Summertime Desserts

You have to love when the DQs open back up for the summer. Even when you're eating healthy, you have to treat yourself to at least a small Blizzard! Oh, and don't forget to eat it outside! :-)

Two Days in a Row

Well, it's me and The Bruce for 2 days in a row. This could be very interesting or mind-numbing. So far it's been a lot of web-surfing and playing with my new toy, the N95. Actually this picture is from it. What do you think? Oh, and I'll keep you posted on the boredom factor and interactions with The Bruce.

Single Parenting Sucks!

This is how it's been for 3 days, and today it's too much. He is right under me, preferably touching me. He chewed through a phone charger. He's pooped and peed everywhere but where he's supposed to. He's obsessed with licking my legs. He refuses to take his medicine (who'd have thought you'd need 2 people to give a 3 lb. Dog medicine). I'm ready to divide responsibility and love time. I'm ready for Susan to come home from vacation for Kodiak's sake. Cuz I'm going nuts!

Did you know?

Did you know it's Christmas? Yes, I know it's May. And, yes, I know it's only for me. And finally, yes, I know it's not nice to rub it in other people's faces (i.e. you). But, I'm so excited!

Sometime this week I'll be getting the Nokia N800 AND the Nokia N95. Also in the near future a new Nokia BH-801 bluetooth headset should be showing up. Okay, I think a few of you had your eyes glaze over. This all may mean nothing to you, but if you only knew, you could appreciate this.

First, the headset isn't that exciting except it's a perk for work. I already have a bluetooth headset I love and two more backups. I'm thinking of posting pics in the near future.

The N800 is an internet tablet. It's WiFi based and will simply serve as a toy for at home and work and anywhere else I could be bored with WiFi. I'm also hoping to compress some videos and use it as a media device for Bella when we fly to Colorado for vacation. There will have to be about a million things there to entertain an 18 month old on a airplane; ideally Blue and Dora will be a couple. PS-this is free too. I took a perk from work and traded it for something I wanted more. Shh...don't tell. :)

Finally (cue Alleluia Choir), the Nokia N95. For some of you more technically inclined (yes, geeks), you are probably shaking your head at the obviousness of this. But, for those of you not, let me spell this out. This is a mobile phone convergence device, or as Nokia calls them, it's a multimedia computer. I'll spell it out: phone, GPS, 5mp camera, mp3 player, podcast player, video recorder (DVD quality), internet (WiFi), bluetooth, PDA capabilities (calendar, contacts, sync to computer, etc), email...do I need to keep going? Oh, it has a $750 price tag. Yeah, I'm getting it for $0. Let's just say compensation for some empty or slow moving promises at work.

Okay, so it looks like I get a lot of toys for free. Yes, it works out that way, but it's not usually all at once. Things usually happen once or twice a year, if the company or client decides to toss a perk at us. It just happens that everything built up from delays, and they're all coming in at once, hence, Christmas.

I'm done clicking my heels and screaming, "yippee!" Alright, I may do it once they show up, but I'm done on here. Thanks for dealing with my uncontrollable urge to share.

Podcast Possibility

First and foremost, I doubt I will have anything to say any time soon worthy of a "subscription" to my podcasts (a more accurate term may be random audio files). But, I do love traffic. Right now I'm celebrating my 1 email feed subscriber. So, if you're interested in subscribing, don't let my negativity on my creativity stop you!

Second of all this isn't really a podcast so much as a test posting of an audio file. It's my lil' sister singing "Blue Moon" one day into my voicemail to cheer me up. It worked. Did it help you at all? It just cracks me up when I hear it. She tries so hard to sing low.

Finally, if you listen to the sound file, please let me know if it works, what program plays it, and if there were any hiccups. This being a test is going to require results of some sort, and I'd love to have someone try it somewhere other than the computer I'm posting it from.

Oh, one more thing, if you know how to embed audio files into Blogger with audio controls right there in the post and setting it up won't give me too large of a headache, please let me know. I spent a day researching this, and this is the best solution I was able to find in regards to simplicity, third-party hosts, etc. Thanks!

Good Day at Work

Okay, I know there are a few of you out there who have finished a day at work and felt good about it. Now, I'm not claiming that you want to then spend all day every day there, just that you left feeling productive and satisfied. That's how I feel today. To be frank, it's been a long time since I've felt that way. The crazy thing is that I love my job.

