tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48078787746139651062024-02-18T18:30:14.975-08:00fivenineteenfivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-86704856468806975592012-01-28T13:00:00.000-08:002012-01-28T13:06:24.125-08:00Exciting Changes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Know that feeling when you're right on the brink of pulling the trigger on something new? You may or may not have it all planned out but you probably have an idea of how you want things to look whenever "it" is done?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm not quite there yet, but I'm on my way. And (but) the train is rolling, so no turning back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What's going on here? Well, Dearest Followers and Readers, <strong>I've purchased a tiny piece of the Internet.</strong> <a href="http://fivenineteen.org/">Fivenineteen.org</a>. Nope, no hyphens (yay!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>What this means is that this is likely one of the last new posts I will do here on Blogspot. I'll continue weekly postings over on the new site.</strong> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Whew! I've ported over all of my posts here from Day One over to the new site as well - thankfully much easier than I thought. <strong> Please, please, come check out </strong><a href="http://fivenineteen.org/"><strong>fivenineteen.org</strong></a><strong>! </strong> And please pardon the dust as well, as I am learning the ropes on how to lay out the new site, choose graphics and get everything looking the way I want it. I may have lost some pictures in the moving process, but I'll get it straightened out eventually. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Want to know a little secret? One of my favorite parts of the Blogspot site here is the side bar showing where hits come from. It's absolutely fascinating to me! From countless places around the States to the UK, China, Australia, Maldives, Malta, Romania and Brazil - and so many other countries too. I just love it. And I hope I can replicate something similar on the new site too - stay tuned. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Right now I have my Twitter feed at the top of the new site but I'm not sure I want it there. And don't laugh, because in adding Twitter I realized just how seldom I tweet. So that might change too. <strong>Follow me @five19 and see what happens. </strong>Huge thanks to my dear friend P, who shared a bunch of great tips on site layout, adding pictures and replicating what I have here over on <a href="http://fivenineteen.org/">fivenineteen.org</a>. I've got a great to-do list for sure thanks to her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And in other Change News, I've got yet another list - thanks to my guy BFF L - of a whole bunch of home improvement projects he is going to help me with. First things first, a run (or two?) to the Dump. This all starts tomorrow, which is why I'm blogging today on a Saturday instead of my usual Sunday. I have no idea how crazy tomorrow is going to be but I know once we get started I'm going to be really excited and on a roll. It's always that first step that's the hardest, don't you think? Having great friends willing to help and provide ideas is the grease in my gears. Sometimes my lists get so long I lose the prioritizing skill and PLOP. Nothing gets done. I get wiggy and overwhelmed. And I've forewarned L I likely will along the way. He has great ideas, and (but) he and I have very different tastes in decorating. So this is going to be amusing and interesting. But he knows whose name is on the title to the townhouse here, so we're all good there. (Meaning, mine).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So the Man Help is on the way tomorrow, and meanwhile I've got a ton to do to prepare today, plus get stuff for the tacos we're going to make. And I have a super late hockey game tomorrow night too. Can I get a second or third wind to skate hard?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lots more to come - and probably pictures too - as the home projects get underway. Remember, come check out <a href="http://fivenineteen.org/">fivenineteen.org</a> for my future posts. <strong>And if you follow me here at Blogspot, why not follow me on my new site too? I'd be most grateful.</strong> Yeah, I don't care for self-promotion but there ya go - I said it outloud and most humbly. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-86308625613406097832012-01-22T12:42:00.000-08:002012-01-22T13:09:44.825-08:00Cabin Fever Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How quickly things changed in 24 hours. I came home from work last Friday (the 13th, which was a good day save for saying good bye to a co-worker who is relocating overseas), relaxed at home and slept in gloriously late into Saturday. Know that feeling when you wake up and it just 'feels' different? In my bleary just-out-of-bed attempt to wake up I couldn't quite figure out what it was...other than it was super quiet outside. No dull drone of street noise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Aha! It SNOWED! Where did I miss this on the TV weather forecasts? I suppose I should not have been too shocked - it is January, after all. I don't even know where to start with this one. Other than Snow + Seattle area is a very bad combination. For getting around, that is. Otherwise, it's gorgeous. Exhibit A - the view off my back deck. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We got around 6 inches or so in my area - by the time it was done the faint line markings from the deck in that picture were completely covered over. After hearing news reports and reading countless local-area Facebook posts we had anywhere from around 3 inches to over a foot depending on where you were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The power stayed on here and my furnace is working. Everything else after that truly is all gravy. Check out my <a href="http://five-nineteen.blogspot.com/2010/11/coldwhere-its-supposed-to-be-cold.html">Cold Where It's Supposed to be Cold</a> post from (*gulp* wow time flies) November 2010. Two furnace repairs and a crapped out fridge just a couple months prior to that made it an expensive end of that year...after just starting to get some decent income again following a long unemployed streak. So anyway, here we are in 2012 and I relished my warm townhouse, hot showers and the beautiful snow falling outside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After a couple of days it got old. Driving in the snow in the Seattle area is a hot topic for sure. In general, it's not a good idea. Seriously...a few inches of snow will literally bring us to our knees. We're hilly. We don't have a ton of snow removal equipment. We're not like other parts of the country who deal with this routinely and life goes on. Around here, it just doesn't. Hell, when a <em>UPS truck</em> gets stuck in your driveway, you know it's bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What is it about snow? It brings a huge Hush Hug over everything in its embrace. I stay in my jammies all day and take naps. At noon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But soon it was time to get back to work. Thankfully this team is all about playing it safe and not trying to be heroes getting into the office. We can all work remotely, although in the type of work we do it's not ideal for long periods of time as I learned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There was one small problem. The power cord for my work laptop was still in my office! I never bring it home because I never work from home. It still reminds me too much of when I was unemployed, and frankly I'd rather get out of the house and be around people during the day. In my last work assignment my work laptop was the same brand as my home one, so it was easy to just swap out the power cords between the two if I ever did work from home on rare occasion. Not this time, however.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On Monday I was able to squeak by with doing email either from my phone or through my home laptop. But I didn't have full access to the internal resources I depend on to get work done. And I attempted a few times to get the work laptop connected with my home cable modem, but the modem is new and I was unfamiliar with the steps to switch connectivity (I don't use a router). And I watched the battery power indicator slowly sink southward as I chatted with our corporate Helpdesk and all to troubleshoot. No luck. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I knew Tuesday I needed to get into work somehow to get that power cord. They were predicting heavy snow Tuesday into Wednesday. Turns out the main roads were pretty clear. It's the side streets, sidewalks and driveways that are the problem. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I got into work just fine and was pleasantly surprised to see my officemate there already. Ahhh, human interaction! We had both planned to stay for a few hours, but then got a phone call from her husband around lunch time that it was really starting to snow hard and we better get home. I'm so glad he called, because our office does not have a window and it was snowing much harder up near where my officemate and I live compared to work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When you're stuck at home snowbound, the cabin fever grips tight. The novelty wears off quickly. So to fight it off, I vowed to get out of the house at least once a day for a walk. And it really helps - and is pretty good exercise too stomping through heavy, wet snow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thankfully by Friday the snow turned to rain and everything turned into a big slushfest. Relief was coming! Freedom! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And what a great way to blast back into the routine of life with a wonderful Saturday. My friend L ventured out this way to the suburbs (I joke that he's mentally allergic to them but that's another story). With iPad in hand, he and I walked through the townhouse here and talked about tons of ideas to update my place. I know my place needs work, and I know I need to keep an open mind. We jumped around all over the place with ideas and chitchat. And we agreed on a general plan to start work upstairs here where the bedrooms are and then slowly work our way downstairs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh boy. That means my 3rd bedroom - the Room of Crap - is in the hotseat first. And that's actually a great idea as it is very underutilized space save for a large bookcase and random stuff on the floor that needs to get boxed up into storage or thrown out. And I get to think about paint colors too, for it's still Insane Asylum White like the rest of this place was when I first bought it. Oh, the possibilities! L wants to convert it to my home office and have the home office where I am now become a guest bedroom, as this room is larger and can hold a queen-sized bed. Interesting idea!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Later I headed out (<em>Out!</em> After not driving for 5 days!) to meet friends for our annual Chinese New Year dinner at <a href="http://chinaclipper.net/">China Clipper</a> in Woodinville. They have wonderful, pretty close to authentic Northern Chinese cuisine. We had a blast at dinner and then headed over to J's house for board games and laughter. Know when you laugh so hard that tears stream down your face? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Fantastic.</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-84213796335362767462012-01-15T12:52:00.000-08:002012-01-15T12:53:31.917-08:00The Half-Assed Purple Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alrighty. This week's picture makes me cringe, but we're gonna go there anyway. Good incentive to fix this, right? This and so much more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is an actual wall in one of my bathrooms here in the townhouse. It's a small wall where the door is. And yeah, awhile back I thought it would be fun to paint it purple. Shitty paint job (I think my plan was to go back and do another coat with a roller like you're supposed to) but obviously I haven't. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh dear. I have done all of the painting here in the house myself and trust me it's nicely done (and finished)...everywhere except here. And this same purple, believe it or not, is on the inside of my front door. It's a beautiful, semi-glossy blue violet. Ralph Lauren Canyon Iris to be exact. This shot does NOT do it justice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I remember the plan now. The plan was to paint this wall purple, to motivate me into getting rid of the God-awful (original 1980) countertop that clashes horribly with it (you can see a tiny bit of it in the lower right corner of the picture). That countertop actually clashes with life, period. And I was going to get rid of the scary dark brown door (and the others on the top floor here) and replace them with white ones like I did downstairs. I shudder thinking I made those "plans" probably two years ago or more when I was unemployed. Didn't have much disposable income, but I sure had time. But not enough time to finish as you can see. What's hilarious about this is that I have 4 sets of door hardware picked out for the upstairs - nice brushed nickel - all ready to rock, but sitting dormant in their boxes. In the hallway. And no new doors yet. Typical me...I zoom right in on accessories and mentally space out on the "big" stuff. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2012 marks the 10-year anniversary of the townhome purchase. Not beating myself up here...I HAVE done a lot to update this place. New back deck, custom wood window treatments, major appliances like the fridge, washer/dryer, stove and microwave (I'm on my second fridge; see my <a href="http://five-nineteen.blogspot.com/2010/09/refrigerator-drama.html">Refrigerator Drama</a> post for the lovely story on that), some light fixtures and painting projects I actually finished. But it needs so much more. I am the queen of Lists, and I have always had a wishlist of things I want to do here on the fridge - decorating, new cabinets, ripping out carpet, countertops, flooring...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">...but, knowing myself well, sometimes I just get overwhelmed. I forget how to prioritize, I see tons of stuff I want to do on my list (and think how much it's all going to cost) and then <em>nothing</em> gets done. What's the tipping point for a list to turn from inspiring to intimidating? Hmmm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well, it's time. Time to get moving and get this place in decent shape and out of the lingering early 1980s funk. A friend has offered to help me out with some of these projects and he's going to take a look and see what he can fix and give me some advice about things in here in general too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, where did I put that IKEA catalogue...?</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-38950300634157290162012-01-08T12:35:00.000-08:002012-01-08T22:25:05.042-08:00Snail Mail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been a pretty relaxing weekend...dang, that first week back after the holidays can be a little intense. But nothing a virtual helmet and heat shield can't fix. I laugh to myself as I write this, for two years ago the New Year started off for me unemployed. And went that way for several, sometimes-very-painful months. So I suppose I should keep my trap (er, keyboard?) shut and not complain. On the other hand, maybe this is a sign that times are getting better workwise and we're back to the routine again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got quite a few tasks done at home including getting tons of mail sorted through, read, bills paid and everything shredded up for recycling. Dang that feels good! I am so happy that lots of magazines now have an option to renew subscriptions online instead of mailing in a check. I have a bad habit of going sure, renew me, and then I mail in one of those "bill me later" forms. Well, when you do that in October and you haven't yet paid by January...oops. Anyway, thanks to the internet I'm good to go. And I just have a couple of quick thank you notes to write for Christmas gifts and I'll be in good shape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mailbox goes a tad crazy over the holidays with Christmas cards, great pictures and those often-polarizing Christmas card letters. Oh how I - mostly - enjoy reading them and hearing what everyone's up to. I read and wonder wow, it's been years and years since I've seen some of these families. Where does the time go? And I giggle that I even still receive Christmas cards from people at all...the last time I ever sent out any myself was probably 1996.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Those <em>letters</em>! Mostly super enjoying to savor and read, but others seem rather self-indulgent and even arrogant. Blech. No thanks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then there's my college BFF, P. Her family Christmas letters are so full of love - love for family and for everyone - and the love just comes bouncing off the page as I read. And she always includes a hand-written very nice blurb at the end of the letter. This year's words just went straight to my heart: "I hope you know how I think of you and talk about you often. We made some great memories and though we don't talk much I still see you as a best friend." I about burst into tears of happiness....yes...THIS is EXACTLY how I feel too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">P and I were sorority sisters in college. We were not really in the same circles within the house and did not really become close friends until probably our junior year. I'd pledged as a sophomore and the group I ran with was a little different than hers. Kinda funny how even a small, liberal-arts university (with just 1600 undergrads) can still have its pockets and all, even though everyone pretty much knew everyone. But our sorority was pretty big for a small university - around 80-90 members, as were the other two houses. P and I had an apartment off campus our senior year...what an incredible experience that was for us after living in the dorms our freshmen year and in the sorority for two (spoiled with a very nice house and amazing food service compared to the dorm food). The apartment was just a short two blocks away but it might as well have been the moon. The campus is a square mile bubble of goodness in a town that, well, frankly is a little rough in patches. I've driven by where she and I used to live those two decades ago and shudder...she and I lived THERE? In that crappy apartment? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I looked through P's family pictures in the envelope - wow her kids are so incredibly cute! P does not use email a lot and only periodically surfaces in Facebook land. I thought today, you know what, I'm going to sit down and write her a letter. A LETTER!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Or maybe a freight train. When in the hell was the last time I wrote an actual snail mail letter to a friend? To anyone?? And I challenge any of you who stumble around in here...when was the last time for you? Not a quick postcard, not an email, not a text, not any messaging in Facebook or LinkedIn or other social media. Hmmm?? For me it's probably over a year. And probably much longer than that for a hand-written snail mail letter. Oh Lordy my handwriting has declined over the years. I even remember way back it used to be common practice to send thank you letters - in snail mail - after job interviews. Nowadays things move too fast. Haven't done that any time in this century I'm afraid. Nope, email it is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I sit here, smiling, ready to shift gears and start writing to P. I'll think she'll love what she finds in her mailbox. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-32314819133415681372012-01-01T13:03:00.000-08:002012-01-01T13:03:11.525-08:00Reflecting and Looking Forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow...how fun that my typical blogging day - Sunday - is New Years Day! What sprang from unemployment, boredom, frustration and a lifelong passion for writing is now over two years strong - this September ol' fivenineteen here will be 3. <em>THREE!