I Love My Gym

I missed my gym while I was away from home. I'm addicted to that endorphin rush that 40 minutes on the elliptical machine gives me. I love going and doing my stretches, crunches and girl-style push-ups. I didn't go to the gym for almost two weeks while I was sick with a cold recently. When I returned to the gym, my regular workout was too hard. I had to do an easier version of all my usual stuff. Today I was back at full capacity. Happy brain chemicals abound!

I love my gym because it's only for the ladies. No stinky boys allowed. One of the gym employees went through all the weight lifting machines and drew long hair and eyelashes on all of the pictures that highlight which muscle group each machine targets. I find that charming, even if the pictures now look a little like well-muscled drag queens.

At my gym, there are two televisions mounted on the wall in view of all the aerobic machines. There's always a soap opera, Oprah, Rachel Ray or Ellen on to watch. No stupid boy shows. There are oscillating fans every four feet at my gym. Most of the ladies who go there are menopause age or older, and those fans probably help with the hot flashes. On a summer day, I make sure I'm in the direct line of airflow of at least two of those fans.

Whenever a man has to enter the club, the receptionist gets on the intercom system and lets all the ladies know which area of the club the "gentleman" will be in. All the gym members know that "gentleman" is really codeword for stinky, hairy, potentially-leering man.

I also love the convenient location of my gym. It shares a parking lot with my favorite HEB grocery store and a post office. It is a mere four miles from my house.

Most of all, I love stepping on the scales at my gym. I've lost twenty-one pounds now. I have thirteen pounds more to lose. I have this picture of myself in my head that is still the same weight I was in college, which is also my goal weight. I get glimpses of that me in the mirrored walls of the gym while I'm exercising. I think, "oh good. I'm almost there." However, I cringe when I see recent photos of myself, because I think I still look F-A-T. It's harder to see the progress in a flattened image with poor lighting. I think my new rule is that only professional photographers armed with light meters are allowed to take my photo.

Wifi connection: $7.99, Being Amused: Priceless

I got to the airport and settled into a seat at my gate with two-and-a-half-hours before my flight. Yes, $7.99 for 24 hours of wifi access is a little steep, but I decided to splurge so I could fulfill my NaBloPoMo duties before the scheduled 11:00 PM Blogger outage tonight. The guy next to me was about to get his laptop out and asked me about the price for the wifi. When I told him it was $7.99, he pulled out a newspaper to pass the time instead of his laptop. To each their own. I'm getting caught up on my internet time, because it was limited at my mom's house. I enjoy starting to get back into my groove before I get home.

I can't wait to get home. I haven't seen my favorite husband for almost ten whole days. We were like ships passing in the night, except that we were airplanes passing in the afternoon. Chad was in New York City again last week for work. He was flying back to Austin Friday afternoon as I was flying out to Raleigh. My sister asked if we waved at each other mid-air. No.

There is an old saying that "absence makes the heart grow fonder," to which I respond: baloney! Absence makes the heart all kinds of cranky. The longer Chad and I are apart, the less shared experiences we have. We start trying to relay our days' experiences to each other and it's a bit boring. I feel like so much of life is a "you had to be there" situation. Add to this emotionally-disconnected feeling a few dropped calls or sketchy phone coverage and I start feeling very lonely and cranky. It's as if the absence makes my heart start to forget all the quirky, fabulous and good-chemistry reasons that add up to make me love Chad so much. In fact, I've told Chad in a half-joking tone that I don't like him when he's not around. It's not so much that I honestly don't like him when he's away from me, as it is that I start to forget his personality and many charming qualities when he is not physically present.

Whenever Chad and I reunite after a long absence from each other, I always need a few hours to get used to him again. I have to look at him and simply be around him for a bit before I can let my guard down. If you have pets, it's a similar situation to when one pet goes to the vet and the other pets stay home. The pet who gets home from the vet gets a full sniff-inspection from the homebodies. Sometimes the vet-goer is hissed at/barked at, or regarded with suspicion because they picked up a new slightly different scent. The pets have to get used to each other again. After a few hours it's all good again.

Of course if you have pets, you may also have experienced the post-trip pouting. Marigold and Kenji shun Chad and I when we get home from a trip. They walk around sniffing our luggage, but not letting us pet them. They semi-ignore us for a few hours. Usually by the time we wake up the next morning, our little cuddle-buddies have forgiven us, and we wake up with a face full of warm, furry purr-machines.

