January 7, 2001
Sunday 10:59 pm

Happy new year, so far. Yesterday was the twelfth day of Christmas, when all vestiges of the celebration get packed away for another year. Usually I'm ready to send it packing by now, but this year it didn't seem to last long enough. So I sat in the living room this morning with my coffee and studied the tree, which I hadn't done since Christmas Eve. I reached the unusual conclusion that if I didn't know if I was ready to pack it all up, then I obviously wasn't ready, and should therefore stop pondering the question.

One year and two days ago we booked our Alaska vacation with a local travel agent. We had promised to return after the trip to tell her about it and show her pictures. We never did. So we figured this was a good time. The Husband printed out the daily accounts we had made during the trip, along with dozens of photos, and made up a 32-page booklet detailing the whole trip, then printed a cover page with a dedication to our travel agent (she was very helpful). I grabbed the photo album and we headed to the travel agency.

It has snowed three times in three weeks, and the effects of cabin fever were apparent at the travel agency - it was mobbed by people seeking to get away from their snowboundness. We had to wait an hour 'til the crowds dissipated. The agent remembered us and was genuinely glad we brought pictures. She enjoyed the booklet the Husband made for her, and she studied each of the four hundred photos at length. At least as many as she could before a fresh mob scene developed. We decided to go to lunch and return when it was less busy. We dined at a nearby Friday's, but when we returned it was even more crowded. So we excused ourselves and promised to return. Hopefully we will soon. But I'm glad we took the time that we did - it 's always a treat when someone else enjoys your vacation stories as much as you enjoy telling them.

And that pretty much killed the afternoon, which left little or no time to start packing away Christmas decorations. But I did anyway. I had the tree ornaments and lights off and packed up by bedtime. My least favorite part of Christmas.

But it's a new year. My nephew turns eighteen on Tuesday. And I thought Christmas went by fast.

January 13, 2001
Saturday 12:27 pm

We heard from a couple in Idaho this week - I believe they are the first Idaho contact. They adopted a barely-outa-kittenhood stray (sounds like c.c.'s story).We've never been to Idaho. Not yet. But our goal is to visit every state, so we'll get there eventually. So look out Idaho.

I had a small gathering of friends from work over last night (it was supposed to be a Christmas party, but by the time we got conflicting schedules resolved, it was getting kinda late for a Christmas party, so it became a general gathering). It was fun - it's a pleasure to spend time with the people you work with every day and not have to discuss work (but we did anyway, in a sarcastic mode). And it was the first time most of them had seen c.c. - I always talk about her, and how rowdy she's been with the snow curtailing her outdoor activities, and what a friendly people-cat she is and how she'll carry on an extended conversation with you. So what does she do? She spent the whole evening curled up on the loveseat. Not a mew out of her. Made me look stupid. So I had to make a further fool of myself by trying to coax her to contribute by carrying on an extended one-sided conversation with her. Of course after everyone left, she proceeded to tell me her life story.

But everyone left late. I was up 'til after two am cleaning up. That's not a complaint. We were all having such a good time that it was late before anyone realized it. And I made too much food, but that's usually the case. So I had good time, got to sleep late this morning, and I've still got the whole weekend ahead.

This afternoon we are celebrating my nephew's eighteenth birthday (which was actually last Tuesday, but the big get-together is today). He graduates this year, and he was just accepted to Rutgers University (he has lawyer aspirations).

Life just keeps on rollin' along, doesn't it?

January 18, 2001
Thursday 7:37 pm

We had two newcomers in January that we acknowledged here (from Montana and Idaho - hope you're still with us), and I realized that there was a guy who joined the Opie Mess just before Christmas that I never managed to greet (things are always a bit crazy around here before the holidays), so lemme correct that immediately - howdy to the Rag Ranch in Virginia - hope you haven't given up on us yet :)

Back here on the soggy Jersey turf, things have eased a bit. I thought it might have been the passing of the holidays, but now I think it's just that c.c. has her outdoors back again. The snow is almost completely gone, and for several days she spent all her non-meal times in the great outdoors (also known as the back yard). She doesn't venture far into the woods, so it's easy to keep track of her from the kitchen window.

We didn't realize what a terror she could be when confined by the weather. She would climb, burrow, snoop, run, chase and hunt indoors (accomplishing a burn-off of pent-up energy, but not much else), with very brief cat naps. It was like being in a room with a perpetually-ricocheting bullet. You never knew where she was or where she might be a minute from now, but she would never keep us in doubt.. We got used to miscellaneous sounds emanating from various parts of the house. It was strange when we no longer heard her tearing around. Something was missing. But we'll adjust.

She is starting to spend quiet indoor time again. In my lap, eyes closed, purring softly. I didn't realize how much I'd missed that. :)

January 26, 2001
Friday 10:49 pm

Yesterday, I went to Mars. Okay, not really (did I really have to say "not really"?).

I have a friend at work who is a Rosie O'Donnell fan (is any of this making sense yet?), and she got tickets to a Broadway show called "Seussical" (which I had never heard of - it's a musical with Dr. Seuss characters, and Rosie plays the Cat in the Hat) and she (friend, not Rosie) invited me along with her kids.

So yesterday we took a day off from work and took the train into New York. The first order of business was lunch, and we found a brochure at a tourist kiosk for a restaurant called Mars 2112. It looked like fun, and it offered a free gift (see photo at left) if we presented the brochure ( it's only 5"tall) . So off we went.

Once inside, you board a shuttlecraft for a quick "ride" to Mars (if you've ridden the Star Wars or Body Wars rides at Disney World, it was like that. If you haven't, it's still like that), then you enter a very large martian landscape dining room, where you are waited on by the Martian "locals." It was cool.

http://www.mars2112.com/

But we came to see Rosie. She had been sick and we suspected we'd come all this way to see her understudy, but surprise, she was there. It was her show, she ad-libbed throughout and cracked up the other actors on stage. We enjoyed it. It was a fun day in New York, a diversity from the daily grind. And I can always use that :)

January 31, 2001
Wednesday 10:49 pm

The Husband made a big deal out of getting an award for not missing any time from work last year. He got a plaque and a $75 gift certificate to one of my favorite restaurants. I haven't missed a day of work in fifteen years. But my company doesn't give out plaques or dinners.

So we went out early Saturday with the Husband's $150 in Barnes and Nobles gift cards and bought a pile of DVD's, including The Big Chill (we have 700 movies, but had no copies of that one), The General (I never heard of it either, made in 1925, a Civil War movie about the great locomotive chase with Buster Keaton, supposed to be very good), Fargo (a very weird movie), Being John Malkovich (haven't watched it yet), Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman (those last two were for me, and I paid for them). We then went out to dinner on the perfect attendance gift certificate. It was a fun day.

The Husband had bought a cheap digital camera with other gift certificates (and expounded on that as well as the award), and he carries it with him everywhere (it's easily shirt-pocketable). He says because it's cheap and bought with gift certificates, he doesn't worry about carrying it around like he would with our much nicer Olympus digital camera. He just pockets it and forgets it. He's always taking pictures of anything and everything. Which is cool I guess. But in twenty years we'll be looking at these pictures and asking why did we take that?

The picture below? That's me during our dinner out Saturday night. The Husband pulled out the camera shot the picture and had it back in his pocket in five seconds. He's lovable but weird.

February 6, 2001
Tuesday 10:46 pm

NYPD Blue is on. I used to be a big fan of that show. But no more. I don't know why exactly; I'm just not involved in the characters any more. Maybe it's just the absence of Jimmy Smits butt. Or the advent of Judging Amy. I like that show better (on at the same time) - I relate better to Amy than Sipowicz.

But tonight neither suits me because I am indulging the Headache from Hell. It visits on the occasion of sudden changes in barometric pressure, and yesterday we got a surprise snowstorm. It was only supposed to rain and quit by 4 pm. At 5 pm I looked out at the cars crawling up the very busy 4-lane highway on which my company resides. There was howling wind and horizontal snow. Because it had gone unpredicted, local governments were unprepared, and the afternoon rush hour arrived on unplowed streets. Fortunately, I was much too busy to worry about going home any time soon, and the worsening headache didn't really allow me to worry about how much work I had to do.

I wrapped up around eight. The rush hour had passed and the trucks had been out salting, sanding and plowing. Everyone was home safely, and I had a quiet drive home through deserted, plowed streets. I had the Bronco and felt safe (safer than in my tiny Capri). It was a bit icy, but not a problem. I stopped at an intersection and had twisted to my left to be sure nothing was approaching, and my leg pressed up against the power window button, and the window went halfway down. But it doesn't go up. It requires three hands to get it back up - one each pressing the inside and outside of the glass to lift it, the third pushing the button. Being one hand short, I drove the rest of the way home with a bitter wind blowing snow down my neck. And let's not forget the Headache from Hell.

I went right to bed (after the Husband helped raise the window and I took the requisite Advil). The snow is pretty much gone today, work was not so bad, but I still have the HFH, though it's been dulled sufficiently by frequent use of pain relievers. But not enough to cope with tv. So I'm going to bed.

G'night.

February 12, 2001
Monday 12:02 am

My sister's anniversary was two weeks ago and they've been trying to go away for a weekend ever since, but their plans keep getting thwarted. So after the most recent thwarting (the day before they were to leave) I volunteered to throw an anniversary party to keep the sentiments fresh.

I think I had a subconscious motive. I needed a reason to give this place a good cleaning, and that was as good as any. And it's been a while since we've had anything to celebrate. So I contacted the family and everyone agreed that it was a good idea. We would keep it simple, so my father volunteered to bring pizzas.

