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June 30, 2008

And this is what I heard...

I was walking to my mailbox this evening around 9pm and this is what I heard...
  • The crickets chirping.
  • The neighbors sprinkler going.
  • A whistler firework a few blocks over
  • Kids laughing down the street finishing up their basketball game.
  • The click of a dog's claws as he and his owner walk by.
  • A television overheard through an open window.

Lastly,  this is what I heard - my own deep breath - the day is done...

Posted by Cindy at 08:19 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 27, 2008

Weekend Happiness!

My creation

White wine, 2. Happy weekend to all Flickr people!, 3. May 064, 4. Kitties 015

This is my weekend happiness mosaic:

  • A glass of nice Chardonnay!  (stolen from awesome photographer on flickr)
  • THE WEEKEND! (stolen from an awesome cake maker on flickr)
  • The pool!  (my picture)
  • Sleeping in (and the kitty all wrapped into one!)  (my picture)

By the way, Mosaic Maker - coolest thing ever.

Posted by Cindy at 06:22 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 24, 2008

Randomness

I have just a bunch of nothingness to update on:

  • I used my serger for the first time tonight. Got it threaded and everything. It sewed beautifully. However, I realized the stuff that I sewed last night, I sewed it incorrectly and and I have to start over (from cutting out the pattern) on one part - it irritates me to no end.

  • I have a horrible headache, itchy burning eyes and wheeziness - all due to the huge numbers of California Wildfires. The air is all hazy and it smells like a camp fire outside. Not so great.

  • Jasmine rocks my world. She is just absolutely the coolest kitten ever. Seriously. She is so sweet and fun to play with. Oreo absolutely loves her. They play all the time and Oreo likes to bathe her.



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  • Here is a picture of Prissy in her solo costume. We were outside after she performed while we were waiting for awards.


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  • Here she is after solo awards:


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  • Here is a picture of Bubba because I don't want to leave him out:


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  • We got a Litter Robot - it seems WAY cool - but not one of the three cats will use it yet. I'm hoping they will warm up to it in a few days.
  • I'm WAY behind on my blog reading and blog responses.  It's just been too hectic.  We figured it out - and Prissy had 39 hours of baton last week.  THIRTY NINE hours.  Now, that is highly unusual.  Usually it's 2.5 hours a week spread over two days.  But, she had regionals and baton camp - so it was excessive.  But, that is like a full time job - add my REAL full time job and just other mommy stuff - I was a busy last week.  I'd like to have a day to do nothing (actually - Saturday - we've got NOTHING!  I absolutely cannot wait.) 

Posted by Cindy at 07:10 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 23, 2008

Bee in my Bonnet

I only have a second tonight - I'm working on Prissy's Dance Twirl costume for Nationals (in three weeks - I'm going to be BUSY for the next few weeks.)  But, I wanted to share a classic Cindy story from this weekend.
Let me preface this with - I'm terrified of bees.  I've never been stung - because I stay the out of their way.
Anyway, I was outside the gym this past weekend talking to Bubba on the phone and I hear this buzzing.  A bee is flying around my head.  I walk away and it follows me (I can see it in the corner of my eye), I move again and it follows me.  Then, I sort of jog a bit away and then I can hear it.  It's LOUD and I tell Bubba I'll call him back and I try to run away from it.  I can still hear the thing buzzing - I can't dodge it anywhere.  Then, I get panicy - and start yelling.  And running.. There are a lot of people outside.  6 or 7 twirlers practicing.  A few coaches.  Several parents.  And there is me - running in circles, yelling, running up and down the steps like my pants are on fire.  Can you picture it?  Yeah - thought that you could....
The damn bee was still buzzing and it was getting really loud.  I'm totally out of breath and absolutely terrified.  I stop - the bee is still buzzing very angrily right behind me, I turn around and it's STILL behind me.  I realize it's stuck in my collar.  I unfold my collar and run like crazy.  It's free and so am I.
I take a few deep breaths - and start to call Hubby and Bubba back and I realize that I never hung up.  Hubby is on the line laughing hysterically at me.
Then, I had to try to go and explain it to all the people that saw me running around like a crazy women.  They totally and completely ignored me.  OMG!  I'm the crazy lady now. 
Poor Prissy.  Her mom is the crazy one.   

Posted by Cindy at 07:41 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 22, 2008

Exhausted and Home

We are home - finally. 
 
