Maybe It Just Needs A Little Paint

It's sad how long it took me to log in just now so I could post something. It basically means I need to blog more!!!

John is making some minor home improvements to remedy the problem of the various shades of wood we have in one area of the house. So, next time you're over to the house, see if you can spot what he's done!

On Saturday, we're getting some new bedroom furniture. I was afraid to go for the set that very closely matched our espresso-colored living room furniture -- it would have been MOTS. We picked out something that's in between the "traditional" style of the current furniture and my love of the contemporary look. I think this set will serve us well for years to come.

Our Christmas tree is still up. It's so festive! I don't want to take it down. Last year, I bought some new lights (the LED ones) and we strung them up along the banister since we didn't do the tree. They went on the tree this year and they are awesome! So bright and pretty.

That's all folks.

Not Defunct

It's been so long since I last posted that I forgot my user and passcode to get in! How tragic!

It was very difficult to go back to work after a week off /6 days in the Outer Banks. Making it more difficult was knowing I'd be filling in for someone who is on vacation this week and trying to fit my own projects into that schedule. I suppose I ought to be very thankful I have a job (and I am!) and stop complaining. Actually, I like my job -- just not the commute!

Not a lot of pics taken at the beach. I actually need to unload the pics off my camera -- it's full again and each time I need to take a pic, I have to go through all the pics to see which ones I can delete since I don't really remember the last time I downloaded them.

Anyway, we had glorious weather and my face is starting to peel from my time in the sun. With SPF 55 slathered on and reapplied often, I'm glad I didn't burn like I have in the past. It's crazy to think about my late teen years when all I needed was an SPF4 or some baby oil and I never burned. Probably because I spent more time outdoors than I do now...

Now that I remember how to get into this goofy blog, maybe I'll post more often. Till next time...

Move Along... Nothing to See Here...

I wish I could say I've been spending all my time on FB or something, but I can't even use that as an excuse! Sorry for the lack of blogging of late.

This past weekend, the Breton Bay kitchen got a few more cabinets and countertop. There are some finishing touches to be done and decisions about how to patch the wallpaper, but we're all very happy with how it turned out. Pics to come.

TX Longhorns

Met up with the gang (with a few special guests) at Looney's to help BHL cheer on her Longhorns -- at least for the first quarter of the game.

I didn't have my camera, so my celly had to do. It takes a long time for the shutter to go off, so usually people think the picture is done when it's in the midst of capturing the shot. So, you get pics with blurry horn hands.


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Homebodies

Not much going on... lots of weekends spent at home or out and about by ourselves. Today, I finally got around to hemming up some curtains we bought online. They don't exactly bringing to mind the term "chic", but I wasn't willing to spend hundreds of dollars. The look we have going is "little boy's bedroom".
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Maybe some day I'll splurge for the matching bedding and curtains in more luxurious fabrics. For now, this $60 change in decor will have to do.
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In other news, has anyone seen this dude on the left???
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Our big group, hanging out every weekend at a bar to watch sports or someone's deck for a bbq, is now gathering maybe once every other month, if that.
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TRAGIC.
We miss you, our best pals!
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In the Heat of the Moment

Maybe it was because it was the first 90 degree day in a long while and the heat of the afternoon drive. I was almost home, snaking through the side streets. I was approaching a stop sign and a woman, turning left onto the street from my right, cut the corner. She was on the phone, naturally, and I yelled, "Get off the phone!!!" as she drove past me.

I made my stop, and went on my merry way. I was stopped at the red light a couple blocks from my house and there she was! The lady. She yelled, "You ran the stop sign!" I hadn't even arrived at the stop sign when she almost ran into me. I yelled back, "You cut the corner!" but I'm not sure she heard me.

Question is, who was crazier in this situation? Me for yelling at the lady to get off the phone or the lady for circling back to yell back at me?

Probably me... I should be lucky she wasn't someone with a gun and whacked out enough to use it.