Just a few more hours and I'm back to my pouty cats, my unfamiliar husband, my car, my house and my bed! Yay!

Bless You, It Wasn't Me

My mom doesn't like to run the heater in her house. There are post-it notes on both thermostats that decree like two tiny yellow tyrants to "leave on this setting". Mom has sensitive sinuses. The heater smells like burnt dust and the dry heater air makes her sinuses itchy. Seriously, she'll sneeze four times in a row at the slightest inhalation of allergen or irritant. My mom's sneezes are scream-sneezes with loud, high-pitched vocalizations. If you're not accustomed to the sound, you might think someone is doing her harm. It's best for all parties to leave the thermostats alone, despite the chilly temperatures here. Wrap another blanket around yourself and have a mug of hot tea.

Mimi (my mom's mom) and Papa Roy (Mimi's husband) are here visiting too. Today, SOMEONE turned both thermostats up to 70 degrees while Mom was out running an errand. I bet that heater felt good, but I was at my sister's house when the thermostat-bandit struck, so I was unable to bask in its warmth. I did, however, receive an accusatory phone call from my mom while I was over at my sister's house. She wanted to know (ACHOO!!!) if I turned up the heat in her house. "Bless you, but I didn't touch it," I insisted.

I don't mean to point any fingers, but Mimi was the only known person in Mom's house when the thermostat-bandit struck, unless someone broke in and decided to warm the place up a bit before making off with the valuables. Mimi says with a pretty convincing poker-face that she didn't touch the thermostat. It's a mystery...

Technical Difficulties

I'm at my mom's house, and we're realizing just how many secrets my dad took to the grave with him.

1. No one knows the password to the wireless internet port. It's so secure, that we can't log on at all. (Luckily, I can get an internet connection on my mom's desktop computer. Her computer is a Windows platform and I'm a Mac girl, so I can't download all these super-cute photos of my niece and nephews yet!)

2. My dad didn't label any of the videotapes in this house. Total mystery as to what was on about twenty videotapes. Mom and I went through the tapes today to figure out the contents. There were only four tapes worth keeping, but we at least got them labeled.

3. None of us can figure out how to fix the grandfather clock. We got it set and it's keeping time, but it's still not chiming correctly. At 2:00 this afternoon, it rang twice. Yay! However, at 3:00 this afternoon, it rang five times. Booo... Dad was the clock-whisperer in the family, I guess.

4. We also can't find the remote control for the DVD player in my mom's room. There are approximately fifteen remote controls in this house. None of them work on that DVD player. Consequently, Mom can only watch the first episode on each DVD, because there is no way to go into the DVD menu and scroll around to select options such as the next episode.

Maybe I can consult one of those mystics who claims to communicate with spirits and ask them if they can get any answers on these technical difficulties for us.

What Is Death Cab for Cutie?

When I began this blog last year, I knew I wanted to keep it family-friendly. I decided not to post anything I wouldn't want my grandmother to read, because she's one of my few faithful readers. I don't want to alienate my fan-base. Initially, the blog was just to share photos and updates on the house projects. My parents thought that Chad and I were crazy for buying our old fixer-upper house. I wanted to demonstrate to them that we were not so much crazy as ambitious. At the start, I would email all of our family members whenever I posted an update. After about a month of posting, I sent a final blog-related email letting our family members know that they should check the blog once a week for updates, and that I would no longer email every time I posted something new. I wrote something snarky about how younger people check blogs almost as frequently as they brush their teeth, and that older people should get in the habit of checking the blog without an email notification. My dad emailed back that he checked my blog "twice a day. So haha." (Sadly, that was the last email I got from my dad. My mailbox was set to auto-delete messages every seven days, and I lost that email. I wish I still had it.)

My mom didn't check my blog for several months after my dad passed away. She was understandably busy and grieving. I got a little cavalier and made reference to her a few times in terms that were not absolutely glowing. Once my mom surfaced enough to read the blog again, I got a phone call from her. She said that I had written some not very nice things about her. (Really, it wasn't anything bad, just kinda sassy.) I told her that I'd written those things because I thought she wasn't reading, but now that I knew she was reading, I'd only say nice things.

I admit, there are times when I want to write something mean-spirited, or go off on a political rant, but I don't. I've thought many times of starting another blog where I could pour out my angry bile or mean observations. I always stop myself. There are plenty of political blogs without me starting another one. There are plenty of irreverent, mean-spirited blogs without me starting another one -- some of them very funny.