And of course, as all our family gatherings go, it was fun. The twins were their usual endearing and noisy selves, alternately wanting to pet Opie and fearing he would eat them. And we discovered that I could emit a growl that would really bug c.c. She couldn't quite figure out where in the crowd of people it was coming from, and her eyes darted all over the room. The kids got a big kick out that, but I felt sufficiently guilty to feel the need to shower c.c. with affection after the festivities concluded.

So even though my sister never got her weekend away, she did get a party.

And I got the house cleaned.

February 18, 2001
Sunday 12:45 am

My cars have always been very, very good. But when they were bad, they were horrid. Case in point:

I was driving my trusty Bronco to work last week when the "Check engine" light came on. I checked the other gauges and all seemed okay. Then the engine just died. It just quit (I was at an intersection in the left-turn lane). I was about to try restarting it when smoke began billowing from beneath the hood. Not wafting, not seeping -- billowing!

I know when I'm outa my league and I fumbled through my purse and found my AAA card. I was dialing the cell-phone (is that act forever going to be known as "dialing," even after telephone dials have become the purview of the aged?) when a cop pulled up behind. He was very nice and put me at ease. We called the tow truck and he directed traffic around me. The tow truck arrived in minutes, but the driver seemed confused - he didn't think a 4-wheel drive vehicle could be towed without damaging the gears. So he called for a flat bed truck, and that too arrived within minutes. The flat bed driver said the other guy was wrong - he coulda towed it with the transfer case in neutral. I didn't care - I just wanted out of that intersection.

They wanted to know where to take it. For lack of any idea, I had it taken to the little shop near my house where I had just spent $700 getting it through NJ's rather grueling inspection process. Turned out my water pump had failed. Miserably, I might add. $400 worth. But it was ready the next day, and I had the Husband drop me off there on his way to work. I paid up and got in the Bronco and realized the driver's window was down. All the way. This is a no-no. The power window mechanism in that door is ailing, and we've been dealing with it - never putting the window down any more than necessary, and only when necessary. The window does not go up without manual assistance (you hafta pull on it while pushing the button). But you can't grab it when it's all the way down in the door.

By this point I'd had enough motor vehicle mayhem. I just drove it home, taped a garbage bag over the open window (heavy rain was predicted, of course), and took my Capri to work. I picked up a rebuilt power window motor from the local parts shop on my way home (another $70) and cajoled the Husband into installing it (I couldn't afford any more shop work). But it turned out it wasn't the motor - it was the stupid plastic gears they use to activate the window - they were all chewed up. So he went out and got a new set of gears ($27 - for plastic gears) and affected repairs.

I've had the Bronco for nine months. In that time I have gotten new parking brake cables, new antifreeze, a new valve cover gasket, a new water pump, new antifreeze again and a new power window gear set. And the mechanic says my clutch is going to need replacing soon. In a 4-wheel drive vehicle that's about $800.

It's hard driving a bargain.

February 24, 2001
Saturday 12:25 am

Wasn't I just griping about the abnormal frequency of auto repair that has been visited upon me over the past two months? And didn't I continue on ad nauseum over the growing costs of said items? So shouldn't I now put it behind me and move on?

Wish I could. But after shelling out $400 for a new water pump after the Bronco blew off steam and left me stranded at an intersection, I was annoyed, nay peeved, to watch the temperature gauge climb into the red as I drove home Monday. Fortunately I was near home and made it safely before another Old Faithful impersonation. I wasted no time calling the shop that had my $400 while I had their water pump that didn't seem to be doing its job.

I am not shy about complaining, and they said bring it in. The next day I got the call - I needed a new head gasket. And when one head gasket goes, the other is not usually far behind (they said), and since it was an old engine, they recommended a valve job while the heads were off , and the radiator sprung a leak - total damage, $1500. I needed time to absorb all this, but what real choice did I have? So they began the task. The next day, another call. Both heads are cracked and have to be replaced - another $900. I replied with stunned silence. I wanted to cry.

But they offered an alternative (they really are nice folks - I know they felt sorry for me). For an additional $800 they would put in a remanufactured engine with a 3-year warranty and throw in a new clutch and radiator (I had already been advised that the clutch was soon to go and replacing it was $800). So now we're up over $3000. But the 3-year warranty was somehow soothing. All major engine parts were covered. And I had only planned to keep the Bronco for two years - now I can spread the expense over three years. I did some calculating and realized if I reduced my retirement deductions (I was robbing my retirement fund to repair a 13-year-old used vehicle!) I could do it. Grudgingly.

It's my first used car. And, I suspect, my last.

February 28, 2001
Wednesday 6:25 am

The computer network that operates under my watchful eye at work is a rather complex monster and was that way before I inherited it. Everything is linked by a routing system, and the whole mess is under the control of two identical monster Unix servers that back each other up. They do their job silently and I've never had to mess with them.

Until now.

They're old and we finally outgrew them. Our guy in charge of Daily Network Tedium had arranged to replace them with Windows NT servers (which I'm a bit more comfortable with; I know just enough about Unix to be dangerous), and the supplier agreed to send a coupla tech guys to get the whole system up and running.

So the new equipment arrived one day, and the installation techies the next day. Our network guy was their contact person; I had not been involved. I was introduced to them by name only, along with the rest of my staff, and the education and indoctrination had begun. The techies directed everything to Network Guy. Except when they needed something photocopied. Or when they wanted coffee. They directed those requests to me. I even ordered lunch, and did so with a smile. My staff got a kick out of it. This went on for several hours, until the question arose as to which terminals should have access to the new equipment. Network Guy looked at me and said "That's up to you, you're the boss." I wish I had had a camera. Or a tape recorder for the stammering that followed.

So now we have two new monster Windows NT servers that control everything and back each other up with no human intervention. I hope it stays that way.

March 6, 2001
Tuesday 12:21 am

Friday they were predicting a huge snow storm would dump two feet of snow on us. Monday it was revised to three to six inches. It hasn't shown up yet, and probably won't.

I got the Bronco back with a new (okay, rebuilt) engine and a warranty. I wanted to see the new shiny engine, but they used the old alternator, a/c compressor, starter, emissions controls, power steering pump and fuel injection, and with all the old parts, you couldn't see the new engine. I could see some shiny spots among the hoses and belts, which kinda assured me that there actually was a different engine in there.

I got it back just in time for the big potential storm mentioned above. It was s'posed to start snowing heavily Monday night into Tuesday, and I hafta put in some late hours this week babysitting the two new NT servers that we just put online, so I brought a change of clothes and planned to stay at my sister's house (less than two miles from work) if the snow got really bad. The only thing really bad was the forecast. And one other thing ...

As I was driving to work Monday in the Bronco with the warrantied rebuilt engine, it overheated. Again! I had to stop and race the engine a bit to get everything cooled down, and I made it to work, but I wasted no time getting on the phone to the Garage of Perpetual Repair Bills. They were nice about the whole thing (it's hard to get mad at them, despite how much I've spent), and they agreed to come get it and make amends. The last amends resulted in a whole new (rebuilt) engine.

I'm refusing to think any more about it. So I was stuck at work, with no transportation and there's a blizzard (sort of) due any time. It was almost eleven by the time the servers called it a day and the Husband came to get me, but I woulda been content just to sleep there and forget all about motor vehicles for a while.

March 12, 2001
Monday 12:12 am

I've been working weird hours this past week, so I was mighty glad when the weekend arrived. And Saturday was another family party (it's been a coupla months - we were having party withdrawal), celebrating my youngest sister's birthday. It was a dinner party, and I made a couple raspberry angel food cakes for the occasion. I needed a party and was ready to kick back and enjoy myself, when my beeper went off. They were having problems that I couldn't resolve on the phone, so I had to go in. I missed dinner, but I did get back in time for dessert and present-opening.

Two months ago, my sisters and I gave my 17-year-old nephew a CD Writer for his birthday, with promises to install it for him. Two months later (Saturday night), the nephew reminded of that, and shamed me into installing it for him. I did everything right, but it wouldn't work. Every time I thought I figured out why and made corrections, I was wrong. I was not used to suffering defeat by a computer - I play to win. So at 2 am I was still working at it, despite my nephew's pleas to go home so he could get some sleep. I finally gave up and left, with a promise to return Sunday to make it right.

Except Sunday I got called into work.

One more item - I spent another $300 on the Bronco (electrical problems), meaning I've spent more on it since November than it's worth. I'm not talking about it any more.

March 19, 2001
Monday 12:02 am

It's fun to plan out weekends. It's more fun when you plan nothing and have fun anyway. My 18-year-old nephew is taking a high school course in Culinary Arts (cooking), and as a sort of a homework assignment, he was preparing Sunday breakfast for his family and invited guests (that included the Husband and myself). It was pretty good. It was a bacon/egg/potato combination, served with spinach and jalapeno bagels. And of course it was another good reason for all of us to get together.

On the unplanned, non-fun side, my closet organizer collapsed, with all the clothes imploding inward. The Husband surveyed the damage and confidently announced that he could fix it with a minimum of fuss. The thought of having to find space for all those clothes, even temporarily, had me on the verge of hyperventilation (we are maxed out on closet space), so with the promise of a prompt resolution, I piled all the clothes on the bed before going to the nephew's breakfast.

