that is either due this week (and I haven't completed it yet) or due next week. Like running smack into a brick wall. Grrr.

Maybe the weather is making me cranky. The first night I got back it was in the 60's, but since the high has been closer to 55 and it's been rainy. So much for getting out and enjoying fall.

Ok. I'm done whining. Back to work. More to come about my vacation soon. You know, when I get a chance to blog again!

Crazy Product of The Week

This one doesn’t appear to be too crazy…..at first. It’s a lounge chair made of cork it only looks like cardboard.

Nothing too crazy yet. Here goes – it’s currently on sale… for about $3,000… down from about $5,000!!!

Woah!

Click here for all the info. You know – if you want more info on a piece of furniture most of the planet can’t afford.

Vacation

If I can just survive this week at work, I will get two weeks off! (minus the time that I have to log in from vacation).

You would think that having vacation to look forward to would make the week go faster. So far that's not the case. Too much work to do to prep for vacation. And lots of work to do when I get back to make up for the work missed on vacation. What is the purpose of a vacation if you don't really get time off, you just spread it into the week before and the week after?

Sometimes I miss the days of working at Target or Bath & Body Works because anyone could do my job when I missed work (not that I ever missed work!)

Hmmm... I need a vacation!

Fall

Labor Day is the unofficial start of fall. I love fall - sweaters, apples, pumpkins, halloween, seeing the leaves change and fall, fall festivals, visiting the wineries...

Welcome Fall!

Our Nation's Capital

I visit Our Nation's Capital more and more frequently lately. When I moved to Minnesota and started this job, I was told that I would be traveling infrequently (twice a year maybe?), but since we have a Florida office as well, I would probably end up there once a year. Not bad - a free flight and the ability to extend my trip for a family visit.
I have been at this job for about two and a half years. For the first year and a half, I traveled about four times a year. Mostly I have traveled to Our Nation's Capital, but I did go to the Pennsylvania office once.
In the last year, I have traveled to Our Nation's Capital much more frequently. Mostly due to the BIG project I've had on my plate (that you'll note I've finished a few times because of requests for revisions). I am again in Our Nation's Capital today heading back to Minnesota. This trip was unexpected - I had about 24 hours from when I found out I needed to come and when I needed to arrive. This is my third trip in about a month. So much for infrequent travel.
I have not yet visited the Florida office.

With the exception of one trip to Our Nation's Capital (when I attended a training, not a meeting), I spend most of my time in the office. We work long days, and there is usually work to be done back at the hotel after dinner. The extent of my sightseeing is looking at the monuments out the office or plane window.

Now that the big project is done (at least for now), I have decided that I should be taking some more time to see the Capital while I'm there. Any suggestions on what to see if I only have time to see it after 7pm? Since we're moving towards winter, it will be dark soon after 7. Maybe one of these trips I'll be able to stay through the weekend!

I'm told that we are planning a meeting at our Florida office. I'm not holding my breath.

I would have liked to stay in the Capital over the holiday weekend, but I have tickets tonight for the Vikings vs. Cowboys game!

Not Me! Monday

It's Monday again. I have done nothing towards getting the links/pictures in one place so I have them for today. I also have not

This week I did (not)
- take a day off work to go to the State Fair
- take pictures at the fair of the butter carvings. In butter, they carve the heads of the Dairy Princesses. I think they're called the Princess Kay of the Milky Way.
- pet a newborn pig
- eat some food on a stick :)
- pack in a van with 10 other people to go see a friend's new house
- have the luau pizza at Chatterbox (very good!)
- bike 23 miles in one day (on my new bike)
- get onto the wrong trail and go an extra four miles on the bike ride(was supposed to be a 19 mile bike ride)
- put together a bike mount for my car (still needs work - it was shifting a little on my drive this morning)
- read two books
- reserve at the library the sequel to one of the books and two others by the same author
- drive around with the library books for three days and not return them
- find a dress for my friend's wedding (finally)
- find shoes for the wedding
- make margherita pizza - complete with fresh mozzerella - at home (it was just OK)
- ate pizza 3 times this week

Not Me! Monday

Another week has (not) gone by without me even thinking about posting. I am (not) starting to wonder if blogging is really my thing. On to what did (not) happen this week.

I did (not) finish my big work project... again. That's right, this was (not) a re-do of my earlier project that was completed in February. When printed, my piece did (not) fill a six inch binder. Six. Inch. Binder....Full.

