Lark is "practicing" guitar. My iPod is blasting Stevie Ray Vaughn in my ear. In fact he came in to tell me what he discovered on his stomp box and I didn't even hear him.
I'm in somewhat of a better mood tonight than last. No epiphanies, unfortunately.
My day:
>Euros arrived today...one step closer to Europe vacation.
>25 days until Mexico cruise. Lark tried on his tux and it fit. I tried on my two nice black dresses and they fit, so we're good to go.
>Signed more papers for probate on my mother's house. Someday I may own it. Found out that the courts are charging an extra $365 because it rolled over to 2009. Arnold's got to find that money somewhere.
>Also was told I have to file taxes for my mother because her estate was still open in 2008 and again in 2009, but I may be able to write off the court fees. I'm going to let the attorney do them since that is part of their fee - anything having to do with the estate, including selling the house.
>Found out that my driver's license is showing expired, except I know I sent in the registration and check. I just can't find the stub. I have an appt at DMV tomorrow to hopefully straighten it out. Now that's an oxymoron - Calif DMV and straighten things out. Words that don't normally appear in the same sentence.
>Almost done with my Greece layouts. My goal is to finish them before the Traveling Girls vacation. Then Kona.
>tests came back on the fluid in Vicki's moms lungs. No cancer cells, but the fluid isn't going away. They've taken her off the chemo and are going to "make her as comfortable as possible". At least Mary has retained her sense of humor. She told Vicki that "in other words I might just as well bend over and kiss my sweet ass goodbye".
>Kathy had to redo her mammo because they found spots. Then she had to have a test where you lay face down on a table with your boob in a hole and they pull on it and do xrays and biopsies. Don't know which is worse - having your boobs smashed during the mammo or stretched through a hole. Luckily, tests came back negative. Calcifications only. Thank God.
I'm done now.
.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
MONDAY!!!!!!!
bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep. That's my take on my day. Budget meetings & I don't get along. Especially when I spend 3 days putting the documents in yet another format and all I get is "this can't be right".
AARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Then Lark comes home and starts moaning about his day. I let him get most of it out then put a moratorium on work discussion for the rest of the day. There was even a time that I was searching for a baseball bat and a toilet.
Tonights dinner menu...Crunchy Cheetos, Ben & Jerry's Heath Bar Crunch and Budweiser. Sounds like a balanced meal to me. Add in a possible chemical enhancement and I'm going to be doing just find in an hour or so...maybe not even that long.
I hear the Giants are courting Manny Ramirez. I can get behind that. I'm going to disregard that he spent part of the season with the Dodgers and just pretend he will be coming, if all works out OK, from Boston. The Giants have already signed old fart Randy Johnson, but he can still scare the hell out of opposing batters. Hell, anyone 6 ft 7 and that ugly standing on a pitching mound has got to be a scary sight. Take a look:
More when I'm in a better mood, or I get an epiphany...whichever comes first.
.
AARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Then Lark comes home and starts moaning about his day. I let him get most of it out then put a moratorium on work discussion for the rest of the day. There was even a time that I was searching for a baseball bat and a toilet.
Tonights dinner menu...Crunchy Cheetos, Ben & Jerry's Heath Bar Crunch and Budweiser. Sounds like a balanced meal to me. Add in a possible chemical enhancement and I'm going to be doing just find in an hour or so...maybe not even that long.
I hear the Giants are courting Manny Ramirez. I can get behind that. I'm going to disregard that he spent part of the season with the Dodgers and just pretend he will be coming, if all works out OK, from Boston. The Giants have already signed old fart Randy Johnson, but he can still scare the hell out of opposing batters. Hell, anyone 6 ft 7 and that ugly standing on a pitching mound has got to be a scary sight. Take a look:
More when I'm in a better mood, or I get an epiphany...whichever comes first.
.
Friday, January 2, 2009
It's January
Well Lark & I both managed to stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve. Had a glass of cheap champagne (have to support the local winery) and went to bed. Spent the first mostly sleeping, but did manage to make the traditional chili.
