An idle mind*

Recently I’ve had a lot of time to catch up on my (mostly chick-lit) reading. This also means I’m putting all my library memberships to good use (all 4 of them) -
• The library for the city where we now live
• The library for the city where I now work
• The library system for the general area we used to live and work in
• The library system for the general area we now live in

(During one of my recent crazy “putting books on my hold list” sprees, I also signed up for a card at the library in the city where I volunteer a few hours a week. Luckily I later found the same book while browsing one of my “regular” libraries, so I didn’t bother picking up my library card from the other place.)

For a while I kept track of all my books and videos the usual way. They would stay in the backseat of my car till the library emailed me a courtesy notification a few days before they were due. And then, there would be a mad scramble to either read, renew or return whatever I could. Till one day, inspiration (or boredom) struck. Now I have my own tracking system in excel.

The Summary
This is where I get an overall picture of what I have checked out and when they’re due.
From here, I can also link to the library website to check my account. I can also click anywhere in the table showing the breakdown to get more details on those specific items.

The Details
This is a list of all the items I have checked out and when they’re due. The light blue shading is for books I’m done reading and the light yellow is for the ones I’m currently reading.
The purple shading in the “Due Date” column marks due dates that are in the next 3 days.
The pink in the last column tells me I need to read / renew / return those items – it’s a combination of items with a due date in the next 7 days and status of “Not yet started” or “Work in Progress”.
Needless to say, I'm very pleased with myself. I have also realized I might be spending more time "refining" my tracking sheet than I spend actually reading all those books I borrowed!


* is, in my case, apparently an excel workshop!

The timing is not quite right

I was on my way back home at around 5 PM when I saw this sign on the freeway -



Looks like Caltrain has to try harder to convince people to take the train instead of driving.

That's so C....

Z: E, we need to talk. I have to tell you something.
E: Do you want to play my game?
Z: Yes. But I don't like it when you call me that. I want you to stop.
E: But you are......
Z (on the verge of tears): But I don't like it. (to me) Can you ask E to stop?
At this point I'm trying very hard not to laugh. I make a serious face to match the situation and say in my best "grown-up voice" - "E, stop calling Z that. Z, maybe E will stop saying that if you stop paying attention to her".
The word that was causing all the trouble? Cute of course!

Imitation is the best form of flattery?!

Z: I need a tissue.
E: I need a tissue.
Z: My nose is dripping.
E: My nose is dripping.
Z: Please.
E: Please.
Me: Z, here you go. E, you do not need a tissue – your nose is fine*.
Z: Can I have some water? I’m thirjty.
E: Can I have some water. I’m thirty.
Me: (sigh)

A couple of days later, all the other kids are inside for story-time except E & R.
Me: E, what are you doing out here? The story’s about to start.
E: I have sand in my shoe.
R: I have sand in my shoe.
E: No, I have sand in my shoe.
R: No, I have sand in my shoe.
E: Why’re you copying me? I don’t understand why you constantly** keep copying me
Me: (sigh)

* - even though it was coloured black and had ‘whiskers’ drawn near it.
** - a little difficult to believe since it was R’s second day there and that was the first time I saw them both play together

That explains it !

No wonder they call this part of town Paradiso.

Conshohocken

Tiny town, PA.

I got to travel. Between missed connections and distances from coast - to - coast, it took me close to 18 hours to get there. Thank God I love airplanes :)

I made new friends. I'll probably never see them again. I might send them a couple of work related emails. But there is something about being one of the 16 women in a room (of 21 people total) that makes for good camarederie (or however that's spelt)

I had dinner in a fancy French restaurant - it was so fancy French, the waiters even spoke French to each other. My food choices were limited - but who cares when you have five kinds of forks?

I got totally pampered. Not only did D drive me around - he also held the door for me. And entertained me with his stories.

I found out guys can be sappy too. In a good "I'm so in love with my wife I can't wait to see her again" way.

I lost a* an earring while I was there. It was a present from my husband :(

* - I found out I say earring weird - or used to at least.

Arbit and Arbiter

Apparently this is what happens when I'm "Addicted to friends"

I give you some music? Yes?

Lady on the phone: Ich sprache kein Englisch
Me: Ich sprache kein Deutsch

At first she just thought I was mimicking her. After a couple of minutes, she believed I really didn't speak German (well not enough to book tickets at least), I got transferred to someone who knew English.
Who turned out to have the best way of asking if she could put me on hold - "I give you some music? Yes?"

The end

Today's the last day of Nablopomo 2007. And I made it. I posted every day, all November.

And we all live happily ever after. The end.

ps: Next November, if I even talk about signing up for this again, somebody please spank me (twss).

Where I belong

For a while now I've been telling people I like my job and the company I work for. Today I found out why. And no it's not that they pay me $$$$$ (because they don't).

We were watching an important presentation by our company today. And all of us were engrossed. Even though most of the terms they were using didn't make sense to most of us.
But we still watched - I know some people who got up really early (it started at 8 am Eastern time), I know some people who missed lunch.

