| Chores Trump Situps Any Day of the Week |
[16 Jul 2008|05:46pm] |
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No gym this morning. Apparently when I add "go to the gym" to my schedule, I forget to do laundry. Alas, I am out of clean clothes. Thus no workout today.
Yet, I haven't gotten much in the way of chores done. John ran a load of whites this morning, and I am just now getting around to folding them and running another load through the wash. I think from the moment I got up this morning, I've been working on soap-related stuff. Website updates, photos posted in my soaping journal , listing items in my Etsy shop, receiving shipments. It's been one heck of a day!
I also reserved a slot in the Category Showcase on Etsy for the first time, too. My Showcase is scheduled for Friday starting at 12:01 am and runs for 24 hours. It is a nifty feature, and hopefully it will get me some extra exposure.
Right now I'm about to do some dishes, as I can't see my kitchen right now for all the equipment and dishes waiting to be cleaned. And it all piled up in less than 48 hours! *sigh* I need a dishwasher. BADLY.
Tomorrow begins the Carpentry Marathon, aka two days of working on the spare bedroom, then a four hour shift at Habitat for Humanity on Saturday. After our shift ends, we're coming home to shower, eat, and nap, then it's off to Raleigh for Brooke, Kyle, and Allie's Inferno Party!
And, because I love you all and you are DYING for wedding-related photographs, I went through our files this morning to find some we had taken with our camera.
( Enjoy. . . )
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| Thank Goodness for Fridays |
[11 Jul 2008|07:10pm] |
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mood |
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 drained |
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Or something like that.
I am so wiped right now it's almost tragic. Why? Because I don't feel like I've done much today. John has done much more physical labor today than I have, yet we are equally worn out.
Three loads of dishes, two loads of laundry, cooked a meal, about to cook another. Cut a batch of soap. About to make another. Probably will play with my new M&P molds.
John has managed to empty 75% of the spare bedroom and get the first layer of insulation tacked in across the ceiling. How is it that he and I are both so tired when he has clearly done more work today?
I have no idea.
You know, I think I will make more bath salts tonight instead of playing with melt & pour. *shrugs* We'll see how I feel after I make dinner.
Speaking of which, teriyaki beef doesn't cook itself.
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| Gratuitious Self Promotion |
[10 Jul 2008|12:10pm] |
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Ha ha! Made you look. ;)
I found this photo on the back up drive while I was working on website stuff last night, so I thought I'd share. This was taken at the beginning of this year on my birthday.
As John puts it, "Oh, noez! That's the Evil Johnny! You can tell because he has a goatee."
*smirk* Classic South Park humor. Thanks, honey. :)
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| Ice in July?!? |
[10 Jul 2008|11:50am] |
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mood |
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 sleepy |
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Yesterday was pretty interesting on the Bizarre-O-Meter. John called at 5 pm to say that he had gotten done with work early, so could I please hurry up and meet him at the gym so we could get a longer workout in than planned?
Oh, sure, no problem! Only was is elbow-deep in olive oil and vegetable shortening, measuring out ingredients for my next batch of soap. *sigh* I scrambled to finish measuring and put the dirty equipment away. In my haste to put away the container of cocoa butter, I knocked a half-full bottle of root beer flavor oil onto the floor. Right. Next. to the dogs' food bowls. *sigh*
My home now smells like old root beer, and not in a good way. Thank goodness we keep kitty litter around for when we pet-sit cats for people, or I would have been SCREWED.
Next, I had to dispose of nearly a fifth of a bag of dog food due to the oil and broken amber glass. *sigh*
The weirdness stopped after I got to the gym, and we came home to have dinner. John made an excellent Chicken Parmesan stuff with fresh and smoked mozzarella. Probably completely blew all the good I did at the gym an hour before hand, but meh. I don't really care.
Then, after John dragged me away from the computers at midnight (I was doing web-site work. Remember what I said about I never really stop working?), he went to clean the filter in the AC wall unit in our bedroom. While toweling off in the bathroom, I hear, "Oh, honey, you're so smart! You put used dryer sheets on top of the air filter AND behind it, too!"
"Um. . .no. No, I really didn't."
"Then what's. . .HOLY CRAP!"
I race out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to find him gingerly touching a huge white mass that has formed over the coils in our air conditioning unit. Turns out, the coils of the unit froze over due to all the extra moisture coming from outside. (We've had a HUGE amount of rain in the last week or so here in Central North Carolina.)
So, sleeping last night was a bit uncomfortable, since we had to shut the unit off and let it defrost. We're going to play it by ear and see how it does not that it has thawed out, but thankfully we have two more spare units in the front barn that we can replace it with if necessary.