I maintain my decision to keep this blog safe for my grandma's and my mom's eyes. I thought I was sticking with this goal, until my mom clicked on my Amazon.com wish list icon in the sidebar of this blog last night and asked in an alarmed-sounding tone, "who is Death Cab for Cutie?!" Um, only like my fourth favorite band, Mom. I guess their band name isn't exactly parent-approved. I'm not going to edit my Amazon wish list. That's where I draw the self-censorship line. Plus I really want those CDs.

I Like the Journey... When It's a Direct Flight

I flew to Raleigh, NC today to see my family. Whoever said that it's all about the journey probably meant something about stopping to enjoy your surroundings along the way; not just at your destination. I must say that I'm a fan of the direct flight. I will pay a little more for the airfare or fly at odd times if it means that I don't have a layover or a connecting flight. I enjoy my time on the airplane reading or flipping through magazines. I do not so much enjoy the time sitting in weird airports waiting for the next leg of my trip, or worse, running through an unfamiliar airport while praying I am able to get to the gate on time for the next leg of my trip.

Today I had a direct flight. (Yay, and thanks to, American Airlines.) The other people in my row were a cute family with a 14 month old little girl. They were very considerate, telling me to let them know if the little girl was bothering me. She was a cutie, and no bother at all. I made an origami cootie catcher for her and she giggled. (The cootie catcher is a variation on the fortune teller four-part folded paper. I didn't have a pen to write fortunes on the paper. At the tender age of 14 months, she wouldn't have been able to read it anyway.)

My flight landed a bit early, which is a rarity these days, if recent media reports are to be believed. My mom picked me up at the airport and took me to the closest grocery store to indulge my need for vegetarian-friendly groceries. Then we went to a nice dinner at Cafe Capistrano, which serves healthy California-style Mexican food. My vegetarian burrito was delicious and the cafe had a cute atmosphere with a big fountain in the center of the dining room and lots of brightly-hued artwork on the walls. It's kind of weird that I would leave a Mexican food mecca like Austin, and seek out Mexican food in Raleigh - not known for its good Mexican food - but my mom wanted to try the place too. We both liked it.

I'm Down with BYOP, Yeah You Know Me

First, I have to credit the always witty Jamie M. with the title here. It was his response on the Evite.

I started hosting the (nearly annual) BYOP pumpkin-carving party in my tiny studio apartment back in 1995. My seven closest friends and I would squeeze ourselves and our pumpkins onto a plastic drop cloth on my floor and talk animatedly as we wielded sharp utensils, up to our elbows in pumpkin guts. Over the years, there have been some truly artistic pumpkin creations. However, my favorite thing about the pumpkin parties is not the pumpkins, but sharing the good company of my friends before the craziness of the winter holidays starts its annual snowball of scheduling conflicts.

Last year, I did not host a BYOP party. I was reeling from the sudden death of my dad on October 13, 2006. My husband and I had postponed our housewarming party which was supposed to be on October 21 of last year. We were still exhausted and frazzled after spending the summer of 2006 renovating our 1952 house. My friends, Kristen and Allen, hosted their own BYOP party last year that Chad and I were grateful to attend. I have to confess that I didn't remember even carving my pumpkin last year until I looked back at last year's blog post featuring a photo of my argyle creation. (Check out the archive.) Grief does strange things to one's memory. I'm glad I have this blog to help me recover the buried memories of much of the past year.

This year I was so excited to host the pumpkin party at our house with our big yard! I made the music play list back in August and started planning the menu in early September. (Yep, I'm a dork.) The pumpkin party has grown from its humble beginnings. This year, we hosted 47 guests over the course of the night, ranging in age from six months to about 75 years. We all had a great time. I can't wait for next year's pumpkin party.





Valuable Local Resources:
Austin's Pizza - The veggie rolls were a hit, and jive with my vegetarian ways.
Wing Zone - The carnivores loved the boneless buffalo wings.
Premiere Events - Marisela Cardona made it a breeze to get the tables, chairs, chafing dishes, linens and a huge ice chest that we needed to rent for the party.
Ken's Donuts provided the yummy apple fritters. Ken's Donuts is open 24 hours a day at 2820 Guadalupe Street.
HEB grocery store on Far West Boulevard for the drinks, candy and myriad of paper goods & cleaning supplies.
Central Market on North Lamar for the veggies, gourd decorations and pumpkins.