After breakfast the Husband went home to repair the closet catastrophe and I stayed on get the nephew's CD writer working, which I managed to do, although I had to hook it up to his parents' computer to do it. His nine-year-old brother is becoming more fascinated with computers, so I called the Husband at home and had him get on AOL Messenger, and we initiated voice chat. The nine-year-old was enthralled, hearing the Husband's voice through the computer, and being able to carry on a conversation.

I was so happy to have my closet back when I got home. It was just a happy weekend all around.

And now it's Monday.

March 25, 2001
Sunday 2:02 am

Saturday was sunny, but cold. I had the urge to do some spring cleaning, but I needed a little extra motivation, so I invited my parents over for dinner. That way, I had to do some cleaning up before they arrived, but I didn't have to knock myself out 'cause they were family. Know what I mean?

And since it was a sunny day, I thought it would be a good time to get the Easter decorations down out of the attic and spread around the house (well, the Husband took care of the "down out of the attic" part). As I was unpacking one of the boxes of ceramic Easter rabbits (which was foam lined), I discovered acorn shells, dry cat food and squirrel droppings. Apparently some squirrels had nested in the attic for the winter, specifically in this box. I was just glad that Easter is late this year, and they had moved on.

My parents have been empty nesters for eight years now, so I know they enjoy being invited over. I threw one of Perdue's oven-stuffer roasters in the oven, whipped up some mashed potatoes and even made corn muffins. It was a quick and easy meal that was appreciated by all (yes, Opie and c.c. got a portion also). My father picked up a fresh-baked five-fruit pie on the way over, and we sat around gabbing over coffee for a couple hours beyond the meal.

It was fun. And the house is cleaner than it was and decorated for Easter.

March 31, 2001
Saturday 1:02 am

Well, this is March's last chance to go out like a lamb. A cold, wet lamb. But March is over, and the weather is only supposed to get better. And it better.

This week had me attending not one, but two, all-day seminars. They were interesting and helpful, but mostly they served to put me two days behind. So I've been working longer hours than usual, which aggravates the stress factor, and makes the weekend more of a necessity than usual. Of course this is the weekend than we get gypped out of an hour, and I need every one of them.

Because I'm working later, I'm also going in later, which means I'm sleeping later in the morning. Opie has noticed such, and joins me for some extra winks in the morning. And a cuddling cat only makes it more difficult to get up. And just getting up is difficult in itself.

So I've got an hour of sleep to make up for this weekend, and I think I should begin now. Have a nice weekend. :)

April 7, 2001
Saturday 1:00 am

This weekend I'm babysitting the 3-year-old twins; their parents are taking in cherry blossom time in Washington DC. A lot of 3-year-olds would be traumatized by the absence of their parents for the weekend, but not these guys - they have a whole weekend of me indulging their whims and playing non-stop games. What a difference a generation makes. When I was a kid, being on our "best behavior" with the babysitter was mandatory.

And adults were much older people then than they are now. Not just because I was seeing it from a kid's point of view then. Babysitting was a responsibilty and not an occasion to celebrate for either generation.

I don't know if I would have been a very good babysitter back then. Or a very good adult for that matter. I certainly wouldn't have been the happy person that all my nieces and nephews have come to know. They would have grown up remembering their aunt as an "adult" (and that's not about to happen).

When I think back on all the adults from my youth, I wonder how my memories of them would be different if we had all been moved up a generation. And what are the 3-year-old twins going to be like when they're adults and babysitting their own nieces and nephews? And what influence will they have on succeeding generations?

They're all gonna be great if I'm any example :)

Friday 13, 2001
April, i.e. - 12:01 am

I took a big step this time. I decided to invite my entire family over for Easter dinner. I needed an occasion to host, and an excuse to clean. But neither of those is the big step. This time I invited all my in-laws to join us. And they all accepted! Except one niece. But still, that's a sit-down dinner for 23 people (and they'll be sitting down wherever there's a chair - this house is plenty big enough for the Husband and I and two cats, but 23 hungry people put a big strain on the elbow room).

I've got the chairs - I just hope they don't mind the room, lack of. We've got a large deck, which will help if the weather's nice. IhopeIhopeIhope.

When all the guests are your immediate family, you clean at one level. But when the in-laws will all be here, the cleaning level is raised a notch or two. So I took the day off Wednesday and cleaned at the in-law level. There's something about the good of the cause that makes an otherwise task of drudgery into a goal for which to strive. In other words I was quite pleased when the last dust bunny was swept up and all the clutter gotten out of sight.

Not that it's going to stay that way; this house is shared by a Husband and two cats. But at least it won't be a heavy duty task the day before. I can do this :)

Have a Good Friday, all.

April 19, 2001
Thursday - 12:01 am

Without boring you with the details, suffice it to say that this has been an extra-crappy week on the job. Not only are deadlines and machinery conspiring against me, but people are just not saying or doing the right things to help. I am extremely frustrated. And people know to tred lightly around me when I am frustrated like this.

Conversely, there is a close group of friends at work who always seem to know the right thing to do. One of them, sensing my distress, came into my office with a brochure for the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The goal was to divert me with its opulence and take me on a brief fantasy vacation. It is considered on of the ten best hotels in the U.S. And I admit it was diverting. Inside the casino are the streets (waterways) of Venice, lined with the old world buildings and connecting bridges, with gondoliers offering rides. There had to be fifty different stores indoors, and restaurants for every taste and occasion. And the hotel rooms were enormous - 700 square feet - almost the size of one floor of my house. And the bathroom is bigger than my bedroom!

I thanked her for the brief venture into fantasy, and with a smile, she produced a separate pamphlet, offering a mid-week 3-night special at the Venetian for $450, including airfare! That's less than the cost of the room itself! We both started jumping up and down.

We're going. Just us two girls. In two weeks. I need this :)

April 23, 2001
Monday - 12:09 am

So after a crappy week at work, which spawned a needed upcoming vacation to Las Vegas, I celebrated and unwound and generally took it easy this weekend.

I have every intention of packing away all the remnants of Easter, so I rounded up the 29 (now 35 - gifts from friends) Easter bunnies and grouped them together on the dining room table to await packing away for another year.

I ordered a bunch of new movies (5) through a DVD club, and four of them arrived this weekend. So I managed to intersperse laundry, birthday present shopping (the twins), and all four movies (plus a fifth I already had) throughout the weekend. Specifically ...

102 Dalmations
Meet The Parents
Dr. T and the Women
Rear Window
What Lies Beneath

"The Gladiator" is in the mail.

And the 35 Easter bunnies on the dining room table awaiting packing away - they're still there.

Happy Monday.

April 30, 2001
Monday - 12:08 am

Tomorrow night we (a girl friend and I) leave for Las Vegas. The flight leaves at 9:30 and arrives at 2:30 am (EST - 12:30 Vegas time), but my friend (who has made these trips several times) said forget about sleeping. We plan on casino hopping the first night, followed by sleeping in lounge chairs by the pool all day Wednesday. I dunno about all that, but I'm up for anything. I just need to get away for a while.

Apparently these mid-week discount stays are fairly common. It's not hard to find a package that gets you four non-weekend days for less than $100/day, including airfare. I still find that amazing.

Vegas has a much-improved reputation from just a few years ago. There is more family-oriented entertainment available. But we'll be there for the nightlife. And the fantastically luxurious hotel (The Venetian). And all the stores and restaurants.

I wonder what this trip is really going to cost me.

May 7, 2001
Monday - 12:08 am

I needed that.

Three days in the Nevada desert - a nice break from the humid Jersey pinelands. Not that we saw much of the desert - we became night people (inevitable, said my guide, mentor, travelling companion co-worker). The only outdoor time we spent was going from one casino to the next.

The room was GORGEOUS! The bathroom was HUGE! The slot machines were CRUEL! I did okay at roulette though, coming out slightly ahead. I managed to stretch a few more bucks at the nickel slot machines (we pretended they were dollars). We did take in a magic show and a bird act, tour the Secret Gardens, see the white tigers and a new-born dolphin, and catch Treasure Island's outdoor Pirate Show from our hotel window on the 23rd floor.

Unlike a few years ago, the new casinos are going all-out to project a family image, with amusement park rides, erupting volcanoes, huge fountains, Egyptian pyramids, gondola rides through the canals of Venice -- this place is Disney World for the jaded.

There are things going on around the clock - it's so easy to lose track of time. We slept when we needed to, ate when we were hungry, then went right back to whatever event awaited us. It all went by so fast.

Would I go back? Tomorrow.

May 13, 2001
Mother's Day - 12:18 am

Last weekend, just hours after returning triumphantly from Las Vegas, I attended a wedding shower for the Husband's niece. She's getting married in four weeks. I had ordered a fancy place setting for her shower gift before I left for Las Vegas, but the ditzy woman had failed to put in my order, so I had to attend presentless (I made up a gift certificate on the computer for said place setting to verify that I did bear a gift). And after only about fifteen hours sleep in Nevada, I had to drive home fifty miles from the shower wanting so much to doze off. I was so happy to get home that I was asleep before the storm door slammed shut.

And my niece and nephew, the twins, celebrated their fourth birthdays the next day. Of course I was well-prepared with their gifts and they were overjoyed to see me (as they usually are, even when I don't arrive with large, colorful packages).

Despite the chaos of two four-year-olds tearing around the house, I actually had my first chance to relax. There's nothing like one of our family get-togethers to make me feel at home.

Which brings us to Mother's Day -- It's at my sister's house. I was afraid it was my turn. That's in a few hours. There is some normalcy returning. I think.