Carpet Doesn't Match The Curtains

We had a pretty busy weekend with two parties on Saturday and hanging out with the guys on Friday night. I was happy to hang out at home today, even though it looks really nice outside.

At the CP after Friday Night Dinner at my parents', William was pre-occupied with Singing Drunk Girl sitting at the bar. I think her wide turd cutter was the main focus of his remarks. Sorry I didn't get a picture of that... just the drunk singing part.



Saturday, we went to Jossy's graduation party. (Congrats, Jossy!). Diane graduated from HCC as well with her associates degree. No pics of the party... my camera battery was blinking at me. I really ought to check these things before leaving the house!

The time flew by at the grad party. We headed to Big Head Schlena's birthday luau afterwards. Good times! I met Melanie, who is about 6 months preggers. She babysat little LoLo as a baby. LoLo used to stare at me, probably thinking I was Melanie (she's Filipino - all Asians look alike...) and wondering why Melanie was ignoring him.

I took one pic for Jake:


Hayley and William discussing motorcycles or something.

Today, I pretty much did a whole lot of zippy. I helped John paint one wall of our bedroom. We'll get to the other 3 another time.

While I was watching John do the cutting in part, I remarked that I should look for some new curtains -- maybe something in a beige/tan color to match the carpeting. John said, "Because the carpet doesn't match the drapes?" HA HA HA HA HA.

Lookie Here! A Post!

NOT!

Merrrrr. Just a drive-by.

All kinds of cool stuff has happened during the first month of 2009 but after sitting in front of a PC at work all day, I often don't want my fingers on a keyboard when I come home.

Hopefully, I'll post some of the pics from our group dinner the other week at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring soon. It was delish; can't wait to go back!

I didn't take any pics at William's on Sunday, but we had a great time watching the game. Thanks for hosting, pal!

That is all.

First 2009 Post

Hmmm... I guess it's been a while! Not that we haven't been doing anything - more like I haven't had anything to say. Then, last week, I lost everything on my laptop. Pictures since July, files, favorites, etc. AND I had just downloaded everything off my camera. It was a sucky weekend last week thinking about setting up my laptop again. So, very slowly, I'm getting to it.

What I learned:

[1] I will never laugh at my former manager again. She used to buy a new SD card for her camera instead of downloading her pictures. We thought she was crazy spending money on new SD cards. Look who's the crazy one now!

[2] I should have bought a backup drive. I wanted to get one last year before I got the laptop so I could save my pictures to something other than CD's.

[3] Call Freddy or Sean for advice before using the "recovery" feature. Freddy said he could have hooked up an external drive so it would boot from that and I may not have lost my files.

Well, I'm off tomorrow for the MLK holiday. My friend, Bill, may stop by on his way to DC for the Inauguration. Maybe I'll take him to get some skewers. That might brighten his day a little since his team lost the NFC championship.

Put a Fork In Me

I'm soooo done! One more main event to go in 2008. I think I want to have a very low key New Year's. Maybe have a couple friends over for dinner. I'd be fine if it was just me and Johnny too. We've both been sick off and on since Thanksgiving. As soon as one of us feels almost normal, the yuck comes back.

So, since the last post, we had 12/12, the "company party", Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I didn't take very many pics and will post them soon. After I get over the fact that TWO of the shows I like are canceled. I'm so sad "Pushing Daisies" and "Dirty Sexy Money" won't be around much longer. AND, after 15 seasons, ER is counting it's final episodes as well.

John doesn't really care for my TV tastes much. We do enjoy "House", "Fringe" and "Burn Notice", but most of the other stuff I watch he thinks is trash. And yes, it probably is. That's the whole point, isn't it? I love my television escape!

On this post-Christmas weekend, we're just hanging around the house and trying to clean up the gift-giving mess. Incoming gifts, outgoing gifts, wrapping paper, boxes, gift bags, ribbons, bows, cards. It's almost all put away. It's been a really blah day (and the reason for such a blah post!!!). Maybe more excitement will spew forth a little later.

