back to life, back to reality
Whats up with the weather? This morning was a harsh step back into reality. It was cold out. I woke up early, whats up with that? So I got up finished and submitted my homework. Tonight I took the quiz. So I'm all caught up for last week; only 3 more to go. YAY!!!

I arrived at work to find my desk behind boxes. I had to open and unpack stuff before I could sit down. Thats what I get for ordering stuff before I leave for vacation. Work went fast. I had a meeting with my copier sales rep, conference call about a new campus web product, and another conference call about our long distance provider. I got caught up on email and processed my paper mail. Now I get one more day to work through the clutter on my desk. Thursday I get to do my first of the month stuff.

I had lunch at 14 Carrots. The Spinach Lasagna was really yummy. They always have really good food. Tomorrow I'm having lunch at Seventh Heaven. It is their last day of being in business. Kinda sad since they had really tasty subs and soups. I loved their corn chowder.

Tonight was a real treat. I got to hear Valerie and her band (Josh in a Tutu) play at the EMU coffeehouse. Amanda sang and Andrew played bass. It was really good. Snaps to you guys. Oscars mad played after that. I enjoyed their music too. Johan Grimsrud played guitar & sang, Andrew Jenner played bass, Sam Yoder played drums, and Jason Sommer played guitar. Although they sounded really good, no one is as entertaining to watch sing as Rus was. Its just not quite the same.

Florida Fun!
Where do i start. I guess at the very beginning. Friday, Patty and I left around 1:45 for the Charlottesville airport. We got checked in and to the gate with no problems. I had stayed out too late the night before, so I was functioning with a brain cloud. I slept on both flights, I was so tired that I missed the take off on the flight to Tampa. The weather in FL was awesome. We got our car and navigated to St. Petersburg. We checked into the ghetto Travelodge. I call it ghetto because the rooms had outside entrances and didn't seem very clean. It was 11pm and we were starvin, so i ordered a pizza. I slept really well.

Saturday we got up late and ate breakfast at an old school IHOP. Now it was time to enjoy the beach. The ocean was beautiful and the sun was bright. We layed out for awhile. The water was pretty warm, but really calm. I would have gone for a swim, but there didn't seem to be a point since there were no waves. Soon it was time to pick up Gary at the airport. After that we were off to the cocktail party. This was pretty interesting. There was a really yummy crab and artichoke dip.

Sunday was pretty much like the day before. We layed out on the beach. Then went to The Pier for lunch and shopping. I thought it was pretty lame, but something to do. Then it was time for the wedding. It was fun to get dressed up in my new dress. The wedding was outside beside the beach at a beautiful resort, Don CeSar. The reception was really interesting, lots of yummy food, dancing and booze. The funniest part was with Emily's uncle Joe. He was the life of the party and got fixated on Patty. He asked her to dance and when she shook her head no and blushed, he was hooked. Every chance he got he would ask her to dance. I went once in her place, but he wasn't deterred. The best part was when we were returning from the rest room and he was by the door. I tried to block his view of Patty, but he saw her anyway. I let her go in front of me and put myself between them. He reached around my and was shouting "Patty, Patty". He had no idea who I was and didn't care, all he wanted was Patty. LOL

Monday went for a walk on the beach wearing shorts and a tank top. It was incredible! I was trying to think of a reason to return to Harrisonburg. Gary and Patty tried to convince me, but there wasn't a good reason. I finally decided to come back when Jeremy reminded me that I had given him a key to my house so that the gang could watch Sopranos. So with a reason to return, we headed for the airport. Our flights were uneventful. After we got into Charlottesville, we made a quick trip to the mall and then headed home.

So to sum up my trip, it was a lot of fun. Although not very eventful. It was extremely relaxing and wonderful to be on the sand and in the ocean.

The cats were happy to see me. Misty hasn't left my side all night. I can't believe i have to return to work tomorrow.

sushi anyone?
Last night I had my first taste of sushi and ....it was good. I'm not sure what all I tried, but they were all tasty. Alex made excellent choices. My favorites were the vegetarian sushi and the one with salmon, avocado, and cream cheese. It was also my first time trying chopsticks and i did pretty good. There were a few mishaps, but nothing catastrophic. It was a fun evening.

I've been trying to get ahead on my homework since i'll be in FLORIDA all weekend. This morning I woke up at 5:45 and couldn't sleep so once again I got up and started on my homework. Tonight I was able to spend a little bit of time on it, but not as much as i'd like.

Work has been crazy this week. The email server was down and people were at a loss of what to do without it. Fortunately it wasn't my job to fix it, just report it to the users. Today I led a meeting to discuss options for replacing the biggest fastest copier on campus. I was nervous and afraid the everyone would be against the idea. That turned out to be their first reaction, but when I explain the cost savings to emu, everyone got on board with our idea. I am ready for this copier transition stuff to be over. It should be soon. My next big task will be to figure out if the old copiers have any value and to whom. Or should I just dispose of them.

The other big news at work was that we hired Greg. He will be a new addition to my team. YAY! Now we just need to figure out how our offices can be configured. We need to have desks for 14 people, working around 3 offices with walls. So there needs to be 11 cubicles. We have developed a good layout, now we just need to figure out if there are enough parts to build them.