The wedding shower gift arrived yesterday.

May 19, 2001
Saturday - 12:10 am

It's another weekend. That only means I don't have to go to my job. But there's still laundry and cleaning to do. I could probably skip the cleaning part this week, but I always feel guilty if I don't do some sort of tidying up.

There are no family get-togethers scheduled, so there's nothing to prepare for, but there's no anticipation either. So I'll probably watch a couple DVD's that I've yet to view ("The Gladiator " and "The Emperor's New Groove." I think there might be one other one somewhere too).

A year ago, this weekend marked the beginning of our Alaska vacation (we didn't actually leave 'til the following Tuesday). That was so much fun.

When work is crappy, the weekend is always welcomed. This weekend qualified for a big welcome. And when I dragged myself through the front door Friday night, there was c.c., meowing up a storm, letting me know she was glad to see me. You are never alone when c.c. is around; she'll talk your ear off.

Our crazy Calico kitty spent the better part of last week in the backyard trees, coming in the house only to eat (and to welcome me home). I think she was a squirrel in a previous life.

I wish I was rich.

Have a swell weekend.

May 25, 2001
Friday - 12:19 am

The Air Conditioner Repair Guy was supposed to have come Monday, but after three straight weeks of zero precipitation, it began to rain on Monday. And continue for three days. So instead of potentially dismantling our heat pump in a downpour, he postponed his visit and the AC was put on hold.

Yesterday my mother had to go to the hospital with chest pains, which turned out to be nothing, but when you're in your seventies, you check everything.

However, at that particular moment in time, my parents were to babysit my sisters three toddlers. Desparate and running late, my sister showed up at my door with the kids in need of emergency babysitting, but then what are sisters for if not emergencies?

Of course you can guess when the AC Repair Guy rescheduled his visit to rip out our ductwork. Yep.

So I made dinner, babysat three kids and kept tabs on our AC repair. I am Woman.

The Husband acted as assistant AC Repair Guy (for which he is much better suited than cooking or babysitting).

The AC Guy also checked out the non-functioning AC in the Bronco and discovered an electrical connection was totally missing. We all said "hmmm" and vowed to find the missing connection.

The good news is that apparently the home cooling system needs only a fresh boost of Freon (which he was lacking in sufficient quantity that evening) and planned to return soon to finish up.

That was a relief. And after those few hectic hours, relief is good.

May 31, 2001
Thursday - 12:49 am

I got a new digital phone and it's cool. It's a Star-Tac, like my old one, but it's got a multi-line readout for wireless internet (which I didn't get and can do without). I was spending enough monthly with my analog phone to make a digital plan worthwhile. So for the same money I could go digital, get hundreds of free peak minutes, unlimited off-peak minutes, free long distance (from my home area only, but that's most of it), plus Caller ID, Call Waiting and Voice Mail.

The Voice Mail was uncooperative. I followed all the instructions, but I couldn't get it activated. I tried calling tech support, but their computers were down. Surely I'm not the only one who finds that weird. I suspect the problem was that it was a holiday weekend and the 18-year-old techies didn't wanna miss any beach time :)

So I waited 'til Tuesday morning, confident that all would be well then. It wasn't. I finally conceded that I was doing something wrong (or rather their instructions were causing me to do something wrong), and I called and finally got a human being. The human being assured me that the problem would be taken care of and to try it again in a half-hour. I said thanks, falling for that evasion full force. Needless to say, no voice mail.

I tried the human approach once more on Wednesday, and this time I was successful. At least it seems to be working - I was able to leave a message to myself.

So now I've got a new gadget to be fascinated with. And a new owner's manual to read. And a two-year contract to be obligated to. But I'm up to date on my cell phone technology :)

June 5, 2001
Tuesday - 12:49 am

We're back from our 36-hour vacation. We left Sunday morning, had a restaurant breakfast and headed north to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. We stopped at a Borders bookstore and used two gift cards that the Husband had gotten to buy a 10-cd set of the third Harry Potter book (Prisoner of Azkaban), and listened to that during the four-hour drive (it actually took much longer, since we were being leisurely and spontaneous). And we got lost a couple times by virtue of spontaniety (e.g. we were going to drive through West Point to peek at the military academy, but we couldn't find it - we ended up 17 miles past it and deciding there was no turning back, so we didn't).

We had lunch at a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Fishkill NY. New York has a secret little highway called the Taconic State Parkway. Apparently nobody knows it's there. It was basically deserted and it got us easily to the Massachusetts border, after which it was winding roads, tiny towns and minimal roadsigns. But we ended up where we wanted to be.

We stayed at a very large, very old inn called the Red Lion Inn (dates back to Colonial times). The floors creaked, the walls were cracked, the doors didn't close well, and the doorknobs were porcelain. The place reeked with character. It had a huge porch that wrapped around two sides, and you could sit out on the porch and watch the people go by. A waiter would periodically come through and take drink orders, so that's how we spent that evening. We decided to sit and drink 'til a yellow car came by. Which took quite a while. But the yellow vehicle was a Jeep, and we debated whether that actually qualified as a car.

We finally got hungry enough to venture down to the little pub and check out the live entertainment and eat something. There was no cover, but the hamburgers were nine bucks! Still it was fun. And we slept quite well.

Monday morning we had a delicious breakfast in the Inn's dining room, watched Stanley and Livingstone (the original Spencer Tracy version) back in the room while we packed our overnight bags, then checked out. We took in the nearby Norman Rockwell Museum. It was great! If you visit and aren't impressed, you're dead. To see those actual pictures that you've seen for years so close you can see the brush strokes is a thrill.

We tried driving around the area a bit, but we got ourselves lost again, so we backtracked and headed home. We fueled up and had lunch before we were out of Massachusetts, then it was straight on through to New Jersey. This time we did make it in four hours while catching up on Harry Potter's adventures. It was the Husband's birthday, so I bought dinner at our favorite restaurant before we actually got to the house

Opie was thrilled to see us and spent the evening in the Husband's lap. And c.c. popped in just long enough to eat, then was back out again. I don't even think she knew we were gone.

But I knew, and I needed that.

June 11, 2001
Monday - 12:09 am

This is a busy month.

Saturday the Husband's niece got married in a small but elaborate ceremony. The church service was mercifully brief (the church was not air conditioned) so we all escaped to the outdoor breezes before we melted. Then it was many miles to the country club reception, which was very nice (and air conditioned). None of the trappings of industrial catering (no folding tables or chairs, no disposable tablecloths, etc.). We sat at real tables in padded chairs and were served multi-course meals. We had crab ravioli appetizers (which the Husband loved), a unique garden salad (which the Husband didn't love), and an entree of Chicken Kiev that would have fed two people. There was the usual d.j., bouquet and garter tossing, cake cutting and feeding (no smooshing in the face at this reception). And we took pictures and laughed. We don't see enough of the Husband's family - they're spread out over a couple states, so this was catch-up time again.

Sunday was my godchild's high school graduation party. It was the industrial catered affair, but this was strictly fun. I went over to the hall to help set up because they only had the place for a brief time and could use the help. The Husband followed later. My whole family was there, including nieces and nephews, and we all sat together and ate for three hours straight. There was a lot of food. We were stuffed. And there was still more food. But it was fun, family and food, just like Saturday, but without religious significance.

Two such events in one weekend are not typical occurences for us, but certainly welcome ones.

And this coming Saturday is my nephew's high school graduation party. It's going to be another catered, strictly for fun event, with lots more fun, family and food. I can deal with all this. Often. :)

June 17, 2001
Sunday - 12:02 am

Happy Father's Day!

My father is 78 and doesn't look that much older than my Husband. He's still very active, and makes all of us feel younger. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

The milestones just keep rolling by. My sister's oldest son (the first-born of his generation on my side of the family) graduated from high school Friday. He's the kid who used to mow our lawn, and he starts college in three months. For eight years he was the baby, the only offspring for three aunts to dote on, and he will always be remembered as such. And being the first to attend college, he's leading us all to new experiences. He'll be going to Rutgers, only an hour away, which gives us plenty of chances to show up and embarrass him in front of his friends :)

The Husband's company picnic was yesterday, but we attended only briefly, as my nephew's graduation party was just hours later. It was a day of intermittent cloudbursts, attempted sunshine and really steamy and uncomfortable humidity. The two hours we were there were fun (although the first twenty minutes were spent in the car waiting for the rain to stop).

Between the picnic and the graduation party, I got an emergency call from work. It sounded not too serious, so I proceeded to work while the Husband went on to the party. Three hours later I was still there, and not happy. The Husband, my sister from SC and a friend had made up a plate of the catered food and brought it to me at work (not too far away). Unfortunately, I had just left and was back at the party. We all rendevouzed successfully shortly thereafter.

The party was catered under large tents, so the frequent downpours were no big deal. It was more a party for the adults. The nephew's closest friends from school were there, but they were greatly outnumbered by relatives and friends of his parents. He accepts us all good-naturedly.

It was a wet, busy day.

June 23, 2001
Saturday - 12:11 am

This has been a week of rain, humidity and meetings; none of which has made me very happy. I feel like I'd been spinning my wheels at work 'cause there's so much I have to get out of the way before I can actually do any work.

And my poor little Capri prefers being garage-kept, so when it sat out in the drenching downpour that was the remnants of tropical storm Allison, its aging (and shrinking) convertible top couldn't take the strain and succumbed to a significant leak that soaked into the foam rubber driver's seat like it was some giant gray tweed sponge (it still hasn't dried out). Needless to say, that made for some uncomfortable driving.