Happy Halloween!

Be safe out there tonight, especially if you're taking the kids trick-or-treating. We don't get any trick-or-treaters at our house, which makes me sad. We live on the corner of a busy street. I guess it's too dangerous even with the sidewalk. I'll be going to a costume party instead of handing out candy tonight.

Here are a few of my fave pumpkins from our BYOP (Bring Your Own Pumpkin) Party this year. More details about that tomorrow...

Coming in November

I've added a nifty badge to the sidebar that identifies me as a member of NaBloPoMo (short for National Blog Posting Month). The main objective of this organization is to challenge bloggers to post something to their blog each day during the month of November. Jensational (fellow blogger and good friend) invited me to do this. She's hip to all the latest, greatest news.

I'm saving my material for November. Come back Thursday, November 1.

If you want to read some really interesting stuff now, please check out the posts about my friends' (yes, punctuation snobs, two friends went together) trip to Turkey over at Planet Lu.

Tree Times Three

Ted's Trees in Austin rocks! We met Ted himself on Saturday and picked out these BIG trees. Ted gave us, "the deal of the century." The crew delivered and planted our trees today. Now we have a mini-forest instead of a big, empty backyard.

Folksy Wisdom from a Catalog

I've been sick the past two days with a half-dozen yucky symptoms. My head aches too much to read a real book. I did muster the energy to look at the mail after a dose of ibuprofen. The Country House catalog featured a delightful looking snowman on the cover. Normally I am not a fan of country decor, but since it was about 90 degrees out today, I decided to escape into the glossy, glittery, faux-snow pages of this catalog. Some of the products that caught my eye featured homespun, wry witticisms that I'd like to offer up for your pondering.

I have learned that being with those I love is enough.

I'll love you 'til the day after forever.

Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you no one would believe it.

It doesn't matter where you go in life, it's who you have beside you.

Who are these children and why are they calling me Mom?

Live well, love much, laugh often.

Whatever you are, be a good one. - Abe Lincoln

It's never too late to live happily ever after.

Never get so busy making a living that you forget to have a life.

What happens at grandma's stays at grandma's.

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you decide to see beyond the imperfections.

Motto to live by: Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid sideways, chocolate in hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Maybe I have a fever. Maybe my stuffy sinuses are preventing enough oxygen from getting to my brain. Maybe I'm a little dehydrated. Or maybe these catalog people are onto something...

Knowing When to Say When

As a remedy to the 2 inch gap under the current interior doors, I thought I wanted to replace our yucky hollow-core doors with some nicer solid-core doors. I picked out the new doors and hardware. I kept the budget very reasonable. I met with the door installation contractor. The contractor, a polite man who was articulate and seemed sane, said that he couldn't just hang new doors with new hardware. Instead he would remove all the current door frames and trim with a crowbar and install new, pre-hung doors with new frames and new trim. He went on to explain (with a straight face) that it's easier for him and less costly for me, the customer, to just replace the whole door set-up. It made sense when he said it. I thanked him for his time and showed him out.

The more I thought about the project, the more I realized that neither Chad nor I want to paint the new doors and trim. Nor do either of us want to watch as the patch-jobs we did on these 55-year-old walls crumble to dust under the pressure of a crowbar. Nor do we want to have sheetrock replacement added to the project list. Nor do we want to come back through this freshly painted house with four different colors of paint for the touch-ups after the crowbars are applied to our walls. Nevermind. These doors are fine. I hardly notice that gap under the doors. My eye now breezes right over that spot where someone painted over stickers on the bedroom door rather than removing them.

My consolation prize of sorts was to replace the old doorknobs with new ones that match all the other hardware in our house. With my trusty electric screwdriver, I had all the old knobs out and all the new knobs in place in just over an hour. It was a nice surprise for Chad when he got home from his day trip for work.



________________Old Doorknob_________________





New Doorknobs

No Longer in that Desirable Demographic

As of Monday evening at 8:25 PM, I am no longer part of the coveted 18 - 34 year-old marketing demographic. I don't feel old. I don't think I look old, but people are increasingly referring to me as "Ma'am." I hate that. I was raised to say ma'am and sir to anyone older than I was, a very southern verbal affliction that was strictly enforced at my house. Now I hate, hate, hate it when a teenager or a 20-something-year-old says ma'am to me. Please stop.

