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I made it home last night. First the plane coming into Midway was late and then we made up the time but got put in a holding pattern to land in Ft. Lauderdale. Grrhhh...I was antsy to get home.

One question, why do cabs make me sick to my stomach? Everytime I ride in one to or from the airport, I feel like I am going to hurl? I wasn't running late and traffic was good so no reason to worry about missing a flight. It's weird. Old age maybe?

So today is the big day. The hubby is a nervous wreck. He hates cooking for everyone but yet he decides to be the master fryer (or griller, or baker). He does it to himself, it always turns out, and if our friends can't suffer through a bad piece of meat, they aren't really our friends; right?

Well, I need to get some cleaning and prep work done. The festivities begin at 4 but the parents and friends will be arriving from out of town around noon.

I am sure there will plenty stories to share tomorrow. Happy 4th of July a few days early!

The Windy City Update

Well, I have been burning the midnight oil working. Yeah, for some reason I have been up to 11 or midnight most nights and awake at 5am. Tossing and turning until 6:20 and finally getting up. At the office before 8am and working until after 6pm to come back and start working again. Uff! Last night some girls from work got me to leave before 5 to go to a Belgian Pub. It was fun and great beer. I had some weird fig sandwich, stilton mac and cheese, and the most fabulous fries on earth. I felt the pain this morning. My tummy was so upset from such rich food! I totally blew the diet. Oh well.

Tonight I left work and decided to "walk" around and look for a restaurant. I walked for close to an hour. It was beautiful out (cold). People had jackets and scarfs on and I was loving it! (cardigan and flip flops, my guess was it was in the low 70's). No humidity. Beautiful!

Anyhow, after finally finding a 7 Eleven to buy an overpriced bottle of wine and then getting lost looking for Chipotle...I finally found it. Spilled part of it down my pants when carrying it back to the apartment and enhaled it. I am caught up on emails and deciding to call it a night.

I miss my pets, my bed, and my hubby. Florida is nice but being back in the Midwest with nice people...oh so tempting.

LOOOOONG Day!

I headed to the windy city last evening. I checked in to my hotel and then headed out in search of food. Unfortunately, downtown Chicago closes before I even hit the city limits. I found some food at an overpriced restaurant by the hotel and had a quick bite to eat and a couple beers. Then off to bed I went.

Today I was up early, repacked my stuff and was off to the office. It was a chaotic Monday with trying to train a new person but being back in the hectic grind I call work (playing catch up on ALL projects after the 2 week fire drill project I was put on) was a bit too much. I didn't get anything done today.

I hauled butt from work to the Apartment and logged in 2 minutes late for my final seminar tonight. I ended that 15 minutes early, finished some grading some late assignments, and then started tackling my neglected email. I made it up to about 1 or 2pm today and will finish the rest in the morning.

I had hoped to get more training stuff together for my new hire but ran out of steam. I didn't go on any adventures tonight (I ate some noodles I brought and a 100 calorie snack pack for dinner). Tomorrow night I am going exploring. From my window, I could see a huge NY and Company store a block away and there is a GIANT Macy's across the street. The security guards told me there are tons of great restaurants around here too. Whoot Woo!

Anyhow, I am exhausted and my eyes are blurry. Goodnight!

Holy Productivity Batman!

It's 2:25pm and I am taking my first break today.

1) Biked 9 miles this am
2) Went to Lowes and bought 2 new plants, mulch, and landscaping rock for out back
3) Ripped up old landscaping edger and put down new stuff with new mulch
4) Planted new plants
5) Cleaned out porch (washed down everything)
6) Trimmed front yard plants
7) Trimmed massive tree in backyard
8) Took curtains down and washed them
9) Cleaned kitchen
10) Started laundry

To do:
1) Clean bathroom
2) Dust
3) Sweep and wash floors
4) Last minute teaching stuff
5) Fill out new phone rebate
6) RELAX

Ryan's list should be pretty long too. I will have to write later once my sunburn kicks in. I have a feeling I am going to be a little sore later this evening.

Assessments=yuck!

Although I really wanted to go to bowling tonight, I decided to stay home and get my grading done. I finished all of the Unit 9 papers and all of the assessments (assessment portfolio). The assessments were tough and I don't think I filled out the comments section correctly. I hope I did because going back and redoing them is not going to be fun. If I did do them correctly, all I have left are the final quizzes! They are auto graded so on Wednesday morning...all I have to do to finalize grades is go in and put zeros in for the ones that didn't complete it. Ah...feeling so relieved.

Biking

I got up at 5 and biked with the hubby (he says 8.7 miles, I say 9). What a retched hour to be awake at. I think I finally understand all the people who say they aren't morning people. I snarled for the first 5 minutes trying to figure out how to work my MP3 player. Once on the road it wasn't so bad. It was hot and humid. I can't believe we ever biked with the sun shining. The only thing I didn't like was the stretch without street lights. I still have a tremendous fear of riding my bike after an earlier childhood accident.