But the meetings are over and the storm has passed. And I can deal with the humidity as long as there is an air conditioner in the vicinity :)

The Husband's birthday was three weeks ago, and we haven't celebrated it yet (weddings and graduations took priority); we must make amends. It's definitely not like us to let an occasion for a celebration to get by.

So are you a Foo? That means Friend Of Opie. It's the newest addition to the Opie Project. The Foo page is a picture gallery of visiting pets, and we need yours :). The Husband is working furiously to have it up and running this weekend. Thanks to all those who have sent in pictures already. Opie will thank each of you personally. Soon.

Stay dry, stay cool, stay sane.

June 28, 2001
Thursday - 12:18 am

If you read the Husband's notes yesterday, you may have concluded that our lives revolve around our digital camera. Well, that's not far from wrong. We've both been strongly into photography for decades. We're always looking at things from the standpoint of its being photographed (aperature, lighting, composition, lens length). When digital photography happened, the prospect of shooting everything you want without wasting any film seemed to be too good to be true.

The earliest digital cameras couldn't quite match film for resolution, however, and getting good prints from digital photos was not an easy process. But that all changed in a couple years. We both had professional-quality film cameras, so we were picky about digicams. But the Olympus seemed to have acquired quality-camera status, and we bought it jointly (it wasn't cheap). The Husband gave up his darkroom and film camera entirely and relied on Adobe PhotoShop as his darkroom. I was a bit hesitant, continuing to refer to my film camera as my "real" camera while using the digital as a backup for taking multiples of the same shot.

Eventually the Olympus became the camera of choice for both of us (though I still carry my film camera for demanding portrait shots), so when the little marvel of electronics ceased to function, we felt a sudden loss. If our concern for our camera seems a bit over the top, it probably is. But we don't care.

Now go out and take a picture of something you love.

July 5, 2001
Thursday - 12:10 am

We consulted the Olympus service and repair website just days after sending our excellent little digicam to them for repairs, and found it listed with a repair estimate of $216. Actually, the Husband found it just surfing last Saturday. I was waiting for an e-mail to arrive. So I called them and authorized them to proceed. Turns out it wasn't just for the repair of the mode selector switch, but included a complete overhaul and a new, full warranty (6 months). So that was cool. I like that camera. And I like their service.

This weekend is my annual sabbatical to the Jersey shore with my sisters (for two weeks). None of us is ready, of course, but having a day off in the middle of the week (Independence Day) helped me find some time to pack, buy food and supplies, and coordinate activities with my siblings. Of course a power failure at work disrupted my day and required my presence on my day off, but it was brief.

I have to return for meetings a few days of those two weeks, but I can deal with that. The Husband will be coming down to join us for several days during that two-week period, but this is his busy time at work and he doesn't know exactly which days he'll be there, and I'm not totally sure which days I'll be in meetings, so coordinating our days should be an exercise in insanity.

So for the Fourth of July I shopped, made lists and phone calls and went to work. The Husband changed the oil in his car and in the Bronco. We both spent the early evening watching a newly-acquired DVD (Space Cowboys - clever movie), then sat out on our front steps and watched the fireworks from the Indian reservation down the road.

Back to work, but just for a coupla days :)

July 11, 2001
Wednesday - 12:11 am

Okay, this begins the fifth day at the beach. Except Monday I had to drive home for a meeting at work. What kind of vacation is that? The Husband also had to work Monday and Tuesday, so I followed him home so I wouldn't have to remember where all the turns were :)

The meeting was the typical type that we have, being partially productive and generating another meeting next week (which I will also be returning from the shore for). But not just to sit and absorb wisdom. I have to make a presentation. Which I have to prepare while I'm at the shore. Could be worse, I guess. My brother-in-law had to fly to Iowa - he'll be back Friday for the remainder of the vacation. I think.

Meeting adjourned, I turned my little car back toward the Atlantic Ocean and was home in time for dinner with the housemates. Tuesday morning people kinda did their own thing, so I decided to see just how much I had to do to put together a Power Point presentation. It was more than I thought, because apparently I had never installed Power Point on my laptop. This was not good.

The Husband had said he might be back Tuesday night if he had free time at work, so I kept my fingers crossed that he had and could find the Power Point cd (actually part of the MS Office cd) and then would be able to find the serial number. He had and he did and he did, and he and they all arrived together Tuesday night.

I was so relieved that I would now be able to work during my vacation. Heh.

July 23, 2001
Monday - 12:03 am

It's back-to-work Monday, after two weeks with my extended family at the beach. It met all the criteria of a vacation -- being away, enjoying dinners out, fun in the sun and forgetting about work for a while. I had the additional benefits of sharing all the above with my sisters and their families -- even the Husband spent more time with us than he has in years. As a vacation, it was a decided success.

And now it's done. Back to all that I was getting away from.

Next weekend is my grandmother's 99th birthday. She lives out in Pittsburgh, and my whole family will be flying out there to celebrate (my sister found a discount airline that flies one-way to Pittsburgh for $39.00 (Air-Tran -- ever heard of it? Me neither). We can't drive out there for that cheap. And we'll be there in 45 minutes, rather than six hours.

The cats were happy to see me -- c.c. carried on a one-sided conversation with me for several minutes, and Opie slept close to me all night, just to be sure I was really home.

We watched a lotta movies down the shore in the last two weeks, and that didn't end when we got home. Last night was "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (the Collector's Edition), which included an entire 2nd disc of behind-the-scenes special features. All very interesting.

I'll be spending today trying to pretend that it's not Monday :)

July 30, 2001
Monday - early am

Just got home from Pittsburgh via No-Frills Airlines (actually Air-Trans $39 one way). The folks were very polite. The guy who took our tickets at the gate turned out also to be the pilot. Cross-training, I guess. They also don't have a lotta planes. We had to wait while our plane finished another run and came back to get us. So we were a little delayed on the return trip (two hours!).

The plane was a derivative of a Boeing 737; it was clean and up-to-date. This was my second experience with an uncommon carrier of minimal cost (the first being National Airlines, which specializes in flights to Las Vegas - I suspect their subsidized by the casinos). Even with the delay I couldn't really complain; I'd fly 'em again. Especially for $39!

We stayed at the Marriott at the airport; we were supposed to have adjoining rooms, but didn't, so when the four-year-old twins came running from their room to our room (one door away) and giggling as they ran for all of 15 seconds, some old biddy called security and complained kids were running up and down the hall. A great start for the weekend.

The purpose of this trip was my grandmother's 99th birthday. She lives out in Pittsburgh, and the whole family was there to celebrate (except the Husband, who is way behind at work after taking a coupla days off the last two weeks to be with us at the shore - he says). But he will be attending next year's celebration - the big 100.

We all went out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate (Grams still gets around pretty good for 99); there were 19 of us and it was a fun time. Next year should be amazing; there's gonna be a lot of people heading for Pittsburgh that weekend! I hope they still have the $39 flights.

August 4, 2001
Saturday - too early am

At last - a weekend with nothing to do. Of course that's not true. The cleaning that's been ignored lo these many weeks is hovering like a rabid bat. And I can't really put it off because we're on the eve of Birthday Season (or BS, for short).

BS is a family event, as all BS should be. It starts with my mother and permeates the whole family for six weeks, commanding our attention and cleaning be damned. My mother's birthday is next weekend, followed by my oldest niece's birthday one week later. That is followed a week later by my next-youngest sister's birthday, which is followed in quick succession by the birthday's of the same sister's husband and youngest son.

There's more: eight sons and daughters of friends, plus three close friends and my boss all have birthdays in that time frame. And there are two anniversaries to celebrate also. In other words, we begin partying next weekend and don't stop 'til the leaves start to change color :)

It's true - there will be at least one celebration every weekend 'til the end of September, so I best accomplish something in the way of tidying up now.

So dust, sweep and be merry, for next week we party!

August 10, 2001
Friday - ? am

I mentioned previously that we will be celebrating something like sixteen birthdays in the next six weeks. And I related the tale of my impulsive trip to Las Vegas with a friend back in May. Well, the same friend has gotten a room in Atlantic City and invited me and some other friends for an extended weekend in September, right in the midst of Birthday Season. But I've decided we can work it out. Then I learned that my employer has scheduled a mandatory meeting for the Monday afternoon following that weekend (we had planned to stay through Monday). So we'll just have to leave a little early on Monday.

We're in the midst of an ugly heat wave right now (it's supposed to break this weekend); the temperature today was a repulsive 104 degrees. It was like walking around under water. Not that I did any walking in this heat. My house is air-conditioned, my car is air-conditioned, and my office is air-conditioned. God help me if any of them break down. This has been record-breaking heat. People are dying from it. Even the cats have figured out that extended outdoor time is unwise.

Stem-cell research is the big news at the moment. It's all happening too fast for me. I'm definitely not ready for human clones. But I know it's all inevitable, and we will adjust to it eventually, and the brave new world will carry on. And when I'm old and falling apart and need a new organ, I'll probably appreciate that they can just go down to the freezer and get me one :)

Stay cool!

August 16, 2001
Thursday - 1:01 am

These are the Dog Days of summer, and not just because of the heat. I seem to be spending more time at work than usual, and this is also the Husband's busiest time at work, so even when we do see each other (we manage an hour or two each night), we're both too pooped to carry on any kind of dialog. So we watch tv in silence, or set ourselves in front of our respective computers and surf aimlessly 'til our eyes start to burn, then go to bed.