It was a fun birthday weekend and a good birthday. Chad & I went on the Austin American Institute for Architects tour of homes. We both agreed that most of the houses were too huge, offered too much glass with too little privacy, seemed more like commercial showplaces than personal sanctuaries and that some of the houses were just plain ugly. We like our little, cozy 1952 house. Saturday night we walked around South Congress Avenue, stopping to share a yummy cupcake at Hey Cupcake. We also stopped in this new candy store called Big Top. The store was circus themed and offered all sorts of odd candy, flavored sodas, milk shakes, malts, popcorn and ice cream. I got clove candy canes and raspberry M&Ms. Chad got licorice bridge mix - ewww. On Sunday we had afternoon tea at the Four Seasons hotel. The view of Ladybird Lake was lovely and the Four Seasons lobby lounge was plush and posh. The bill was also posh. I think I can recreate the experience with a French press, fresh tea leaves and some mini dessert tarts from the Whole Foods bakery next time I want a fancy tea party.

Monday I went to lunch at Homeslice Pizza (my fave!) and went shopping for 2 hours at Emerald's. It was me-time. I loved it. I came home to find that Chad had taken off from work at 1:00. Chad cleaned the house, made my favorite ginger drink, ordered veggie Asian food (yum!) and invited some friends over. He also presented me with my gift, a comfortable reading chair in the office from IKEA. Sonic (our big, boy cat) had pooped on my old reading chair too many times. The old dish chair with the super-thick cushion was just too tempting and comfortable a place for Sonic to resist. Hopefully the new chair seems more like furniture, and Sonic will not poop on it. (He doesn't poop on any other furniture, only that old dish chair. Weird cat.) Chad put a plastic sheet over the new chair while he waited for me to get home, because he wanted to keep the cats off of it. Sonic decided that no silly, plastic sheet was going to stop him, and he found his way under to snuggle into the new chair. His newest nickname is "boy in the bubble." I think that this photo says it all. I love my new chair!

My birthday cake featured very bright, hot-pink frosting. The food dye was surely not from anything found in nature. We all had pink teeth, pink mouths and pink lips after eating it. Yep, Chad picked the color all by himself!

Mmmm... meat-like

I found a new, super-yummy meat substitute. Those of you who love the McRib (McDonalds processed rib-like sandwich) are nuts, but as a public service to cute little piggies everywhere, I am urging you to try these BBQ riblets by Gardenburger brand. The riblets come in a tangy sauce and have a meaty texture. Three and a half minutes in the microwave and dinner is done! Look for them in the freezer section at your grocery store near the other vegetarian products.

Jonesing for Some Chicken

I haven't eaten red meat for about three and a half years. Easy to do! Once in a while I'd smell barbecue brisket and salivate like Pavlov's dogs, but I could get my fix with some barbecue chicken or turkey.

I haven't eaten poultry since July 4 of this year. I'm still eating fish, but I don't really like fish. At all. So I only eat fish when I'm really craving protein, about once every two weeks.

I had salmon for dinner tonight. It just isn't the same. I want some chicken. Trying to picture cute, fuzzy baby chickens. Reminding myself about horrible conditions at poultry processing plants. Imagining the horrific secret chemicals, antibiotics and genetic engineering that go into raising poultry these days.

Mmmmmm... chicken. I mean, oh no, it's horrible. Ewww, it had a face and a momma.

Obviously I'm very conflicted at this time. I need to eat some beans maybe for a jolt of non-meaty protein.

TCB, Baby

The end of September typically marks that magical time of year when Chad and I find ourselves with some mad-money. Last year, we spent all of the moola on house projects and our big housewarming party. This year, we intend to make a big dent in the budget with more house projects and a couple of fun field trips. I've been researching projects, scheduling meetings, budgeting and generally organizing. Like Elvis (Presley, not Costello) was fond of saying, "taking care of business, Baby, TCB."

My husband ,Chad, kind of looks like young, hot Elvis. Chad also does the lip-grab gesture that Elvis is doing in this photo. Uncanny.