And the laughs just keep on coming in our house. Yep. ;)
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| OMG SQUEE! |
[09 Jul 2008|08:33pm] |
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 energetic |
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I just updated my soaping journal because I was so excited about being mentioned by name in another soaper's blog that I just had to share! Check out my other journal for details!
*squee!*
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| Forgot Something |
[09 Jul 2008|02:03pm] |
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mood |
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Is there a way to make writing thank you notes magically go faster? Seriously?
*sigh* It'll have to wait until tonight. I've got soap to make!
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| Things I Learned from This Weekend's Party |
[08 Jul 2008|11:41am] |
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1: Our friends are AWESOME!
2: The average lifespan of a dayshade bought at Home Depot? Seven years.
3: Tell people there's booze in the fridge, and they'll handle getting it doled out. No hostess required.
4: Rainstorms and power-outages will NOT stop my friends from having a good time at a party.
5: Babies are great conversation starters.
6: So are dogs and puppies.
7: People find alternative housing absolutely fascinating.
8: In a pinch, microwaves are just as good for making s'mores as a bonfire.
9: Did I mention how awesome my friends are? :)
Saturday's party was a smashing success, even though it rained like a big dog. Just as people began to arrive at 4 pm, the sky opened up. Then the power went out. And then a dayshade in the front yard collapsed in on itself due to the weight of the water collected in the canvas. The downside? NOT. MY. DAYSHADE. EEK!
The power went out before I had a chance to take a shower, so John had to entertain folks on his own while I grabbed the emergency water containers and attempted to bathe in less than 5 gallons of water. (I succeeded with 2 gallons to spare. Take that, Greenpeace!) And naturally when I was about to exit the bathroom I realized all I had was a towel, because I had left the bath robe in our bedroom. *sigh* Bashful I am not, so I exited the bathroom and marched to the bedroom to get dressed, waving and smiling and greeting people as I passed them. This garnered more than a few giggles and facepalms, but no one seemed to care. Much.
Later, while Kitty was helping me figure out our new Emergency Weather Radio that Wendell and Cindy Hammock gave John and I at the wedding, a funny thing happened: She opened the box and the power (magically) came back on. Go figure. Who needs a backup generator when you have Kitty and a box?
There has to be a cat joke of some sort in there somewhere, but I'm pressed for time. Feel free to insert your own. ;)
Lots of people showed up at the house, and at any given time there had to have been about 30 people in attendance. And thankfully ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) ridikuluss and evilkorean weren't terribly upset about their dayshade dying in our front yard. Ridi and I came to an agreement for making amends, so life is good.
My work day starts in less than two hours, so I have to get a move on. I know I had more to write concerning the party, but my brain has moved on to something else. I suppose I can post more later on when I think of it.
Ciao for now! :)
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| Item Sale Pimpage-Magic the Gathering Collection |
[07 Jul 2008|06:39pm] |
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My fellow artist pearlandopal is selling off one of her massive collections of Magic cards. I know some folks who would be interested, so I thought I'd share the love. ETA: Shoot her an email if you want to make a bid: pearlandopal AT gmail DOT com
Copy and paste of her post below:
One big item here, guys. I've kept this collection around for years and years simply because some of it came from people I care about, but I'm just not using them. $1500+ worth of Magic cards, all neatly categorized by expansion and color and alpha. I'd like them to go to a good home, so if you're interested, make an offer (yes, I'll consider significantly less than the price below). Here's the original ad I posted on Craigslist:
Large Magic: the Gathering card collection for sale! Commons, uncommons, rares, and foils.
This set would make a perfect start for a collectible card game beginner or addition to a collector's archives. Most cards have been played, but are all in good condition. Foils are in mint condition.
Over 3,700 cards, mostly old-school, including Unlimited, Revised, core sets 4-7, Arabian Nights, Fallen Empires, The Dark, Tempest, Urza's Saga, Mercadian Masques, Mirage, Unglued, and more! All cards are categorized by expansion, color, and order.
This fantastic deal also includes storage boxes, thin and thick individual card protectors, 50+ card protector sheets for three-ring binders, and deck boxes.
Check out the entire collection at http://essentialmagic.com/users/profile.asp?ID=80870. (Click on My Collection, check the box that shows cards owned, then hit Begin Search to see the cards.) I'll send an Excel file with all the data upon purchase.
Asking $900, a fraction of the collection's value! Will consider other reasonable offers as well.
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| Anniversay Shoutout! |
[07 Jul 2008|02:06pm] |
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Happy first wedding anniversary to _good_kitty and her adorable husband Splendid. May your day be as smashing as the two of you are. :)
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| *huge sigh* |
[02 Jul 2008|10:29am] |
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People really need to learn the meaning of the word "RSVP". Srsly.