</em> This will likely be the most productive thing I do all day. Oh, and taking the Christmas tree down too. Thankfully it's a 4 foot artificial tree. Easy to pull apart and pack up until next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I remember as a kid I didn't really "believe" it was the New Year until I saw it in writing. Which meant seeing the new year in print on the newspaper the next morning. There still is a part of me that feels that way...although now it's the date readout on my cell phone, my home landline phone or even the little clock on the corner of the laptop screen here. Yep, it's Sunday January 1, 2012. Wow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's only natural to reflect back on the year that Was...2011 started off with a bang. Literally. My family said goodbye way too soon to a family member - my cousin's ex wife - at age 41. And a new relationship...intense, yes, which flamed out quickly. And, admittedly, took me awhile to process. Thanks to time and some newly-discovered wisdom shared with me by my dear friend T, it's all so clear to me now. And so great to just Let It All Go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My health took a nosedive in late winter/early spring last year. Enough to where any plans to hit the gym and train for the year's 5Ks went out the window. We had Typhoid Mary run rampant in that team's cubicle farm. I coughed for two months straight. Here's a tall glass of water in a plastic tumbler toast to a MUCH healthier 2012...with 5Ks to boot! Hmmm, I might steer clear of the gym for a few weeks and try getting outside to exercise. Such a cliche...it's jam packed in January - too hard to get a free treadmill!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm optimistic and hopeful about the economy and my job. Save for a two-week break last year between engagements, <em>I was employed all of 2011!!</em> WHAT a relief after the mess of late 2009 and first half of 2010. We HAVE to pull out of this drudgery that is a recession/depression/whatever it is. It sucks and I have good friends still feeling the burn. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My confidence in my <a href="http://mysilpada.com/sites/diana.young/private/content/home.jsf">Silpada jewelry business</a> only continues to grow and grow...every conversation, every party, every question about my jewelry and what I'm doing only fuels me that I can really DO this, have fun, and make a surprisingly great commission on the side! Just by "selling" a product I've loved for years! (I use "selling" in quotes because it does not really feel like selling at all in the traditional sense.) Just sharing info with people! I meet up regularly with other local reps and the friendships that have grown from them are simply fabulous. Incredible women. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And what a great crescendo on the last part of 2011 when the consulting work I did for free back in 2010 popped into some extra paying work for a couple of months in late 2011! That project is on hold right now, but there is a very strong chance we'll resume work again with the client later this year. Fascinating...and who knows where it could lead? I will be at my current full-time job through late June this year and I know it will go fast. And believe me, I know how to network. If I could stay on longer with this team through June I would leap at the opportunity. But since I do consulting engagements, that's not part of the deal usually. Budget cycles and all mean consultants come and go. Nothing personal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I feel truly happy and blessed...big smiles as I welcome 2012 and look outside into the sunshine. Time to get outside for a walk!</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-6774122923618908062011-12-26T11:48:00.000-08:002011-12-26T13:06:54.013-08:00Always Do Your Best<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I read or hear those words in the title above I get childhood flashbacks. I can hear my first or second grade teacher tell this repeatedly to us in class as we worked on whatever assignment she gave us. Or my parents telling me the very same thing whether it was in ballet class, that paper mache project, Easter egg dyeing or learning to ride a bike without training wheels. Over and over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But it's also the 4th agreement in Don Miguel Ruiz's book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Four-color-Illustrated/dp/1878424939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323029014&sr=8-1">The Four Agreements</a></em>. Ah. A few weeks back I made a commitment to read one chapter a week and blog about it. And I'm just a couple weeks behind given another book which distracted me profoundly and a quick mental vacay on my typical blogging day Sunday last week. But it's all good. Now I am realizing this is probably my last post of 2011. Where does the time go?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, focus. Ruiz sums up this chapter like this: "Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">See what I mean about words that are so <em>simple</em> and so <em>profound</em>? I've probably made that comment ten million times in each post about these Agreements. Don't plan on this book being a quick read if you really want to get the most out of it. You'll want to re-read each chapter several times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And the beauty of this chapter is that this 4th agreement points back to the other 3. Always Do Your Best to...1. Be Impeccable with your Word; 2. Don't Take Things Personally; and 3. Don't Make Assumptions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ruiz goes on to explain how much "doing our best" will vary. When we're relaxed and refreshed our best is going to be better than when we're tired. It will be different when we are happy as opposed to upset. And, as we continue to incorporate the 4 Agreements into our lives, our best will become better than it used to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If we do our best we won't judge ourselves. We won't punish ourselves. Ahhh...how freeing is this!! Especially someone like me who inherited a big ol' Perfectionism gene. If it couldn't be perfect - whatever it was - it (or rather, I) sucked. I beat myself up. Or I'd get so overwhelmed I'd procrastinate or even worse not do something at all. What an ugly downward spiral!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's taken years for me to wrestle and fight off that unreasonable, unrealistic quirk that's so deep in my DNA. Probably a little over ten years ago when I first started seeing a therapist was this pointed out to me. HUH? Well, she was right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My new, more modern, personal mantra? "Excellence, not perfection." And I guess that's similar to this 4th Agreement in a way. These words resonate deep in my bones whether I'm focusing on a work project, getting ready to hit the ice and play hockey or continue to grow my Silpada jewelry business. And every other area of my life too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ruiz explains more: "When you do your best, you take action. Doing your best is taking the action because you love it, not because you're expecting a reward." He goes on to explain the cliche of a worker. A worker who only works because he/she is expecting the reward - the paycheck. They work hard the whole week, suffering the actions. They have to work to pay the rent, to support their family...and when they do get their paycheck they are unhappy. There's only a couple days to rest (aka the weekend) and they then try to escape by getting drunk or what have you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If we take action just for the sake of doing something without expecting a reward, we will enjoy every action we do. If we like what we do, if we always do our best, we are really, truly enjoying life. We have fun, we don't get bored and we don't have frustrations. Man, sign me up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What about when life takes away something from us? Ruiz explains - "...let it go. When you surrender and let go of the past, you allow yourself to be fully alive in the moment...if you live in a past dream, you don't enjoy what is happening right now, because you will always wish it to be different than it is. There is no time to miss anyone or anything because you are alive. Not enjoying what is happening right now is living in the past and being only half alive. This leads to self-pity, suffering and tears."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Practice makes the master. Ruiz reminds us that we didn't learn to speak, read, write or ride a bike right out of the box. We had to practice, practice, practice! And not judge ourselves when we fall. If we break one of the Agreements, we tell ourselves OK, we'll start over again tomorrow and try again. It will be challenging at first, but as we practice we will get better and better at honoring all four. Stay in the moment and do not worry about the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">See why this book is going to be a perma-fixture on my bedside table for awhile? It's powerful stuff. Life transforming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After reading this book I now feel like I have a new, freshly-sharpened set of tools ready to make 2012 an even better year than this one was! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today is December 26, 2011. It's the beginning of A New Dream. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-20847545927522607342011-12-22T16:36:00.000-08:002011-12-23T12:58:55.782-08:00There's this thing called the "other" folder...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been quite awhile since I've had a double shot post week, so why not now? Something about the holiday season, shopping rush, the solstice...my whole world just <em>tingles</em> with good (and restless) energy. There's a mad scramble at work to get stuff done before the office pretty much goes quiet this week and next as people take vacation over the holidays and into early January. And for those of us still plugging away over a hot desk and laptop, well, there's that funny struggle of wanting to get more done while it's quiet, but there aren't enough people around to truly get it all done or all the right decisions made...ah, the classic dilemma, at least where I'm working right now. Years ago I used to work in the retail service management industry, and this time of year for vacation was a big ol' fuhgeddaboudit given the peak shopping season. Nope - all hands on deck save for Christmas Day and New Years Day. And today I sit here and think oh crap, I've gotta head into the belly of the beast tomorrow (meaning The Mall) and finish some last minute gift shopping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So anyway, last week I was on Facebook. Now, how often have you read that or heard someone say that and think <em>oh no</em><em>.</em> Right? Well, as I said when I first launched fivenineteen over two years ago, my interpretations and musings on reality are better than anything I could possibly make up. You might want to go pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage for this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, back to Facebook now. Last week on some ho-hum Wednesday night I happened to be browsing around and saw a post from a woman I know from the church I used to attend years ago. Haven't seen her in probably 10+ years, which is kind of sad, but I don't attend that church any longer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Her post: <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">You have two inboxes with facebook. You get notified of your messages; but you do not get notified of the messages in your "other" message box. Go to messages and click on it. After you do there is now the work "other" under your messages. (on the side bar). Click on that and see messages sent to you from people not on your friend list</span></em>."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I thought OK, what the hell, I'll peruse over there and find this "other" folder. Man, I love Facebook but it's hard for me to keep up with all the changes and learn all the nuances and whatnot. By the time I'm home from work and on my home laptop, my brain is pretty much full and fried.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So there was the elusive little "other" folder, a tiny subfolder on my left menu bar. I clicked on it and up popped a very long list of what looked like notifications, spammy type stuff and one email from some random weirdo dude who really likes my profile. Uh huh, whatever. Delete!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then, there they were. Not one but TWO messages from a guy I was great friends with years ago who I was no longer in contact with. Basically saying hi there, it's been forever, I'm about 92% sure this is you and would be great to catch up sometime. Oh. My. God. I about fell out of my chair!! And then I about fell out of my chair again when I noticed he had sent these emails to me back in freakin' JULY!! Holy moly...had I not seen that random post from my church friend I never ever would have even noticed that "other" folder in the Facebook message section!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My fingers flew on the keyboard. I wrote him back, still in shock to have found this folder...and his emails from months ago! Yes, yes, it's me, I'm alive...!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So what's the story with this guy, you may wonder? In short, he is the closest guy friend I have ever had. We met online I'm guessing around late 2004 or early 2005ish. I had been in a relationship with another guy a good chunk of 2004 who I'd met through hockey. He broke up with me that fall and I admit it broke my heart and put me into an emotional tailspin of sorts. Hard to explain, and now with it being 7 years later the memories can get a little fuzzy and mushy both. While I'm not typically the type of girl who always has to have a boyfriend, something about that breakup triggered something within me. I immediately started online dating - on two different sites at the same time actually - and I THINK that might have been my first time ever doing that. Nowadays meeting people online is not anything weird, but back then it still might have been a little odd given it had not been around that long. Or maybe that's just my interpretation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I started going out on a bunch of dates and kind of having casual, not too serious mini-relationships of sorts (and yes, hookups) with a couple of guys. I felt lost and hurt after getting dumped and was just looking for some reasurrance that I was really still desirable to men. In that timeframe, I met L, probably for coffee and dessert or something. We had hockey in common and I just remember him being nice and friendly with an offbeat and awesome sense of humor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We went out on a couple dates and talked on the phone a few times (this is the olden days before texting became so commonplace) and somewhere in all of this we somehow realized we were better off as friends rather than dating. I'm giggling right now, because if he happens to read this at some point I'm sure he will let me know if my memory of all of this is correct or not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Let's just say 2005 was a hell of a year. A lot of Life happened and it was intense. My grandfather passed away in early February, a month short of his 94th birthday. 13 days later my niece was born. My Dad retired. I was growing restless at my job - a company I had worked at for over 6 years at that time and I really loved it - but my new Director and I were butting heads quite a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And in the spring of that year, I went through a very dark season in my life. There was legal drama involved in it too. I am not going to delve into that in here, but just know it was a very bad time for me and given I am an expert at beating myself up, combine that quirk with dark drama and I just felt very lost. I felt like my world was turned sideways or upside down...like my reality had just snapped, shifted and toppled over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I felt lost but not alone, thank goodness. L was there for me through it all. An <em>amazing</em> friend and confidant he was for me. I confided in probably only my uber close friends circle and my family about what I was going through. L listened and helped keep me laughing when I needed to and gave me advice. He helped me with a few projects around the townhouse here and just was a great shoulder to lean on. And in the funny, small world we live in, it turns out another (female) friend of his has a beach house not far from where my family has had one for 3 generations. The 3 of us even went down there together one weekend. Can't help but laugh at the Threes Company-ish thing it was, but it was great. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now somewhere in all of this, L and I started up a mini episode of Friends with Benefits. Ummmm...yeah. Don't judge, people. Yeah, whenever I hear about people getting into dealios like that I used to judge and think I'd NEVER do that. But definitely no regrets...and he and I later talked about it and agreed we would not cross that line any longer. And we didn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As my dark drama was finishing up that fall, I met another guy online and it got pretty serious pretty quickly. L and I shared our dating stories all the time, and he was genuinely happy for me when this one started taking off. And I was very open about my friendship with L with my new boyfriend. Nothing to hide. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But he would have nothing of it. He didn't want me to be around L and didn't want to meet him or anything. Nope. And I got grilled with ten billion questions about him too and the nature of our friendship. Now, side note here - as I've shared this recently with a few close friends - friends I've met since that era who never knew L or my boyfriend then - it's <em>amazing</em> the wide variety of opinions that come out. Some friends say well, you should have run the other way when your boyfriend got controlling and possessive like that early on. Others say yeah, I can totally see why he wouldn't want you having a close guy friend still in your life as you were focusing on a new relationship. It's all water under the bridge now. But I tell you, I'd never been in a situation like that before and I haven't since. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">L gradually faded from my life. I'd made the decision to focus on my new relationship. He and I may have gotten into a couple of spats while this 'transition' was happening too. Again, fuzzy and mushy memories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When I walked away from that boyfriend in spring of 2007, I kept moving forward and never reached out to L. I had great memories of our friendship and time together but never made any effort to try to track him down. Sometimes people are in our lives for a short while to make a difference, help us and then move on, and I chalked him up to being one of those.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And...life moved onward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So. 2 days after I discovered those emails in my Facebook inbox last week I was on my way into Ballard to meet L for dinner. My God, had it really been six years? It was like no time had passed. I cannot tell you how great it was to just see an old friend and pick up right where we'd left off. Definitely no hard feelings or regrets. Just hours of talking and catching up. And a brief interlude between restaurants to walk his friend's dog - the one with the beach house near my folks'. Even seeing that dog again brought another wave of great memories whooshing back. Wow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What a wonderful end of year surprise! Oh, and he and I are Facebook friends now, of course. He says, "hey, let's try staying friends this time, OK?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I think that's a GREAT idea. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-31694094146849119182011-12-18T13:20:00.000-08:002011-12-18T13:23:53.039-08:00Don't Make Assumptions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, last week's mental vacay was exactly what I needed. Time to re-focus on this mini 4-week blogging project...where are we now? Oh yeah, Week #3. Andddd, only a couple weeks behind given Tangent Time and my vacay. This is part of what I love about blogging - no worries on things being behind because it's just my words and the small handful of you who even read this or stumble in here accidentally. Welcome...and welcome back, by the way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, cyber throat clearing, we're on the 3rd of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Four-color-Illustrated/dp/1878424939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323029014&sr=8-1"><em>Four Agreements</em></a><em> </em>book by Don Miguel Ruiz.