Anyway, my to-do list continues to grow. Here's a sample of what I've been working on:
• Hired electrician to install three outdoor power outlets. Paul Moreno from Fox Services did a great job and completed the work in one day!
• Took a trip to Lowe's to research and price supplies for outdoor lighting for the front of our house and had aforementioned electrical prep work done.
• Talked to a helpful Lowe's employee about having one new exterior door and four new interior doors installed.
• Scheduled and met with the "door project" contractor.
• Priced and chose all door hardware.
• Found a local shop that will make a new framed mirror for the bathroom.
• Discussed where we want more trees planted in the back yard and chose a nursery to plant the baby trees.
• Reserved ski boat and driver for a fun lake day! Wooo-hooo! Pray that I don't break a leg while trying to remember how to slalom. Should be like riding a bike, right? You never forget how to do it?
• Begged out of working on New Year's Eve this year. After acting in Murder Mystery Player shows or dealing black-jack for charity events for the past eight years at other people's New Year's Eve festivities, I'm ready to just attend a party this year.
• Cursed Evite.com for being down over the past two days as I try to plan a little shindig. Stupid Evite! It's almost frustrating enough to make me print paper invitations...

Chad has been busily (obsessively) researching his new flat screen TV purchase. Presently we're still kickin' it old school with a boxy TV. Of course, getting the High Definition flat screen TV means that we have to get a new DVD player, replace a few beloved movies that we had on VHS tape with DVDs, sign up for High Definition cable and figure out how to wall mount the new TV.

I'm so thankful to have a generous husband who works very hard to give us a nice house and a comfortable lifestyle. However, there are certain moments when I pine for the simpler, less materialistic days as the renter of a 650 square-foot apartment that had all bills paid and no storage space for extraneous possessions. In the future, if you hear me talking about wanting a bigger house or more materialistic stuff, please thrust a well-worn copy of Henry David Thoreau's Walden into my greedy, well-manicured hands. Then hope that I don't smack you on the forehead with the book. Make sure it's a paperback copy.

Halloween Costume?

Are you dressing up for Halloween this year? I have a few ideas:

1. Soccer Mom - my blond flip wig worn with a grey sweater set, pearls, khaki pants or "mom jeans". I'll carry a soccer ball, wear my phone on a hip holster with the hands-free cord in my ear, and my car keys on a cord around my neck.

2. Ugly Betty - I LOVE this TV show and its titular character. I can buy Betty's poncho online, which is kind of a cop-out in the creativity department. I have the wig and fake glasses somewhere in the costume box. I need to search online for fake braces for my teeth.



3. 1960s psychedelic hipster - again the blond flip wig with too much eyeliner, frosty lipstick and a swirly, trippy printed dress somewhere between Goldie Hawn circa Laugh-In and Mrs. Roper from Three's Company.



The cutest costume I've seen in the past ten years was when my friend, Jenny, dressed up as Harry Potter with Hedwig the owl on her shoulder. She had short hair, painted on the scar, wore the glasses, school robe and necktie. It totally worked. My second favorite costume was when Chad dressed as PeeWee Herman!

Submit your ideas or vote on what I should wear by emailing me or commenting here.

I Get Bored...

It's no secret, and a perhaps a personal flaw, that I have a short attention span for jobs. I average about 18 months at any job. I made it 26 months at my last regular job. That's the longest I've stayed in any employment position. (Working for Murder Mystery Players for the past five years doesn't really count since each show is different and I have played a wide variety of roles.)

My night-owl activity tonight was to take a free career test on the website projectcareer.com

Wooo... Whoever formulated this test is certifiably insane, high on crack or just plain mean! After answering 105 questions, I read over my exciting career recommendations. My #1 match for a career was (drum roll, please) manufacturing! Below is the sample of possible dream jobs for yours-truly in manufacturing.

In the United States, the manufacturing industry includes these major sectors:

Aerospace Products and Parts
Chemical Manufacturing (except medicine/pharmaceutical)
Computer and Electronic Products and Components
Food Manufacturing
Machinery Manufacturing
Motor Vehicle and Parts Manufacturing
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
Printing
Steel Manufacturing
Textile, Textile Product and Apparel Manufacturing

This info was followed by an advertisement for "National Heavy Equipment Operator School." Wow! I do like to sew and plant things in the yard, thus I must confess that I like to work with my hands, but manufacturing as a career? Um, no.

My #2 career match was sales & marketing with sample job titles:

Sales Representative
Market Research Analyst
Media Buyer/Planner
Promotions Manager
Public Relations Representative

Getting warmer. Lots of experience in these areas including retail management, communications / advertising technician at a major insurance company and marketing for a big, local theatre.