What is so hard about clicking "yes," "no," or "maybe" on an Evite? It's not like I sent out wedding invitations again! No little card to send back, not having to worry about postage, NOTHING.
I know for a fact that some people we invited will be out of town this weekend, so they are off the hook. But everyone else? COME ON!
I'm not mad or anything at anyone in particular. This just makes it very difficult to plan for space and food. Drinks we've got covered. Well, I think so, anyway. Two batches of sangria, one red, one white. My Orange-Pineapple Paradise Punch, which I am doubling the recipe for. (Those of you who attended our wedding shower might remember that stuff.) Wine has never been an issue at our house, so that's covered. Jeff is donating liquor from his (very large) collection. Harris Teeter had a "Buy 2, Get 3 Free" sale on Pepsi 12-packs, so Jeff and I each bought 10 packs yesterday. And that's not counting what we've got in the house already.
Oh, and low-sugar lemonade mix. Yeah, I think we've got plenty of that.
If I count all the "maybes", we're looking at just over 30 people of varying ages and walks of life for this weekend's get-together. If I don't count all the "maybes," we're looking 22. Do you see how this can be frustrating when you're trying to buy food for a party?
*another sigh*
Well, no use whining any longer. I've got work to do.
Later days.
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| Military Covering Up Suspicious Deaths in War Zone |
[01 Jul 2008|09:35am] |
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This article is just the tip of the iceberg, as it were. As a military brat who didn't enlist (couldn't pass physical: thyroid), I follow this stuff pretty much all the time. And this in particular bothers the hell out of me.
Read up and see what you think. Personally, I think the higher-ups need to stop sniping at each other in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and do something about all this. The laying of blame for this war is for another time; keeping our soldiers, sailors, and airmen safe from the enemy and (apparently) each other is much more urgent. I mean, how can they keep us safe if they have to look over their shoulders for one enemy and to their left and right for another?
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| Dear Evite |
[30 Jun 2008|02:58pm] |
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Please go die in a fire, as all the kids say.
Does anyone know how to delete a Party Checklist once you've started creating it? The interface on Evite is working my last nerve, and I'm about to punch my fist through the wall as a result. I just want to start from scratch with my to-do list, and it won't let me!
GRRR!
Help?
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| July 5th Get-Together--Music Roundup! |
[30 Jun 2008|12:31pm] |
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To those of you who are attending the July 5th party this Saturday, I need your input! Music requests and ideas are needed ASAP. My brain is so full of party prep information and business to-do lists that I'm at a loss.
Pretty much anything goes, though there WILL be one or two children in attendance. Please keep that in mind, because I don't want angry parents at this function. Srsly. Angry parents give me hives for which there is no ointment.
Also, if you suggest/request something I don't have, would you consider burning or saving it to disk and bringing it with you? I suppose I should recruit someone to act as "DJ" but I'm at a loss as to who?
And finally, if you have not received an Evite for this shindig but are pretty sure you're supposed to be there, please, please, PLEASE speak up. You know I'm easily befuddled these days, so it was probably just a silly mistake.
That's it for now. Comment away, people! ;)
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| What the HELL is it with people around here?!? |
[26 Jun 2008|02:37pm] |
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mood |
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pissed off |
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WARNING: YOU'RE IN RANT COUNTRY
Is there some new social trend emerging where going to your neighbor and talking through your problems with him/her just isn't "done" anymore?
As many of you know, two of our dogs were shot at the beginning of the year. A neighbor, rather than coming to us and saying, "Hey, your dogs keeping breaking through the fence and wandering into our yard. Could you please do something about that?," just decided to shoot two of my dogs, knowing full and well that none of them has a history of violence.
In the last 9 months or so, we've been having problems with our mail here at the barn. Missing packages, mail being bounced, or delivered to the wrong house. I think I've found out why. The new mail carrier came up to the barn today to give me a package from John's father. We got to talking, and he let me in on a little secret: Our "file" at the post office has 'ATTACK DOGS' written all over it, along with instructions not to come up to the house itself or deliver packages to us, but to simply leave notices in our mailbox.
Apparently, sometime in the 2 years we've been living at this address, one of our dogs supposedly attacked a mail carrier.
Excuse me?!? It would have been nice to know this BEFORE NOW. And while we're on the subject, if that had actually happened, wouldn't we have been brought up on charges by now?!? I mean, what the ever-loving FUCK people?!?!?
If this new guy hadn't said to himself, "You know, I want to see for myself what the deal is with this mail customer," I would NEVER HAVE KNOWN that this is the current belief about us and our dogs at the post office.