Raspy

Sorry about the lack of posting. I actually have some pics from last weekend's annual Breton Bay Thanksgiving After Thanksgiving, but it's been quite a sickly week in the J&J household.

John was sick last Friday, through the weekend and the first part of the week. I must have caught the bug sometime mid-week. Friday, my throat was a little sore. Heading home from the pub that night, my throat must have decided it didn't want me to go X-mas shopping over the weekend. I could barely talk on Saturday (spent the day in my comfy flannel penguin jammies!) and yesterday, I sounded like someone who had a 2-pack-a-day smoking habit for the past 30 years.

IN OTHER NEWS
If you haven't heard, Twelve 12 is being hosted this year by Nate & Linda. Not sure what time the festivities will start, but Freddy says he'll be contacting everyone with more info later.

(Updated later to add: Festivities begin at 12 til 8:00 (7:48 PM) on 12/12. Please contact N&L to see what foodstuffs they might need you to bring).

N&L hosted the first 12/12 I ever attended. Sadly, there were only 11 people at the party that time, cursing us with a year of bad luck (so the legend goes). With 12/12 being a Friday this year, there's no excuse for a bad turnout!!!!

Best wishes to everyone for a phlem-free week!

Just Right

If you’ve ever picked up a women’s magazine with an article about finding the right bra, you’d know 85% of women are wearing the wrong bra size. 85%??? Sound awfully high, doesn’t it? After chatting with some of my co-workers about this topic, I think part of the problem is we don’t want to believe we are as little or as big as the measuring tapes tells us.

As one who has been struggling with finding the right bra after they discontinued the bra style I wore pretty exclusively for the first 15 years of my bra-wearing life, I’ve been searching for the next “It” bra. I’ve tried on bras in all styles searching for the right one. My needs are simple -- it should be wireless with straps that don’t fall off my shoulders and preferably, with a front closure. A few years ago, I found a pretty good replacement for the dearly departed Olga bra of my youth. It was a less expensive Maidenform line sold at WalMart. I bought one to try it out. I returned a week or so later and bought two more. Then they were gone. Why do they always discontinue styles that are comfortable? A bonus for this bra was the straps were convertible.

John, aware of my unhappiness with the bras I own, kept urging me to get measured professionally. Maybe it was the size I was wearing and not the bra itself, he suggested. I’ve measured myself many times, so in that regard, I didn’t think I was wearing the wrong size. It was really just finding the right style. Believe me, I have a drawer full of bras as evidence of my quest. And some of them are actually not that bad. Even the ones with underwires.

I once bought one at Kohl’s on sale (of course!) because it was a bright turquoise and lime color. It is a brand worn generally by teens and I didn’t try it on before buying. It was cheap enough that if it wasn’t the greatest, I could toss it into the “wear when everything else is in the dirty laundry” drawer. It’s actually pretty comfortable for an underwire bra. The problem is the straps fall off my shoulders. And the little plastic ring that connects the strap to the bra makes a squeaky noise when I move. I call it my “squeaky bra” when I wear it.

So, back to the bra size part of this story... There’s a little specialty bra shop next to this restaurant we like. Every time we go to the restaurant, the shop is closed. They carry mostly high-end brands, (we’re not talking $700 or anything) but more expensive than what I would generally pay. I’ve been meaning to stop in for a while to get measured and finally went on Saturday. Surprisingly, I was wearing the correct size!!! I tried on at least 30 bras and ended up buying two different styles. It’s exhausting trying on that many bras!

One of the bras I tried on was $120.00. I gasped when I saw the price. Maybe the words, “Holy Crap!” escaped my mouth too. It was a pink gingham material, so even if it fit like it was custom made for me, there’s no way I would have purchased a pink bra.

Anyway, I’m glad I went and got measured and found I was in the right size. Like any clothing, I just have to try on a lot of different styles, even if they don’t look like they’d fit or be comfortable. Take it from me -- stop fussing with that yucky bra, go get measured and don’t be embarrassed if the tape measure says you should be in a different size than what you think you are. Life’s too short to be uncomfortable!

