Domestic Geek

Every sorting quiz on the Internet has the same result for me:

Seen at What on earth is a KariBeri?

Guess who turned 42 today? Duh, ME!

It should be a pretty good day. I don't have to work. Dad's coming over in a bit for some Wii bowling. I may take my free birthday entree coupon from Noodles & Co. over and get some free lunch as well as some free ice cream at either Cold Stone or Baskin Robbins. I've got knitting and crocheting to do. We're going out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse this evening.

We actually celebrated last Saturday. We had BBQ Steak on a Stake over at Mike and Nina's house. We played some Wii - Mike has some really cool game where you knock stuff down. Marcus and I got Mike Rock Band for his birthday. That game is actually quite fun! I had to sing first, but after I got over myself, I actually had a good time. I got the first season of The Big Bang Theory DVDs (I LOVE that show) and a Frank Sinatra CD from Mike and Nina. Marcus got me a new Superdrive and a G5 Jive and an adapter card to add extra hard drives to my Mac. I'm going to install them this afternoon and rip the cd to iTunes to see if it all works. Marcus already ripped TBBT for me and we've been watching them all week on the AppleTV.

I can't believe that seven years later, I'm still getting comments about my birthday being on September 11th. I was at a quilt store last Friday taking advantage of my birthday month discount when it last happened. I had to produce my driver's license to verify my birthday and the clerk commented that it must be tough to have a birthday on "that day." Uh, not really. The only thing that's rough is dealing with the people that make such comments. I admit that my birthday in 2001 sucked. I, like every other caring person in this country (and around the world) was in shock and upset over what happened. Horrible things happen all the time, though, and unfortunately these fall on somebody's birthday. If I met someone whose date of birth was December 7th, I wouldn't say, "Oh, how sad to have a birthday on the same day Pearl Harbor was bombed."

Anyway, off to enjoy my day!

ETA: Heh, Laura sent me this ecard she found:

Yeah, I haven't been in the mood for blogging lately. Can you tell?

I think of things I want to write about when I'm at work and can't. By the time I get home after a 12 or even 14 hour shift, I'm too freaking tired to do much more than check my email and read a few Ravelry forums while I veg in front of the television trying to unwind so I can sleep. On my days off, I'm either too brain dead to bother or I'm busy knitting/crocheting or hanging out with dad. Maybe one day I'll get back in the blogging groove. Until then, I guess it is what it is.

So what have I been up to?

Work. Sadly, that's taken up a lot of time. There are only two people in my department and when the other dude went on vacation the last week of August, I got to cover his shifts, too. Nothing like one day off in 10½ days to burn you out. I can't wait to see what the final overtime tally was when I get my paycheck on Friday. I do know that I'm going to be majorly pissed at how much of it is eaten up with taxes. I also hate my job now. It's not just the new position, but a lot of other crap, too. Also, the guy that used to have my job is such a control freak that he's trying to do his new job and mine, too. I'm so sick of it. Even the $1/hr raise I got yesterday doesn't even begin to make up for the lame crap I have to deal with everyday now. I have really got to figure out what the heck I want to do with my life and do it.

I seem to have recovered from the surgery. I still get pains around the scars, but I hear from others who had the procedure years ago that they still get pains. Whee! It's still hard to get comfortable in bed some nights, though. *sigh* I talked with the rep from our health insurance about how much it would cost to add the coverage that would pay a percentage of my salary if something like this ever happened again so I didn't rush going back to work. It would be about $70 a month and they wouldn't pay out for the first 14 days of missed work. Yeah, I didn't sign up. I would probably be better off just putting money into a savings plan or something.

I've been knitting and crocheting a lot, but haven't finished squat. I have got a case of startitis. I have tons of projects started, just can't seem to make myself finish anything. I also got myself a pattern for my birthday to make a quilted tote bag. I think I'll use the Debbie Mumm Creative Woman fabric I have stashed for it.

We're having raccoon trouble again. Stupid things have been hanging out by our front door. I hate those things.

Marcus got us a new DVR just in time for the new fall tv season.

Marcus and Mike did their annual Pikes Peak climb the weekend before last. Nina, Dave and I went down on Saturday to pick them up at the top. I got some really yummy plums, peaches and Colorado honey at the farmer's market. I got some good pictures with the camera Marcus got me. I'll have to get those posted in the gallery soon.