I will have someone's ASS on a SILVER PLATTER for this. I run a BUSINESS out of my home. I rely on supplies and payments through USPS more than any other shipping service. And this explains why one of the mailmen was such a jerk last fall. I was on the phone, calling the dogs inside, and asked him politely, "Could you please put the package on that boulder over there? I have a client on the phone and I don't get reception outside."
His response? "You can come out here and get your damn package, or you can go down to the post office and collect it after I've finished my run for the day. Your choice, lady, but I'm not getting out of my car."
*screams of frustration*
Whatever happened to having the decency to actually TALK to people you have a problem with? Is everyone so damned afraid of confrontation that they just think ignoring a problem will cause it to magically disappear?
What the hell am I supposed to do now? I very well couldn't have fixed the problem since I didn't know it existed, now could I?
I am SO not having a lot of faith in humanity right now.
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| Psst! Magpie! |
[25 Jun 2008|09:27pm] |
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John's office is hiring rightnow. He can hook you up, if you are so inclined.
Email or message me and I'll get the ball rolling. Seriously.
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| Announcement: Soap Sale! |
[23 Jun 2008|06:19pm] |
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energetic |
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I just announced a soap buying special over at my soaping journal, zeedancingpanda. It won't last long, so click on over and check it out!
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| PSA--Info for New Readers |
[21 Jun 2008|01:09pm] |
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It has come to my attention that I have some new friends on my list. I'd like to take this moment to say welcome, and thanks for finding me interesting. :)
FYI, I also have a soaping journal, zeedancingpanda, which is were I try to keep all my soap and business-related journal entries. It doesn't always stay there, but please feel free to friend that journal if you're interested in my soap-related life. :)
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| Chapter 3: The Main Event! |
[19 Jun 2008|04:23pm] |
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mood |
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cheerful |
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Taking care of the post-wedding explosion that is my house has turned out to be harder than I thought it would be. Our living room is wall-to-wall packages and bags right now. We spent a good hour opening cards and documenting who gave us what at the reception. The kitchen counters and table are stacked high with travel paraphernalia, and the sink is full. While we were gone, I kind of forgot about the frantic days leading up to my leaving for Jacksonville. Oops. *sheepish grin*
Now, back to the story telling. :)
( Saturday, also known as 'W-Day' )
If people want, I will post about the day following the wedding, but only if you really want me to.
Later days. ;D
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| The Nuptial Adventures of Johnny and Mandy |
[16 Jun 2008|10:47am] |
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Continued. :D
I have to tell you, writing about this has been difficult this morning. I'm so overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of what went on that it is taking me forever to write these posts. I honestly did not realize how big this event was going to be until it actually happened. I mean, 115 sounds like a large number of people, but you really don't grasp how huge a turnout that is until you see all of those people crammed into a ballroom. :)
And with that, ( Friday's happenings. . . )
And Chapter Three: The Main Event! will follow soon! ;)
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| Good Morning, World. |
[16 Jun 2008|08:28am] |
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What have you got for me today? *grin*
So. . .yeah. We're back home. And the afterglow has yet to wear off. I hope it never does. ;)
I'm sort of in a strange state at the moment, because I've been up since 6:45 this morning. I think I'll start with the events leading up to the reception on Saturday to explain why.
For the unfamiliar, John works for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Information Technology Services department. Wednesday night, his immediate boss, Ingrid, called him, Jimmy, and Efrain into her office for a little pow-wow. Long story short, she was supposed to go to a week-long security training seminar in Durham this week, but due to events beyond her control she cannot go. So, she decided to send her top three ITS desk jockeys in her stead.
I can't remember the name of the certificate you get when you're done with this training, but the series of classes usually costs $4,000 a person. John, Jimmy, and Efrain are getting it for FREE.
This is going to do WONDERS for John's career at UNC. One, John gets bored very easily with repetitive tasks, so getting out of the office for a week is definitely appealing. Two, he loves learning in general, so he doesn't mind the extra work. Three, the more certificates he has, the more responsibility he'll get and thus be less likely to get bored at work. Oh, and he'll get paid more in the future. :D
The seminar runs from 9 am to 7 pm from now until Saturday. The only hitch is that he had to be at the conference in Durham at 8:30 this morning. This was after four days of family, friends, and lots of socializing, running around, and dancing. Needless to say, we're a bit tired. But I got him out the door with time to spare this morning, so it all worked out.
But, back to a more chronological re-telling of events. That was Wednesday. I think I might actually break this up into multiple posts so people can read about it without their eyes crossing.
Right. ( So, Wednesday and Thursday. . . )
That's it for now. Next installment of "The Nuptial Adventures of Johnny and Mandy" to come shortly!
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