So the fact that there are so many birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate in the next six weeks is actually a help - it forces us to interact with our various family members and - occasionally - each other, rather than dissolving into a zombie-like state that is so comfortable after a long day.

Two nights ago I was driving home after a long day and I got beeped and had to go back. It was almost eleven before I got home. The Husband has to be up earlier than I do, and I barely manage to wake up before he's gone every morning. It's an unpredictable and exhausting schedule. But this happens every year, and we've always gotten through it, and we will again this year. The Husband has already said he sees light at the end of the tunnel; I just hope it doesn't run him over :)

Besides the long workdays and never-ending party schedule, there is the back-to-school chaos enjoyed by the nieces and nephews, which is usually fun (I contribute many of the supplies myself, as a good doting aunt should), and the madness rolls on.

Then suddenly it's all over. The parties, the workloads, the summer. The kids are in school, the nights are getting colder, the car is due for inspection, and we look at each other like actors who forgot their lines and wonder where it all went.

Ain't life grand?

August 23, 2001
Thursday - after midnight

My father has a vegetable garden; he's had it for a long time, and it should be rightfully considered a success. He's supplied us with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, squash, eggplant and other assorted yummies over the years.

My brother-in-law also has a vegetable garden. He hasn't been at it as long as my father, but it too has yielded a small bounty of veggies, and it too should be considered a success. But not this year.

This year my nephew graduated high school and is college bound in less than two weeks. This major change in the family's lives had pushed the veggie garden far down the priority list. Nothing new was planted this year, and the old plants were left to their own devices.

My father is also retired, so he has time to be a schemer. One day he grabbed a big red tomato fresh from his garden and headed over to my sister's house when my brother-in-law was not home and convinced her they should sew this juicy tomato to one of the neglected tomato plants sitting fruitless in the brother-in-law's garden. So they did. Using needle and thread, the large red tomato's stem was deftly attached to the existing plant in a spot that was noticeable from the kitchen window.

My father and sister returned to the kitchen table and awaited the brother-in-law's return. They were considering how they should direct his attention to the garden when he came in, but it wasn't really necessary. Greetings had barely been exchanged when the gleaming red tomato caught his eye. He immediately went out to the garden and plucked the tomato from its surrogate plant. Apparently the sew job was sufficient to produce a realistic "pluck" because he never noticed the thread. He brought it in the house raving about what a great tomato it was, considering that he had done nothing to cultivate it. He held it up proudly.

My father remained stone-faced, but my sister couldn't hold it in - she blurted out their ploy and caught her husband completely off-guard. Everyone had a good laugh - even the brother-in-law, eventually.

We call that a "gotcha!"

August 29, 2001
Wednesday - too #@!! early

Today is my next-youngest sister's birthday; one of the dozen or so we celebrate this month. Not that we will celebrate it today (the actual day is strictly an immediate family celebration - unless it falls on a weekend. We make up the rules as we go). We celebrated it last weekend with the usual fanfare, and it was the usual success. We combined it with another friend's birthday so there would be lots of presents to open.

This weekend we celebrate the six-year-old niece's birthday that was actually over a week ago. She had the immediate family celebration on the actual day, and a kids' party the weekend before. This weekend is for all the adult relatives to celebrate. Immediately ahead is my birthday sister's husband and youngest born (that's two different people), while another party is a bon voyage for her first born heading off to college. A coupla friends' kids are having birthdays in there, and I can't forget my boss's birthday.

Then it's a weekend in Atlantic City with "the girls" from work.

And then it's over? No way! Then we fast track it. My anniversary follows shortly, followed by Halloween and much portraiture for posterity of all the nieces and nephews and friends' kids in their costumes, with Thanksgiving and My Birthday just a few weeks later, and then it's four glorious weeks of Christmas shopping, capped off, of course, by Christmas, then New Year's.

A new one-time event follows all this. On Groundhog Day in 2002, we make the final payment on the house and it's all ours. No more mortgage!

Which means we're really getting old. Happy New Year.

September 4, 2001
Tuesday - 12:something

There's nothing like a three-day weekend, especially when you don't get beeped. I actually got some much-needed R&R.

We're celebrating the first anniversary of the arrival of c.c. I was really hesitant to get another cat; I was afraid the ideal arrangement we had with Opie would suffer with the introduction of another cat. Fortunately, I was totally wrong. In my best-case scenario I never envisioned c.c. not needing a litterbox, but she followed Opie's lead and goes outside in all kinds of weather to take care of business. In fact, she emulates Opie in almost every way (including bringing home "pets"). We love her. Opie is a surrogate mother, a role he enjoys. The Opie Project rolls on.

My sister's kid was deposited at college on Friday. There were a bunch of upperclassmen volunteers helping out to answer questions, give directions, move large objects, etc. The room was smaller than anticipated; his computer monitor and keyboard monopolized all his desk space. The scanner is relegated to the closet until needed. But all went smoothly. He met his roommate and they had lunch together.

Saturday he called me; he was having trouble setting up his internet connection. Then he forgot his e-mail address. This will all be sorted out eventually. Today he begins classes.

My oldest sister (she prefers first-born) has lived everywhere it seems (from Seattle to New York to Florida); she is currently in South Carolina. Her job keeps her traveling quite a bit, and lately most of her travels are to the western states. So to cut flying time from 5-6 hours each way down to 1-2 hours, she's moving to Denver. She just bought a house there and e-mailed me the picture. It's nice. Now we have a new destination for our travels.

So good luck, nephew and sister. And happy anniversary c.c.!

September 10, 2001
Monday - way early

Happy Grandparent's Day, if applicable ...

There's just a few more birthdays left in birthday season. The next one is Thursday, and my nephew will be ten years old. Like any ten-year-old, he's heavy into video games and Pokemon. That's why we were a bit taken aback when he asked for a bird for his birthday. A parakeet, specifically. His parents were not particularly enthusiastic about the idea, especially his father. But they eventually came around, and the path was cleared for the kid to have a bird of his own.

My older sister had a parakeet from the time she was eight, and it was still flitting around the house and landing on my father's head when she went off to college. So parakeets were not unknown to us.

My youngest sister and I agreed to get it for him, but we really had no idea how to shop for a parakeet. I did some internet research and didn't find a lot. I have a friend who raises birds and she directed me to a very helpful bird store. We realized that the kid should actually pick out the specific bird, so we took him bird shopping. He had already decided to name the bird "Yoshi" (from a Mario Bothers video game), and he wanted a bird that fit the name. He found a 6-week-old blue and white (with a touch of yellow) active bird that was quite chirpy. The employees gave him a heart-to-heart on the care and feeding of Yoshi, how to get the bird to trust him, avoidance of loud noises, etc. We bought a parakeet book, a cage, bird toys, perches of varying diameter (healthier for bird leg muscles), various foods and treats.

We assembled the cage when we got home and introduced Yoshi to his new abode. The bird did not move from his corner of the cage for a very long time, but several hours later he was swinging on his swing and chirping merrily.

And when this kid goes off to college, Yoshi will have been a long-established member of the family.

September 16, 2001
Sunday - dawn

Today we celebrate my nephew's tenth birthday. He's the one who decided he wanted the responsibility of a bird. He got it. We took him to pick out a parakeet last week and the bird is adjusting well to his new home.

Of course there will be many new presents to bestow on the guest of honor, and this will be a party like all the other parties. Especially so; we want business as usual, party-wise so that the celebration feels just like all the others. The kid is old enough to realize what happened in New York and DC last week, but not why (and who really does?). He's already talked with his mom about it. So we don't want to appear overly-concerned. I'm sure the topic will come up (how could it not?), and we'll just deal with it calmly and matter-of-factly.

There was a show on yesterday for kids that dealt with the incidents which allowed an audience of kids to voice their opinions and concerns. I thought it was well done.

So life goes on, though it will never be quite the same for quite a while.

The following is a brief moment of silence...

September 22, 2001
Saturday - whenever

Today we celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday, the final party of the birthday season. Then everyone's officially older, and we can move on the the next phase: celebrating my anniversary!

Speaking of getting older -- last night we watched the Tribute to Heroes telethon (that was broadcast simultaneously on every local channel except one), and I thought it was very effective; subtle and low-key, not overly-hyped like everything else on tv. But it may have been a little too low-key for my demographic. There was no introduction, no graphic overly, identifying any of the musical artists. When some of the younger musicians came on, the Husband and I just looked at each other and silently asked if we knew who that was. At some point, my sister began calling, asking if we knew who the artist was that was on at that particular moment. The next time we would call and ask her. This went on all evening. At one point we went to the 'net for help (all we got was a potential list). Eventually we managed to identify all but two or three of the participating artists.

The telethon was a good idea. We have to start enjoying ourselves again, yet not forget what happened. It served that function well.

But we're still lost as to who that third musical act was.

September 28, 2001
Friday - midnight +

The end of a week, the end of a month (close enough).

Summer is over; the nights have gotten cool and brisk, and I love sleeping with the windows open just enough to give me a chill as I snuggle under the covers. It's a bit early for fall nights, and I expect a few more days of summer-type weather before they settle in for good, but right now I'm enjoying them.

What I'm not enjoying is the Nimda Worm that has gotten into our computers at work. It's still surfacing on occasion. It's hiding in one or more of the computers, and it's taking up all my time dealing with it. I try not to be cognizant of the fact that this virtual worm was created by a human worm who had no better use for his/her existence than to create some mindless vandalism. Jerk.