Man, what a long weekend.  Prissy did awesome.  She brought home a first place trophy for Intermediate Solo.  She also came in 2nd on Regional Solo (advanced solo - it's different) and advanced to the divisional juvenile solo event.  She came in 5th - which is all the juveniles that had come in first or second in their age for regional solos.  So - 5th was absolutely amazing.    Yay Prissy. 
 
We're really tired.  I took lots of pictures.  I'll post them - maybe.  But, not tonight.  Tonight I want to go to bed.  I have so much stuff to do - being away for the weekend really puts a dent in the working mom's "errand" time.  If I could - I would totally take tomorrow off just to catch up.
 
Sorry for the short post.  But, YAY PRISSY!  (oh and Jasmine is totally hiding from Prissy and I - she disappeared when we opened the garage door and we haven't seen her at all.)

Posted by Cindy at 07:55 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 19, 2008

One Step Closer to a Black Belt

Instead of boring you with the details of my day I will summarize.  Today's busyness had to do something like attending a meeting from home, getting Prissy ready and rushing Prissy around to get her to the places where other people could take her to a baton camp 2 hours away (into the Bay Area.) Then, rushing to work then just working, then rushing home to get ready for our Taekwondo testing, then testing and having to rush out a little bit early so I could drive another 45 minutes to pick Prissy up from the people who brought her back from baton camp. It's almost 10pm and we're finally home. I bored you with the details right?

Anyway - TESTING! WE PASSED!!! Hubby and I are now officially Brown Belt Decided's. And Bubba - BUBBA? He's now a black belt recommended. That means he will test for his black belt at the next testing session. I'm so excited for him. He's been working on this for a little over 3 years. I suck and have no pictures because we had to get out of there before the testing actually ended. DOH! But, that's ok. I got some video of Bubba that I may or may not post - depends if I feel like it. :)

Hubby and I have 3 more belts before we are able to test for our black belt. So, in about a year we will probably be testing (might be a little less.) But, we are one step closer.

Tomorrow, Prissy has baton camp again - and then we stay in a nearby hotel for regionals that start on Saturday and Sunday.  It's quite the baton week this week!

Posted by Cindy at 08:34 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 16, 2008

Monday Monday...

This is sort of a boring update - I can't be witty and charming everyday. Oh, or at all I guess. *LAUGH*

Today was a typical Monday... I had a thousand meetings... Running from place to place... Holding my pee until I saw yellow (because I didn't have time to go, yo.) But, it wasn't a horrible day - just really busy. Productive as well - which is always good for the psyche. (I got one of the three presentations done that I've been working on forever. Woot!)

This is the week of baton. Prissy had a lesson tonight, she has a team make up practice tomorrow, her regular team practice on Wednesday, and a baton camp on Thursday and Friday, then Regionals (for the Western United States) this weekend. She'll be competing against her biggest challenger - we'll call her BATONGIRL. Prissy and BATONGIRL are often neck in neck. Last year, BATONGIRL won 1st place and only beat her by 10 points in both states and regionals. And this year BATONGIRL beat her by 10 points at states. However, the rest of the season, Prissy has been beating her by 30-50 points (the other girls of the same age are 100+ points behind Prissy and BATONGIRL.) BATONGIRL won a 1st place in Nationals in one event and 2nd place in a different event. So, beating her is a really amazing thing. I hope that Prissy beats her - and if not - oh well. It'd just be really cool for her - I think that it might be a really big confidence booster for Prissy before going to Nationals. BATONGIRL will also be at this baton camp and the girls are friends - which is always nice to have some friendly competition.

On a kitty update. Oreo (btw - is a girl cat) and Jasmine are becoming fast friends. They are playing with each other now. No more hissing or growling. Oreo is still soft smacking her in the head occasionally - but it's clearly playing and not being pissed - no claws no pain. Oreo still follows her everywhere, but occasionally runs past her to get Jasmine to follow her back. I was a little worried on Saturday - but not anymore. Oreo will be Jasmine's protector and big sister (that will torture her just a little. Just like a real big sister.) They were laying next to each other a little while ago. As far as Pookie (our scaredy cat) - I'm not sure she even knows we have another cat in the house. She's just thrilled we have kitten food (which is her FAVORITE.)

Sorry for the long post, it's just been a decent day.

Posted by Cindy at 08:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 15, 2008

Introducing Jasmine...