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Don't Make Assumptions. Ruiz opens this chapter with a great summary: "Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So simple, and yet so profound. That's what I've really enjoyed about this book...it's easy to read but mind blowing too. Definitely one to keep on the nightstand, for I always discover new gems when I read chapters I've already read before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All the sadness and drama in our lives stems from us making assumptions and taking things personally. (Don't take things personally is the Second Agreement, by the way. That was a great one to ramble on about a few weeks back in here.) See how these Agreements tend to build one upon the other? Pretty cool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The poison that is called gossip - this is how we communicate in the dream of Hell, as Ruiz explains. Because we are afraid to ask for clarification, we make assumptions, and we believe we are right about our assumptions; then we defend our assumptions and try to make someone else wrong. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How often have we all made an assumption about something or someone, only to have been totally wrong later? Our bubble bursts and we get mad, sad and the drama starts. But let's back up a minute...why do we even make assumptions in the first place?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ruiz explains: "It is very interesting how the human mind works. We have the need to justify everything, to explain and understand everything, in order to feel safe. We have millions of questions that need answers because there are so many things that the reasoning mind cannot explain. It is not important if the answer is correct; just the answer itself will make us feel safe." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So if someone doesn't tell us something (and we don't ask) we make assumptions and believe our own assumptions. We also make assumptions about things we hear but don't understand. What a big, ticking time bomb this can be in relationships!! Damn, haven't we all been guilty of assuming our partner knows want we want, whatever it is? "You should have known." Lovely way to start an argument. We blame our partner but in reality we have no one to blame but ourselves. We didn't ask!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We don't always ask partly because we assume that people see the world the same way we do...think the way we think, feel the way we feel, judge the way we judge and even abuse the way we abuse. Ruiz says this is the biggest assumptions we humans make about one another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Anyone else out there guilty of getting into a romantic relationship with someone, thinking your love will change them, change the things you don't like about that person (and even deny there are maybe huge things out there that you don't like about him/her?). Raises hand...yep I sure have. The truth is my love will not change anyone. Neither will your love either, by the way. Ruiz even quips that "real love is accepting other people the way we are without trying to change them. If we try to change them, this means we don't really like them." I'm not sure I am 100% on board with that last sentence...need more thinking time here I guess. Sure if there are huge things we don't like then we have to wonder why we're even involved in a relationship with that person. But if it's something silly like I don't like the way he squeezes the tube of toothpaste? Annoying maybe, but not a deal breaker. <em>Honey, can't you squeeze the tube from the bottom, not the middle? You won't? OK, I'm outta here</em>. Ridiculous, right? I'm pretty sure that's not what Ruiz meant...it's just my mind conjuring up a funny scenario like that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ask questions! This is Ruiz's wise advice to us all. Once we hear the answer we will not have to make assumptions because we will know the truth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But we need the courage to ask for what we want. Sure, it one's right to tell us yes or no, but that's also true for what others ask of us. The Right to Ask is everyone's Right. I've chickened out of asking sometimes throughout my life, I admit, and a lot of times when I'm dating someone. Why? Was I afraid of what the answer might be (as in NO)? Was I afraid of being rejected, and even at risk of 'losing' that person out of my life? Didn't want to rock the boat? Wasn't sure how to articulate what I wanted and didn't want to risk being seen as stupid, needy, high maintenace, whatever? Yep, probably. Aha, I assumed how the person would react and therefore did nothing and probably got resentful later. BINGO. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So once again, Ruiz nails it with another great chapter in his book. I'm going to continue working on this - it's a lifelong process for sure - and find the inner courage to ask, ask, ask! </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-12407709210979713502011-12-11T10:38:00.001-08:002011-12-18T13:22:40.874-08:00Mental Vacay<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Guess the Holiday spirit is in full force here. So much so I really need some extra downtime this morning. Busy weeks/weekends usually energize me but today I'm just flat out tired. The only thing on tap today is the Comcast guy swinging by to fix some pixelated TV channels, and then hockey later tonight. Hopefully I'll have a second or third wind by then to skate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, the 3rd of the <em>4 Agreements </em>post is next weekend. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-36266266686815619742011-12-04T11:54:00.001-08:002011-12-04T15:30:38.828-08:00Tangent Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I admit it, I got distracted and didn't have my "homework" ready for today. Yeah, I could have crammed and tried to read and ponder the 3rd chapter of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Four-color-Illustrated/dp/1878424939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323029014&sr=8-1">The Four Agreements,</a></em> but you know what? It's not worth it. This is deep stuff that needs to be read with passion and concentration, not some lame attempt at speed reading just to feel "ready" for today's post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So what happened? Well, I had lunch with T, one of my dearest friends. We met at <a href="http://www.wildfinamericangrill.com/location">Wildfin</a> in Issaquah...she'd heard great things about it and I am always up for trying a new place to eat. I ended up having a small burger and went easy on the fries. I don't eat meat everyday but I guess I was craving red meat way deep down. After a few nights in a row of yummy pasta tossed with a little pesto it was time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">T has been attending these seminars about...<em>understanding men</em>. Really?? And she just raves about them - she says it's totally changed her outlook and viewpoint on dating and relationships, and has strengthened even her friendships with women too. Sounds pretty profound, eh? Wow, what's going on here? How can you learn stuff like this in a class? Led by mostly women? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She smiled and pulled a small paperback book out of her fabulous <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=hermes+bolide&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7WZPA_en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=n9PbTtWzOYWjiALrnZnlCQ&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1440&bih=676">Hermes Bolide</a> handbag. Called <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Making-Sense-Men-Lifetime-Attention/dp/1605309095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323029727&sr=1-1">Making Sense of Men</a></em>, by Alison Armstrong. She couldn't wait to loan it to me! Now, I admit, I'm a "black hole" book borrower (that's a self-coined term by the way). It's not intentional, but I am not a voracious book reader, and books loaned to me, well, tend to get absorbed into a bookcase here forever and ever, never to be returned again and possibly not ever read at all. I promised T I'd do my very best to not do that in this case. And she's pretty tenacious, so I'm sure if I don't return it promptly she'll have no qualms asking for it back - as she should!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now. If you knew you were going to focus on reading the Third of the Four Agreements, but then had to choose between that and a book suddenly plopped in front of you called <em>Making Sense of Men</em>, what would you do? Read them both perhaps? Well, this is me we're talking about here, and given I don't do a lot of book reading, I caved and chose the Men book to focus on. Can't blame me...plus it would be less likely to end up on a "black hole" bookshelf here in the townhouse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I didn't know how quick a read this was! I pretty much read it in one evening, and have re-read it a couple of times! Can this topic be summed up in a 70-page book? Well, of course not...we're human and complex creatures. And yeah, I've read John Gray's Mars & Venus books, the 1990s classic <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rules-TM-Time-Tested-Secrets-Capturing/dp/0446518131/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323037610&sr=1-2">The Rules</a></em> and a few others about dating and relationships too. All endlessly fascinating really...and anything I can learn about these creatures called men who I adore and who also sometimes drive me batshit crazy, well then all the better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's fascinating how entirely different we are wired. Amstrong proclaims that 99% of the confusion and frustration between men and women is because we - mistakenly - assume we are versions of eachother. "Men are not hairy women," she goes on to say! Ha ha ha that made me giggle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">She goes on to break down the two types of attraction men have towards women. The first - Sexual Attraction. Obvious, right? OK, I won't give away Armstrong's list of what goes into that - check out the book for yourself. And what does her list of sexual attractions trigger in men? They want to have sex. Period. Doesn't mean they want to date us or have a relationship with us or fall in love with us. Nope. I even remember some John Gray books talking about the same thing a little differently. If a man is physically attracted to a woman, it's just that and nothing else. This confuses us as women, because our first 'degree' of attraction in a man is if he's <em>mentally </em>stimulating to us (whereas in men the first 'degree' is physical). With mental attraction in a man, maybe it's his humor or intelligence that stirs us. By the time we as women are feeling physically attracted we've already gone through two other 'layers' or 'degrees' of attraction if that makes sense. So ladies, if a man is physically attracted to you, enjoy it and don't take it too seriously. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What's the other type of attraction a man has for a woman (but not ALL women per se)? Charmed and Enchanted. Aha! Who wouldn't want to be with a man who is compelled to spend time with you, take care of you, protect you, contribute to you...and make you happy? Without you needing to do anything but just be fabulous YOU? Damn, sign me up. Makes me even swoon here a little just sitting in my office chair, relishing those moments men have done those things for me. Without any need to make any effort and certainly not nag. THAT'S bliss right there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Armstrong goes on to explain in what she calls "Men-glish" (love that) - what men say and what it means in female-speak. Things they say to us or offer to do for us when they're Charmed and Enchanted. Believe me, I'm not affiliated with the author of this book or the publishing company or anything, but if you're intrigued by my ramblings here, go pick up the book for yourself! One big key? We as women need to be <em>receptive</em> to these wonderful things men want to do for us! Anyone here ever have a man offer you his jacket because it was cold? And responded by a, "...but won't you be cold?" in return? No, no no!! You are not his mother...accept his generosity and snuggle in his jacket for pete's sake! Hell, I never turn down even the grocery store bag boy's offer to carry my bags to my car. Just enjoy it and smile with a warm thank you. Sure it's his job, but you've probably helped make his day too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And there is serious "juice" required of us to be the best we can be as women. Things like being self-confident and authentic. And if a great outfit and killer pair of shoes helps you get there, go for it. Nope, we can't be self-confident fueled on emptiness like sugar and caffeine. Rest, good nutrition, exercise...THAT'S what does it. Don't forget passion...whether it's for our kids, cross-stitching, volunteer work or salsa dancing, as Armstrong explains. And RECEPTIVITY to men's offerings...the doozy! YES! If that guy asks you out for dinner and you're even the slightest bit interested, go! All you have to do is show up, look your hot self and just enjoy a great evening out. Nothing more, nothing less. Receive it graciously, ladies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I could go on and on, but I'm just intrigued with these simple yet profound insights from Armstrong in her book. Don Miguel Ruiz, I promise your 3rd chapter is my focus this week! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The Third Agreement: Don't Assume Anything. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-45705487252030449482011-11-27T11:41:00.001-08:002011-11-27T13:14:20.853-08:00Don't Take Anything Personally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This calls for a cup of coffee! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And this is the second part of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322423677&sr=1-1"><em>The Four Agreements</em></a> book I've committed - joyously - to read and blog about over the next four weeks. This book is compelling enough that I know it will be well broken-in and loved even after I am done with my first read through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The author, Don Miguel Ruiz, summarizes this chapter: "Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others you won't be the victim of needless suffering."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wow. Just, WOW!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Why do we take things personally? If someone random dude on the street yells, "hey, you stupid bitch," without even knowing me, it's not about me, it's about them. If I were to take that random mudslinging personally, then perhaps I believe I am a stupid bitch. I might even wonder "...how does he know? Is he clairvoyant or does everyone else out there see how stupid - and bitchy - I am?" The minute I choose to agree with this I've taken the 'poison' as Ruiz calls it, and I'm trapped...trapped in a dream of Hell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Why eat others' emotional garbage? <em>Emotional garbage</em>...ah, love that term too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh man, I remember getting teased a lot as a kid. Painful. Kids can be absolutely verbally brutal to one another, don't you think? I'd come home in tears sobbing about this and that, crying on my Mom's shoulder. And I in turn picked on others I saw as 'weaker' than me. I remember my Mom saying stuff like, "Just ignore them and it will go away," or even the doozy, "Don't take it personally." That's a LOT for an 8 or 9 year old to process...when you're young all of that playground politics IS your world and nothing else matters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What if someone insults us, truly hurts our feelings deep down to our core? Ruiz responds by saying, "...it is not what I am saying that is hurting you; it is that <em>you have wounds that I touch by what I have said</em>. You are hurting yourself."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So THAT'S it. Oh, and how did I come across this book, on a side note? Remember the "<a href="http://five-nineteen.blogspot.com/2011/10/two-surprising-ds.html">Two Surprising Ds</a>" post I did recently? I am really enjoying this new friendship with D, the woman I used to see 'squatting' in a building cafeteria where we worked - as did I. (Consultants without official workspaces get to eek out space wherever we can!) Thank you <a href="http://www.forlocations.com/michaelkors-111_bellevue_square__bellevue">Michael Kors</a> for getting us officially acquainted - she recognized me waiting in line at the store in Bellevue Square and I am so glad she said hello!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One night at a happy hour I was venting to her and a few of her friends about how I got my chops busted a little at work. I was still fuming a bit and feeling taken down a notch or two. Vulnerable. I strive to be open minded, open to feedback from co-workers around me, but when it's delivered in front of another consultant I have just met, well, that's NOT OK in my book. The energy in that small meeting was jacked up and just overall way off. And I felt cut off at the knees, embarrassed, and in my defense, got, well, admittedly, defensive. Hate to admit it, but I did. There, I said it. So D immediately cut to the chase and said ummm, you took it personally and oh you SO need to read this book! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There's something about a double whammy back at me when people tell me to not take things personally. I get stubborn and feel like lashing out with <em>well hell I will feel however I want to, so NEENERS</em>. Yeah, that's mature, right? It's been a lifelong process for me to shed that, grow up, and even take things to the next level by reading this book. Nope, it's not about me. Nothing is. Not even when people get mad at me. My truth is only my perception - no one else's. I let someone push my buttons and I fell off my 'stance.' I got defensive when someone told me to not be defensive! Whoops. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now I can breathe and learn through that recent experience and let it go. And it feels fantastic!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What about the flip side, say when someone says "you are wonderful." Ruiz explains: "...they are not saying that because of you. You know you are wonderful. It is not necessary to believe other people who tell you that you are wonderful. Don't take <em>anything</em> personally. Even if someone got a gun and shot you in the head, it was nothing personal. Even at that extreme."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK wow, I had not even taken it that far in my mind but alrighty! But let's back up to the compliment of "you are wonderful." What's wrong with acknowledging a compliment like that with a genuine THANK YOU in return? I was always taught to appreciate compliments and not brush them off. I'll have to keep mulling over that one. Perhaps he means that - let me read my paragraph above again - that if we already feel that way we don't need others to tell us?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When we take things personally, we set ourselves up to suffer. To suffer for nothing. Ruiz even talks about abuse: "...if you have the need to be abused you will find it easy to be abused by others. Likewise, if you are with people who need to suffer, something in you makes you abuse them...they are asking for justification for their suffering."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If we don't take things personally, we will never be hurt by what other people say or do. How freeing is that? We are not responsible for the actions of others...we're only responsible for ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So my goal is to really, truly incorporate this mantra into my daily living and breathing, even moreso on top of my tough lifelong journey to shed that old skin. I know I can do it <em>and</em> I won't judge or beat myself up when I slip either. Onward!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Next week's post: <em>Don't Make Assumptions</em>. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-58154955738486230352011-11-20T10:17:00.001-08:002011-11-20T12:36:33.558-08:00Be Impeccable With Your Word<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, we're off and running here! Last week I committed to blogging over the next four weeks about an amazing book I'm slowly savoring and reflecting upon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's called <em>The Four Agreements</em>, written by Don Miguel Ruiz. And if you have sharp eyes you'll notice the picture of the book is from the nice people at Amazon.com (thanks, everyone!) This book was written about 15 years ago, but the wisdom it contains goes back thousands of years. The knowledge comes from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toltec">Toltec</a> people, stemming back to southern Mexico. It's not a religion, but it does honor all spiritual masters who have taught on Earth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ruiz explains that dreaming is the main function of our minds, and <em>our minds dream 24/7</em>. The difference is when we are awake "...there is a material frame that makes us perceive things in a linear way. When we go to sleep we do not have the frame, and the dream has the tendency to change constantly." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wow, that's profound! I never thought we're actually dreaming while awake too (except for day dreaming). No wonder our dreams when asleep can be so wacky and random, only making sense in their moment. Once we're awake - poof - they're mostly gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Simple and profound - this is the exquisite content within this book. I find it both very challenging and relaxing to read and contemplate, and much of it I will need to read several times through - joyously - to truly attempt to understand. Don't get me wrong - the language is easy to read and the tone is like firm love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">He calls what society teaches us "human domestication." We didn't choose to speak our native tongue when we were growing up, we didn't choose our religion - we didn't even choose our own name! What happens during this process is we "...form an image of what perfection is in order to try to be good enough. We create an image of how we should be in order to be accepted by everybody...like Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, the priests and the teacher. Trying to be good enough for them, we create an image of perfection, but we don't fit this image. We create this image, but this image is not real. We are never going to be perfect from this point of view. Never! Not being perfect, we reject ourselves. And the level of self-rejection depends upon how effective the adults were in breaking our integrity."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">He talks about abuse...how much we judge and abuse ourselves for our mistakes. In relationships, if we are with someone who abuses us more than we abuse ourselves we will likely walk away from that person. But if we are with someone who abuses us just a bit less than we abuse ourselves, we will probably stay in the relationship and tolerate it endlessly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So here is the first agreement and my (gloriously imperfect) ramblings about it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Be Impeccable with your word.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Through our word we express our creative power...through it we manifest everything. Our word is a double-edged sword...we can create beauty with it or destroy everything around us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What does impeccable mean here? It means we take responsibility for our actions but we do not judge or blame ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wow. That's huge. *Raises hand*...I am likely the queen of self-blame and self-criticism. Only in the past, most recent decade of my life, thanks to an amazing therapist, was this pointed out to me...reflected back in my face like a giant mirror, on how badly I beat myself up over everything I do that falls short of perfection. Rather, we are human and gloriously flawed. Breathe, breathe....strive for EXCELLENCE, not perfection. This is the relatively new internal message I've worked so hard to incorporate into my core being, swimming upstream against decades more of habit and DNA. Oy. It's a journey, not a quick fix.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ruiz goes on to discuss gossip and how mainstream it is for us as a communication vehicle - and how poisonous it is, like a computer virus within our minds. How many times have we gossiped about the person we love the most to gain support from others for our point of view? Reality check: your opinion is your point of view. Doesn't mean it's true...rather it comes from your own belief, your own ego, your own dream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">How fertile are our minds for negative ideas and "spells" people put upon us? If we are impeccable with our word our minds become only fertile for words that come from love. And how we feel about ourselves - how much we love ourselves - is directly proportionate to the quality and integrity of our word.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So this is the first of four new 'seeds' planted in my (fertile) mind. How impeccable am I with my word right now? How often do I tell myself how wonderful and great I am? Do I speak (and write) the truth in everything I do? I've been called "honest to a fault" by some, and I actually take that as a huge compliment. How many white lies do we tell every day? To others? To ourselves? Yeah, I love gossip as much as the next person, but I wouldn't label myself as gossip-y. My goal this past week and going forward is to always say what I mean and mean what I say, both speaking and in writing. And to not beat myself up if I am not perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I feel happy and alive on this journey...waves of goodness wash all around me and inside me too. Is this some sort of cleansing? I'm not questioning it one bit; just loving every second of this new "work."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Next week's Second Agreement post: <em>Don't take things personally</em>. This one's gonna be a doozy in so many ways. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-8972001841267304432011-11-13T11:18:00.001-08:002011-11-16T22:20:17.912-08:00Holy Grail Hair Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEdtIJk69pXOfe_2Fr8_W2RCLCNWsTJpNS84BDIvdI8l8wmKnZ95CZhFh6G8aMCrixxH7QlQky_3mYdNeRniCkKZnpiOXIt0ug2NiF9PZu1zWwsftHS7VDsGWEtdEs1PoUKj3Vt_HwqM/s1600/shampoo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEdtIJk69pXOfe_2Fr8_W2RCLCNWsTJpNS84BDIvdI8l8wmKnZ95CZhFh6G8aMCrixxH7QlQky_3mYdNeRniCkKZnpiOXIt0ug2NiF9PZu1zWwsftHS7VDsGWEtdEs1PoUKj3Vt_HwqM/s200/shampoo.png" width="152" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, it's been awhile since I did some product reviews, so here we go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I love the changing seasons here in the Northwest, but the rain does a number on my hair. I joke that my hair is a human barometer...a little humidity or drizzle outside and POOF. Frizz. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hair is emotional for a lot of us. Let's face it, we wear our hair everyday so it's always on display and out there. If I'm having a bad hair day it ruins my mood. I'm sure I'm the only one who notices, but still.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Back in the 1980s when big hair ruled, I was right there. Mousse, curling irons, hair spray - I did it all. And my "helmet hair" looked pretty damn good even if it didn't move much. Neither did anyone else's! Some of our sorority pictures from the late 1980s have resurfaced in Facebook Land thanks to scanners. Damn that was a LOT of big hair! We pretty much worshipped Paul Mitchell products...or Aqua Net as a super cheap (but super stinky) alternative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hair trends change (that's a good thing, plus it makes for funny memories looking back). Somewhere into the early 1990s big hair went away. Ah, now I remember. It was the Jennifer Aniston shag cut (from the Friends TV show) that pretty much launched a new era of hair style. Long, choppy layers...and straight, not curly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hard to believe that was over 15 years ago! But hair is still worn much more loose and natural, not in the stiff, shellac'd and crunchy curled 1980s way. And that's fine by me...I haven't used hair spray in years and my bangs are no longer 2" above my head. I still have a curling iron but it's slept dormant in a bathroom drawer for eons. My profile pic is pretty accurate, save for the bangs which I've grown out a little longer (full on bangs are too high maintenance for me I discovered in a brief interlude c. 2009. But they did hide the forehead crinkles which was nice).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">All these cool, long layered styles are fabulous, but for me a problem. My hair is pretty thick and wavy...if left to dry on its own without a hair dryer it morphs into wildly-varying forms of waves and curls. A tad freakish. It's funny how back in the big hair days I spent so much time every morning getting my hair all curled and sprayed. Now fast forward a couple decades and I spend time daily...smoothing it out. Which is a chore. And every day it behaves a little differently.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So in all this rambling you can probably guess I've tried tons of products out there to keep my hair smooth. Not to get it poker straight, but straight enough...and it's got to stay that way all day which is the problem. Yeah, there are things out there like Brazilian blowouts and other semi-permanent straightenings but they scare me. I stick with getting my highlights touched up and don't really want to add any more chemicals into my hair, even if they say those treatments are OK for color-treated hair. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After going through several flat irons - frustrated - I discovered the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4807878774613965106#editor/target=post;postID=897200184126730443">GHD Styler</a> thanks to some nice online discussion/enabling and raving about it. Gulp...$240?? That's what I plunked down for it a few years ago (I see it's come down in price slightly in that link). But you know what? 4 years of near daily use and this thing is a champ. It heats up super quickly, shuts itself off, and has curved edges so you can do waves or even curls with it too (it comes with a DVD to show you how). And it doesn't dry out or damage my hair...it just smooths it out and makes it look nice and shiny!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And speaking of shiny...this hair journey wouldn't be complete without talking about some of my favorite shampoos, conditioners and styling products. Step into my shower and you'll find a good 6 or 7 shampoos, conditioners and a couple of cleansers and body washes. Yeah, I have no brand loyalty in this department either (just like makeup) and love rotating products daily. Even the smell of shampoo is wonderful to savor in a hot shower, and helps me wake up and get energized.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I tend to be a hair product snob. I'm pretty good at mixing cheaper makeup products in with the spendier ones, but with shampoo and conditioner I've always gone more high end. Brands like <a href="http://www.kerastase-usa.com/_en/_us/conso/home/home.aspx">Kerastase</a>, <a href="http://www.alternahaircare.com/">Alterna</a> and <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/index.asp?lang=eng">Arbonne</a>. No shame here in plunking down $25-$30 for a bottle of shampoo. After all, it's fabulous quality, smells amazing and lasts a long time. And it's for HAIR! There used to be a fantastic beauty supply store right on my commute home which was like kryptonite or crack to me. Maybe it's a good thing it's closed down. But then that cool thing called the internet? With items marked down and/or free shipping? I'm a sucker...sign me up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then one day in the grocery store I passed by the shampoo aisle and they had some tiny samples of <a href="http://www.garnierusa.com/_en/_us/our_products/product-struct.aspx?tpcode=OUR_PRODUCTS^PRD_HAIRCARE^FRUCTIS^FRUCTIS_DISCOVER^FRUCTIS_SLEEK_SHINE">Garnier's Sleek & Shine</a> shampoo and conditioner. I thought hell, for $1 each, why not? I opened the bottle and wow...a very happy green apple fragrance too. Sold. If I didn't like it, no worries, I'm just out $2.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am truly, truly impressed with these Garnier products. And now the proud owner of two large bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Each was around $5 apiece, a fraction of what I usually pay. And this stuff WORKS. And it does what it says it will do. I am amazed how great my hair looks...no midday poofing or curling. We have not had a lot of rainstorms here - yet - so that will be the true test. I bet it's going to work out wonderfully.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Garnier also has a cream in a tube to use on towel-dried hair prior to blow drying. Got it at the grocery store for all of $3 and it is amazing. So long to my pricier Tigi after she's used up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, now I have also fallen in love with a pricier brand, so this journey is still hard on my wallet. <a href="http://www.moroccanoil.com/en/our-products.html">Moroccan Oil</a>. There is a small group of shops and restaurants a short walk from my office building, and there is a salon on the main floor. I stopped in once on my way to grab lunch and had a great chat with the girls there. They had a Moroccan Oil product display and I asked if any of it would work on my hair. They suggested a bottle of the treatment oil - it comes in a formula for light colored hair too! I dab a little on my ends occasionally to keep them weighed down. Love it! I also am now a huge fan of their shampoo, conditioner and glimmer spray. The spray just adds a little shine, not hold like a hair spray.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So between Garnier and Moroccan Oil I'm smiling big through the season that normally wreacks havoc on my hair.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And, major gear shifting here...next week I am going to start the first of a 4-part review of a book I've recently purchased and have just started to read. Just putting that out there to keep myself accountable. Wish me luck! </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-16230837259176952732011-11-06T12:18:00.000-08:002011-11-06T12:19:57.785-08:00That Glorious Extra Hour!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh man ohmanohmanohman...I am sitting here grinning ear to ear, sunshine streaming into the home office...and...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's. Only. 11am!! Not noon!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Seriously, people, our flip back to Standard Time (clocks go back one hour) is my most FAVORITE time of the year. Payback...we balance the books. It's no secret DST kicks my ass when we lose that hour in the spring. I feel jetlagged that entire week, and perpetually stressed that I am constantly running late. Tired + late = bad combination.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But now, time to chill. I woke up Saturday just knowing this morning was coming. Kinda poked around the house and later, fueled by a salted caramel mocha from a Starbucks drive thru (which I RARELY do even though there is one just 5 seconds from my house), I drove out to visit my dear friend T in Sammamish. She's going to do a Silpada party later in December - an absolutely perfect time to host a party as it's prime time shopping season! Blue sky, leaves turning - ahhh anytime I need to whip out sunglasses in November I am a happy girl.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had a major sushi craving as I was driving home, and swung by the <a href="http://metropolitan-market.com/home.php">Metropolitan Market</a> to pick up some other groceries too. I used to commute through the Houghton neighborhood a couple of years ago when I briefly worked in Kirkland and I miss it. The Metropolitan Market is absolutely amazing, and the people who work there have their shit together. Nice, knowledgeable, energetic. You can just "feel" it when you walk in. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I grabbed some pre-made sushi (it's actually pretty decent as they make it fresh right there in the store), got home and added an extra blob of wasabi and a few shakes of Nama Shoyu (unpasteurized soy sauce as recommended in my raw food cookbooks). Even found my chopsticks too! Bliss.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">...almost as blissful as sleeping in today until 10am (which really was 11am but I remembered to turn the clocks back tonight - oops, well most of them). Funny how my cell phone didn't make the automatic change (booo) but the old, crappy laptop here sure did.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So that's about it. Just enjoying a nice, lazy weekend - hockey is the big exclamation point later tonight. Can't wait! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And the nice people at amazon.com are sending me a book that was very highly recommended by my new friend D. I'll leave it at that for now - it's on it way and I will likely have my first ever book review post in here soon! </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-57284579243787276592011-10-30T12:42:00.000-07:002011-10-30T15:37:33.642-07:00Vitamin Rambling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rolled around in my bed this morning, feeling so rested and so lazy too. And laughed at myself when I realized it was 10:30am! What a lazy butt I can be.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Reflecting on this past week...I have a lot to be thankful for. I feel happy, energized, confident...not that I wasn't before but I'm feeling that inner surge and whooshing around that just makes me feel, well, happy! I DID start taking vitamins more regularly - is that one of the reasons, or just a coincidence? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I usually take a couple of fish oil capsules every morning - they say those extra Omega 3s are good for your brain and digestion so it couldn't hurt. I like the unscented ones because while I love fish I don't need to start off my day with my breath smelling like it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And when cleaning out a drawer in my bathroom I discovered a jar of Vitamin D that I'd forgotten about. Expiration date's still aways in the future so into the routine she goes too. Where else do we get Vitamin D besides some daily sun exposure? Milk? And mushrooms I think (sounds strange though)? Well, around here daily sun exposure is non-existent and laughable to attempt, especially this time of year. I don't drink milk either (though I never met a cheese I did not love, but does cheese have vitamin D in it? It must if it's made with milk, right?). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And...good ol' Vitamin C. Doesn't hurt to pop a couple of those every day as we head into the winter flu season. I've already had a cold since starting this new job and earlier this year I had that cough that lingered easily two months. No more of that, thankyouverymuch. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What else did I find in that bathroom drawer? Some multi-vitamins. Jar half empty and expiration date still OK (I am VERY anal about pull dates on food/vitamins/you name it. They're there for a reason!) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">NOW I remember why I stopped taking those. They upset my stomach no matter how much extra water I'd drink after taking them. I'd feel like I was going to puke on my drive to work. Not fun. But I decided to try eating a little bit more in the morning (I'm usually so rushed I have a quick wedge of cheese and that's it till lunch time). Anyway as I ramble here, I'm trying to allow just a few extra minutes in my morning routine to take these vitamins with a ton of water...and <em>I feel great</em>! Is it just psychological? On the other hand, the stupid bruise on my knee is finally going away (don't ever bump into your dishwasher when it's open - just sayin), and some of the sharp knee pain I've experienced occasionally - recently - going up or down stairs has vanished. I slowly, carefully, knock on wood about that. I figured the knee pain was a reminder that I need to lose weight AND that I am not getting any younger.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So we'll leave that alone for now. I rolled out of bed yesterday and headed to my favorite spa for a little, ummm, maintenance. And I actually got there early enough to head into the Starbucks across the street and relax a little. Lo and behold I had a Starbucks gift card hiding deep in my wallet I'd completely forgotten about! Bonus! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I tried my first ever <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/salted-caramel-mocha">salted caramel mocha</a>. With half the usual chocolate as someone suggested. Delicious! I sat outside at one of the small tables, browsed Facebook on my phone and just savored my coffee. This is freakin' late October, people, and it's sunny and <em>I'm sitting outside </em>enjoying the changing leaves, slight breeze, and a beautiful view of Lake Washington. Amazing!