lately

I think the more annoyed or frustrated I am - the less I write openly about them. I have a journal that I write in when I'm overwhelmed (in a good or bad way), and that has been getting more attention than the blog lately.

Mainly - I have been super stressed out by my house/apartment. People moving in/out & figuring out timing of that, calming other people's worries and concerns, sorting out how it will all work to make everyone happy, and people being inconsiderate (work, home, life in general). I need a vacation. Finally - I think we are all set.* Now comes the part where 2 people used to a certain set of rules/lifestyle in the house mesh with 2 who are new to the scene. Let's hope it goes well!

On a personal life note - the Australian 'friend' has yet to visit. He has lots of stuff going on in his work life, but it seems to be coming to the point where he can finally set something up soon. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hopeful. Our last conversation helped me think I will actually see him before Christmas, but you never know. On the same topic - my friends C & J went to NH last Saturday and came home and said, "Kim, do you want a boyfriend?" They met a guy who is friends with someone C knows, and said, he's really cute, and nice. Too bad I have no way of meeting him!

*except the house is 'undone' and unsettled (undone - hooks missing pictures, etc.)

My Favorite Girl

sorry it is shaky. I couldn't stand still. haha.

Our friends @ Dunder Mifflin

Re: Office premiere last night.
I got worried when Pam started making friends at school and showed signs of flirting w/ some dude. . I'm sure they will revisit to add drama, BUT how cute was the proposal in the rain? I heart Jim & Pam.
Did anyone notice Meredith's face was all weird at the beginning? What happened at the end of last season to her? It was cleared up by the end of the episode, w/ no mention of it.
And - poor Toby! I feel so bad for that dude.
On Ryan, only fitting that he is the receptionist after being such an a-hole last season. Don't do drugs, huh? Is he sincerely missing Kelly, or just grasping for something he thought was a sure thing when everything else in his life is up in flames?
Dwight/Angela - strangely perfect for each other. I'll feel bad for Andy when Angela breaks up w/ him.

The Phantom Tollbooth

So on Boston.com there are Readers Reactions to talks of a toll hike.

The Topic:
A proposal to increase toll prices gained momentum today as officials discussed methods to dig the roadway out of a deep financial hole.What are your thoughts on the potential toll hike?
The hike would mean an increase from $1.25 to $2.25 at Allston-Brighton and Weston tolls and a hike by $5, from $3.50 to $8.50 for tunnels.
Would you support this hike? If not, would you consider using the commuter rail instead?
My favorite answer:
- How about some Quid Pro Quo? I'm fine with raising the tolls BUT also eliminate all speed traps.

*Does that make sense to anyone??
And, who remembers the book? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Tollbooth

Ever

feel like things are tilted? Not like you're dizzy, but like the chair is uneven (even though it is perfectly fine? ) I'm hungry so maybe I'm a little insane.

If it's the same thing, then why'd you write "work space"?

The season premiere of the office is on tonight! I love this show and cannot wait for the hour long episode.
Clearly, also love John Krazinski / Jim Halpert.
Funny how it's the little things that make you happy.

rant

I get it - everyone has A LOT going on. Everyone is busy, stressed out and caught up in their own lives. But when you have to deal w/ other people, (which everyone in society does - unless you are a hermit living in a hut in the woods) you have to be considerate.
You always have to look out for #1 - usually yourself, which is understandable. But is it really that hard to consider others for even one minute?

Great Googly Moogly

Recently at work we were talking about favorite ads (of our company and others). One of my faves - Snickers, 'Chef's'

Paranormal State

Sometimes, I do not make the best decisions - such as last night when I decided to watch Paranormal State at 11:00 at night. In my room, in the dark, in an old house. Of course I got all freaked out and kept switching to light hearted shows such as Leno and Will and Grace reruns. But - I wanted to see what happened on the show so I kept going back.

This show is about a group of people from Penn State who investigate paranormal activity that is interrupting people's lives. They were in a house that had a demon posessing it, and they had Lorraine Warren come to the house. Lorraine Warren and her (late) husband Ed are notorious in CT for their abilities as paranormal investigators. Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated the house that was the subject of the Amityville Horror. http://www.warrens.net/index.html

Anyway - on the show they were in two different houses but the same (demonic) spirit was in both places. I'm not sure what to believe on all this stuff, but at night in the dark it gets pretty creepy!