So, I have been up for 2.5 hours now and am ready to go back to bed. Annie and I head to the vet in a little bit and then off to work I go. Today better pass quickly. I can't wait to go to bed.

Grading

Either it is easier when not watching tv or I am finally getting better at it. I posted to the discussion board tonight, graded last weeks discussions, and graded 3 late homework assignment submissions.

Tomorrow I planned on grading the final papers and filling out the assessment forms but some "friends" decided to give me hell about skipping bowling. We will see. I might come home first and try to knock a few out of the way before heading over for some drinks. I have a ton of shit to do before I leave for Chicago on Sunday and getting grades nearly finalized is going to be a big stress reliever.

Interesting week so far

Monday was a carry over of the "mission critical" job I have been working on at work for a week now. I was told to drop everything and focus on this one thing. I was allowed to cancel many meetings. Although this project is stressing me out and making my mind hurt from all the planning and details...It has been kind of nice. Yeah, I know that doesn't make sense but let's just say I have been able to focus on 2 main projects and a few emails. The only meetings I have been in are related to those two projects and I have had actual work time. I am crossing my fingers that once my new hire is up to speed, my work days will go back to this kind of work day.

On another note, we had our second to last seminar on Monday and my class is so funny. We had an interesting topic to talk about (no more boring accounting, finance, or economics). We talked about information technology. I have one more seminar to teach next week. I am going to miss teaching a little. It is fun and reinforces why I love what I do. I won't miss all of the silly hoops I have to jump through though. (and grading...I totally sympathize with Jess).

Monday night the hubby cooked a great "well balanced" meal for our diet and after teaching I lifted some weights. Then I enjoyed Hell's Kitchen. Tonight I managed to squeeze in a HOT and BUGGY (no not muggy, buggy) walk. I will probably lift again since I am so weak, it is more like cardio than strength building.

I apologize for the long diatribe but just wanted to let some of you know it is only Tuesday but last week on Tuesday, I was praying for it to be Friday. The last two days haven't been as bad as last week (knock on wood).

Doing nothing is hard work!

Yesterday I did get a bike ride in and some paper grading. After that I went shopping with some friends (it was to a place where you needed a secret knock to get in) for purses. They found a ton of great deals but nothing called out my name. Then we stopped for some appetizers and a drink. It wasn't power shopping or hours worth of it but man was I wiped out. I took a nice long nap last night and was pretty laze for the rest of the evening. It was tough to even drink and be social. I think my body is finally catching up with how tired my brain was from work last week.

Today's agenda includes washing some clothes and a quick trip to Target for some groceries. Sorry Publix...when you only need a few items, Target is easier to get in and out of. Here's a goal some of you might laugh at. Ever since Xmas, I had started 2 new magazine subscriptions. I bet I have read less than half of what i have received. So today, my goal is to plunk my butt down in a lawn chair and read some. I will let you know how it goes but I foresee some more napping. Reading makes me tired.

Bike Ride...Check

The hubby and I did get up and went for our 9 mile bike ride this morning. As much as I hated getting up, it was nice to get out and ride before the temperature hit 90+ degrees and before all the crazy drivers were out on the road.

Our route today took us around the Sawgrass Mills mall a couple times. We got home and took the hound for a lap around the lake. Annie had so much fun and was showing off for me. (usually Ryan takes her before I get home). What a silly dog!

Time to shower and get some grading done. I have a list a mile long of things I would like to do but I might just lay around today after the school work is over.

Karma...almost

For those of you that read Jessie's blog, you know all about her poop story from last night. Well, I laughed my butt off and posted a semi-sympathetic post. My husband mentioned not commenting because he didn't want Karma to bite him in the butt. Well, twice today, I had the severe tummy growling that sent me to the bathroom. The first one was a little too close for comfort and would have been mortifying because I was at work. The second one was at Target. All I wanted to do tonight was a little retail therapy. I didn't even make it through the store. I hauled butt to the check out and actually left my stuff at the register and trotted to the bathroom. I came back and had the ultimate shopping experience! The lady rang my stuff up and had it bagged and actually greeted me, said thank you, etc. I was shocked. If I wasn't so scared of having a Jess moment, I would have found her manager.

I had intentions of walking tonight but instead I ate some leftovers and graded discussion board posts. That will make Saturday's grading go much smoother. I also want to note that I didn't purchase any drinks for this evening because of the rumbly in my tumbly. Dang, a few glasses of wine, rum and dt. coke, or ice cold beer would have tasted magnificent after the day I have had.

Tomorrow is going to be hellish and I will be working from home. My unpacked Friday scheduled filled up and should be quite interesting. I haven't worked a full day from home in months. The good news is-no commute! Whoot woo!!!

I wish I had some fun stories but none to be had. Read the bowler's blogs. They will have stories to share if you want entertainment.

Am I Fun or Funny?