My #3 career match was visual arts with sample job titles:

Artist
Sculptor
Graphic Designer
Art Director
Illustrator
Sketch artist

I like to paint and draw. I've often said that if I win the lottery, I'll go back to school and take more art classes. I'd be an unpopular artist though, because I like to make things look pretty and I have a low tolerance for high-concept art that needs a lot of explanation (a.k.a. self-indulgent tripe.) My attitude is that a particular artwork either speaks to you or doesn't. If the art speaks to you then you decide if you want it in your house or you don't. Mine is not lofty reasoning, but it works. Try it the next time you're at an art museum or gallery.

#4 was creative / performing arts with sample job titles:

Actor
Producer
Choreographer
Dancer
Fashion Designer

The website offered the grim advisement: "Employment of actors, producers, and directors is expected to grow on par with all other occupations through 2014. Although a growing number of people will aspire to enter these professions, many will leave the field early because the work—when it is available—is hard, the hours are long, and the pay is inconsistent. Competition for jobs will be stiff, in part because the large number of highly trained and talented actors auditioning for roles generally exceeds the number of parts that become available. Only performers with the most stamina and talent will find regular employment."

Very oddly, the advertisement for this section was for "The ABC Dog Obedience Instructor Program is structured to offer you the convenience and cost of a Home Study program with the added benefit of working one on one with some of the most talented trainers in the industry."

Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner for the weirdest job list and advertisement pairing! We also have a winner with the sample job title of "actor." My absolute dream job is to land a part as a sitcom mom on a popular series. No joking, no sarcasm. I just need to lose more weight and get myself out to Los Angeles. And get discovered. And get cast in the right role. And have the show become a hit with viewers and critics alike. Yep...

Vancouver: Pretty and Polite

Chad and I just returned from five fun days in Vancouver. The city and surrounding areas are beautiful with tall trees, a backdrop of mountains and little harbors and inlets all over the place. The weather averaged 72F during the day and 55F at night -- a welcome respite even from this mild Austin summer.

The British Columbia residents are incredibly polite and friendly. We stopped in the local Urban Outfitters store to buy a light jacket for Chad, and the lovely lady behind the counter asked us how our day was going and wished us well, which is never likely to happen at an American location of Urban Outfitters, where you're more likely to be sneered at and tolerated during any transaction. A bus driver let us on the bus for FREE when we didn't have the exact fare, saying, "Hey, we're friends. Hop on and you can pay at the transport station when you catch the ferry back across." Wow. I'm inspired to be even nicer than usual. Pass it on, and all that.


If you venture to Vancouver, here are our top three picks:
1. Granville Island Public Market
2. Capilano Suspension Bridge
3. Stanley Park

For those foodies out there, we had great meals the whole time we were in Vancouver. My favorite two spots for atmosphere (because I'm all about the ambiance and less about the chow) were: Glowbal and Brix, both in the Yaletown neighborhood with lovely patios and twinkling lights. Chad really loved Tojo's sushi restaurant. Tojo's had a vegetarian omikase (which means the chef picks your meal and brings out different courses like a tasting menu) so I was in luck. The veggie meal was good, but honestly, this place is quite expensive, spare in decor / atmosphere and not really worth the price unless you're a major sushi fan. Chad is a major sushi fan, so he loved it. Tojo's restaurant was featured in the book (and also on the TV show) 1000 Places to See Before You Die.

When I go back to Vancouver, I hope that Chad and I can stay at the Wickaninnish Inn for even more nature exposure and more of a retreat feel; rather than spending so much time downtown like we did on this trip. Overall, this was a wonderful vacation! I can't wait to go back to Vancouver.

Helper Kitties

There is an episode of The Simpsons that features a helper monkey. Come to think of it, there is also an episode of Malcolm in the Middle that features a helper monkey. In both shows, the poor monkeys get corrupted, disgruntled and develop all sorts of bad habits and reproachable behaviors.

At our house, we have helper kitties. They help make the guest bed. Hope you're not allergic to cats if you're sleeping over here, because you know they left fur on those fresh sheets.

The kitties also help me wrap birthday gifts for Chad. Sonic liked the wrapping job so much, that he tried to eat one of the presents. Marigold is far more civilized and only eats the ribbon. She knows that eating the paper is way gauche.

Yep. Little beasties live in our house. We like them.