DSM Marathon

It's such a do-nothing kind of day... I ought to be sorting through all the junk downstairs that need to be put back since moving it to make way for the new carpeting. Instead, I'm watching a "Dirty Sexy Money" marathon that ran yesterday and I DVR'd. The pilot was on the soap channel yesterday morning and suddenly, I was sucked in.

Last night, John & I went to a little dinner party hosted by Freddy and cooked by Maria. It was a fun evening, despite my run-ins with two wine glasses. I somehow managed to knock over two wine glasses, and I wasn't even drinking, really. I had half a small glass!

Basically, I'm a klutz. The first one got knocked over when I was trying to sit on the floor and I nudged the little side table near where I was planting my butt. It's a small, unstable little cabinet. The glass was too close to the edge. Wine all over me! Luckily, the sweater I was wearing was the same color and blended in fairly well. The second one broke when I was trying to refill the Brita. Someone else's glass was on the edge of the kitchen counter and my elbow caught it.

It seems like we (and by "we", I mean our goofy group) used to do this kind of smaller gathering much more often. Even if it was just to grill out, watch a game or play cards. Over the years, with people moving away, getting married, having kids and such, we've grown apart in some ways. The dynamics of the group have changed, but the dinner last night left me wanting more occasions like that.

Maybe this fall will bring more gatherings, even if I have to take matters into my own hands! Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Chirp Like a Pirate

Avast! My matey and I are heading to southern Maryland Friday afternoon to check on the house and hopefully try out the new fire pit we bought! We may even check out the St. Mary's County Fair too! Come join us if you've got no weekend plans!

Let's Face It

My cousin's wife sent me an invite last month to join Face-schbook so she could share pics with us... but it doesn't seem like she's on there anymore. Oh well. I have 2 friends so far. Tragic.

John and I are finally getting new carpeting on the main floor and wood treads on the stairs in the coming weeks. The beige construction-grade carpet installed when John bought the house has seen better days, especially in the high-traffic areas. Hopefully, what we've selected will wear much better and not show stains as much.

Through family (and Thai) tradition, I tend to take my shoes off when I come in the door. John likes to trample his elevator oil and dirt stained shoes through the house. Would it be wrong to make him put on those shower cap things over his shoes?

Anyway, hope everyone has been enjoying August. I will try to update more very soon. Toodles!

So Bitter / So Sweet

Bitter:
This is me... sitting second in line for over half an hour waiting for the cops and tow trucks to clear out the 5-car pile up in the tunnel yesterday on my drive home from work. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I had something to knit while I waited and if I didn't have to pee.

Sweet:
This is one of my anniversary presents from John. It's huge, buttery soft and fantastic! I *heart* red leather!

(beer bottle for size perspective)

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Hot, Hot, Hot

Whew! When is this heat going to break?

It's been a full weekend. I'm wondering where the time went! Friday, of course we had dinner at my parents'. And "Dinner B" at the Corner Pub. William, Freddy, Nate, Mo and Nikaya joined us. We met a cute couple sitting at the table next to ours. They live within walking distance from CP and were good sports in joining us for a blueberry bomb (red bull and blueberry vodka) and an Irish car bomb.

Saturday seems like a blur to me. John took my truck to get an oil change in the morning. We ran to a few stores looking for a small laptop mouse and USB keyboard. Later in the afternoon, we went to see "Iron Man". So cool. I'm a goof for techy gadgetry and heroes and special effects.

How 'bout that rain storm that pushed through Saturday night? It started hailing right when we were about 5 minutes from home. I was hoping the lumps of hail were teeny and not golf-ball sized. It would be really tragic to have huge dents in John's new car after owning it less than a week!!!

Sunday, we headed up to Burtonsville hoping to find a buyer for the Corvette. We got there a little late, so folks were heading home very shortly after our arrival. There must have been a few car clubs there -- Corvette and Mustang. There were a number of Ford GT's, Lotuses and of course, old classics. Later that evening, we celebrated Lena's birthday at Mi Rancho. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LENA!) It's been quite a while since we were there. They stuck us in a really hot basement room. But the food and company were fun, so no complaints really.