3 days to florida!

shopping, homework & more shopping
That pretty much sums up my weekend. But that wouldn't be much of an entry so here's the details:

Friday: I helped at the VMRC auction. Usually this is a lot of fun. Lots of people, music, food and bidding. But not this year. It seemed really boring and uneventful, so I left early to work on homework. Later Patty, Jesse and Abbi came over to watch Sopranos and eat bean dip (Patty's famous recipe).

Saturday: I woke up at 6:00 with homework on my mind. So I got up and started working on it. I felt very productive and got a lot done before going to yoga. Once again it was AWESOME. We did a lot of pilates/ab work. So my abs have been sore ever since, but its a good sore. I always feel so relaxed after yoga. I wish there was class every day, or maybe every other. When I got home, I was a good girl and started working on my homework, but I got sleepy and decided to take a short nap. It turned out to be really short, because after 20 minutes, I got a call from Sam. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Drive to Charlottesville and go shopping!

The drive was great. Sam has a sweet ride and the weather was beautiful. Shopping was successful, I found a dress for the wedding. It has spaghetti straps and is black with purple flowers. On the drive back, I worked on ... you guess it: homework. I had just enough time to grab some food, change clothes and head to EMU. I was the dd fo myf. We went to a multimedia worship event. There was loud rockin music. The bass was so loud/heavy that I could feel it in my chest. I think the youth had a good time because I sent them to the front to hang out in the "mosh pit". The speaker talked a long time and warned of the evils of pop culture. He was a bit too conservative for me. I don't believe pop culture is evil. I want the youth to learn to think about po; culture/society and take the good and leave the bad. They need to use their brains and filter out the harmful messages.

Sunday: Started by waking up at 5:45 with homework on my mind. I had been quite delinquient on saturday. Once again, I got up and worked on it. Later Patty and I headed to church. We stayed for sunday school but ditched the worship service to go.....shopping! We headed down to Charlottesville. I had another successful trip. This time I got some shoes, body butter, and VS stuff. In case you're wondering, I worked on homework during the drives. So I was a good girl. We got back with enough time for me to finsih homework, take a nap, clean.

Sopranos was good, of course. It was a smaller gang; jeremy, joe, lorendia and me. We decided that an appropriate name for the evening was needed. I came up with bada bing, and everyone approved. So now sundays are bada bing night.

Econ update: I just took the quiz and did much better than last week. Maybe I'm smarter than I thought. :) Four weeks down and four to go!!! YAY

Does the week have to start. I guess if it doesn't then I'll never get to FLORIDA! Only 5 days until i leave!!!! The forecast is 80 degrees and fun!

I know you are asking yourself "Could she use more exclaimation points?". The answer is yes. It has taken great restraint not to use 2, 3 or even 4 times as many.

Happy monday to all!

happy st. paddy's day
March 17 is know by most people as st. patricks day. To me it will always be grandpa piper's birthday. I usually don't remember my extended family's birthday, but since this one is on a holiday, it's easy. When I was in 2nd grade we were making things out of clay in art class. I made a shamrock and gave it to grandpa. When he died, that was the one thing I wanted to remember him by. Its not like our family is irish, just the st. patricks day connection.

Its wednesday already and I haven't stared on my homework. Yikes. I was actually hoping to do other things this weekend so I need to get a headstart on it. But if i don't, no shopping for me. I really need to find a dress for the wedding in FL. I was hoping to get to the mall in short pump (near richmond). I really like the stores there. I guess it should motivate me to get it done, we'll see.

veggie update: I felt much better today. I think it was all the tofu last night. I'll have to work on getting more protein and from better sources. This is a lot of work for some moral convictions. I saw a chicken truck today and it reminded me why I started this in the first place. It looked really cruel. How can we do that to living creatures. I have started thinking about eating fish. It would give me a good protein source and they don't mistreat fish, do they?

I haven't heard any responses about the tattoo. There is the cliche butterfly, or an asian character. I was thinking strength or passion. It would be located on my shoulder/back. Come on people, tell me what you think.

to veggie or not to veggie
That is the question I've been thinking about today. I've spent the past few days feeling tired and wondering if it could be tied to my diet. I take vitamins and try to eat alternate protein sources. What were my reasons for doing this? Oh yeah, the treatment or mistreatment of animals. I haven't given up yet, just been tempted.

Econ update: I haven't been enjoying this class at all. I feel like I'm expected to teach myself. I met with the prof yesterday and asked if I was just wasting my time. He encouraged me to continue and that he sees better things for me than a C. So I guess that was encouraging, except I still have to put in a minimum of 10 hours a week.

Tonight was funado, Adam made a yummy vegetable, tofu, and penne pasta dish. Scrubs was funny as usual. It was based on the Butterfly Effect, but twisted.