I need a new server for the part of my job not involved in chasing worms. It's a whole system that involves software and training. But it's a bit more than the Holders-Of-The-Purse-Strings wish to pay, even though I showed how it would pay for itself long before it depreciated. I will perservere.

The Christmas shopping binge rolls on. I found a lot of stuff on eBay (all brand new) at decent prices, and they've been arriving on an almost-daily basis.

Anniversary in less than two weeks - we're getting each other a dishwasher. Then Halloween, with all the nieces and nephews and friends' kids showing up in costume for treats and official Halloween photographs (this has officially become a tradition now). My birthday follows in four weeks, and that usually manages to involve at least three parties and loads of presents, simultaneously with Christmas shopping beginning in earnest (my sisters and I raid the malls the day after Thanksgiving). Then, of course, Christmas and New Year's.

And all those chilly nights with the windows open :)

October 10, 2001
Wednesday, early

I have a new dishwasher. And it's installed in the kitchen and not sitting in the living room. I am relieved. It's great - very quiet.

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary; the dishwasher was our present to each other. But we're also taking a mini-vacation (a four-day weekend) soon, to close out the summer (which is pretty much closed already, but there will be a few "convertible days" remaining (as the Husband calls them), and hopefully they'll coincide with our weekend away.

My sisters asked what we'd like for our anniversary, and we decided money to pay for our weekend away. That way they sort of gave us this little trip.

It's been cold recently. Too cold for sleeping with the windows open, even. I think it actually went below freezing last night. But it's s'posed to warm up through the weekend and be sunny. But I suspect that'll be it for the warm weather this year. Both Opie and c.c. joined us for an evening of tv. I don't think they've done that on a non-rainy night since the last snowfall. They've been pretty active outside, however, before I leave for work in the morning. I think they're getting in their last hurrahs of the summer.

So I'll be welcoming the sunshine and the breezes for the next few days as I drag out my winter clothes and store away my summer apparel. I like fall, but it's never long enough, y'know? The colorful leaves, the chill in the air, the blue skies. Followed too soon by dead leaves, frostbite and gray overcast.

As with anything, enjoy it while it's here.

October 16, 2001
Tuesday, sometime

Greetings to the red kitty in Midlothian VA and welcome to the Opie Project. Kitty's caregivers are distant relatives of the Husband, who were directed to the Project by another distant relative who had encountered us through a genealogy website. I think. This stuff gets a bit murky to me - the Husband is the family record-keeper. Apparently this feline fondness is in the genes.

Bright 'n early Monday morning, the Husband left for his dentist appointment, 45 miles away (he used to live near there before we were married, but never changed dentists when he moved). This past weekend the Husband noticed a small drip coming from his car's water pump and decided to change the antifreeze. He flushed it out and added half the new antifreeze, then checked for the leak. He studied it for a while and was so pleased that it didn't leak that he overlooked adding the remainder of the antifreeze.

So Monday morning, dentist bound, he's out on the Interstate with an overheated vehicle. He had extra antifreeze with him; he just had to wait for it to cool off so he could fill it up. That made him late for his appointment, so he cell-phoned the dentist that he'd be late, only to find that he was supposed to be rescheduled due to the extended absence of an assistant. If he hadn't overheated he would have made a 90-mile round trip for nothing.

I reformatted my hard drive this weekend and reinstalled everything, hoping it would run more smoothly. When I first installed my cd-writer two years ago, it didn't work, and I had to delve through pages and pages of their website to figure out how to correct it. I was reminded of this when I reinstalled the cd-writer software and it didn't work again. And again it was multi-page delving on the website. That killed the weekend.

I've gotten the online purchasing bug again. Gifts for the nieces and nephews for Christmas have been arriving daily. I may have my shopping done before Thanksgiving. Actually, that's not true. My sisters and I always spend the day after Thanksgiving shopping our hearts out. There will always be more shopping to do :)

There is an ancestral burial ground just full of the Husband's relatives dating way back about 200 miles from here in a tiny fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay. We just learned about it recently and we're going down to see it in a coupla weeks. The Husband is getting his genealogy charts together to identify the names we may encounter. But this is where I came in.

Check your antifreeze :)

October 22, 2001
Monday morning

My company relies a lot on computers - their use within the company grew geometrically over the years, with each division overseeing its own computer operations, software and capital expenses. It soon became apparent that these efforts would have to be consolidated for cost and management efficiency, with one person in charge of all computers. And I was chosen. At the time, I was informed that all computer operations would eventually be physically located in a centralized position (the key word there was eventually). Until then it was necessary for me to make the rounds to variously-located staff, servers, printers and more esoteric peripherals spread throughout the company.

There are plans (I've seen them) and construction under way (on a large room with cables running into it from everywhere in the building, but otherwise empty) that will house me, my staff and all the servers and most peripherals.

To be brief, that was three years ago, but recently they've begun knocking out a wall that will be the final step toward my new office. Of course in doing so they've had to relocate the people who worked on the opposite side of that wall. They relocated them into my present office, the population of which has now doubled. However, the new office will be ready "soon." End of the year maybe. Heh.

On my trip to Las Vegas back in May, the in-flight movie was "Chocolat." I couldn't follow it at all; I decided it was one of those convoluted artsy films that I was never meant to understand. But this weekend we borrowed a copy of the movie, and I discovered that I was able to understand it much better when I wasn't anticipating several days of fun and frivolity in Las Vegas :)

November 4, 2001
Sunday, somewhere

Our long weekend exploring old neglected graveyards and newly-renovated shore resorts was a welcome change of pace. It wasn't a full vacation, but it served all the functions - it was a getaway with excellent food to be ingested in a pleasant atmosphere conducive to digestion (and breakfasts out at eateries is always a special treat).

But now we're home. One of the additional perks of a four-day weekend is that it's both preceded and followed by four-day workweeks.

Usually.

Saturday I found myself up and heading for work at 8 am. It's always something, y'know. We're having some new equipment installed, and the installation comes with free (and essential) training. And because the installation was on a Saturday, so was the training. It wasn't terrible, but it was a Saturday. But I was home by mid-afternoon, ready to cook the small turkey I had put out to defrost before I left.

Uh, oh. I forget to take the turkey out of the freezer.

So we ate around nine last night (I really did want to eat before that).

I fell asleep on the couch immediately following dinner.

Happy November everyone!

November 10, 2001
Saturday, again

Friday night (just a few hours ago) I was babysitting my 10-year-old nephew (10-year-old nephews do not like the term "babysitting") and we were discussing Harry Potter. As with many 10-year-olds, he is deeply immersed in the Harry Potter mystique. He's read all the books at least twice (probably more); he introduced the Husband and I to the series (which is equally entertaining for adults). After we finished the first book, the Husband purchased the newest book on tape (unabridged, 12 cassettes, 20 hours), and, since we still hadn't completed the 2nd and 3rd books, we loaned the cassettes to the nephew until such time as we were ready for them.

The Husband ultimately purchased the second and third books on audio CD's, and we listened to them on long trips and summer commutes to the Jersey shore. They are extremely well-done, with the narrator assuming voices for each of the characters and reading the accounts with intensity and vigor. When we finished them, they were passed along to the nephew in return for the fourth book on tape that we had loaned him previously (and which we listened to on our trip to the Outer Banks two weeks ago, and which we only got 2/3 of the way through because it was only a fourteen-hour drive round trip).

With the movie due out soon (it's already out in the UK to rave reviews), we are getting glimpses of the characters (and the live actors playing them) . It adds to the images presented by the books (and the narrator on the tapes and cd's). Sometimes movies can alter the reader's personal book experience and be a disappointment. I don't think that will be the case with this movie.

The nephew wants us all to join him next Friday when the movie opens. So the Husband and I and four other adults will be the guests of a 10-year-old for this momentous occasion.

Which is cool.

November 16, 2001
Friday, TGIF

A few weeks ago we received a postcard from the vet, inquiring as to whether we had forgotten that c.c. was due for her booster shots.

Well, obviously we had; they were two months overdue.

So Thursday night we stuffed c.c. into the cat carrier (always an educational experience) and bundled her off to the vet. Now c.c., like most cats, does not appreciate being confined in the small carrier. And she doesn't like being transported by motor vehicle. So when you combine the two, you have one perturbed pussycat. She vocalized her opinion all the way to the vet (which is five minutes away, but she could make it seem like a cross-country trip). And when she wasn't immediately released from her enclosure, she assumed we couldn't hear her demands, so she voiced them louder. It became a series of annoying meows at regularly-spaced intervals, like the Chinese Water Torture.

Not that it halted once we arrived at the vet. She continued unabated in the waiting room, to the immense amusement of the vet's staff and some folks with a collie. She sounded like an electronic device, emitting the same sound at 2.1 -second intervals. This eventually annoyed/amused the collie who began to sing along with a coyote-type wail.

We had the place in hysterics. A splendid time was had by all.

The vet gave her a bunch of shots, and told us they might make her a bit lethargic. Yeah, right. Not this kitty. She was out running around all evening after we got her home.

Tonight we are joining six other adults and three kids at the local premier of the Harry Potter movie. It should be sheer insanity. My favorite kind :)

November 22, 2001
Thursday, Thanksgiving morn

In the U.S., today is Thanksgiving day, which we use as an excuse to practice gluttony while being thankful that we can do so. Both the Husband and I have the day off (I also have tomorrow off; he doesn't). Today we will assemble at my sister's home to feast mightily. My older sister, who recently moved to Denver, will be joining us; it's the first time the whole family has all been together in a while.