I had other things to write, but darned if I can remember any now. Like I said earlier, work makes me brain dead. Maybe after a night's sleep, I'll remember the rest.

OK, I've got lots of stuff churning around in the old brain, but none of it is worth its own post, so here's an all-in-one brain dump.

If you're reading this Dave W., Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you had fun 4-wheeling.

Marcus' Mom: Sorry you had to find out about my surgery through the blog. I told your son right after I was admitted to give you a call and let you know. He can be so darned stubborn sometimes!

I've lost almost 30 pounds from my highest weight ever. Wow, I couldn't believe it when I got on the old WiiFit today.Granted, gall bladder surgery and the resulting changes in my diet would not have been the way I would have wanted to lose weight, but I guess the universe wanted to give me a wake up call and I'm grateful. The WiiFit has made a major impact. Exercising with that thing is actually fun. Also, the new position at work has helped. I'm no longer a desk jockey and actually move around on my feet all day. It's murder on the feet, but it's good for the body. I am positive that this trend will continue since I will be able to start WiiFitting again in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of work, things in the printing industry are not going well. Magazines are folding, page counts are down and clients are looking for more economical ways to print or advertise. Rumors of impending layoffs are heard daily, it seems. One more reason I'm glad I took this new position. Not job security per se, but less of a chance of being let go that where I was before.

We were given hats at work yesterday. I'd show a picture, but our logo is all over it and I don't really want to mention where I work on this blog. It's so comfy, I might actually wear it on a regular basis (at work - not out in public).

One good thing about the surgery and the work change - Dad and I can spend more time together. Especially since he's addicted to Wii Bowling.

I found a recipe for crock pot Apple Butter that I want to try. Mom used to make Apple Butter and I've always wanted to make it myself.

Dad and I went to the Stitch N' Pitch Rockies event last Saturday night (photo in previous post). We sat with a women (and their husbands/sons) from my knitting group. Even though the Rockies lost to the San Diego Padres, we still had a good time. I wish we could go to more ball games (since Dad really seems to enjoy them), but damn! Tickets are expensive!

I want more time to knit. All of my knitting friends seem to always be finishing up this project or that - even big sweaters and the like. I've only got 3 main projects I'm concentrating on and can't seem to get anywhere close to finishing. Let's not even discuss things waiting in the wings that I have materials for and am waiting to start until I actually finish something.

I love Freecycle. I've gotten some craft supplies, two parakeets named Luke and Leia and a hamster (whom I need to rename, but nothing is coming to me). Marcus has threatened to block Freecycle. Meanie.

I am writing a post about my hospital stay. I'll publish it when it's complete. Hard to believe it's been a whole month since that happened.

Our Dish PVR died. We're trying to find one, but they're still really expensive. I am hoping we can find one at a reasonable price before the new fall TV season begins. If not, I'm going to be watching a lot of programs on the old computer.

I'm going to have to find a part-time job. Our neighborhood is turning into a Mexican ghetto (as evidenced by the increasing graffiti) and I'm no longer comfortable living here. I feel quite vulnerable and unsafe, actually. I never leave my door unlocked and only leave the bedroom window open at night with a board wedge in it to keep if from being opened from the outside.

Well, that's it for now. I've got to get ready for work. I hate working half days (even more when it's the 2nd half of the shift). Normally right now I've been working 7-1 on Wednesdays, but the other guy had an event of his daughter's that he needed to attend, so we swapped shifts. Going to work at 1pm is not as lame as going into wok at midnight like I was doing, but it's still kind of lame.

I've many times over thanked the universe for bringing Marcus into my life. I know he's my soul mate and when I come across stuff like this on the Internet, it just reinforces my belief that we were meant to be together.

Virgo Woman and Capricorn Man
Virgo woman and Capricorn man share a very good rapport amongst themselves. Both the individuals understand each other fully and will, more often than not, be able to know the other person's needs even before they are voiced. He will help her realize her dreams and she will support him on his way to the top. He will provide her with all the security and safety she ever desired. She will take the relationship just as seriously and will shower him with love and affection. This is one of the best matches of the zodiac!
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