Some of us even had our fingers crossed when it was time for the vote. And after, everyone was excited as if they personally had won. It was as if all those fingers being crossed had really made a difference.

A few people started walking around, telling everyone they ran into "Hey, did you hear? We got the approval".

That word is what gets me. Everytime. We.

:)

I had a great day today. It was one of those days where you're thinking "it can't get any better than this", when someone gives you a hundred dollars.
All day there were many things that made me smile, laugh out loud, jump up and down, excitedly call my husband...
All day long I was thinking of how I had so many wonderful things to blog about.
Now that I'm sitting here though, I find it difficult to describe exactly why today was wonderful.
Except that I went back to Kickbox Aerobics class and was so happy I did. And someone really did give me $100.

Days of my life

L (Guy I work with): Hey, you ok?

Me: Ya. Why?
L: Well you've not been bugging me much recently - so I thought you were coming down with something.

Me: .....

*****************************

This is a picture of the box my fries came in at lunch today:

At least now I don't feel so bad about all those carbs.

I will survive

Today I went to the gym after a long time. No baby steps of 20 minutes on the treadmill for me. I started with a 1-hr class of Kickbox Aerobics.
For the first 5 minutes, I huffed and puffed and did everything wrong. I spent the next 15 minutes watching the clock - if I can just make it till the hand reaches 8...9...10...and so on. And humming "I will survive" under my breath.
By the time the class was half over, I realised it was actually fun (shhh...don't tell my husband I said that...I do have an image to maintain) to try and be in step with 5 other people. Almost like a dancing class would have been if I'd ever gotten up the courage to try that.
I'm very proud of myself for staying the entire hour, and more importantly, making a promise to myself that I will go back there on Wednesday (whether I keep that promise or not will depend on what my sore back says tomorrow).
For now I'm high on the endorphins and happy as a penguin.

You think I'd crumble
You think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
- "I Will survive" - Gloria Gaynor

Love is a girl's word

As soon as he opened his present, we were the coolest aunt and uncle ever. He gave both of us a quick hug and ran off to show his friends what his "cool aunt and uncle" had brought him.
Ten minutes later, he was back and looking quite upset. And with him four other 6 year olds.
The book we gave him had a "With love from" inscription inside.
His friend explained "Love is a girl's word".
I was speechless. I looked around for my husband so he could give them a man-to-man talk about how love is a wonderful thing and so on.
When I couldn't find him, I spotted my sister in law's husband and thought of asking him to do the honours - luckily I didn't. He was busy looking for a piece of cake that didn't have any strawberry cream on it.
"Pink is a girl's colour", his exasperated wife said by way of explanation.

When 32 is perfect

My husband got the mileage on his car to touch 32 MPG. To put it in perspective, that is the upper limit per the manufacturer's spec. Understandably, I usually stay away from driving his car.

Today I found out I do pretty well under pressure too. We went out and I drove on the way back (3 different freeways and close to 45 miles) and I maintained the MPG (and only told 4 people the whole internet about it)

ps

Just a few things to add to yesterday's list -
A dinner "date" that I even "dressed up" for
A table with a view of the bay
Watching planes land and take off
Talking about everything and nothing
Falling in love all over again

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving

No turkey this year (or any) - but I thought I could still say thanks for:

Just in time

The long weekend couldn't have come at a better time. I mean I know there are many times when by Wednesday I'm so knackered, I wish it were Thanksgiving week. This time I have a laundry list of high-priority things to do - and we're not even talking things like "tackle organize my closet" here -

• Difficult conversations to have
• Accusations to make
• Fences to mend
• Fights to hash out
• Anger to leave behind
• Harsh words to eat
• Owning up to do

It's not going to be easy, but I hope I'm strong enough to do it.

I'm done

Everything that had to be has been said
All the tears that had to be have been shed
I caused the hurt and now I'm in pain
I can't wait to feel the sunshine again

I'm spent. I have no more tears, no more words left. I just want to go lie down and ask someone to hold me. Time to call Mom I think.

A weekend of lessons

• Sometimes men ARE allowed to look smug.
• Loudly giggling at this every couple of minutes may not exactly be the best thing to do. Especially with a husband who's reading this sitting across the room from you.
• In public restrooms of questionable hygiene, open the tap BEFORE you get soap on your hands.
• You know when you're watching a scary movie and you cover your eyes, you have a serious urge to peek? IGNORE the same urge when in said public restrooms of questionable hygiene.
• When you're going to be irritable for something like this - you'd better come up with a "real" reason for that craziness emotion or better still, zip it.
• When you have a "feeling" something bad is going to happen, you don't have to keep pushing things so something does.
• It's ok to occasionally cry over nothing and tell yourself those are "cleansing" tears.
• You look forward to Monday not because you love your job (well maybe that too) but just as a (good) sign the weekend is over.