I managed to work out again this morning. Its definately not easy. I'm trying to get Lynley to meet me there and be my trainer.

freakin weekend
It was an eventful and uneventful weekend. How can that be you are asking, well read on. Friday I went home from work and took a nap. I really needed some sleep from my crazy week. Later I hung out with Alex at the dodger and then watching a band at finnigans. The band was really good. Later we hung out and talked. I was asked "what are you scared of?" I had to think about it, and realized that I'm not scared of anything. It was an interesting realization. I choose not to worry about things beyond my control. I know that I can take whatever life has to offer, good or bad. To quote my favorite James Taylor song "The secret of life is enjoy the passing of time." I think its important to enjoy where you are while you are there.

Saturday started with Yoga which was good of course. I slept some and tried to work on homework. Jesse stopped by to chat. Sam also stopped over to chat. I was going stir crazy from being inside all day and really wanted to get out. So Sam and I got coffee at barnes & noble, then wandered around wal-mart. Then we hung out with some of his friends from work then headed to finnigans. Two nights in a row. Nothing too exciting was going on there, but I was glad to have gotten out.

Sunday was spent working on economics homework. YUCK! I finally finished around 5:30. Jeremey, Jesse, Sam, Joe, and Lorendia came over for the usual sopranos evening. We got pizza which was really yummy.

So that is how a weekend can be eventful and uneventful at the same time. Now its time to start the week over again. Bring it on! I think i'm ready.

oops, i did it again
I got up and worked out again today! I can't believe it either. It was a lot easier this morning. Bill has challenged me to meet him there tomorrow morning, so I will do it again.

Work was busy again, I tried to work on my projects but ended up just putting out fires. Maybe I can clean off my desk tomorrow. I keep hoping the elves will show up and finish my projects and clean my desk. Greg started working for us this week, so I'm hoping I can delegate some stuff to him and feel productive.

Tonight I hung out with Anna. We went to Dave's for dinner. I had the usual tomato mozzarella salad, yum. It was good to catch up, it had been awhile since we got to spend time together. After dinner we went shopping at the mall. Mattt was working so I got to catch up on all the drama in his life. He has a cool new tattoo. He offered to get me a good deal on one if I'm interested. What do you think, should I get one???? What should it be???

i did it!
Yes, I got up at 5:40 and drug my body to the fitness center. I did a little running, the eliptical machine and lifted some weights. It felt great to workout again. I'm planning to return on Wednesday.

Today was a crazy busy Monday. When I walked in the door Andy said "there you are" and the craziness began. We implemented a new copier accounting system last Thursday. Its my project so I want it to be a smooth transition and be successful. So this morning the server wasn't responding and needed to be reboot. Hopefully it was a fluke. After that I had go across campus to check out a copier and stop in the library because the copier software wasn't working. All this before 9:00. At least it was sunny out, but I wasn't wearing the right shoes.

Tonight the girls came over to hangout and eat. I made my famous quesadillas and brownies. Audrey brought yummy corn. It was nice to chill with the girls.

another pleasant valley sunday
All in all it was a good weekend. Saturday included shopping, coloring jesse's hair, emily's bachelorette party. Sunday was church, nap, more shopping, and the sopranos season premier.

The Sopranos was good. Unfortunately I didn't get to watch all of season four so I was missing some of the story lines, but not too bad. Jeremy and gang came over to watch and they filled in the gaps.

What a beautiful day. I sure hope the sunshine stays around. It feels like spring and I love it!

Tomorrow I'm gonna try to work out in the morning. I'll let you know how that goes. I figure it I declare it here, I will actually do it. I'll let you know how it goes.

YAY - homework is done!
I just finished. Bring on the weekend!

I've accepted the fact that I won't be able to watch all the sopranos by sunday night. Oh well. I would have had to spend all my time watching and that seems like a waste of the weekend. So instead I'll be more productive: running, laundry, housework, wash my car, start on next weeks homework, pay bills, clothes shopping, food shopping...what did i leave out. Oh yeah, the bachelorette party saturday night at O'Charlies.

almost the freakin weekend
Yay for a weekend without major plans. I started on homework tonight and should be able to finish it tomorrow! Then the important stuff. Watching 2 seasons (22hours) of Sopranos before sunday 9pm.

Today was another nice day. I was happy to walk around campus and collect the copier counts. Spring is here. I refuse to listen to the talk of snow next week. Thats a bunch of bs, right? No more snow! Bring on the spring clothes! The stores have finally come out with new choices.

Yesterday we went to Dave's for lunch which was yummy (corn chowder and moz tomato salad). I completely forgot to put money in the meter. I'm so used to going at night. And yes, I got a ticket. Guess how much? A whole $5.00. Andy's advice was "Just throw it away." So the moral of the story is remember the meter and don't listen to Andy.

what if God was like tony soprano
It was a thought I had this sunday. I was a month behind on tithing because I kept forgetting my checkbook. In soprano world that would mean that God would be expecting interest. He would come collecting every couple days and scare me into paying. He would make my like a living hell until he got the money. It wouldn't effect just me, everyone else in church would be expected to tithe too. Of course it could be a good thing, the church budget would always have enough money. Of course some people would be coming to church with broken legs.

i hate homework
I spent 5-6 hours on stupid homework Sunday. I guess it paid off. I got a 48/50 on the assignment. Unfortunately, this week I have a whole new assignment, so it starts over. Yuck! Only 7 more weeks. I think i can, i think i can.