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've known my esthetician, M, for probably 10 years and she is wonderful to chat with. As we were waiting for the eyebrow tint to work its magic she said you HAVE to come check out the knitware we have in the front of the spa. It's flying off the shelves and the prices are amazing (amazing as in low, ha ha). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Sure enough...a few minutes later I picked up a black infinity scarf and a medium grey toque with a fleur de lis design in grey bling on one side. LOVE IT! I loved it so much I immediately cut off the tags and wore it running errands the rest of the afternoon. Perfect new fall accessories! And they were $40 total - yes for both! If you haven't tried an infinity scarf, check them out. It's a scarf that's in one continuous loop - so easy to just plop on and it always looks great! And doesn't fall off either. I actually have <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/michael-michael-kors-metallic-zipper-infinity-scarf/3211514?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=0">this one</a> on its way in the silvery knit from the nice people at Nordstrom. It will go perfect with my new toque!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now it's time to get caught up on reading, cook up some chicken for an early dinner and get ready for hockey later tonight. Best way ever to wrap up a weekend!</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-15810858917294122662011-10-23T15:15:00.000-07:002011-10-23T19:50:39.440-07:00All Plates Spinning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, I'm tired. I can't decide if this is a good tired or not, so I'm going with good...for now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I got a lot of seeds planted over the past year and half. Seeds like job connections. Doing the pro bono work with my friend/colleague when I was unemployed. Representing Silpada. And it's funny how sometimes the seeds sprout up all at the same time!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had one of those weeks where I barely had time to sneeze, starting with Tuesday. Oh yes, glorious hockey. Hockey is that regular rhythm that is such a delicious part of my lifestyle...a wacky outlet that continually surprises people when I tell them I play (yes, year 'round, co-ed). Normally we have games on Sunday nights, but this week we played on Tuesday night...a 9:30pm faceoff at a rink about a half hour drive from my house. We had a tough 4-1 loss, but on the other hand it was probably a good 'keep the ego in check' kind of game, because our previous two games were blowout wins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Getting home at 11:30pm on a Tuesday night, knowing morning is just around the corner, is surreal. It's hard to wind down and immediately get to sleep, so the next day I am usually on adrenaline and crash early the next night.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wednesday? After work I met with a former co-worker for a quick drink. He used to be my Director way back in the early 2000s, and we have kept in touch over the years as our career paths moved onward. Most recently he and I worked together on that pro bono project with another mutual colleague.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">...that project which is pro bono no more! Later that night I got home, got a 2nd (3rd?) wind and fired up the home laptop. Did I mention that the company did finally land some actual business with an actual client? And that while the gig was in progress the founder of this company (my friend/colleague who was actually doing the work himself because it wasn't enough to justify hiring someone) meanwhile also landed some full-time work of his own with a different company and moved to Baltimore? And asked me to help finish up the project? Yes, 'tis true. Whew, did those last few sentences make sense? It's all a big whoosh, just like it's been in my head trying to process it all. I'm flattered he asked me to take over the work to be done, and also am learning how much my brain needs to stretch to keep the mental "work" energy fresh and vibrant for an extra 10 hours or so a month. I got home Wednesday night after that drink with M, called A (who is on east coast time so it's super late for him), fired up the laptop here and worked for an hour on another version of a project schedule. Ah, the classic time and resource constraints. We now have a recommended schedule and a shortened, condensed version of the schedule, which we may have to resort to if our client's budget runs out end of calendar year. And we need a decision quick because time is ticking. Nope, the calendar is not our friend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I was working over the phone with A updating the spreadsheet, I was mentally multi-tasking, thinking ahead to the next morning - Thursday. We had a training session onsite with that client, and earlier this month I was a little worried on if I'd be able to take a half day off from my "real" full-time job to go to the client site. Thursdays are typically super busy. But the universe smiled, and it was easy to get my time off approved. Even better, the FTEs at my full-time job had an offsite event all day, so I didn't feel too guilty about being away either. None of the pro bono work I'm doing is in direct competition with my full-time job, but still it feels a little funny doing this side work...not in a bad way at all though.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The training Thursday morning was in downtown Seattle. Le Sigh, how suburban I have become. I was laughing to myself remembering how long it's been since I've worked downtown. 17 years. How I miss it...I lived and worked in Seattle for years after finishing college and just took the bus everywhere - it was fabulous. And I never lived in the suburbs while working in the city - the only time I ever did any regular commuting from the suburbs into Seattle was - gulp - in <em>1988</em> when I was taking some classes at the U of W for some extra college credit while home for the summer between my junior and senior year.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So that night I was wondering just how bad the traffic would be for the morning commute. And I had to get up about an hour and a half earlier than I usually do. It was almost dreamlike, busting out of my routine, heading over that bridge into Seattle. The bridge where they're still struggling to get the <a href="http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/520/">toll functionality</a> to work properly - looks like they've pushed out to start in December now. I actually made great time and got to the <a href="http://www.seattlemunicipaltower.com/home.axis">building</a> about a half hour early. Ahhh, perfect. Enough time to join the super long line at Starbucks. I needed a double tall nonfat latte something fierce! I reminisced, remembering how I worked in a building just across the street from where I was, high up enough to where we could look DOWN upon this building as it was under construction. Back in those days when I dressed up for work in skirts, pantyhose and pumps, and the only computer in our office was a huge 386 desktop for all 6 of us to share. We did most of our daily grind on state of the art (back then) typewriters and our essential fax machine. Ahhh, that morning it felt strange to be going to work without my <em>laptop briefcase</em>. Just my purse and a notebook tucked inside. How much things have changed in 20+ years!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After the client meetings that morning, I headed back to the 'burbs and my full-time job. And made the drastic mental shift from consulting to...printing. What's going on here? Well, at my full-time job some of the team are conducting a long series of workshops where they use large wall posters as visual aids to do some grounding on why the heck we're doing the work we're doing. We're a little tight on our supply budget, so I was asked to help out by doing some of the large poster printouts myself, using one of the huge <a href="http://h10088.www1.hp.com/cda/gap/display/main/index.jsp?zn=gap&cp=20000-13698-16013_4041_100&jumpid=ex_r11400_us/en/ga/IPG/_ps_g_hpplotterprinter/HPPlotterPrinterPhrase&k_clickid=AMS|69a7bb30-dbed-aba9-da9e-000018af029a">plotter-style printers</a> that are in various locations around our campus. Sounds easy enough, but it sure wasn't. Finding where they are, finding out if they're open for other groups to use (meaning, not private), finding out if they are actually working or not, getting the right printer drivers installed... UGH UGH UGH. Now I'm not one to bitch about work, but come on now. How much money are we really saving having me, a well-paid (and, ahem, well-billed) consultant doing all this legwork that we could just hand off to a professional printer and be done with it? Hmmm.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A 10 minute drive across campus and 3 hours later, I completed the printouts. Getting them rolled up and clipped and into my car - in the rain - was interesting to say the least. Paper is goddamn heavy! No joke! I'd hoped to get some other work done while these huge posters were printing but nope, no dice. I found out just how high maintenance these print jobs are. The paper does not capture well after it prints, so I had to hold it just so, so it wouldn't fold up or bend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And at about 4:30pm, I mentally shut down. I'd gotten up early, got out of my routine going downtown for half a day, then spent the other half of the day back at work cranking out posters on a huge printer. Guess that hit my saturation point. I went home, exhausted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Friday was a good day to catch up on work missed Thursday, and I topped it off meeting up with D for a drink at <a href="http://www.brixwinecafe.com/">Brix</a>, a wonderful wine bar not far from my house. D's the one I ran into at the Michael Kors store a few weeks ago (see my <a href="http://five-nineteen.blogspot.com/2011/10/two-surprising-ds.html">Two Surprising Ds</a> post for that funny story!). I'm really enjoying getting to know her!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And Saturday? Keeping up with me here? I did a Silpada party for my good friend S, who was my neighbor here in the townhouse complex for many years. She and her boyfriend recently bought an absolutely beautiful home in Lake Tapps and it was time for housewarming and playing with jewelry! We had a blast. It's an hour drive each way to their house, but so incredibly worth it. I earned $300 commission from the party sales - not too shabby for just a few hours of "work" eh?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So it's not surprising that I slept in till nearly 11am today. Yikes, that even is late for me and borders on feeling wasteful of the day. But that was how tired I was!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">No rest tonight either save for a short nap maybe later. Yep, Sunday night means hockey. And tonight's faceoff?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">10:45pm. Awww yeahhhh. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-71584807479315697512011-10-16T12:08:00.000-07:002011-10-16T12:08:45.751-07:00Well hello again, Food Processor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...and time to change it up in fivenineteen land in here a little! How do you like what I've done with the place? :-) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So it's that still, grippy grey outside again. So silent this morning it woke me up. No wind, no rain, no cars on the road. Damn, did everyone leave town except me?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I've just about finished up the last of that wonderful Bolognese sauce I made <a href="http://five-nineteen.blogspot.com/2011/10/late-night-mid-week-slow-cookin.html">last week</a>. It keeps beautifully in a Tupperware in the fridge. This batch went quickly so I won't likely need to freeze any. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, in last week's post I made some comment about how I don't mind the chopping and prep work that you could do in a food processor in a fraction of the time. Maybe I stirred the sleeping beast way deep in the back, top shelf of my pantry.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I must have been craving something completely different for this weekend's cooking adventure. I have a pretty decent kitchen, but it's nowhere near the size or with the open feel that more modern kitchens have today. Nope, it's 1980 here in our townhouse complex, and while one of my neighbors did a glorious remodel to open up her kitchen area into a nice great-room flow, the rest of us have not yet pulled the trigger. I'm glad I at least have a good-sized, open bar counter area on one side which looks into the dining room and a nice bay window and slider which plops out onto my back deck. So no claustrophobia. It's just a small-ish kitchen with not a whole lot of spare countertop space.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And part of that countertop space is a mini-showcase of my beloved cookbooks. The rest are in the pantry...and that pantry is a hodgepodge of well, stuff you normally put in a pantry, my spices, and some cooking gadgets I don't use super often. And my hand mixer, a wonderful toaster oven with a mini pizza stone, waffle iron, plastic wrap, tin foil...hmmm, I think this baby is due for a major cleanout.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I took a good, hard look at those cookbooks. How much have I REALLY used them recently? The slow cooker recipes, raw "cooking," vegan, Primal, Italian food, American Southwest...time to pull one off the display and try something different, I told myself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I reached for <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Caprials-Bistro-Style-Cuisine-Caprial-Pence/dp/1580084656/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318790374&sr=8-2">Caprial's Bistro-Style Cuisine</a></em>, by Caprial Pence. (That's "kuh PREEL" on the first name, by the way.) I have one of her other cookbooks, and way back in the day (late 1990s) she had a cooking show on our local public TV station, which is how I first found out about her, channel surfing on some lazy weekend afternoon. Caprial's signature are recipes that are simple but super chock-full of flavor and come together very quickly, with a big nod to the flavors of Pacific Northwest cooking.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's what I whipped up - it's chicken with a wonderful, spicy peanut sauce which you can also use on grilled prawns or fish. The sauce has a good kick but not in a blow-your-head-off way. Head to the Asian foods section of your grocery store! And when she says to mix ingredients in a food processor, she means it. I dug out my 11-cup Cuisinart, blew the dust off and took her for a spin. </span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Hot-as-Hell Chicken on Noodles with Peanut Sauce</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Serves 4</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Peanut Sauce</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 tsp peeled, chopped fresh ginger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 tsp chopped cilantro</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 cloves garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 fresh jalapeno peppers (whole, stems removed)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 C red wine vinegar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 C soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 heaping C creamy peanut butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 tsp curry powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/4 C honey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 tsp dark sesame oil</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Chicken</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 tsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">4 (6 oz) chicken breast halves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 C dry sherry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 C sweet hot chile sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 lb dried Chinese egg noodles, cooked al dente and tossed with a dash of vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 C dry roasted peanuts or cashews (I used cashews)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">3-4 green onions, minced</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">To prepare the peanut sauce, combine the ginger, cilantro, garlic, jalapenos, vinegar, soy sauce and peanut butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the curry powder, honey and sesame oil and process until smooth. Set aside.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In a very large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking hot. Put the chicken breasts in the pan and brown them well, about 2 minutes on each side. Decrease the heat to medium and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sherry, increase the heat to high and cook until about half the sherry remains, 2-3 minutes. Add the chile sauce and turn the breasts to coat them well. Decrease the heat to low and slowly simmer while you prepare the noodles.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Put the noodles in the pasta insert and set in a pot of boiling water or in the stock pot and cook for about 2 minutes to heat them through. Strain the cooked noodles and place in a large bowl. Toss them with 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce and place on a serving platter. Remove the chicken breasts from the sauce and slice. Place the chicken slices on the noodles and pour some of the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the peanuts or cashews and scallions. Serve hot.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">NOTE: I had some bowtie pasta lying around and used that instead of egg noodles. I bet this would be great over rice too. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-85124060463399028672011-10-09T12:12:00.000-07:002011-11-16T22:22:57.064-08:00Late Night Mid-Week Slow Cookin'...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fall is here! Even on a rare sunny day like yesterday it felt different. It's crispy outside (or soggy if it's raining). It's getting darker a little earlier than it used to and the shadows are long even midday. I met up with a good friend on the top of the hill here yesterday very spontaneously for a 90 minute brisk walk. Leaves are starting to turn, and the tall sunflowers in that corner yard we always pass by are now top heavy and tired from their own weight.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So while I always mourn summer as she melts away into fall, I DO love this time of year for the clothes and food. Time to bust out the sweaters, boots, leather jackets...oh yeah. And cooking! Soups! Stews!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last year I purchased a slow cooker for the first time. I remember our Crock Pot as a kid - my Mom made wonderful chicken dishes all the time - and they seem to be coming around in style again. Kinda like fondue. Anyway, mine was free actually. Remember the <a href="http://five-nineteen.blogspot.com/2010/09/refrigerator-drama.html">Refrigerator Drama</a> from last year? I got a $100 Sears gift card, one of the few bright spots in that whole episode. So I used it toward a slow cooker. Very nice, stainless steel, 3 1/2 quart size. And my folks gave me a Williams-Sonoma slow cooker recipe book for Christmas. Love it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And it was time to bust a move with it again. Last weekend I had 3 lbs of ground beef in my fridge, just a couple days away from use it or freeze it. I really wanted to make a Bolognese sauce - the cookbook recipe is wonderful - but, being a smart cook, re-read the recipe. Ah yes, now I remember: once you make the sauce it needs 4 hours in the slow cooker on high heat or 8 hours on low heat. Hmmm...how do I cram that into my crazy week schedule? I know one cool thing about a slow cooker is you can put everything in it in the morning, turn it on low and come home that night from work with your meal ready! But for some reason I've been a little reluctant to do that. What if I get stuck at work late or in traffic? I know they shut off to a low simmer once the timer goes off, but anyway I guess I'm not comfortable with something "cooking" in my house when I'm not there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last week definitely was burning the candle at both ends. Sunday night was our first hockey game of the season! Woo hoo! With a 10:45pm faceoff! Not so woohoo. But that's winter season for ya. It was awesome seeing my teammates again, meeting a couple new faces and getting back on the ice. I had not skated since around June and frankly have been woefully lame getting regular exercise. But I actually skated and played a lot better than I thought I would. And we had an 8-4 blowout win!