This weekend I did (not) take a well deserved rest. I did (not) skip out of work early on Friday and attend my conference call Friday afternoon from the mall. I did (not) spend hours at the mall on Friday and only come out with clothes for my nieces and nephews. Clothes shopping for kids is (not) MUCH more fun than clothes shopping for me. I am (not) planning to spend more time clothes shopping for me soon so I can find a dress for an upcoming wedding I'm attending.

This weekend I did (not) run errands on Saturday, decide the weather was too nice to run errands, return to my apartment and head out to the pool to read. I did (not) finish that book on Saturday evening. I didn't finish the errands (really, I didn't).

Sunday I did (not) go kayaking with friends in the smallest little lake. In an hour we did (not) go around it about eight times. I have (not) decided that I really like kayaking and will definitely (not) do it again. Although if I were to do it again, it would (not) be on the chain of lakes because I most certainly did (not) get bored going around and around in circles for an hour on the tiny lake.

After kayaking, I did (not) meet my friend at the bike shop. That did (not) turn into me getting a new bike. I then did (not) take the new bike for a spin around one of the lake (larger than the kayaking one). I do (not) love the new bike :) I am (not) planning bike rides for every weekend until the weather gets bad.

I am (not) slacking on taking pics of the new place that I have now lived in for officially one month. I have not yet hung up anything on the walls besides the clock that isn't working after the move.

I am (not) posting because I feel unmotivated to work. Chaulk it up to the extra hours I've put in recently.

More later (or maybe next Monday).

Not Me! Monday

Yet again I am creating this post on the fly and do not have the picture or a way to link up to MckMama's blog (who started Not Me! Monday), but here goes:

I did (not) almost promise to do a "real" Not Me! Monday next week complete with logo and links before realizing that I am 75% sure I would break that promise and should not make it.

I do (not) only blog when I have free time, and since I've had some surprises come up with work, I have (not) ignored blogging, reading other blogs, etc. This is (not) also in addition to not having internet at home.

I did (not) discover that I can hook up to internet at home this weekend while attempting to get my work done without going in to the office. I also did (not) eat at Panera yesterday just so I could use their internet.

I did (not) injure myself jumping out of the back of a golf cart this weekend. I am (not) that much of a clutz that a simple thing like getting out of a golf cart (even if it was one of those built like a dump truck) would be something that hurt me.

Paramedics in the office first thing on a Monday are (not) concerning to me. I was (not) impressed by the swiftness of the security team as they ushered in the paramedics. The CEO did (not) arrive at the same time as the paramedics. What a way to start a week! (I have learned that the person is OK and is just being observed. No idea what happened).

I was (not) so excited to finish my big work project late last night that I immediately started checking my calendar to figure out when I can take a day off. I love every minute of my job and love giving them all my free time as well as the regular work week.
I did (not) decide this morning that since I have at least a few committments every day this week, that I would attempt to just take a couple of afternoons off instead. I do (not) look forward to my time off that much that I would start planning to shorten the week on Monday morning.

I do (not) work about a half mile from one of the largest malls in the country and do (not) refuse to shop on the weekends during school shopping season (is that a season?) This is (not) contributing to the need for time off.

I did (not) finally pick up a converter box this weekend. I was (not) excited to finally have TV again. It's the little things in life.

Not Me! Monday

I'm again without my computer and files, so I'm posting this on the run. Here's what this week did (not) consist of...
- Attending 38 hours of meetings in four days
- Sitting for 6 hours on planes
- Working at my desk in MN 5 hours
- Waking up 3 hours earlier than normal
- Spending one hour going to get my new cell phone - in Arlington - I missed internet too much to wait until I got home
- Taking a 2 hour nap Sunday afternoon
- Seeing Julie & Julia - it was OK
- Wine tasting at the St. Croix Winery
- Eating out for every meal
- A massive grocery trip
- Leaving my lunch at home today.

Hopefully more time to write coming soon!!

Not Me! Monday

It isn't an official Not Me! Monday, but I have been on hiatus for a while, so here goes. In the last week (or maybe ten days) I did (not) do the following:
- welcome my parents to MN
- sign the lease for a new apartment
- move me into the new apartment
- go to the park to see the Pops Orchestra
- see the Art Car Parade
- listen to the orchestra play my baby song (Oh What a Beautiful Morning from Okalahoma)
- fly to DC for a last minute meeting
- fly home from DC
- turn in the keys to my old apartment
- go to Historic Murphy's Landing
- get called away from Murphy's Landing for a last minute work conference call
- drop my parents off at the airport for them to head back to FL
- work
- work
- happy hour for my 30th birthday
- work
- 18 mile bike ride (on a sucky bike - I thought I was going to die)
- Birthday night out - dinner and the dueling piano bar
- bike shopping (so I don't die next time)
- realize the tonado sirens also go off for severe thunderstorms
- let some crickets into the apartment while bringing in the patio futniture (I have a patio!)
- clean up after the cat when she ate, then threw up one of the crickets
- work
- head back to DC

I am (not) currently sitting in DC again. For the second time in a little over a week.