I am responsible for pumpkin pies, which I made with care last night. I also put together some sugar-free pudding for the Husband so he can join the rest of us for dessert.

I can't believe it's the end of November already. My birthday is just days away, and Christmas is but weeks away. And tomorrow is Black Friday (a euphemism for the busiest shopping day of the year, and the official kick-off of the Christmas Shopping Season (even though I have the majority of my Christmas shopping done). I'll once again be joining my sisters in a day-long multi-county tour of the major shopping malls as we shop 'til we drop. Then we get do it all again Saturday.

Sunday we're wrapping up the big 4-day weekend by celebrating my older sister's 50th birthday, a week early, being as she is here now and won't be then (she's the one from Denver, as you will remember from the first paragraph).

From then on it's a quick trip to Christmas. And I'll be thankful for every minute.

November 28, 2001
Wednesday, real early

It's after midnight, so it's official: today is my birthday. Gimme presents.

Because my sister was here this week (from Denver), although her birthday is next week, we celebrated her birthday first. But she's back in Denver now, and my birthday begins. I say begins because birthdays are never a one-day thing with me. I have wonderful co-workers who will make me a cake and bring other goodies to celebrate the occasion. The Husband will present me with a gift fitting the occasion, and treat me to dinner out, and (I'll go out on a limb here) there will be flowers delivered on behalf of niece(s) and/or nephew(s). On the coming weekend there will be the regulation party with cake and ice cream and, of course, more presents. My father's birthday, and my brother-in-law's birthday, are also next week, so we'll be having one big celebration for the three of us, with enough presents to make it seem like Christmas arrived early.

Of course, by the time all that comes and goes, we will be well into the Christmas season (i.e., it'll be December). I have practically all my Christmas shopping done, but the Christmas spirit has not yet enveloped me to the fullest. We need a tree and other decorations to get up to speed (the Husband does not believe in going straight from Thanksgiving to Christmas). It'll be a coupla weeks before those accoutrements will be in place (most of the neighborhood is way ahead of us).

But first the birthday! Bring it on; I am ready.

December 6, 2001
Wednesday, in the a.m.

Yesterday was my father's birthday, and the Husband and I took him and my mother out to dinner at his favorite Italian restaurant, and we all had fun. My father is 79, but doesn't look (or act) more than 60. He just got his first computer, and I was giving him the basic training course (which he is picking up quite well). The first thing I taught him was how to find the Opie Project :)

There's only a few weeks left in the year, and if I don't use my remaining vacation days by then, I lose them. So I'm off this week. There are Christmas cookies to bake.

So what happens the day before I'm about to use this r&r? A 10-year employee quit without notice. I had to juggle duties. Did I mention this was a second-shift employee? The only other second-shift people are part-timers; they can't work more than 1,000 hours a year, so I couldn't ask them to work extra hours. That meant a full-time first shift employee has to work nights 'til we can hire a replacement. Then I'm told that due to budget constraints, I can't replace him. This is just before my "vacation." I have a headache.

Today I joined a friend for the annual "house tour." The biggest (read "most expensive") houses in the county are open ostensibly to give everyone a peek at their Christmas decorations. It's actually just an excuse to show off their wealth. But it's fun and we do it every year.

We have a DSL line now, but the network we set up is not being cooperative. We'll get it worked out eventually. In the meantime, it's fun watching the "foo gallery" page pop up instantly, instead of waiting for each picture to be sloooooowly drawn on the screen.

Because I didn't work today, I slept late. The Husband had left for work, and the cats usually head out to the woods after breakfast, so I was surprised when c.c. curled up next to me, purring loudly in semi-nap mode. I absently rubbed her head while watching "Good Morning America" until I was awake. With late hours at work and Christmas shopping, cooking and decorating, I haven't had much quality time for the animals, and I realized I missed the therapeutic value of a purring cat. I think c.c. missed me too, as indicated by the loud purring. This morning was fortuitous for both of us.

Purrs to all.

December 11, 2001
Tuesday, in the a.m.

Saturday we got a tree. It was a Frazier Fir, which have very sturdy branches on which to hang my vast collection of ornaments. We put it up, and the Husband added the lights while I unpacked boxes and boxes of ornaments and decorations. It took me all day to get organized. I did some rudimentary hoiusecleaning before delving headlong into decorating the house for the holidays. It was well past midnight and I still had decorations to unpack (I have a lot of decorations and tree ornaments). I finally went to bed, having convinced myself that I'd made a good start.

Sunday the Husband finally began his Christmas shopping, and it gave me the opportunity to be alone with my tree. I laid out all my ornaments (I know them all by heart) and began the Great Tree Trimming of '01.

The Husband returned shortly after dark, and I had but a handful of ornaments in place on the tree. The Husband whisked away several large packages from my view, but then showed me what he'd bought for people on his list (me excluded) while I continued to decorate (the Husband is banned from helping me). I got a goodly amount done by 2 a.m. and crashed.

I finished the tree Monday, and I do believe it's one of the nicest trees we've ever had; the ornaments look great on it.

I was so involved with tree-trimming this weekend that I failed to do any grocery shopping. I corrected that oversight today, and the Husband and two felines are relieved.

Christmas comes but once a year - enjoy it!

December 17, 2001
Monday, in the a.m.

It's all coming together now, and I'm on a roll. I computer-addressed the Christmas cards (with appropriate Christmas clip art embellishments), went to church, finished up the last detail involving Christmas shopping, wrapped all the nieces' and nephews' presents (of which there are many), prepared dinner for ourselves and made a meal for "food day" at work tomorrow (we all bring a home-cooked item to work and share the food), while on the phone, talking my father through installing a software program. I'm a woman, w-o-m-a-n.

The Husband was signing the Christmas cards, writing the occasional witty greeting. He also did some last minute shopping, which included picking up some anti-freeze at 8 am, mixing it 50/50 with water and adding it to the Bronco, all before I had to leave for church.

Did I mention that I also removed a tick from Opie's neck and one from the Husband's armpit while watching the X-Files?

I still have to sign the Christmas cards and write my own witicisms therein. But that's for after sunrise; right now the schedule calls for sleep, and as I said, I'm on a roll.

Have a relatively serene pre-Christmas.

December 23, 2001
Sunday, 12:45 a.m.

Down to the wire, and all is going well. I got one of those spiral rope light Christmas trees for the lawn, and my brother-in-law got us another one and put that one up Friday while I was at work. But he couldn't find an outdoor extension cord. We called to thank him and added that we didn't have an outdoor extension cord either, but we'd get one in the morning.

That night, shortly after midnight, there came a knock at the door. A knock on the door after midnight is usually a subject of concern, but it was just my sister and brother-in-law. They'd been out doing some late-night shopping (lotsa stores are open late around here this time of year), particularly seeking an outdoor extension cord. They never found one, so they settled on an indoor type, and hustled over to hook it up, just so we could see how it looked. Our living room lights were on (they're on a timer), so they figured we were up. We weren't. I was in bed (though still awake) and the Husband had been napping on the couch.

So we got the thing hooked up and I liked it and thanked them for their efforts. We sat around gabbing 'til 2 a.m. (no one had to get up early). Pleasant surprises are always welcome, and usually the most fun.

Saturday the Husband was out early, locating the required outdoor extension cord. He also put up the second spiral tree on the lawn and hooked everything up. So with the new lights that the Husband had put up earlier, after seventeen years of the same Christmas decorations, we now have a whole new look. I'm gonna get another of those spiral rope light trees next year (when everyone will have one).

Saturday night was our annual "Polyanna" party among a dozen close friends. We exchange gifts, but it's just another excuse to have another party . We take turns hosting; this year it's my dear friend Kathy's turn (she's Opie and c.c.'s caretaker when we're gone for extended periods, for which we are ever grateful), and the food was wonderful, and we had fun. I received a photo wheel (like a small ferris wheel with wallet-size pictures for the gondolas), and some crafty-type tree ornaments. But mostly it was food and fun (and lots of each).

Two days to go, and I've got all the presents wrapped and the house cleaned. Bring on Christmas! :)

December 29, 2001
Saturday, 12:45 a.m.

Christmas is absolutely my favorite time of year. I look forward to the shopping and the Christmas spirit itself, shared by so many friends and family. And giving really is better than receiving when kids are involved. I have really adorable nieces and nephews, and seeing them go nuts at Christmas gives me a permanent smile for days.

We split Christmas day between my family and the Husband's (as we do every year) with brunch with my family and dinner with the Husband's family (an hour away). It makes for a hectic day, but it's fun. Now it's time to relax and tidy up a bit from the new influx of gifts that will all be requiring some place to be put when the trappings of Christmas have gone for this year.

My influx included a perfectly adoreable tiny photo printer that prints photo quality 4x6 pictures directly from the digicam's memory card, or from a computer. It fits the definition of "cute," which puts it way up on my list of desired items (it looks like it could be a computer printer for a Barbie doll set). And I got software for my pda, smart media memory cards, a hands-free kit for using my cell-phone in the car without actually touching it, and my usual calendar created by the Husband. This year he emulated the Anne Geddes baby pictures, only he put me into those silly settings (digitally), and it was very cute (cute is always a plus).

And yesterday I had a small gathering of people from work, which I usually try to do each Christmas. It was a success, but I had to manage it without the presence of the Husband. He was sick in bed with a head cold. Still is. The chaos continues.

Happy New Year!