We have officially decided on a name for the kitten - her name will be Jasmine after Princess Jasmine and she's a bit of an explorer and quite the playful kitty - so if the mood strikes, she can also go by Jazz.

Who me? A Princess?
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Fell asleep while she was playing. She must have been tired from all the playing she did on our heads while we were sleeping.
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I think that Jasmine is flipping me off!
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Here is a video of Jasmine chasing her tail. She did this for hours while we were trying to sleep last night. She honestly can go for 20-30 minutes of straight tail chasing.
You can see it by clicking here.


Finally, Oreo still isn't entirely sure what to do with Jasmine. She's not at all mean with her - but, she follows here EVERYWHERE. Oreo needs to know where Jasmine is every second. Here is a short clip of them sitting next to each other and Oreo gives her a little "pat" on the head.
You can see it by clicking here.


All in all, she is acclimating well to her new home. I'm bummed that we have to go back to work tomorrow. (well, one because it's work, and two, I'd really like to be home with her tomorrow.) Because it's the start of the work week - pictures will be a little sparse for a few days.

Posted by Cindy at 08:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 14, 2008

The Kitty Has Arrived

We picked up the kitty this afternoon and brought her home. Her owners sent her with some kitten food, a bed, a towel that smells like like home and some toys the kitty likes playing with. It was really really nice. The kitten is absolutely adorable.

The kitty slept on the way home. And was ready to explore as soon as we walked in the door. She's been all over one room, and then got exhausted and fell asleep behind some furniture. Oreo is a bit pissed off, but doing okay. She's watching the kitten's every move.

When the kitten walked over to her, Oreo smacked her on the head and hissed. The kitten just sort of walked away.  The kitten is still sort of freaked out (big massive changes for her today) and Oreo is freaked out.  But, I think in a few days they will be good friends (or at least good playmates.)
I'm not sure that Badger fits her.  We also came up with Jasmine.  Her owner had said she was quite the Princess - and Princess Jasmine from Aladdin  is what Bubba came up with.  It's kinda cute.  We still need to give it a few days.

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The kitten checks out the scratching board:

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Then Oreo has to check it out:

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And how cute is this?

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Posted by Cindy at 09:02 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 12, 2008

Kitten Crazy

OMG...

I'm as surprised as anyone else.

Yesterday, one of the guys on my team IMs me with a link to a picture of a cat that he is adopting. It's an adorable orange tabby. I mean - seriously - how cute? I was surprised because he already has 3 cats. But, his friend had rescued a stray cat and found out it was pregnant and they just simply can't keep the kittens.

Anyway, I was looking through the pictures and saw this one and said, I want her. I didn't actually mean it, I was just making IM conversation. I have two cats. One is old and the other is still quite young and a bit loco. He IMs me back and says that he talked to the lady who had the cats and the cat was mine. What? No, no, no no.. I just thought she was really cute.

So, EVERYONE on my team starts calling me a kitten murderer (because she was going to be put in a kill-shelter since all the no-kill shelters are full, which I still don't know if I believe or not.) And then, I start really liking this kitty. And I looked at her picture about 193534254 times yesterday and today. She is all white with a calico head and I thought a calico tail. But, it ends up the tail is half tabby and half black - it's so awesome. 

I didn't have the courage to talk to hubby about it - because I knew he would say no. But, then the harrassment started when I came into work again today. Then, another member of my team said she might want the kitty and that she would make her an outdoor kitty and I KNEW I had to have her. I actually couldn't bear the thought of her being with anyone else. And I decided that I really wanted her. Really alot. So, I emailed hubby and he didn't say no. What? I was flabbergasted!   He didn't say no. 

So, bing bang boom - we're going to get another cat. We pick her up on Saturday evening. She will be 7 weeks old tomorrow. Here is the kitty mama blog. Right now, the name Badger is my favorite name - but we really need to get a feel for her personality before giving her a name.

Here are a few pictures taken by her current owners that were just posted today of her (I can't wait to meet this little kitty in person):


 
OMG!  Is the tail not the cutest thing you've ever seen?









So, another kitten.  I love cats.  Absolutely love them.  TEEHEE! 

