Wow - I am despondent about my niece right now. She currently is not presentable and not employable material: obese, acne ridden, snaggle-toothed, bad hair and worse clothing, and oh yeah, illiterate. How could she give herself less of a chance of making a living? By getting her tongue pierced. Jesus fucking Christ.  I guess this is fine if her plan after graduation is to change diapers for $8 an hour and live at home for the next decade or so. I really am hoping for her, and more from her, but that may be wasted energy.

After a month of taking extra careful care of myself, I still got sick. Hard to avoid when patient zero lives in your house. So now the hubby and I are stuffy together. Our social quarentine continues - I have missed two parties and a baby shower in the past three weeks. The plus is I have watched/dozed through several great movies: Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago, La Vie En Rose and last night - Slumdog Millionaire. We went to the early showing for our Valentine's date. Fantastic movie - a great example of how to tell a story, and that good story-telling transcends culture and language. A good story, well told, reminds us how amazing it is to be human and be alive, no matter how hard it is.

I have downloaded Intro to Biology from MIT and purchased my text book from Amazon. In a week or so I will begin discover if I remember how to go to school. If the answer is yes, next step is to meet with admission counselors for nursing school - Part time, of course.

Everyone have a snuggly, fun and safe new year!

My venture into the craft market was a success! My in person sale more than covered my expenses! Next step is an esty account to see if they sell without people knowing me as the designer. Whoo hoo!

Poop! Some of the EP football fans have been planning a party for the Pats-Steelers game next Sunday. Our version of the Super Bowl, and what it should be every year. But, the NFL and TV folks moved the Falcons game to 4pm. Fuck. Black-out of all other games, includng ours. So, no party. Bummer!

Our neighbor Gary joked about our street a few weeks back. It is the antithesis of a party street. Instead of folks staying up late, loud music blasting, cars coming and going, it pretty much shuts down at 10pm. He said you had better go to bed right then, because the yard work begins promptly at 8am on Saturdays and 10am on Sundays. Not what most Alpharetta-living white folks would think of an 85% black neighborhood. Everyone's yard always looks nice, and the holiday decorating is growing - yay! I had better get out there. : ) Has it hit 40F yet?

Our Christmas shopping has stayed around the same amount for years, just shifted. I no longer buy for my immediate family because they have everything and are crappy givers. It was easy to offer to stop the exchange - my mother commented that year (in March!) that she would probably send checks for Christmas since it was so much less of a bother than buying personal gifts. Nine months before the holiday. Then even checks was too much effort. Ugh. I send gift packs Up North, and hit the holiday clearance sales for the guy's immediate family since they also have everything and we know what we will get for Christmas when we see the latest "only on tv" kitchen gadget. Really. To keep the peace, I do get them nice tokens, but the financial expenditure is as low as possible.

The effort goes to our two nieces and three nephews. They are all good kids and deserve a fun time, new things they need and new things that help them dream. We called Matthew and Brandon this week and requested their lists with the threat of an all-Patriots Christmas if they don't send it down. They are Giants fans.  Jordan will get her own pay as you go mobile phone. And Harmon and Cara are all set: fun gifts from the crafters at Yellow-Daisy festival at Stone Mountain.

ACS participates in the Salvation Army angel program, so each year I also buy for a child in need. This year I have a six year old girl whose name reminds me of my best friend in elementary school. Her dad is a chemist and a total nerd, God bless him - he named her Kimistri. On purpose! She goes by Kim. This little girl's name is Chemica. Probably not the daughter of a scientist;  I hope she turns out to be as awesome a person as Kim.

My two fun projects right now are Duvet for New Bed and Bookmarks. There is not a lot out there right now for bedding that the guy and I can agree on and that meets the requirement of me not throwing up if the cats throw up on the duvet. What is with all the grey, brown and cold hued blues?  And I love Calvin Klein but the kitties will barf on the bed and it will hurt a lot less if they barf on a $60 or less duvet rather than a $200+ duvet. Arg. Waiting for the new winter inventory...

I decided to try my talents and test the market at our work holiday craft show. My bookmarks for the Valentine Party were so well received I am trying a non-Valentine design to see if I can actually sell them. Once my paper arrives it will be time to go ribbon and applique shopping. Whoo hoo! Very fun for me. : )

Okay, a little deep. What to express my hope for the Tuesday election? I made a bargain with the Powers Friday - I will give up a UGA win over Florida if Obama/Biden can will the election.  But I did not mean a hang-my-head-in-shame slaughter! Damn - be careful what you wish for! Hopefully this means the opposite "score" on Tuesday, with Obama and Biden winning by a landslide in both the popular and electoral votes.

It's a special kind of indigestion - the one caused by sinus drainage. I love fall, but damn. I hope I can recover by staying in tonight and be able to enjoy Saturday and Sunday, instead of losing another two days to being an energy-less, urky slug on the couch like last weekend.

How fun! While hostessing today  at Thumb's Up in East Point, a very cute tall black guy came in with a beautiful girl to have breakfast. The guy looked really familiar, and I was wondering if we went to school together at some point. Then the recognition of his smile and braces hit me after I seated them at our last available (and crappiest) table- it's Michael Knight, finalist in season 3 Project Run Way! I got up the guts to say hello and congratulate him on his way out - his is a very very nice, modest, appreciative (and of course TALENTED) guy. I hope he knows how proud people in Atlanta are of him and his success.

Whew! Yes Virginia, it does pay to network a lot within your organization and stretch beyond your assigned responsibilites. After a two-week reapplication process I was offered an opportunity to return to the Society. It's a step back title-wise, but I achieved my goal which is to stay with the American Cancer Society. I am now the Administrative Specialist with the Epidemiology and Surveilance Research department. I am on the SR side, working with researchers in Health Services, International Tobacco and Cancer Occurrence. Knowing that the economy will not pick up 'til 3Q 2009, and the non-profit world does not feel the change until six months later, I will be in this role at least long enough to learn how to run a research shop. Cool.