John and I are still trying to figure out when to have our annual Chumado/Anniversary/4th of July party. It's looking like September at this point. Mainly, we want our families to be able to attend. Between kids going off to summer camp, elevator guys being on call and unbearable summer weather, September is looking better and better.

Stay cool and have a great week!

Is Everyone Home Watching AI?

After getting a pedicure tonight, in preparation for our weekend at the Outer Banks, I headed over to Rita's to get a Misto to surprise my hubby. They had his favorite flavor, Mint Chocolate Chip. I knew this because Johnny gets an e-mail alerting him when our local Rita's has his flavor in store.

When I got there, it was deserted. It's summer. Every other time we've been there, it's been packed! I basically discounted the emptiness to the rain. As I cut through the Targhetto parking lot, I noticed there weren't very many cars parked there either.

It dawned on me tonight is the A.I. final. I'm hoping David A wins. I saw him audition and thought he'd go pretty far.

Two more days until the BEACH!

You Spin Me Round

John told me William was mad I don't blog anymore. Merrr! It's not that I don't want to blog, as I've said before. I just wasn't so inclined to do it.

So, about this spinning thing. I recently suffered through a bout of VERTIGO. It's been about 6 years or so since I had this. If you've ever had any kind of inner ear imbalance, you know how much it SUCKS!

I felt OK Tuesday when I went to work, but about 2 hours into my work day, I was dizzy and had a huge headache. I got home at 12:30 and went straight to bed. You know it's bad when you're laying down and you feel dizzy! I could only lay my head to the right and pretty much was in the fetal position all day. Too nauseous to eat, I just slept. By 10:00 PM, I was able to sleep on my left side. Woohoo!

Yesterday, not feeling quite 100%, I stayed home and was a couch spud all day. Today's ride to work felt like I was in a boat on the Chesapeake Bay. I think I'd rather be hung over than have vertigo again! Unfortunately, there's not really much you can do besides wait it out. I think this bout was caused by my allergies. The past two times I've had it were accompanied by the flu.

That's all the news I've got today. Actually, there's more to blog about, but I'll share more later.

Reunited

Tonight, John's high school class is having a casual "reunion" at the Greene Turtle. The actual class reunion is later this fall. I like that they're having a casual thing. I know my brother's class had a pre-reunion thing at the Corner Pub. There were some pictures published online and it was kinda cool to see how people turned out.

So, as usual, I've written a bunch of posts, but haven't gotten around to posting them. There was the one about how my Dad got me on April Fool's Day. And a funny thing that happened at work the week following my co-worker's wedding. I'll get those posted soon, I hope.

Friday, I drove the Corvette to work. It was a nice day for a drop top. Things I learned while trying to look cute in a convertible:

[1] Sunscreen. Get it, use it. When I first got on the road to head home from work, I tied my hair up in a ponytail and put on my shades. I forgot the part about the sun having no roof to stop it from burning my forehead, leading to #2

[2] A snug-fitting hat. Did you know the wind likes to push down on the brim of a baseball cap? The hat kept the sun out of my eyes, but also hindered my peripheral vision. I kept hoping it wouldn't blow off too. Wish I had tried it on, adjusted it and put it on before I got on the highway!

[3] Odors. I'm just glad I didn't get stuck behind a pig truck or something! And luckily, there weren't too many diesel fume spewing vehicles on the road either

[4] Guys cars like to show their "superiority". Actually, this one doesn't pertain to being in a convertible, but more to the fact that some guys who drive sports cars like to make sure you know their car can take off from a red light and beat you to the next red light. It was a nice Friday afternoon. I was enjoying my drive and had no interest in proving how fast the Corvette could go

Well, gotta go take a shower and prep to meet people I don't know. Actually, I can probably be assured John's friend, Al, will be there. He's the big social link between the class of '83, it seems.