Research on Spain & Portugal:
Lisbon & Seville - temps average mid 40's to mid 60's in March
Madrid & Cordoba - temps average upper 30's to low 60's.
Bring layers.
Euros - worth about $.70 US. I ordered 165 euros from Wells Fargo's Internal Exchange site for $243.00.
Itinerary (we signed up for every excursion and the extension):
Day 1 - Flight to Portugal. (ave 14 - 17 hrs from the West Coast with one stopover; 10-14 from the East Coast) Yucka!
Day 2 - Lisbon - land, get settled in hotel,free time.
Day 3 - Guided sightseeing tour of Lisbon, recall the great explorers from Portugal’s past as you stroll the riverside Belém precinct, and visit Ajuda Palace, a former royal residence. Travel through the narrow streets of the Moorish Alfama district, along the Tagus River, and into the Barrio Alto.
Fado Evening - Spend the evening at a traditional Portuguese tavern listening to the beautiful and haunting strains of fado music, arguably the oldest urban folk music in the world.
Day 4 - Lisbon - excursion to Sintra, the crown jewel of Portugal’s Atlantic coast and a UNESCO World Heritage site.Visit Sintra Palace, which once served as the summer home of Portuguese royalty; its two chimneys form a distinctive feature in Sintra’s skyline.
Day 5 - On to Seville - stop in Moguer to tour its Roman amphitheater. Explore the town's culinary offerings for lunch, and be sure to take in the Christopher Columbus Museum. Arrive later today in Seville, the capital of Andalusian Spain.
Day 6 - Seville - guided tour of Seville - behold the intricately tiled pavilion of the Plaza de España, visit the Alcázar, built by Pedro the Cruel in the 14th century and later the home of Prince Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Visit Seville’s opulent cathedral which occupies the site of a mosque built by the Almohads in the 12th century.
Venture into the nightlife of Seville and a Flamenco Evening. Experience the exciting aura surrounding flamenco dancing. A unique dance form, flamenco combines guitar playing, singing, clapping and dancing.
Day 7 - Seville - Spend a day at your leisure in Seville. You might choose to climb the 230-foot-high Giralda Tower or stroll through the gardens of Maria Luisa Park. Or pay a visit to the majestic 18th-century bullring, one of the oldest in Spain.
Day 8 - Madrid - As we make our way to the Spanish capital, stop in Córdoba, a city that flourished in Moorish times. Your guided tour of Córdoba includes a walk through the Jewish Quarter and a visit to the famous Mezquita. The Mezquita was once one of the world’s most important mosques, before the Christian conquerors built a cathedral within it. Today the structure is a vivid representation of the blending of two religions. Then continue on to Madrid.
Day 9 - Madrid - View the many relics of the Bourbon dynasty on your tour of Madrid. Visit the Royal Palace and tour the Prado, Madrid’s colossal art museum. Look for Goya’s royal paintings as well as works by El Greco, Velázquez and Murillo.
Traditional Spanish Evening for dinner at a legendary Madrid restaurant- Indulge in an evening of succulent Castillian cuisine at Los Galayos, a restaurant on the Plaza Mayor. Revel in the traditional atmosphere while you feast on gazpacho, roasted potatoes and roast suckling pig in an ancient Castillian cellar.
Day 10 - Madrid - A full-day Excursion to Toledo. One of Spain’s oldest and most beautiful cities, Toledo served as the Spanish capital until 1561. After a chance to explore the labyrinth of medieval alleyways that make up the heart of the city, visit one of Europe’s oldest synagogues at El Tránsito.
Day 11 & 12 - Madrid - Madrid celebrates itself and life in general—around the clock. After spending much of the 20th century sequestered at the center of a totalitarian regime, Madrid has burst back onto the world stage with an energy redolent of its 16th-century golden age, when painters and playwrights swarmed to the flame of Spain's brilliant royal court. A vibrant crossroads for Iberia and the world's Hispanic peoples and cultures, the Spanish capital has an infectious appetite for art, music, food and fun.