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There's something surreal about leaving the rink after a late game. That night, it was midnight. Luckily this game was at the rink that's just a 5 minute drive from my house, so no excuses. Once I get to the rink, especially for a late game, time kind of stops mentally for me, except for our game clock. I force myself not to look at the "real" clock...nope don't need to be reminded it's 11:30pm or whatever! Crazy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, it's uber hard to immediately wind down and get to sleep after hockey, as much as I want to/need to, especially on a Sunday night (errr, early Monday I guess). So that means an extra cup of coffee at work. Those of you reading this who play hockey or other late night sports know what I'm talking about!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So Sunday night was out for making the sauce. Onward to Monday. Well, I didn't get home as early as I'd thought, and so I got a late start getting the ingredients ready. There's a bit of chopping and prep time, plus you need to brown 3 lbs of ground beef and make a little extra sauce with some deglazing. I honestly don't mind doing a lot of chopping/prep work by hand. Yeah, there are these really cool things out there called food processors, and I actually do own a couple - one large, one small - but when it comes to chopping, slicing or dicing relatively small amounts of ingredients, I'm good with my cutting board and a sharp knife. My Mom says I'm my grandmother's granddaughter...on my Dad's side. Right down to our mutual love of flour sack towels to get those last drops off of pots and pans after they air dry.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Getting the meat, veggies and deglazing sauce ready was all I had time for on Monday. Even on the high heat setting, 4 hours in the slow cooker would mean finishing up at 1am. And I just couldn't do it. So I put the cooked meat and veggies in a huge Pyrex bowl, poured the deglazed sauce in it, covered it with foil and put it in the fridge.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Tuesday? Well, that was a night out with my <a href="http://silpada.com/public/home.jsf">Silpada</a> team. We meet monthly and normally are at our team leader's house, but this time we changed it up and met at Purple, a wine bar in downtown Bellevue. I loved seeing everybody and relaxing with some wine and munchies. Someone even sprung for a round of salted caramels for dessert. WOW. We definitely were the most bling'd out table, and given it was a little noisy we just had a ton of chitchat rather than any kind of organized meeting agenda, and passed around eachother's jewelry for everyone to try on. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I got home at 10pm that night. So that's a no-go on finishing that darn sauce.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Wednesday night, anyone? This HAD to be the night to finish. I thought it would be OK, but a teeny part of me was worried that the sauce would turn out different or weird having been in the fridge for two days. But, it turned out great. Kinda weird getting steaming hot sauce to cool down and get divided up into Tupperwares...at midnight. Ahh, blissful sleep.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I learned that slow cooking is MUCH better done on a weekend. Thankfully this sauce keeps beautifully in the fridge or freezer. (This sauce stores up to 3 days in airtight containers in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months). But it's soooo good I bet you won't be able to keep it around that long!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's the recipe!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Bolognese Sauce</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Makes about 12 cups (3 quarts)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 T olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 oz pancetta, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 small, finely chopped yellow onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 finely chopped carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 stalk finely chopped celery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">3 lbs ground beef</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 C beef broth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 1/2 C dry red wine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 can (28 oz) crushed or diced plum tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/2 C milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Salt and freshly ground black pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Fresh Italian leaf parsley, minced for garnish (optional) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pancetta and saute until it begins to render its fat, about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer red, about 7 minutes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the broth and wine to the pan and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomatoes and stir to combine.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cover and cook the sauce on the high heat setting for 4 hours, or the low heat setting for 8 hours. Add the milk, stirring to combine. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>...now, how do you use this sauce? Toss it with some fettucine and sprinkle in fresh-grated Parmesan cheese. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Or try it with Polenta</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a gratin baking dish (I actually just use a 9 x 13 glass casserole). Take a tube of prepared Polenta (18 oz) and slice it crosswise into slices about 1/4" thick. Arrange the slices in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping them. Spoon the Bolognese sauce around the slices generously and sprinkle a 1/2 cup of fresh-grated Parmesan cheese. Bake until the sauce is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Served with minced fresh Italian parsley for garnish.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">from the <em>Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Slow Cooker Recipes </em>book.</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-18004818345483173072011-10-02T13:25:00.000-07:002011-10-02T13:27:07.318-07:00Two Surprising Ds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a really great week but up until yesterday still hadn't had an aha moment or two or three to inspire me to write today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then, within hours, two sprang up yesterday. Quite literally, actually.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Saturday was a couple hours at the salon getting my color touched up and my hair cut. Good laughs and time to get my OK! and People mag fixes. I'm all caught up on celebrity gossip now!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then, I forced myself to go to the mall. I LOVE shopping, but I can't stand shopping for bras. Yeah, bras and swimsuits are the two worst. Not fun. But believe me, it was time. When your bras stop doing their job, wires break, well it ain't pretty and it's super uncomfortable. And, as much as I hate to admit it, some of mine are a leeetle too tight in the band now. That's either weight gain, loss of muscle tone or both. So I figured I would do the bra shopping first and then do something fun afterwards, like get some new makeup or perfume to reward myself. And why "waste" freshly-done hair by just going home, right?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Next destination: the lingerie section at Nordstrom in Bellevue Square. OK, I had to first stop in makeup, jewelry and then upstairs to look at cute sweaters. THEN I headed up the escalator and procrastinated some more...browsing around looking at cute sleepwear...then a sales person asked if I needed help. Ummm...yeah, I need new bras I kind of mumbled. She smiled and said no problem and that she'd measure me to make sure I had the right size. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, I remember doing this a few years ago. I was super self-conscious about it as that was my first time ever getting fitted, but they are pros. And it's a free service! Alright, are you wondering how they do it? C'mon, you're curious, admit it. Here's what happens: you and your fitter go into a dressing room. You take your top off with your back turned to the fitter and face a non-mirrored wall. You keep your bra on, and she measures you for your band size. Then she asks if you have a favorite brand. She comes back with a few basic styles just to get an idea of your cup size and you take it from there. She helps you into the bras by standing behind you and holding it for you to slip your arms through. Then she fastens it in the back and you turn around and she helps you get it adjusted and helps decide if it's a good fit or not. So yay, no bare booby moments with the fitter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So as she was measuring me she said yeah, you're around a 36. Really? That's what I've worn for years and now most of my bras are too snug even in the loosest clasp. She said, well, yes, you might be more around a 38 - we'll try both. OK, that sounds good to me...well, not really that I've gone up a band size but that's reality right now. My favorite brand, by the way? Chantelle. These bras are beautifully made and just really work well on my figure. No, they're not cheap, but they last for years and years. And that day I was on a mission to get t-shirt style bras...those that are just simple and smooth and don't have a lot of lace. Just basics that look nice under sweaters.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As L was heading out of the dressing room to grab a few for me to try, I said oh, these are gonna be C cup, right? She smiled and said, no...<strong>D</strong>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I stood there in shock, looking at this petite brunette who was probably all of 30 who had just measured me...and I looked her right in the eye and said <em>are you shittin' me? </em>Good Lord almighty. Normally I can keep my cool but that just popped out of my mouth. L kept <em>her</em> cool, smiled and didn't miss a beat. No, that's your size, she says. And we both laughed a little. Man, I'm sure she hears it all with that kind of job.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then she left the dressing room. And I had a rather awkward moment with myself. What the hell is it about store dressing rooms...the light is always so unflattering. I sat down in the corner seat and looked across into the mirror...I'm just wearing jeans, black high-heeled boots and my now-too-tight Chantelle bra. My pale skin looks like a plucked chicken in that horrible fluorescent lighting. My lost muscle tone. Rolls and bulges I don't remember seeing before, made worse as I was sitting down in my jeans. UGH IS THIS ME? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And how in the hell am I now a D cup? That just seems...well, BIG. I'd been a 34B for years...forever it seemed. And I could never quite fill out that cup size but I would buy it anyway just 'cause. 'Cause that was my size! Back in college we had a joke club in our sorority: the IBTC. Yep, the itty bitty titty committee. And I was Vice President. I remember later when I first got professionally fitted and found out I'd morphed into a 36C. And now, up another size yet again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A few minutes later L came back and I came mentally back to 2011 after that daydream down Bra Memory Lane. I giggled again and said sorry, I'm still trying to process this new info! Anyway, we tried on a few styles and I ended up with 3 I really liked. Not loved, because, well I still was in shock. L was great the entire time...I thanked her so much for her help and said thank you for making a not-so-fun chore a tiny bit fun for me! She really was fantastic.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">$235 later I was on my way back down the escalator, headed into the main mall. (Yeah, I told you these bras are not cheap, eesh). I looked down at my shopping bag, new bras all nicely wrapped with tissue. And smiled.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Next it was off to Sephora - I was tempted to get a new mascara but then remembered I have a ton at home. Willpower, yes!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I walked past the Michael Kors store and realized I hadn't been in there in awhile. I really love his stuff and how this store is laid out. An SA approached me and he and I chatted for awhile, admiring shoes and bags (ahh, my favorites!) I wasn't really in the mood to purchase a bag given the $$ I just spent on my new bras, BUT I then suddenly remembered how everyone raves about Michael Kors perfume...and I've never tried it! So I asked R to show me the perfume. I tried a little spritz of it and LOVED it. I have no idea how to describe it but I am in love with it. Amazing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">R was waiting for a cash register so he could ring me up and we just chatted for awhile. He asked what I do for a living and I said I'm consulting at (name of company). Then I heard a somewhat loud woman's voice behind me:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">"I <em>THOUGHT </em>that was you!!"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Do you know that moment when you turn around and see someone you think you recognize but aren't quite sure how to place it? I smiled and looked at the woman. Where do I know her from? Then she jumped in, "...building 110, remember? The cafeteria??" Aha, now I do! Too funny!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Back at my last work engagement, consultants did not get official, assigned workspaces. You could try squatting in empty cubicles but more often than not the routine was to either work at home (which I can't stand) or find a place in the cafeteria that's close to an electrical outlet. This also was a less than ideal setup - the chairs are not ergonomically correct for sitting for hours, and during the peak lunch hours it gets so noisy it's hard to concentrate. And don't even try to be on a conference call during those times - too much background noise. But I knew that would be the deal going into the gig so I wasn't too surprised when I had to give up my unofficial cubicle.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I officially met D, my cafeteria colleague. She too has moved to another group on campus, and we had a blast reconnecting, sharing our common memory of the ol' cafeteria. We talked about networking and how important it is, especially in our line of work. She explained, while purchasing an incredible black leather bag, how she is a part of a group of women who meet periodically for professional networking. Sign me up! I handed her one of my Silpada business cards and she said oh...jewelry? We may need to REALLY chat soon now! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">R, the SA, was very patient, waiting for D and me to finish our chat as he wrapped up my new perfume. He smiled, hearing us reconnect and all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Will D and I stay in contact? I sure hope so - I really liked her personality and energy. And in just that short chat we seemed to have a lot in common. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I drove home, smiling. New haircut, new bras and a new colleague connection! That's the funny and cool thing about weekends...you never know what's gonna happen! </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-52227356873715754632011-09-25T19:49:00.000-07:002011-09-25T22:04:28.754-07:00Bad Pool Caller and a Makeup Play Date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm really feeling the passion and energy from this new job now even more! The team is one of the most collaborative I have worked with in years, and I've just turned that mental corner where you "click" and REALLY jump into another layer of understanding of just what exactly we're going to do and when we want to get everything finished. This is a natural part of my ramp-up with new a consulting gig...I KNOW there's a ton of stuff to do but don't know the subject matter indepth...yet.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I came home on Friday after a mentally fulfilling and yet exhausting week too. I was ready to relax, heat up some leftover pasta and just veg. But first, as I always do when I get home, I went upstairs to check email here in the home office. Rather than seeing my usual, soothing aquarium-themed screen saver, I saw IT. The loathed, despised...BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Duhn duhn duhnnnnnnnnnnn</em>....or maybe <em>wahn wahn wahnnnnn</em> sad trombone sound. Pick your dramatic music of choice.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thankfully I haven't seen a BSOD in years. I looked closer at this new screen booger, skimmed over a bunch of gobbledeegook and then this jumped out at me: <em>Bad Pool Caller.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, I appreciate technology and all even though I'm no coding expert. A bad pool caller? Sounds like a crappy judge in a swim or dive meet. Flashbacks to our neighborhood pool when I was a kid - all those swimming and diving competitions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, after restarting the laptop and praying it boots up alright (whew, it does), I go online and search on this strange error. Turns out there's a ton of stuff out there about it. What's true and what's not? Well, the windowstalk blog seems to sum it up pretty well in plain English: "<span style="font-size: x-small;">The 'bad pool caller' error is shown when Windows is not able to access the data-pool that it requires to run. The data pool is the technical term used to describe all the settings and options that your computer may require whenever it’s running, and as you may have guessed, it’s constantly being 'called' to help your computer run as smoothly as possible. Unfortunately, there are many occasions where Windows will try and call a setting from the data pool, only to have it show an error."</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What's one of the recommended fixes? Try using a registry cleaner. Hmmm...for years I did use one. I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I ran it every few days or so, it would call out errors and fix them and I'd pay my $30 subscription fee every year. And never had any problems or issues with it nor with this laptop in general come to think of it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But a couple of months ago I got hit with a bad computer virus, which took over 4 hours of phone time with Dell to troubleshoot and clean. Viruses suck. And there's no way to tell when or how your computer got infected. I learned that viruses can lie dormant for long periods of time and then suddenly spring to life. Hell, when you're on the phone with a tech all those hours you might as well ask and learn. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Part of that troubleshooting was to remove any sort of accessory type thingy. The tech was convinced my registry cleaner, among other things, was no good so I agreed to have him removed it (over the phone remote connectivity stuff is pretty cool). We removed pretty much everything...he even was convinced my Google Desktop search agent had been downloaded from an unauthorized source. So I felt like I was getting a mega computer antibiotic that cleared out the good stuff as well as the bad. Bottom line, no more virus.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And (but?) now, this blue screen. Anyway I poked around and found a different registry cleaner to try. And it seems to have good reviews. Do I dare dive into this again?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I signed up with it for a year. A tad reluctant, but also a little relieved that this might just be one way to bandaid any problems with this ancient laptop before I pull the trigger on a new one. Why reluctant? Yeah, well, earlier this year I had to cancel my debit card because I thought it might have been compromised online. Better safe than sorry, so I got a new one issued. I used a credit card I hardly ever use for this new registry cleaning program, so if for some reason it's a problem they don't have my bank account number.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, after a few 'cleans,' no more blue screens and we *seem* to be alright. Dodged a boulder...maybe.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I also got some great girl-time in this weekend too...nothing is both more energizing and relaxing to me all at the same time. Love it. L and I went on a long-overdue walk around our neighborhood to reconnect yesterday. I'm feeling a little sore today too which is a good sign! And I drove down to S's place this afternoon for a mini spa and facial party.