I love my job, but it's monotonous, easy, and sometimes downright boring. On top of that I have an emotional attachment to my job, and it hasn't always been the nicest. I've been rejected for promotions, was promoted but given other people's weak links to manage, had my location closed and had my whole team (including me) basically fired, was demoted to keep my job, and oh, passed up for another promotion I was more than qualified for. This is how I know I have an emotional attachment...I'm still there. :)

All the same I've been tossed a couple bones, and I've gone searching for projects as well. Today was a spectacular day busy with activities, problems, emails, calls, shooting the shit, and just doing my job. I loved it. I smiled the whole way home. We'll ignore the fact that a lot of it was preparations for work to do tomorrow, my day off. :)

Well, I just wanted everyone in the world to know that I had a great day at work. They tend to be infrequent occurrences, so I thought they deserved their dues. I hope everyone else's day was at least tolerable. Was it?

Back to BlogMad

So, as you may or may not know (and you could quickly figure out by looking at my archives' dates), I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging. While blogging in the past I often utilized BlogMad, a blogging community and traffic driving tool. Unfortunately due to many factors I stopped blogging and with that came an end to BlogMadding too.

I've got good news. I'm back! I still can't surf blogs at work, but I sure can at home. And, if I'm blogging, I want traffic. Where better than BlogMad?

Also, today when I stopped by briefly in the ShoutBox (chatting forum), one of my old pals, Manic, saw me! He was kind enough to give me a shout out. You have to love running into old friends (that you want to see or talk to again). :)

New Watch

Here's my new watch. This is the curse of working in a mall. While I don't shop everyday, you tend to find out about sales and store closings. You have to make an exception for those. And so, we have Watch Station closing, and I have a new watch. I'm a sucker for Fossil. Now here's the kicker...it was only $20. What do you think? Nice?

Edit: The watch is silver despite how it looks in the photo. The lighting is making it look gold. I'm too young for gold. Or, golds too old for me. Hmmm....

Mini-Vacations to the P's House

This is my parents house where I'm spending the weekend. I just can't seem to get enough of my sisters Sami, Christine, and Bella! Hence why I come up here whenever I get the chance. I'm also a sucker for 3 or 4 day weekends. They're like mini-vacations. While it does cost me the gas to get here, the majority of my meals are covered, I rarely have to decide what to do, and sometimes my mom throws my dirty clothes in with their laundry. How can you beat that? It's just too bad it's only every couple of months. The crazy thing is considering how much Sami changes between each visit as she grows up, you can only imagine Bella. That girl's face changes between visits. I'm grateful for how close they all live, especially when compared to Reno, Nevada where they used to live. But, I would love it if we lived closer. I'd be happy to help haul Sami to a swimming lesson or catch one of Christine's band concerts. Oh well, I guess I'll just be depending on email, phone calls and mini-v!
acations.

Saturday Shopping

Here are the girls on our way to Birch Run for some outlet mall shopping. You know people just love being in a car for 45 driving through construction. Can you tell?

Comp Time

Yeah, I'm scheduled to work until 9. You have to love comp time. I work on the computer late at night when there is nothing better to do, and then I get out of work when it's gorgeous to make up the time. I love it!

My New Gas Grill

My new toy. I've had it for a while, but they shorted me a screw. So, that got it put on the backburner until I could get to Home Depot and time to finish it. Well, that time came a night or two ago. Now, I just need to christen it. Hmmm...chicken, brats, steaks...tough decisions ahead. Any suggestions?

Time When People Should Be Left Alone

Susan when she's tired. There's no messing with her once she's decided she's ready for bed. I suppose though that's what I'm like in the morning.

The Fox Valley EC Team

And, this is the whole team after our trip to South Park. I've since put the rifle away, but I reserve my right to reclaim it the next time work drives me batty. We've got The Bruce, myself, Jay, and Mike.

Test of Mobile Blogging

This is Mike. He works with me. He doesn't know it, but he was my test subject for mobile blogging.

New Look

Today I messed around with the template and settings. It turns out everything got jacked up because my FileLodge account was discontinued. I know they were acquired by Bolt, but I had initially thought they had the courtesy of carrying over my account and images. I guest not. I never even received a email notice concerning the account.

Oh well, point is the blog has been tidying and redecorated. What do you think? I'm considering building it up with images and fancying it up. Or, do you think I should keep it simple as it is now?

I know this blog doesn't have much readership, if any. But, if you are visiting, let me know your thoughts on how this looks. The comments link is below labeled "Ramblings from you." You're also welcome to subscribe to my blog. Each time I post it'll forward to your email or your news feed, whichever you prefer. (Be sure to use the proper subscriber depending on that preference.)

Anyways...share you thoughts. Come again.