Day 13 - Home - another 14-17 hours on a plane
Research on Spain & Portugal:
Lisbon & Seville - temps average mid 40's to mid 60's in March
Madrid & Cordoba - temps average upper 30's to low 60's.
Bring layers.
Euros - worth about $.70 US. I ordered 165 euros from Wells Fargo's Internal Exchange site for $243.00.
Itinerary (we signed up for every excursion and the extension):
Day 1 - Flight to Portugal. (ave 14 - 17 hrs from the West Coast with one stopover; 10-14 from the East Coast) Yucka!
Day 2 - Lisbon - land, get settled in hotel,free time.
Day 3 - Guided sightseeing tour of Lisbon, recall the great explorers from Portugal’s past as you stroll the riverside Belém precinct, and visit Ajuda Palace, a former royal residence. Travel through the narrow streets of the Moorish Alfama district, along the Tagus River, and into the Barrio Alto.
Fado Evening - Spend the evening at a traditional Portuguese tavern listening to the beautiful and haunting strains of fado music, arguably the oldest urban folk music in the world.
Day 4 - Lisbon - excursion to Sintra, the crown jewel of Portugal’s Atlantic coast and a UNESCO World Heritage site.Visit Sintra Palace, which once served as the summer home of Portuguese royalty; its two chimneys form a distinctive feature in Sintra’s skyline.
Day 5 - On to Seville - stop in Moguer to tour its Roman amphitheater. Explore the town's culinary offerings for lunch, and be sure to take in the Christopher Columbus Museum. Arrive later today in Seville, the capital of Andalusian Spain.
Day 6 - Seville - guided tour of Seville - behold the intricately tiled pavilion of the Plaza de España, visit the Alcázar, built by Pedro the Cruel in the 14th century and later the home of Prince Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Visit Seville’s opulent cathedral which occupies the site of a mosque built by the Almohads in the 12th century.
Venture into the nightlife of Seville and a Flamenco Evening. Experience the exciting aura surrounding flamenco dancing. A unique dance form, flamenco combines guitar playing, singing, clapping and dancing.
Day 7 - Seville - Spend a day at your leisure in Seville. You might choose to climb the 230-foot-high Giralda Tower or stroll through the gardens of Maria Luisa Park. Or pay a visit to the majestic 18th-century bullring, one of the oldest in Spain.
Day 8 - Madrid - As we make our way to the Spanish capital, stop in Córdoba, a city that flourished in Moorish times. Your guided tour of Córdoba includes a walk through the Jewish Quarter and a visit to the famous Mezquita. The Mezquita was once one of the world’s most important mosques, before the Christian conquerors built a cathedral within it. Today the structure is a vivid representation of the blending of two religions. Then continue on to Madrid.
Day 9 - Madrid - View the many relics of the Bourbon dynasty on your tour of Madrid. Visit the Royal Palace and tour the Prado, Madrid’s colossal art museum. Look for Goya’s royal paintings as well as works by El Greco, Velázquez and Murillo.
Traditional Spanish Evening for dinner at a legendary Madrid restaurant- Indulge in an evening of succulent Castillian cuisine at Los Galayos, a restaurant on the Plaza Mayor. Revel in the traditional atmosphere while you feast on gazpacho, roasted potatoes and roast suckling pig in an ancient Castillian cellar.
Day 10 - Madrid - A full-day Excursion to Toledo. One of Spain’s oldest and most beautiful cities, Toledo served as the Spanish capital until 1561. After a chance to explore the labyrinth of medieval alleyways that make up the heart of the city, visit one of Europe’s oldest synagogues at El Tránsito.
Day 11 & 12 - Madrid - Madrid celebrates itself and life in general—around the clock. After spending much of the 20th century sequestered at the center of a totalitarian regime, Madrid has burst back onto the world stage with an energy redolent of its 16th-century golden age, when painters and playwrights swarmed to the flame of Spain's brilliant royal court. A vibrant crossroads for Iberia and the world's Hispanic peoples and cultures, the Spanish capital has an infectious appetite for art, music, food and fun.