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Most of you who tune in here regularly probably know I'm a makeup junkie. I have zero brand loyalty...I do have my favorites but will try just about anything meanwhile.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At S's party we had fun playing around with a product line she represents - Artistry. It's part of Amway Global. Yes, Amway Global! Surprised they have a makeup line? Don't be...and it's top notch stuff. We had fun pampering ourselves with some cleansing and exfoliating products, hot towels and all. Sipping on wine and enjoying fabulous munchies meanwhile. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After we did our mini facials we played with makeup and got matched for our colors in foundations and tinted moisturizers. WOW, I'm very impressed with the foundation S recommended for me and can't wait to get it! I've tried just about every brand out there over 30+ years and this one really did a great job evening out my ruddiness and giving good overall coverage without being too cakey or grippy. Even now it still looks fresh after a few hours...with no primer underneath (I swear by primer, always). Nice. I also love how it comes in a pump-style dispenser...much more sanitary than a jar and lid.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I also fell in love with the light-up lip gloss. This is stuff of genius...a lipgloss that has a small mirror on one side of the tube, <em>and</em> tiny lights that light up at the base of the wand when you pull it out. So, you can easily touch up your lips and do the good ol' teeth check in the tiny mirror...love it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Rounding out my mini-haul today...a green tea-scented lotion and body wash (two huge containers for just $15 total? Unreal.) and a liquid facial cleanser I tried out today. While I'm picky about skincare, I am open to trying just about anything that is not too drying and not overly-scented. This cleanser has a very light outdoorsy and citrusy scent...so subtle it's hard to pin down...perfect in my book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Four great products for $95 including shipping and tax? Oh yeahhhh...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And we're going on almost 72 hours here with no BSOD. Yep it's a great weekend alright. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-65604312846095904992011-09-18T13:03:00.000-07:002011-09-18T13:03:34.487-07:00And Now We are Two...and Where was Summer?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just realized the ol' fivenineteen here turned <em>two</em> back on the 14th! Wow! I made a much bigger deal about the first birthday last year. This year, sadly, I didn't even realize I missed it till the 15th. Oops!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But OK, OK, no biggy. I guess that's a good sign that this blog is pretty much a given, essential part of my lifestyle. At least for now. What started out as me sitting here, unemployed and bored, with a "no idea what's going to happen...and I like that" opening post of sorts in 2009 has sprouted into over 130 weekly musings/ramblings. Thank you all who tune in here regularly and those who stumble in by accident. They always say, oh, when you start a blog you should have a theme. I said hell with that and just plunged right in. So, here we are - pretty dang eclectic!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I slept in until (gulp) 11am this morning. That's even late for me. Ugh, I've been in a sort of half-fog tired state this past week. We've got some bad colds going around the office and I am trying HARD not to catch anything. Guess it's the change in the weather and kids going back to school. New germs everywhere. OK, so if sleep is the best medicine for me, then we'll go with it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yep...change in weather from crappy summer to early fall. Just like that - my furnace has been kicking on in the morning recently, and my usual routine of opening the windows for fresh air here upstairs every day first thing is going to get shelved pretty soon. A little chilly! And where are my slippers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This "summer" reminds me a little of I think it was...errr...2008. That summer was also pretty much a bust save for a week or two. That was the also the year we had snow in mid April and everything was all weird and freaky. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So while I do like the fall season, it's just hard to welcome it when summer wasn't much different save for a couple of weeks in August. And this past week was glorious too. I'm glad I was out on the coast for the 4th of July weekend, as it was beautiful and sunny out there while I hear it was all rainy and cold here at home! Wow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And I think about projects and stuff in the works...our townhouse complex is going to replace our garage doors with new, insultated ones. Our living rooms are each right over our garages and we think - hope - we can save on our power bills by doing this. Too funny how I am all excited about this - woohooo...new garage doors!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm also in the market for a new laptop. This one is 5 years old and really showing its age. It needs more RAM but I am not even sure it's worth investing more money into it. Don't laugh but I'm still on Windows XP and Office 2003 on this laptop, so it's a Time Warp every time I shut down my work laptop and get home here to this one. Back in the day this thing was super duper, and now it's just meh. And it's running slow and not 100% reliable. I thought it might be due to a virus or spyware (had a BIG virus epi back in July - yuck) so I ran some scanning programs and found just a few things. But still, this puppy is slow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've also agreed to take on some additional consulting work for my friend/colleague A who launched a business. I did some part time pro bono work for him when I was unemployed the first part of 2010 - just 5-10 hours a week. Fast forward a year and change and he actually landed some business with a local power company here, and it's been small enough to where he is just doing the work himself instead of hiring someone. BUT, funny how life twists, he got hired on with another company and has to move cross country. Next month! So he needs someone to finish up the work, which can mostly be done outside of working hours. He says it's 5-10 hours a month at the most and will wrap up at the end of December. Am I insane to say yes? 'Cause I did. The hourly pay rate is extremely appealing and the work is no conflict of interest with what I'm currently doing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This will be good discipline for me to keep saving money, as it's 1099-type work so I will need to sort out the tax stuff next year. But a little extra cashola is fine by me - I have a lot of rebuilding still to do for being out of work so long.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What does Fall also mean? Hockey season! And it starts tonight with an exhibition game. I have not skated since June so this is going to be hysterical. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Welcome, Fall! </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-25376735845480806942011-09-11T12:30:00.000-07:002011-09-11T15:52:45.827-07:00Remembering<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the first 34 years of my life, September 11th was just any old ho-hum day. No family birthdays, no wedding anniversaries, nothing real significant in my world...it was just a day that wove into the typical back-to-school or back-to-work-in-earnest-because-the-Labor-Day-holiday-is-done kind of rhythms.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was simply just A Day. Now for ten years and forever it will be a Day Everyone Knows. A huge wound trying to slowly heal itself and rebuild but forever scarred no matter how we try to think otherwise.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm stunned that today is the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks. It is a beautiful, clear morning here - just like it was that morning in New York City. I've been kind of weirdly looking forward to this day only to just get through it if that makes sense...a sort of 'self duty' I have to write about it, and even moreso that my typical Sunday Blog Day falls on the anniversary.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So here I am, swirled in memories not only of that horrible day but the 2001 I knew prior. Some memories are a little fuzzy - maybe by design as my mind moved through the decade and replaced them with others, but I could pretty much sum it up into one word: INNOCENT.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My God, how innocent and quaint the world was prior...at least in my own little world. Remember when you were a kid (maybe you do) when you could just go to the airport with your family, sit in a terminal and just watch planes take off and land for fun? When I was getting ready to fly to Florida in 1997 to catch a cruise to the Caribbean...and I forgot I had a huge pair of scissors from my office in my purse (no idea why)? And the security agent looked at them but let me put them back in my purse before boarding the plane? Dear Lord how things have changed!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Early 2001 started for me out of the country...in Vancouver, BC. OK, OK, I remember now. See, for those of us who worked in IT-related fields over Y2K, <em>that</em> New Years was spent working pretty much the entire day and into the wee hours. No vacations or partying allowed. I toasted 2000 with a bunch of co-workers and a carload of lasagnes we picked up from Olive Garden earlier that evening, washed down with a little sparkling cider.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So. <em>The calendar flip from 2000 to 2001 meant Time to Party,</em> making up for the working New Years prior. I started dating a guy, D, around summer of 2000. He and I met during a huge technology deployment project and while I was not fond in theory of dating co-workers, this project was so huge and he and I really didn't cross paths too much. We didn't even work in the same building or same department. So we kept it discreet, people knew, but didn't give us a hard time about it - well, not terribly hard. In a word, it worked because we kept things professional. And wow, we were really in love.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We got pretty ripped that night in Vancouver, enjoying dinner and doing a couple of bar hops around Robson street. Cabs were working hard that night! And New Years Day was sunny and glorious...we took the tram up Grouse Mountain not to ski, but to just walk in the snow and enjoy the beautiful view looking back down on the city. Gorgeous.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I remember the random <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Monolith">Monoliths</a> that a group in Seattle had planted around the city...a funny prank. I remember the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Mardi_Gras_Riots">Mardi Gras riot</a> in Pioneer Square...and the 6.8 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Nisqually_earthquake">earthquake</a> we suffered the very next morning. UGH what a horrible 48 hours for us.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Probably my favorite memory of 2001 was the two weeks I traveled through Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. Ah, the time one could take a (PAID) two-week vacation...that DOES seem innocent. I traveled with a group from my church - we were touring to share our music! We had a choir and a handbell group...I'd been in the handbell group for many years and was so thrilled to take this trip. If you haven't traveled yet with a group of 70 people and lots of equipment, I highly recommend it. It can be grueling at times, but the bonding and friendships last forever. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We got back in the states in mid July. Ah yes, that's right! We celebrated the 4th of July that year at a pub in Varazdin, Croatia. A little surreal being out of the country on that holiday, in a place where people have no reason to care that it's July 4th. When I got back home, other than fighting off the jet lag I was wondering if I would have a job to come back to...our company was re-organizing and there were a lot of uncertainties and rumors flying around. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I ended up moving to a different department on our team and immersed myself back into the swing. I was not particularly looking forward to having direct reports again, but the group was well established and in good standing so there was nothing majorly broken. Or maybe that's the fuzzy part of my memories.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">D and I had been going through some struggles in our relationship. We'd been together about a year by now. He'd been working a lot and we were just, well, struggling. He'd always given me a hard time on whether I truly didn't want to have kids or not. He was ten years older than I with an 11 year old daughter and made it perfectly clear he did not want any more kids. So clear that he took the steps to ensure that if you know what I mean. I was 34 and knew deep down I didn't want to have kids, even though a teeny part of me was still kind of wondering...<em>what if I really did</em>? I think he sensed that...he kept bringing it up ALL the time and we'd argue. Looking back on it now, I think he was worried that if we were to be together long-term, well, if I changed my mind down the road then I would resent him? And then leave? I guess in a twisted way he wanted to make sure I was happy. But I wasn't in how he handled it. I was kept arms distance from his daughter too - I rarely got to see her...I wanted to get to know her because she was well, his family and part of him. Wow, I haven't thought about that in a long time...hence my ramble.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And oh that first part of September...I remember driving him to jail. Yes, jail. Now more is flooding back. Earlier in the spring he'd been out drinking with a buddy of his and swerved getting off a freeway exit ramp - and got pulled over. And failed sobriety tests. I remember the night he told me what happened and I just fell to the floor emotionally, but immediately gave him a hug. What the hell already?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, if you have to drive your boyfriend to serve two days in jail, be glad it's a small county jail in a very rural part of the state (rather than downtown). That's where he had his little, uhhhh, incident. The whole thing was so surreal...and those were two of the longest days of my life. He couldn't have any phone or email contact with me, obviously. I had to call the jail two days later to confirm he was going to be released so I could make the hour and a half drive north to come get him. SURREAL.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Somewhere in all this mess we agreed to just stay together 24/7 and try to work things out. Plus he had a suspended driver's license so yours truly was the chauffeur. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Lots of those days after bringing him home from jail are a little blurry, but one night I will never forget. We were watching TV...Larry King Live. One of the last news stories was about an old Air Force One 707 that was being retired. Seriously...it was a total snoozer of a story and we both looked at eachother and said WOW, they're really must not be a lot of news going on right now! We even went to sleep that night giggling about it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">That night? Monday September 10th.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The next morning my alarm went off around 6:30am or so. I had it set to my favorite radio station at the time but I remember immediately shutting it off and getting in the shower. D was still fast asleep.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After my shower I turned on the radio again. The first words I hear are the DJ saying "...yes, yes, we're getting your phone calls. We know one of the World Trade Center towers has just collapsed." I thought I was completely losing my mind.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I ran down the hall and turned on CNN. That was the very first thing I saw on TV...one of the towers was gone and the other was on fire. And I had no fucking clue why. I screamed for D to get in here right now! We were both so sleepy still and couldn't believe it. We just sat on my living room couch, dumbfounded. THEN we saw the replay of the 2nd plane hitting a tower and we just gasped. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For all the thousands of times everyone has seen that horrific moment, I don't think any of us will forget when we saw it first. And keep in mind here on the west coast we are three hours behind, so a lot had already happened that we simply didn't know about, except for the real early-risers.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then we learned the planes were hijacked. My stomach dropped. One of my brothers was a flight attendant with American, based at La Guardia at the time. Could not reach him. I had two cousins in college at Columbia...was everyone OK??</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The TV was focused on the one remaining tower. I'm pretty sure the whole world was by now too. And then, in seconds, it collapsed. That was the only thing D and I saw live on TV. I remember feeling like I was going to throw up. What does this mean? Who would do this? All those people still in the towers...how many thousands and thousands are there? In the streets? In those planes? Are we going to be attacked next?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My mind raced and whirred. The Pentagon was attacked too...and there was a plane crash in Pennsylvania (which we we learned later was Flight 93, probably intended for the White House). I remember calling my folks and my Mom answered the phone. I said "are you watching TV??" She said yes...and I sort of yelled "OMG, where is M?" (my brother). She didn't know. And my Dad was up in rural BC on a fishing trip...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Somehow D and I drove into work, in a daze. Everyone at work was either zoned out, panicked trying to locate family members or crowded around the TVs in our lobby. I don't think much got done that day. I remember just trying to infuse some sense of normal routine into a day that was anything but. We sat at our computers but mostly surfed news channels, tried to track down our family and friends, tell people we loved them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After the shock there was fear. D and I spent that night of the 11th at his house. I didn't sleep well for several nights. I was panicked, worried that there would be more attacks in other cities. Thank God my brother was off that day and home in New Jersey, by the way. Waiting to find that out seemed like eternity.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I did some journaling in the days following. And I wish I knew where that writing is...it is probably on an old computer I don't have any more. Too bad, for the writing there is a lot more raw. Funny how a decade smooths our raw edges out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I remember speaking with my friend J...and you know what immediately popped into each of our heads about that day (along with so many other thoughts)? She and I went on a Caribbean cruise in the spring of 2000. We'd flown to Newark on a red eye before catching a connecting flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I remember arriving with her in Newark, bleary after an all night flight and walking to our connecting gate. There, out the window was a beautiful sunrise...and the Twin Towers glowing as we looked across the river. How I regret I never had an opportunity to visit the WTC. And I'll never, ever forget that image in my mind of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The rest of 2001 played itself out grimly...what started out as a great year save for an earthquake plunged me into sadness. What was the world going to be like NOW? Will we ever find time for humor, laughter? There sure wasn't much to smile about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The year fizzled out horribly. My grandmother passed away that November after a long battle with Alzheimer's, just two days prior to my Mom's 60th birthday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And D and me? Well, we gave it a go for awhile but we couldn't get through many hurdles in that relationship. I broke up with him...New Years Eve to be exact. A year prior we were celebrating in Vancouver. And now, too many walls up. We were sitting on the couch, supposed to go out for dinner, but we knew it was ending and that that dinner would never happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It didn't. He left and I sat again on the couch, sad and in shock. Just like when he and I watched the 9/11 footage in horror together. So while our relationship didn't work out, he is seered in my mind forever, mostly for that reason. They say you'll never forget where you were or what you were doing if you were old enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So when people ask me where I was, I start off with this: "I was in my apartment at the time with my boyfriend at the time..