Weird dream

** UPDATE** I told the real life bride to be about the dream and she laughed and said, you know that I'd really say that to you! (about the tattoo)

Saturday night I had a strange dream - It was the day before my roommates wedding (which I am in in real life) and we were all at hotel and then at a dinner. I got a tattoo of a red koi fish(like the picture, but all red) on my right shin. My friend goes, um you better cover that up. I said, it's ok, I can scrape it off. It's not real. And I didn't remember getting a tattoo. Then - I was worried bc I'd have this dumb tattoo on my leg forever and it didn't look good w/ my bridesmaid dress.

Weekend update

Another CT weekend. I went home to help out at the Irish Fest my parents Irish club put on. I spent most of my time picking up/dropping off things in the AM. Then - moved on to giving out wristbands at the beer ticket booth. My friend Jake showed up so I took a break and hung out for a bit. Then some family came, so I sat with them for a bit before I went back to wristbands. It was sort of strange to ask people for ID - esp. when they could be my age! Overall the fest was a good time, but a long, late day. We were there cleaning up til about 12:30/1 am.

Amid the festivities of the day we had a crisis of sorts. My mom and I drove my grandparents home, but when we got there, the front door wouldn't open. Turns out the lock jammed, and we couldn't get in. My dad came to the house, and we pushed the AC out of the bedroom window and I climbed in. Then - my dad climbed in too, because the door wouldn't even open from the inside. After unscrewing the lock from the door and letting my grandparents in - it was back to the Fest to clean up.

I came home to go to my softball game which we lost 10-8. So close! But in the 6th inning, the ref gave us a really bad call - calling someone safe who was clearly out. That out would have ended the inning but instead, they scored again. oh well.

Things you shouldn't be subjected to at work

Ew, so I was in a meeting at work today and saw a gross thing. A guy had on a button down shirt, but NO t-shirt underneath. The buttons separated and - the chest of a co-worker was visible. (not really hairy, but had a random few hairs poking around.) Ick.
I don't get why guys think not wearing a shirt under neath a button down shirt is necessary. Can anyone shed some light?

race to the white house

Ok, so a lot of people have differing views about what is right for the country. By no means do I want to belittle someone else's beliefs, but I think that these debates/arguements need to be waged appropriately. Just be respectful. If people tell me they are voting for or leaning towards McCain, I want to know why. I want to understand what you think, bc I have a different train of thought. But it's just not nice to be rude about other people's choices or beliefs. seriously, let's all be adults here.

planning

Funny how little things remind you that you are growing up and are an actual adult. (besides marriages and babies and buying houses.)
It is getting increasingly harder to gather friends for even a casual get together. I sent out an email to friends yesterday to discuss a possible date for a Holiday / Winter party, and to figure out plans for a friends' bday in November, just to make sure we can all hang out! And, the winter party may have to move to January from it's original December setting due to schedule conflicts. No wonder connections w/ friends die down at a certain point in life. People get too busy with their own thing. It's tough though when people get offended by it. I have been the (unintentional) offender, and also found myself getting a bit annoyed at it at times.
I think it's one thing to just be busy and not be able to pick a date/time that works, but it's another to not even make the effort, or seem to not be into it. It's sad to see it happen to friends, when they give up on someone else because of lack of interest. I guess the whole 'he's just not that into you' goes for friendships too.

Yikes

It scares me that people my age are not informed about the current presidential candidates/elections. (I've realized this through random comments, etc.)
Yesterday in a speech in FL - McCain said that the fundamentals of the economy are sound, even in this tough time. Um, did he NOT hear what happened to Wall Street?? Lehman Bros. - bankrupt, Merrill Lynch - bought by Bank of America, AIG - in serious trouble. He is out of touch.

Also - from the creators of this site:
http://womenagainstsarahpalin.blogspot.com/

"Ms. Palin's political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we've so demonstrably benefited from.
First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters..."

These two are not the answer. If you disagree, I'm intrigued to know why.

oink

by David Horsey, Washington, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Obama in NH

Saturday AM I drove to NH to see Barack Obama speak. I was about 15ft away from the stage! After his speech he walked past the crowd. Close, but didn't get to shake his hand.

A Barack Doll in some baby's stroller
Two of the many pins available
Secret Service/Security on the roof

NOT COOL

and ridiculous.

(AP) Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.





http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/07/politics/main4423486.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4423486

Change We Need Rally

So - I want to go to this -

Change We Need Rally with Barack Obama and Joe Biden
Veterans Memorial Park
889 Elm Street
Manchester, NH
Doors open: 8:00 a.m.
Program begins: 10:30 a.m.
http://nh.barackobama.com/manchesterchange

I'm not sure I will be able to find anyone to come with me. . but if nothing else - it will be great to see him speak.

