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Tuesday, September 30, 2003 11:40am Special Moments It's always nice catching up with old friends from our "home" in the SF Bay Area. It's fun to find out what's been happening, what's new, a little gossip, *we went to the Folsom St. Fair today and took pictures*, and then trying to figure out the next time you'll see each other again. As I'm wistfully wishing I was there and not here, the ever-popular question, "...so why'd you move dumb-ass?!" always manages to find its way into the conversation. Speaking of special moments, I viewed Cindy and Norm's wedding pic proofs last night (all 1000+ shots). Great shots that took me right back to the beautiful August day. Somehow it didn't matter then that we had to get up at 6am for hair and makeup - Exhibit A of how the body can function on adrenaline and loads of caffeine! Ah but it hurts to be beautiful...or at least pretty for a few hours. There's something quite magical about the beauty and calmness a bride radiates as she walks towards her groom. *ok, not ALL brides, but my sister anyway*. She was beautiful - not only because she had on a stunning gown but because she was happy to be standing in that place beside her man surrounded by all their favorite people! Now where's my pen so I can place an order already! Last Sunday afternoon, Jessica enjoyed her first outing with the Precious Jewels Adventurer's Club to the Monmouth Battlefield State Park . See the Gallery. Sunday, September 28, 2003 12:24am Avid Anglers Late yesterday
afternoon my husband decided on a whim that he wanted to check out Cabela's
in Hamburg, PA - the 250,000 sq. ft. retail destination spot for
outdoor Just 90 minutes away from home, Jay found himself in fisherman's heaven. And there were thousands of others there like him, excited as any woman would be at a great designer shoe sale. I must admit that I still haven't quite found the adrenalin rush in fishing or quite figured out the math in the $400 price tag on a reel. And perhaps trying to explain the theory to me, would be like trying to explain why I need 10 pairs of black high heel sandals. We were quite fascinated by the African Lion Safari, North American, Deer Country exhibits. Apparently all the animals on display were real - previously hunted then stuffed. One of the helpful "outdoor enthusiasts" - novelty title for sales professional - explained that the elephant was hunted in Africa by none other than one of the Cabela brothers / owner. Stuffing the animal cost him something to the tune of $15,000. Also quite
notable was the Gun Library which housed rows of high end rifles and
handguns in glass encasements. There was a certain hush as you
entered this hallowed ground - just about as intimidating as walking into
a Jimmy Choo
boutique. Bullets were sold in neatly stacked boxes on the
"serve yourself shelves" like they were candy. I wondered
to myself which one of the many around me browsing the gun selection was
an actual psycho Jay left content with his fishing supplies and me with my green apple licorice and s'mores from the general store. Pics are up in the gallery for all to see! Friday, September 26, 2003 2:45pm Grrrr! So today started out with a "grrrr moment"...actually it was more like a "*&!%*# moment". I was rushing to school and arrived on campus in fairly record time. Finding parking within fair walking distance to the Mac Lab building is quite a challenge. Usually I just sit and wait for someone to come out and free up a spot. Within a few minutes I noticed a girl heading towards her vehicle and I slowly inched along behind her so that I could snag her parking. As I sat waiting for her to pull out, the car behind whipped out in front of me and parked in front of me at an angle. What the...!! I leaned out my window and called out to the "boy" driver, "umm hel-looo I've been sitting here waiting!" to which he replied "So!" and proceeded to park his vehicle. *Oh nooo he didn't!* I was way past the annoyed stage at this point and I glared at him as he got out of his car. Dude even had the nerve to ask me what MY problem was! I had all kinds of expletives running through my head, but I figured that my vehicle was way nicer than his and I wanted to return from class and not find key marks. This blatantly ignorant punk was soooo not worth it! I have zero patience for idiots like that, and shoot if I was that obnoxious when I was that age my momma woulda taken me out...permanently. Whoa girl...take a deep breath and exhale slowly! Thursday, September 25, 2003 9:59pm Blog Launch My blog site went live late last night and apparently my friends really do give a crap! Woo-hoo! Thanks to Em for being the first to post an entry, which unfortunately I could not view. The fixes are done and my Guest Book is in working order now. Remind me to fire QA! *Wink* I was inspired to create this blog after reading her husband Dan's site which is really quite interesting and helps me keep up with their extremely busy lives. Norm and Al - thanks for taking the time to sign! I appreciate your comments. Do drop by whenever you get a chance. I've added thumbnails to the Photo Gallery, including some of my favorite digital shots taken at The Grand Canyon, a pit stop along our cross country drive. A spectacularly beautiful natural wonder! Goodnight world...time to catch up on lost sleep! Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:31am My Little Union Leader Before bedtime, Jessica gets "quiet time" where she must be in her bedroom reading a book or some quiet activity *key word being quiet*. Last night she decided to do a little craft project. She had made a tiny placard - and I mean tiny as in the actual sign was half the size of the standard business card taped to the end of a Popsicle stick, which was still a little sticky from having eaten the frozen treat just a little while before. On the sign she had written her name in bold caps "JESSICA" and embellished the white space with Power Puff Girl stickers. Picture if you will a 4 yr. old waving her placard, chanting "Jessica! Jessica! Jessica!", and marching around in little circles. I laughed out loud as I thought to myself "oh so the Little Teamsters are on strike again! Better pay or improved healthcare benefits?!" Then she offered to make me one too - so she cut out another little sign and asked me to write my name on it in green crayon. She taped it to the end of another sticky Popsicle stick. Then she said "Here Mom - go like this!" and proceeded to demonstrate another mini-protest, "Judy! Judy! Judy! (oh so now we're on a first name basis), oh and Mom we can't make one for Dad because I don't have anymore Popsicle sticks!" That was way too funny. Nothing like making a statement with a sign you can barely see, much less read! Ha! Classic moment! I finally bit the bullet last night and registered my domain. I can't wait for it to go live some 48 hours from now. Cindy and Norm's wedding pic proofs are done - can't wait to see all 800+ shots. Tuesday, September 23, 2003 9:07am Nerd Status Ok, so apparently I'm spending way more time on this website than I should be. But heck, people won't die if laundry and dishes aren't done right this very instant. Goodness, I think I missed my calling. Perhaps I should have gone to Stanford and dropped out halfway through freshman year to start up my own dot-com and now I'd be disgustingly rich and blogging in my dream San Francisco condo with views of the Pacific Ocean *sorry, that was a castle in the sky moment*. Oh well, that story would have ended up in the Chapter 11 archives anyway. Anyway, since that didn't work out, I have my submission to the Macy's Wedding Guide contest to fall back on. I helped my sister and new brother-in-law put together a piece about "them" for, hopefully, publication in the Macy's Wedding Guide 2004. There is prize money involved. Apparently I can be bribed. My first Quark class last night went well. Having had very little to no experience, I think I was a little clumsy on the Mac desktop and its O/S X functions. For now I'll attribute that to the mouse and that damn wire *um hel-looo, by now wireless should be the industry standard*. I learned a lot about page layout and proper design principles - that lesson took me right back to the moment my sister and I were completely frustrated trying to figure out how to get the pages in her wedding program booklet right. First assignment due next Monday night. Monday, September 22, 2003 8:57am Mommy Hood Goodbyes with Jessica before she leaves for school in the morning are a 10-minute long procedure consisting of a hug, a kiss, "I love you Mom!", another hug, a "pound" - the new school in high-five's, another kiss, "I'll miss you Mom!", another "pound", and a "See you later Mom!". Then after I close the door, a "Bye Mom" as she and her Dad head towards the elevator. How cute is that! And speaking of motherhood, a big *wassup girl* to my fellow stay-at-home mom and best friend from the old NorCal hood. Glad you enjoyed your girl trip to Oahu. We're jealous! We really must figure out a way to implement some means of seeing each other more often (outside of your yearly jaunts back to your hometown here on the east). Tonight is my first QuarkXPress class - on a Mac platform, the Cadillac of computers from the graphic designer's point of view. I am totally psyched! Sunday, September 21, 2003 1:22am Let There Be Blog Yay - here are the humble beginnings of my first blog! I swear my contact lenses are not extended-wear, but rather permanent-wear now - as in permanently stuck to my eyeballs from the non blinking that's been happening as I sit transfixed to this monitor *pretending that it's a sleek 23" cinema view flat screen*. This is quite the accomplishment for a non-techie but graphic designer in the making. My techie husband thinks I'm officially a nerd, but secretly I think he's kinda proud that I've figured out how to do this without help desk! *Smile* Today was a wonderfully warm day. Jessica had fun at the 5th birthday party of her classmate held at a pseudo-amusement park. The party attendees had their fill of pizza, cake, soda, and a wristband full of rides, some tokens for the arcades, and an especially cool party favor...a jewelry making kit. |
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