Posted by Cindy at 07:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 10, 2008

Work = Annoying

I stole this Ten on Tuesday from Florinda.   
The title is:  10 things that annoy you about work.  Man oh man was this one easy for me.
Here is my list:
  1. Boss (aka NIB (New Italian Boss))
  2. Customers
  3. Vendors
  4. No matter what bathroom I go to or what time I go - it seems that it closed for cleaning.
  5. My 6x8 (inches not feet) cubicle where I bang my knee every time I turn around because it’s so damn small
  6. Meetings at 8am and 1pm (means can’t be late to work or coming back from lunch)
  7. Meetings that run past 5pm (which I actually don't stay for - I have to pick my kids up by 5:10)
  8. The horrible terrible parking situation which causes me to walk 6 miles both ways uphill in the snow every day.
  9. Grey walls, grey desks, grey filing cabinets, blue grey floor.
  10. No windows or natural light whatsoever
  11. The fact that it's kept at 30 degrees below zero.  I have to keep a second winter wardrobe in my overhead bin for layering as it gets colder throughout the day.

Oh wait that was 11 not 10.  I guess I don't follow rules very well.

This one is my own addition since it was so easy to come up with the above list.  Here are things that don’t annoy me about work.

  1. My team
  2. The starbucks coffee stand in the cafeteria
  3. My team
  4. Automatic paper towel dispenser in the bathroom (when it's open)
  5. My team
  6. Fingerprint reader on my laptop (love this!)
  7. My team
  8. Lunch out with Hubby and other fun people
  9. My team
  10. Ummmm..... My team?

I ummm couldn't think of too many things that don't annoy me at work...  That should probably tell me something...  

Posted by Cindy at 06:19 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 09, 2008

So tired

Got up super early (4am) and got to the airport - got through security (even with the single lady with toddler triplets right in front of me - she had to take them out of the stroller and have them walk through. They were maybe 18 - 22 months old. So, they just took off - it was like "Babies Gone Wild." I just simply can't imagine how hard and exhausting it would be traveling by yourself with 3 mobile babies.)

Anyway - got to Anaheim - got the rental car - got to the convention center - talked to so.many.vendors. But, my schedule just worked out completely. Which was weird. Then, left the convention center - returned the car - went back through security and back on the airplane.

Not a single problem - it was great. Finished my book. Finished the episode of Weeds I was working on and even finished the Sunday crossword puzzle.

However, at the conference - each booth has some "hook" this year the big hooks were Wii Fit, Wii games and Guitar Hero. They are there to draw in people to play them and then they make you attend a demo. The issue was that it was the vendors that were playing the games - in every single booth. Every one. It just shocked me. Aren't these people paid to sell stuff instead of play games meant for people they are trying to sell to? Whatever, they were people that weren't bugging me. :)

Only complaint - my ears need to pop.

Posted by Cindy at 08:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 08, 2008

Trip Tomorrow

I have to fly to LA tomorrow. Just for the day. Get on a plane at 6:30am and come back by 6pm. I have to go to the DAC conference. DAC is the Design Automation Conference - that is currently what I do for a living and this is the biggest conference of the year. Usually I have to go for an entire week. At this conference there are thousands (ok hundreds) of used car salesmen vendors that are all trying to sell you on their product.  I'm a "buyer" so I'm looking at their products.
When I first went to my first DAC, I was so excited.  I felt like "I HAD ARRIVED!"  But, now, the novelty has worn off and I just dread it.  It almost got cancelled this year because of cost cutting measures (which sort of sucks, because it's actually a really important part of my job - knowing what is currently in the industry and all.)  But, I was able to convince those in power (clearly not me anymore) that I should at least go for the free day and that the plane trip wouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars. 
So, I fly to LA tomorrow.  And I return tomorrow night.  I look forward to the plane ride so I can read my book and maybe watch an episode of Weeds on my iPhone. 
I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.  

Posted by Cindy at 07:22 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 06, 2008

'Bout Sums it Up

This about sums up my day today:

I LOVE MY JOB! I LOVE MY JOB! I LOVE MY JOB!!!

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Posted by Cindy at 06:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 03, 2008

First Plunge in the Pool

Oh - I figure you have zero time - but, I'm posting my videos anyway. They are both long (over a minute or two) and should only be watched if you have nothing better to do.

The first one is the kids first dip into the pool today. It's only 80 degrees and the pool is REALLY REALLY cold.

The second one is me and the kids. I absolutely CANNOT believe that I'm posting a video of myself in a bathing suit.  But, maybe I have too much courage today. :)

Kids Venture into the Pool

Mama and Kids in the pool

Posted by Cindy at 07:14 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)