My class tonight was squirrely and not in the mood to talk about Finance (neither was I) so we cracked a few jokes. I was told I was funny and fun. Hmmmm...is there a difference. Is one better than the other? Without putting words after funny, I think they qualify as one and the same.

It was fun to see the few students in class participating and having a good time. Reminds me why all the other hours of BS are worthwhile. For students to think their school experience is top notch and that the magic that goes on behind the scenes is just that, magic.

Sunday Morning Bike Ride

We didn't go at 7am because it was so foggy we feared we would get hit by a car or disappear in the mist. So we went around 10 when the sun was up and the air was a little more clear. We actually cut the ride shorter than what was mapped out but it ended up being 9.5 miles anyways. It was nice riding on a newly paved road but then we had to start using sidewalks. I hate turning those sharp little corners where the "ramp" area is. I have a large fear of biffing it (and have a bike history to prove the fear is warranted). I think I will have a sunburn more than sore legs tomorrow. My arms are a little tired from holding my body up but all in all, good work out. I am sure the hubby would have pedalled faster but I like to keep a nice controlled speed. I think we averaged 14 mph on the straight road but the up and down, stoplight plagued parts were around 12 mph.

Time to hop in the shower and get the day moving.

Good news

I hired a person Friday afternoon! Whooot wooo! Maybe in a couple weeks when she transfers to my department and after a week of training...things will start to be less hectic at work.

The other good news is that the hubby didn't get up and make me go biking this morning. Tomorrow is when it is scheduled so on Monday, I won't be able to walk. Nice.

Time to do some grading.

Sucked Ass

Yeah, that's right. I had this high hope that I might not suck at bowling this year. My first game I was the lowest score but I bowled a 90. That made me feel pretty optimistic until game 2. It was all down hill after that. I even refrained from drinking during the first game to make sure I stayed focused. When I finally broke 40 in the 7th or 8th frame of game 2...I decided maybe the beer would help me. Nah, it didn't help. I officially sucked ass last night. Game 2 had a score in the 70s and game 3 in the 80s. Uff!

On another note, I warned the girls I was near meltdown and might just cry at some point in the night for no reason at all. Well, I did and I would like to remind a certain someone (reads my blog but never posts...you know who you are) that it wasn't anything you said. It was all about timing. The poor hubby got the full hours worth of sobbing once we got home. The emotional roller coaster has slowed down but the ride isn't completely over. I just braved a similar conversation with my boss and told her I was ready to crack. Luckily, she is a lot like me and told me not to stress so much and to take a step back.

In taking a step back, I am blogging on company time. I spent the first hour of my day doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't surf the net, I didn't answer emails, I just sat here and stared at my computer. It was glorious. If this is what the rest of you call work, I kinda like it! :)

To grade or not to grade...

After an 11+ hour day at work today, I came home and decided I would read this weeks material and take the unit review/quiz. I am not grading tonight. I am exhausted and think I will drink some wine and finally watch 1 of the 2 seasons finale's I have been waiting to get to for weeks. God bless the DVR.

Good news...I was asked if I wanted to teach next term. Must mean I am not doing too bad for a first timer. I do but I am taking a break. I will resume teaching in September. This summer I am bowling and working on doing things for me outside of work and earning money.

Today we had a massive "4pm" emergency. I busted butt and took care of something that clearly should have fallen on the hands of some other people. I am a little upset that I didn't get a thank you or decent acknowledgement from the powers that be (I created a very detailed email-here's what's going on, here is what you need to do, here is how to do it, here is the text, here is the list, etc. plus 2 documents with screenshots detailing it all). I did that in less than an hour under the gun. Those are the moments I miss some of my other bosses that would have at least said thank you and great job. Oh well...what can I do?

The diet is holding up. My lack of substantial calories today was substituted with some wine but still less than normal. I didn't get any exercise in but stress has to elevate and burn some calories.

Tomorrow is the first night of bowling. I am pumped for the first time. I hope I don't suck ass. I am sure someone will and usually it is me but this year...I think I am better than that! :)

Hopefully I will have a bowling story or two for you tomorrow. If not...read someone elses blog.

Tropical Storm Barry=no kayaking

Not to sing the blues but everytime my family plans an outdoor event, mother nature never cooperates. I busted out of work early on Friday to go to my parent's house for a Saturday kayaking adventure. We loaded up Big Red with 4 humans and 2 dogs. The ride was ok but it was pouring out. Saturday came and we were in the middle of a tropical storm. No kayaking for us. It was great to see the family but driving 10 hours over the course of a couple days felt like a waste of time.

Oh well. I came home, picked up a little and graded papers. I got my class prepped for tomorrow night and even got some work work done.

It is 9pm and I am ready for some reading. Then it's lights out. Tomorrow starts the beginning of a serious lifestyle change. Better eats, more exercise, and less hours at the office. How long do you think that will last? Oh well. Gonna give it a shot.