Day 13 - Home - another 14-17 hours on a plane
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Time to say good bye to 2008. I'm definitely ready. It was one stressful year. But I'm looking forward to 2009. Right now I'm trying to stay up until 12:00. I'll probably outlast Lark, but that isn't really a great fete. Normally, I wouldn't be able to sleep without my Tylenol PM. I haven't taken it, but I am already feeling sleepy. go figure. It could be that I'm full of Mexican food and that's what is making me sleepy. Or the Margarita.
It's foggy. It's always foggy on New Year's Eve. 2 things you can always count on. It will rain on Halloween and will be foggy on New Years.
Enjoy...and be safe.
It's foggy. It's always foggy on New Year's Eve. 2 things you can always count on. It will rain on Halloween and will be foggy on New Years.
Enjoy...and be safe.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
All Good Things Must Come to an End
and so goes my 5 day weekend. It's back to work tomorrow. But luckily I only have to work 3 days, then get another 4 days off. I could really get used to this. Spent today playing with my new toys. I filled the digital frame up with pics and plan to take it into work tomorrow. I loaded names, numbers, songs, pics on my iPhone. Discovered that Lark didn't add text messaging ($5 more) to my plan because thought I'd never use it. Wrong. Now that I know how, I like it. I have a pay as you go text plan. I guess if it gets over $5 per month I can add it in. Lark keeps watching me play. My prediction - he'll have one within 6 months.
It was a good weekend. The 49ers won, the Raiders actually won and Dallas got stomped. Unfortunately, so did the Kings. The Giants signed Randy Johnson. So he's 45 years old. He's still intimidating.
Did everyone read Dave Barry's recap of 2008? Pretty funny. He played no political favorites...he slammed everyone. check it out here: www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/826965.html
Countdowns:
Bush is out of office - 23 days
Cruise - 33 days
Spain/Portugal - 83 days
Lark's Retirement - 92 days
It was a good weekend. The 49ers won, the Raiders actually won and Dallas got stomped. Unfortunately, so did the Kings. The Giants signed Randy Johnson. So he's 45 years old. He's still intimidating.
Did everyone read Dave Barry's recap of 2008? Pretty funny. He played no political favorites...he slammed everyone. check it out here: www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/826965.html
Countdowns:
Bush is out of office - 23 days
Cruise - 33 days
Spain/Portugal - 83 days
Lark's Retirement - 92 days
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Christmas Part 2
Isn't he cute? This is Pat's grandson Grayson.
I got new toys for Xmas...a digital photo frame so I can always have shuffling kitty pics at work and a iPhone 3G. Yes an, apple product, but actually my 3rd as Lark & I both have an iPod already. I have not problem with Apple, just not going there for a pc. My new little 12" baby is a Dell. I've been having fun so far with my iPhone. I can text! Never been able to do that yet. I have been downloading ringtone songs so all my friends have their own. Lark is Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, Vicki is Margaritaville, Kathy is barking dogs, Pat is Walking on Sunshine and my default is currently Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - I love that sone - by Edison Lighthouse.
Lark got toys as well...a Garmin GPS for his car and "Magic for Dummies". I may disappear one of these days, so you'll know where to look. I also got him a 101 Margaritas recipes book. More for me than him, but he's the one who has the goal of making the perfect scratch Margarita. I'm just helping him along.
had a nice Xmas Dinner - just the 2 of us and Tacos. Kathy joined us on Xmas Eve for Angel Hair Spaghetti. New Year's Day is Chili. The only time of the year I actually like to cook. I even made French Toast for breakfast yesterday.
But now it's time to find out what just crashed in the living room.................
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Freebie and oh, yeah, Merry Christmas
I started this at the beginning of the month for the DSO Color Challenge, then reality kicked in and I didn't get a chance to add more. So here is Retro Rocket... a mini mini. And you can get it here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/77588868/6d033973/ld_Retro_Rocket.html
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