SI curse?

Tom Brady tore his ACL and is out for the season. Of course everyone at work is talking about it. A co worker said, "It's the curse." Um, the what?
Apparently - there is a Sports Illustrated magazine cover curse, where if an athlete appears on the cover of SI - they tend to get hurt soon after. (well, sometimes) According to an article on sportsillustrated.com (as of 2002) "of all of SI's 2,456 covers, they found 913 "jinxes" -- a demonstrable misfortune or decline in performance following a cover appearance roughly 37.2 percent of the time." Yikes.
On Sept. 1 - Tom Brady appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Sept. 7 - in the first quarter of the game, he is on his way to the hospital. Could be a coincidence, but check out these other occurences :
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/cover/2002/jinx/main/

Has anyone else heard of this?


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/alexander_wolff/news/2002/01/15/wolff_viewpoint/

ugh

After reading my sister's blog about the AP's breakdown of Sarah Palin's lies I am worried. I worry that too many Americans are uninformed, or will just buy the lies from the RNC bc they masked it all in fluff stories during their speeches about their kids, parents and families.

FAQ's on Sarah Palin:
http://www.slate.com/id/2199362/

boston.com forum feedback

A boston.com reader said of John McCain's speech:

"John McCain was thoughtful, eloquent, and his speech was moving... "– Tonylnbv

I wish I could talk to this guy to find out what made him think that.

McCain talked about a couple from Michigan struggling after losing their real estate investments . Wait, investments? Not their house, like tons of other people who have been foreclosed on in the wake of the mortgage issues and economic strain?

The quote:"I fight for Americans. I fight for you. I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market. "

I'm not sure this guy is *fully* aware of the issues that matter most...

Labor day weekend - Newport Irish Fest

Sunday - My dad and I went down to Newport to check out their Irish fest. It was pretty cool, and a beautiful day! The fest was right on the water, and thankfully they had tents bc it got pretty warm out!

This guy will be at the Milford Irish Fest in Sept.

Pouring his own Guinness
And learning how to make the shamrock on top.

And I had to take a pic of the DD sampling truck and Yaris.

Labor day (a little late) - Red Sox

So I'm a blog slacker and didn't update on the long weekend. Oops.
Saturday - Red Sox game w/ Dad! It was his Father's Day present - and his first time at Fenway!

Yawkey Way
Ken Griffey Jr.

national conventions

Watching the DNC, I was inspired, and listening to Obama talk, I felt confident that this was a guy who could change things for the U.S., and change the way things are going right now. The democrats were so poised, put together, and particular in telling me what they believed in, and what they plan to do. I believe they can do it.

Watching the RNC, I'm annoyed. Listening to Palin and McCain, I think - great you are telling me your life story, or all about your family, but what will you do for me? They weren't specific enough or confident enough to make me believe that they can or will change the current mess we have.

more later...

trainer

I signed up for a 'free' session w/ a trainer at the gym. Of course, it was a ploy to get you to sign up for training sessions. And, it worked. Yesterday was my first session with Fred. According to Fred, I only need to do 20 min of cardio at my fat burning target heart rate to get results. Apparently I have been wasting time. Or dreading a 40 min jaunt on the elliptical when I could have done 20 and not thought twice.

Also - I learned that weight training is more important than I thought. I do not weight train. But, when you have more muscle, you burn more calories at rest. (I feel like I learned this somewhere along the line, and promptly forgot to apply it to my own life.) So, now I have a fun little sheet at the gym that tells me what machine to use, how much weight and how many reps. And at least I know I'm on the right track for change, and will have someone to check in with weekly to make sure I'm getting somewhere.

Help with shoes?

I need help finding shoes. For my friend's wedding, I need to find dyeable shoes in a satin finish. (They will be dyed a light gold/champagne color.)
Below are pictures of shoes that are reoommended to look best with the bridesmaids dresses, and that are appropriate for the Oct. wedding date. They can't be summer-y, strappy sandals, and excessive shiny objects are prohibited.(rhinestones, diamonds, rubies, cubic zirconia, etc.)
Any suggestions, preferences, ideas for me?
we were told to look at payless.com, zappos.com, and shoes.com

cute

A friend of a friend has a 3 yr old daughter, who was hanging out while the adults were watching sports on TV last weekend. A Dunkin Donuts commercial came on and before the tagline hit, she said, "America Runs On Dunkin!"
At least we got that one young! ha.