With this immersion back into Smart People World, I am literally dreaming of going back to school again, but still don't know what. Nursing? and what kind? get my Master's of Public Health? possible. Get a PhD in health economics? maybe. I need to do some career counseling type things to pick a speciality beyond administrative management. Which I am very good at, but I want to make more money.

My week of severance paid vacation was a perfect decompression tranistion time. For Labor Day the guy and I saw Mirrors (sucked) and spent the evening with friends at The Brake Pad. I finally recovered the dining room chairs and they look really nice. Not quite as eclectic as what I was thinking, but they are pretty, comfortable and brighten up the dining room. I went to lunch with a former co-worker for her birthday. I slept in. And I spent ALL Thursday with one of my garden club friends at the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain. Alice and I had a blast doing early Christmas shopping and enjoying a beautiful end-of-summer day at Stone Mountain.

So I can breathe again for a minute. Yay!

LJ silliness on a Friday afternoon while doing laundry and watching HGTV. Whee!


WHAT IS YOUR NAME? scoutfinch

4 LETTER WORD: scan

BOY NAME: Samuel

GIRL NAME: Sophie

OCCUPATION: seismologist

A COLOR: saffron

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: sunscreen

BEVERAGE: scorpion at Trader Vic's

FOOD: Spinach

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: soap

A PLACE: Scotland

REASON FOR BEING LATE: so many people took the train

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Surprise!

No matter how dainty I try to be, I still eat like a barbarian returning from battle. 

 I am the budget queen for our tiny department. Plus, my research areas have some mutual exclusivity from my boss's, so he's like -whatever, looks good, when I tell him I want to attend whatever conference. This year I attended the America's Health Insurance Plans conference in San Francisco to round out my research on the health care business model. I have heard the good news from providers, employers, payors and public health - now we wait to see who wins the presidential election and how the Massachusetts plan continues to perform.

Anyway - AHIP was in San Francisco! Finally I got back to the original West Coast city! And got to visit Chason and my cousin Laurie! It was great. I was not shy at all about contacting Chason, but I was a little nervous about getting in touch with Laurie since we have not spoken since we met in 2000. My family is weird. But, happily, lots of them are cool and we picked up right where we left off with a little help from her sister/my cousin Krissy, who lives in Dallas (of course). Hooray for the internet and cellphones. 

So on top of the work geek grooviness of thousands of protestors outside the convention hall, meeting some great co-workers from MidSouth Division, and offering to test a smoking-cessation module on my husband for a potential business partner, I got to have a great visit and dinner with Chason and Laurie. Chason drove down from around Petaluma and picked me up from the hotel. With the nifty map god GPS, we drove over to pick-up Laurie and got a pretty tour of the city. (Not like the Tenderloin district, where I got lost that morning walking to the convention center. Yikes! not used to getting yelled at as I walk by. ) Laurie lives in the Height Ashbury area. She is a photographer and her career, after many dedicated years, is coming together for her.  We had dinner at a yummy middle eastern place with great food, cusions, belly dancer and hookahs. Very fun! The Height has gentrified since 2000, but it still is its self. And it was so great to see them both just talk about everything. Can't wait to get back, with the guy, and spend some quality time roaming the city and skeet shooting in the wine country with Chason and Laurie.

 Met and married my husband.

Maybe because the weather has been so lovely, but I am wanting to revel in the summer this year instead of hole up in the AC and wait for it to be over.  Could also be that the household is in a goog place collectively and I am relaxing a bit? Dunno. Does it matter the reasons why for a positive frame of mind?

After almost three years at my current job, and me greatly expanding my position beyond the original job responsibilities - I got promoted! Yay! And a big jump in title, too. After much rigamaorle of my boss and the big boss's assistant fighting losing battles with the HR compuer systems, HR, with many apologies, has taken over to get it processed. I should have the officialness of the decision by the end of the month. 

This helps balance the very worrisome fundraising results of FY08 and the global economy in general. We will have to be very creative in how we do our jobs and meet Mission, because any old, resource-intensive method will not be possible. Rise to the challenge is motto for the year. That, and don't worry; enjoy the present day.

We cashed in my horde of AMEX points to give ourselves a luxe vacation this year. It will be almost two years since our last vacation - the long weekend to Tampa last year to oogle the Patriots does not count. Puerto Rico! Six days! Only two items confirmed on the to do list: golf and rain forest tour. Whoo hoo! 

Lemke received a clean bill of health for his 16th year. The guy said - so how much money did we spend this time on that damn cat to confirm he is moody? Not too much - it gives me peace of mind that the #1 kitty is iving a comfortable life.

Ah, so that's why I have too much money. I need to pay the mortgage. : )

And then, time to make the first cut in the birthday decorator fabric and create some beautiful dining room chairs. Later, neighborhood cook-out and fireworks in the East Point Commons. Happy Independence Day!

I took my measurements for the first time in a long time to order a bathing suit. Holy crap! I started yoga in the knick of time. I know what size I wear and am eating less to change it, but wow. It will be great to have curves in the middle again. 

Things I have done:

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins - tame dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
6. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states.
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - does Montana count?
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them - only at a bar
66. Visited Japan
67. Bench pressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theatre
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better - never used Windows
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Sword fought for the honour of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy (At least, that's what they told me)
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Member of Congress
132a. Had them write back
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ... more than once?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a TV game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than US states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them - because I wanted them
183. ... and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196. Dyed your hair - duh. Hello Three - 13 Salon.
197. Been a DJ
198. Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199. Written your own role playing game
200. Been arrested