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">10 years. Wow. Blessings to all who lost loved ones that day.</span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-70536652264731344132011-09-04T15:39:00.000-07:002011-09-05T13:55:23.848-07:00The DVR and the Labradorite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip62Zblr5W6qCPlXPDqOqwfUXVx_Fvwju0uvqofYJt96J4oMaBixe8MGVYNQeI2X1qXdor0bE2vwpR0v6nzS2IAmGpnxaDFRKPV-OYzpZAHyo1YVk0yjdtnL8QZdxWT_rMe8iXZC_C2Z0/s1600/labradorite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip62Zblr5W6qCPlXPDqOqwfUXVx_Fvwju0uvqofYJt96J4oMaBixe8MGVYNQeI2X1qXdor0bE2vwpR0v6nzS2IAmGpnxaDFRKPV-OYzpZAHyo1YVk0yjdtnL8QZdxWT_rMe8iXZC_C2Z0/s320/labradorite.jpg" width="320" xaa="true" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm in one of those moods where I am feeling both a little anxious and yet blissfully, almost gluttonously relaxed. Here we are on a long Labor Day weekend and it is absolutely beyond gorgeous outside. It's sunny and the air is thick and hot with hardly any breeze. Not a humid thick, though. It's that warm, gentle reminder that Fall is right around the corner. And even in the heat the shadows are a tad long as we're well past the Solstice. So I don't dare bitch at all about the heat. After all, this summer was a total bust save for maybe one week in August. In the Pacific Northwest we appreciate and savor our sunny days, for we know the clouds and drizzle are just a few months away. We pay a price for it being so green here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grasp hard at August, kicking and screaming as she wraps up. There's something about those last few days before September kicks in that make me feel a little whiney and cranky. I don't <em>WANT </em>it to be September! Maybe it's that deeply ingrained childhood memory of the end of summer vacation. Yuck, I didn't <em>WANT</em> to go back to school. But of course once I did it was great...mostly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So it's a staycation holiday weekend for me...no worries there. Just getting totally random things done and also, just relaxing. I decided to get into the 21st century even more for real and switched my landline over to my Comcast internet and cable package. I found out I could bundle my phone service in with my cable and internet and pay less than I was paying for my current Comcast services (huh? wow) AND save the $55 a month I was paying for my old school landline. AND keep my same landline number. AND get a DVR for my TV. What's not to love about this? I weighed the pros and cons...when the power's out or when Comcast is down I'll be screwed but then again, how often does that happen? I have a super old school curly cord phone in my bedroom with the ringer turned off - I have it for emergencies and have two other cordless phones here in the townhouse. When we had a two-week power outage back in late 2006 that old school landline saved me. Cell phone towers were knocked out and we were pretty much brought to our knees, crippled with minimal if any communication. I've been reluctant to cut the cord on my landline because of that, but then remember that that was a freak once-in-a-lifetime storm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So yesterday two Comcast dudes show up and within an hour, voila. I have a new, higher speed modem for my internet (which now hosts my landline phones too) AND a DVR for my TV. Don't laugh...I still haven't converted to a flat screen TV yet. I will. My old curly cord phone is now as useful as last week's newspaper so away she goes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">They explained how the initial upload and refresh of the TV channels can take awhile which seemed reasonable to me. They showed me how to set up my voicemail for my new landline service - all good. I was very impressed with how helpful they both were. And they even showed up a little earlier than my appointment timeframe. Nice!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Guess it was too good to be true. I waited a little while before playing around with the TV. When I did, my remote was pretty much useless. Did the batteries die? Nope. I could adjust the TV volume and mute the sound with it, but could not change channels nor get to the channel lineup guide. Stuck! God, help me...my TV's stuck on the E! channel and just my luck it's a Keeping up with the Kardashians marathon. I can only stomach that scripted reality TV crap (krap?) for a few minutes at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So Comcast rebooted my TV and cable box remotely. All's well...or was. Within an hour it froze up again...and Comcast had to reboot it remotely for the second time. After that everything was fine for the rest of the evening. As I was heading to bed I realized I'd forgotten to try the DVR out but I figured I would do that today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I woke up this morning and decided to play around with the TV more before heading out to meet my good friend J for brunch. UGH. This time the TV turned on just fine...and then 5 minutes later the cable box rebooted...on its own. It's possessed or something. HELP!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Comcast is sending out a crew to swap out my cable box this afternoon. I was pleasantly shocked that they could do a same-day service, especially here on a Sunday, but I'll take it. It's the least they can do to make this right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And yet, it's just TV. Sure I want it working right as it should, but I'm not going to get overly upset about it. Now if it was Stanley Cup Finals or something that would be a different story. Just trying to keep perspective...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">...meaning it was a tough week these past few days. My Dad's cousin J passed away suddenly from a heart attack. The next day my co-worker L's Dad passed away after a long battle with Parkinson's and dementia. And the day after that my friend T was hit on her morning commute into work...her car got rear-ended on the freeway by someone who wasn't paying attention and she's still feeling the after effects, though thankfully not severely injured.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was talking about this with J this morning over lots of coffee and a nice bacon and cheese omelette. Yum, I may not even need dinner I'm so full. She agrees, yes, it's all about perspective. Sometimes it's hard to find that discipline within. I guess it's ongoing Life Work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We walked around the shops near where we had brunch...wonderful little boutiquey specialty stores full of everything from art to home accessories (my weakness) and crafts like rubber stamping and beading. No patience here for either of those but it's fun to look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And we ended up in a fantastic shop we both love to visit. It has tons of candles and aromatherapy things (oils, humidifiers)...and lots of stones and crystals. I LOVE the chunk of Celestite I purchased there nearly a couple of years ago - it's right next to me here by the good ol' laptop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Once again, something pretty much leaped off the shelf into my arms. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labradorite">Labradorite</a>. The picture in my post here is of a polished sphere...my chunk is, well, wonderfully imperfect...half of it is polished and the other is rough. Deliciously asymmetrical and hunky. I love the greens and greys. I asked the woman in the store to tell me a little about it. "It's a magic stone," she explained. She pulled out a huge, well-worn book and turned to the page. "Helps one remain calm within chaos." Ahhhh, sounds good to me. Here's <a href="http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vanthal/21/infopics/l/labradorite.htm">more </a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So my new Labradorite holds a tea light or votive too. Love it. And the woman who works there is so nice...she is very gentle, knowlegeable and grandmotherly and reminds me a little of a therapist I used to see about 10 years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm not yet sure where to put this new beauty, but I think I'll keep it near the TV and DVR for now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After all, it couldn't hurt. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-92032572684889195532011-08-28T13:27:00.000-07:002011-08-29T22:45:07.890-07:00Cotton Ball 5K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FMA3EPRRZkMQRsMB2zwpjO8ABxM6G10ceo8vFv7oAJRVXlwl-7yYlo0KetrihhicQ_o4R9RoKYsSPnkvahLKKtHoB3CvGEwiHd8-Q9IspRgKP8zSLo8CblVOqfoZeD-jX-eYQ27XBMQ/s1600/Alki5K.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FMA3EPRRZkMQRsMB2zwpjO8ABxM6G10ceo8vFv7oAJRVXlwl-7yYlo0KetrihhicQ_o4R9RoKYsSPnkvahLKKtHoB3CvGEwiHd8-Q9IspRgKP8zSLo8CblVOqfoZeD-jX-eYQ27XBMQ/s320/Alki5K.bmp" width="180" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whew! The 3rd time IS a charm. After being too tired or too rained out for two other 5Ks this spring/summer, I finally got one under my belt this year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, yeah...I didn't RUN it, but it still counts right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This was my second time volunteering in the annual <a href="http://www.alkibeachrun.com/">Alki Beach 5K Walk & Run</a>, which benefits <a href="http://www.nwhopeandhealing.org/">Northwest Hope and Healing</a>. Northwest Hope and Healing is a non-profit organization which provides emergency financial assistance for women who are undergoing breast cancer treatment at <a href="http://www.swedish.org/">Swedish Medical Center</a> in Seattle. Assistance with basic living expenses like rent, childcare and groceries.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And wow that was a lot of hyperlinking in that last paragraph. But really good stuff - please check it out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, how do you volunteer at a 5K? Well, the way I did today was one of the easiest jobs ever - walk the course at the very end, to help let the police and others know that they could start re-opening the roads again. That's it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There are a ton of both new and old memories woven into this event...starting with the neighborhood. Alki Beach is in <a href="http://westseattleblog.com/">West Seattle</a>, and there's a ton of family history here on my Dad's side of the family. My grandfather grew up in West Seattle in the 1920s. He and my grandmother later raised my Dad and Uncle in this same neighborhood. I have enormously fond memories as a kid of the long drive from my house growing up in the suburbs over to West Seattle for Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Countless, joyful times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And the newer memories are from my dear friend P, who inspired me to start training to run 5Ks a couple of years ago. She and I used to work together and I'm so glad we still keep in touch despite super busy schedules. P's both run and volunteered in this 5K before, and I was so happy she asked me to join her again this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What can I say...this just FEELS good all around. And it's a nice change of pace getting out of the suburbs and into a wonderful, older neighborhood in the city, right on the salt water of Puget Sound.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">OK, getting up super early on a Sunday morning is not my favorite thing to do, but once I got up, got dressed and on my way to meet P for our carpool, I was smiling. P showed up with S, an exchange student from Japan who is staying with a friend of P's while attending college here. S was a good sport - I wasn't sure if she knew entirely what this event was going to be all about but I admired her spunk and enthusiasm. And her English was pretty good too! Far better than my Japanese for sure, ha.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We arrived at <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/tour/alki.htm">Alki Beach</a> around 8am. Damn, that fog was thick but thankfully it was not as chilly as it was last year. I remember borrowing knit running gloves from P at the last minute! And also having to put our t-shirts on over our jackets! This year it was not cold, but that fog didn't burn of AT ALL.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Yep, that's Yours Truly in this week's picture - that's a fivenineteen first, everyone. Had it not been so foggy there would have been a spectacular view of the Seattle skyline behind me. Believe me. P and I were so bummed because we really wanted S (the exchange student) to experience the view. But the darn fog never burned off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The one challenging thing about walking at the tail end of a 5K is, well, keeping your pace just right. You don't want to 'hover' too close behind the last group of walkers. And, you want to make sure you start walking truly after everyone else has started. With about 1200 people participating we had to wait several minutes before we could take to the street and start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This race goes up and down Alki Avenue - a very flat, fast course. At the halfway point the course does a 180 turn and heads back down the street, finishing at the same place we started. Even though I was walking at a very slow pace with P and S, I was looking forward to a quick gulp of water at the water stop. NOPE. No water stop at the turn around point this year! If I had been running this race I would have been extremely pissed. Yikes.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Other than a few late stragglers we had to corral (how in the hell do you show up over one hour late for a 5K? Baffling.) the three of us had a very nice, relaxing stroll. And we even finished in around 1 hour 15 minutes. MUCH faster than last year. Feels kinda cool walking over the finishing line and hearing the emcee announce, "...and our last walkers have just crossed the finish line...". Meanwhile we didn't even break a sweat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So although the fog kept its iron-clad grip on the neighborhood (hence my 'cotton ball' post title today), we had a wonderful morning volunteering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">And on the drive back to the suburbs? Glorious sunshine. Even Mount Baker was out. Too funny how socked in Alki was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now it's time for a nap. Until next week, everyone! </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4807878774613965106.post-41895771600900119782011-08-21T11:52:00.000-07:002011-08-21T14:13:48.853-07:00Sunshine, Iced Coffee, Billionaires and Pedicures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudUW3uCHw9-ByVdUsPji_4aiKk0NT8QE0zGUH3I37HwywxmSvsmH__1vnGrwonl_FDMgd1s1dLfiOOcvPleZCxY_9K8olSAkgPSADA8g3EZSEH8L_AHsditrB8XGTfwj-n_gKdKOUcL4/s1600/CPoint.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudUW3uCHw9-ByVdUsPji_4aiKk0NT8QE0zGUH3I37HwywxmSvsmH__1vnGrwonl_FDMgd1s1dLfiOOcvPleZCxY_9K8olSAkgPSADA8g3EZSEH8L_AHsditrB8XGTfwj-n_gKdKOUcL4/s400/CPoint.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally. Sweet, glorious summer. REAL summer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Excuse my 5th generation Seattle bias, but when the sun shines here, there's nowhere on Earth more beautiful. I snapped this picture with my phone killing time before my pedicure yesterday. One of those blissfully indulgent Saturdays where that was the <em>only</em> thing on my to-do list. Rough life, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And look at that view. This is the marina at Carillon Point in Kirkland, WA, just about a 10 minute drive from my house. It was a postcard-perfect day...and while it's hard to see in the picture, you can barely see the outline of the Olympic Mountains along the horizon toward the right. If it was a little less hazy they would have been out and proud, sprinkled in snow. That's Lake Washington, looking west toward Seattle. All glisten-y.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My pedicure was not until 4pm so I had about an hour to walk around and drink in the sun and the view. Carillon Point is a wonderful collection of shops and restaurants along the marina, and there's a very nice hotel and spa too. I grabbed an iced coffee at the Starbucks and just let myself mentally unwind. And remember.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This place is so deeply steeped in memories. How many hairstyles did I go through over the 10 years the hair salon was here? I remember my brother and sister-in-law's rehearsal dinner in 1997, in a gorgeous room with a view just like that picture. And I was chosen to participate in a Neiman Marcus focus group here a few years ago - a bunch of us met in a conference room in one of the office buildings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I walked out onto the dock as far as I could, looking out over the water, feeling the warm breeze wash over me. Huge boats. This is where I had a first kiss with my then-boyfriend in 2000. Wow...ten years ago! I thought back on all of that, my mind floating, then suddenly heard a large whooping and cheering back on the marina steps. What was it? Oh, there was a wedding going on too - this place is hugely popular for that!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later I strolled back to the marina steps and watched kayackers paddling along. For all gorgeous the weather was, the lake was pretty choppy. I giggled to myself, remembering probably one of the most original first dates I've ever been on. This was around 2005ish I think. I met D online and after some emailing and talking on the phone he asked me to dinner. But no meeting at the restaurant for us, oh no no no...we met at a <em>boat launch ramp </em>where he was waiting with two kayaks. Yep, we kayaked to Carillon Point, tied up along the dock right near the Beach Cafe and had dinner! Oh, and paddled back too, with a gorgeous sunset behind the mountains as backdrop. It was kind of fun making an entrance to the restaurant via the water. Looking back on it, was I crazy? I mean, a first date...on the <em>water</em>? If I'd been the least bit worried he could have been psycho, meaning that I could have ended up at the bottom of the lake, I wouldn't have agreed to it of course. My gut was right - and he and I did go on a few more dates after that. Nice guy, but the chemistry wasn't quite clicking for us. But I gotta hand it to him for being a perfect gentleman and very funny. And creative!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I headed into the spa, dizzy with memories and sunshine. This was my second pedicure with S in about two months and I think I will stick with her. That's pretty huge in my book because I probably get pedicures two or three times a year at the most. Not really a priority for me, or I just do my toes myself. But S is amazing. She is absolutely meticulous with her work and it shows. No complaints here. A 90 minute pedicure? Ahhh. Who knew there was topcoat with UV protection in it? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">S has a whimsical sense of humor - she just cracks me up. And we can talk hockey too - she's from Vancouver originally (go Canucks!). Too funny how I sit here trying to remember some things we talked and laughed about. My mind is blank, but trust me, we were giggling the entire time.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh wait, I do remember one thing. We were talking about travel and I remembered oh yeah, I've got to get my passport renewed. She said oh yes, you better get right on that! Why? She is convinced I'm going to fall in love with and marry a handsome, Swedish billionaire. Named Sven. And a girl's gotta have a passport ready for those spur of the moment trips!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ummm, I'm OK with this. Really and truly. </span>fivenineteenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10926813389212401550noreply@blogger.com0