I do have a few new things to post about, but they will have to wait until things settle down a little.

Today...

is my golden Birthday :)

Just a Quick Note

I've been super busy lately - work and home. I just moved and don't have internet access yet (I'm taking a quick break at work to post this) so I'll update more once I'm all settled in and have internet!

Not Me! Monday

Another week has (not) gone by. With work being busy and me hunting for an apartment in the evenings, this week did (not) go by really quickly. I have (not) been slacking on blogging and did (not) think about skipping Not Me! Monday this week.

This week I did (not) successfully find an apartment (again). This time is with a complex instead of a private owner, so I’m (not) confident it won’t fall through. I will (not) post pictures once I move in. I have (not) started the countdown to moving and then realize how much of a pain it is to change my address.

I did (not) go to the drive-in movie theater this weekend. It was (not) the first time I went to a drive-in since I was about 8 years old. Even though the movies were (not) ones I would normally pick (Transformers and Star Trek), I did (not) have a lot of fun. I am (not) already trying to plan going back next weekend.

This weekend I did (not) completely skip doing the laundry. I will (not) have to be creative for my clothes for work tomorrow. Maybe I should (not) stop blogging now and go start a load.

Head over to MckMama’s blog and see what everyone else has (not) been up to.

Crazy Product of The Week

This one is kindof funny, but I wonder who thought of it. It’s a ball for dogs that has a tongue on it.

They have it in different sizes – for large or small dogs.

Not Me! Monday

Another week has come and gone.  There is a HUGE list of things that I did (not) do.  I will (not) bore you with all of them. Here’s some of them.

This week was (not) really, really long.   Work did (not) entail putting out one fire after another.  I am (not) complaining about work in a public forum.  I do (not) enjoy the work I do – that comes out wrong when I turn it around.  I DO enjoy the work I do.  Typically.  Most weeks.  Most parts of it.

New topic.

This week I did (not) find out that the perfect townhouse place I planned to rent is (not) going to work out.  Grrrr.  So I am (not) back to apartment hunting.  I do (not) hate apartment hunting.  Maybe if I repeat it I’ll believe it.  I do (not) hate apartment hunting, I do (not) hate apartment hunting. 

I do (not) really like using the strikethrough.

I did (not) attend my first pro baseball game this week.  Twins vs. Astros.  I did (not) have to practically beg to get someone to go with me.  All my friends did (not) have other plans for Father’s Day already (Happy Father’s Day!)  It was (not) a really good game anyway – even thought the Twins lost.

There are a LOT of other things that I did (not) do this week, but I promised I would (not) bore you with them.  Head over to MckMama’s blog to read about all the other things that were (not) done this week.

Crazy Product of The Week

This must have been created by someone with hate in their heart.

It seems like a cute little singing chicken, but according to the website “Aren't chickens annoying with their clucking and flapping? Imagine one that clucks, flaps, waddles and dances the Chicken Dance to music! So annoying it makes you want to grab the Crazy Cluck Chicken by the neck and lift him up while doing his wacky little Chicken Dance Go right ahead, the Crazy Chicken will quawk and cluck like crazy, flapping his wings wildly as if he is gagging and choking! Set him back down and he continues to dance and cluck! Hilariously funny! Great fun for parties or just plain crazy times!”

Now, I had my sound turned off when I found this (and I didn’t want to turn it on to test it out!) Oh – and they advertise this as “It’s Time To Choke The Chicken”. That means something completely different to me!

Not Me! Monday

Another week, another Not Me! Monday. I am (not) writing this late evening on Monday. I was (not) too busy visiting with my sister to write it on Sunday night.

We did (not) spend the whole weekend sleeping in, shopping, and visiting. During her visit, I did (not) take multiple pictures of a baby giraffe (check out those knobby knees),

a chipmunk,

and a sea lion (who saw my camera and stopped to pose in front of me)

and forget to take a picture of us together until I was dropping her off at the airport this morning (I’m on the right)

That’s all I’m (not) admitting to this week for Not Me! Monday. Head over to MckMama’s blog to read about all the other things people did (not) do this week.