RAGBRAI... the oldest, hardest, and longest cycling expedition in the world.
I think, right next to Tour de France. After doing this little venture... I think I will enter Tour de France next year! ha!

This is a cycling ride, not a race, and our team tried to slow down and enjoy the week. People come from all over the world to do this ride. There was a pace team from Italy, and I met several people from California plus I met a guy from somewhere... he didnt speak a lick of english and I couldnt place his language. All we did was chatter to each other and smile. We had no idea what the other was saying. haha People camp out in tents each night or if they are lucky (like we were) they have a RV Coach complete with car hauler/trailer and mini van to follow the team from town to town and provide a little comfort. Thank God for Larry our driver! He was a God send! Food vendors travel from town to town and set up each night, plus they are located along side the highways so you are never more than 5 miles from food and water/sports drinks. Here's a few pics:

Patti, Sheri and I headed to the Expo on the day we arrived. WAY in the background you can see a campsite starting to form:


A team bus comes rolling in:


Blood, Sweat & Gears the morning of our first day ride:


A view of the riders coming up the hill heading out of Missouri Valley, Iowa. The trail of cyclists went on for miles and miles and miles!


One of the rest stops along the highway:

Sweet Deal

When Sheri and I pedaled into one of the overnight stays while doing RAGBRAI, off to our right was a 65 Mustang for sale... and it caught our eye. We headed back to the Coach and told all the guys... they'd seen it too... so we loaded up and went back to get a closer look. It's exactly what we've been looking for to give to C to drive! We got the phone number of the guy selling it and if he'd answered or called us back... we would have purchased it and driven it home! I love it!

Welcome Home

I did it!

I pedaled 471 grueling miles across the stinky state of Iowa. I mean "stinky" literally. It's the smelliest place I've ever been. Pig poop everywhere! Plus it's not flat. Iowa is very hilly. "rolling hills" as they call it... we refer to them as mini mountains.

Boy, do I have some leg muscles now!

I'll try to get some pics posted soon!

BRAGBRAI as Some Call It

I'm heading out to go pedal my 500 miles! Me and the other 10,000 people! I'm excited yet I have butterflies in my stomach. I know I have the endurance to do it... its my bike butt i'm worried about. After a 50 mile ride your butt bone is sore, but 500 miles! We get 7 days to do it, but still! Butt Bone Spurs are painful.

Fortunately, we're going in luxury. As me and the other 6 in my group pedal along, we have Larry following us in our $800,000 RV and trailer (complete with mini van for short little jaunts around town). At night, we dont have to pitch a tent like so many fellow cyclists. We get to sleep under an air conditioner. yeah! That will help the ol butt spur. lol

See ya in a week or so!

Some More Cold

I've been so extremely busy and I havent been able to blog. I'm fixin to leave on a long cycling ride... whooo hoooo!!!

Alaska:
We got to ride an old rickety train through the mountains while we were in Skagway. (fun fun) It was beautiful... but i'm not too hip on going over old bridges and narrow passages high in the mountains!

Here's our train:


See... it's so gorgeous!





This little lady would give you a tour all around Skagway for a teeny tiny fee of $20 each. Richard and I didnt go, but C & P and my mom did. They found out that you can't buy land to build homes or businesses. Pretty much the only way you can buy a house there is if you know someone and they specifically will sell it to you, or you are left a house by death or some other way of inheriting. All the land is National Park territory or Indian Burial ground or something and if a house does come up sale, the price is astronomical! $300k or a little shack. So, when people have to go there to work, they can't afford a house and can't build, so they pitch tents or stay in travel trailers 'out back'. I should have gotten a picture of that... because we passed 'out back' on the train and they do! They have to live like bums almost. So sad.

No Easy Entry

Let me begin with... there is so much I want to share about Alaska and Canada but there is so much information and such little time and I don't know where to begin! I'll just jump right in somewhere and hopefully in the end it will come together. Kind of like a senior term paper.

The scenery is amazing. It's almost therapeutic. Like a fish tank almost! This is me looking at the mountains as we pass... heading to Juneau, Alaska.


The guys took a tram up the side of the mountain and here's a shot of Juneau from the top. Did you know that Juneau isn't accessible by auto? You can only get to this city by boat! My cousins used to live here too!!!


Now, here in Oklahoma the "Red Dog" is something totally different! Only Richard and I giggled when we saw the "Red Dog" on the corner. Thank God the kids didnt understand the funny!


Again, looking down on Juneau from the top of the mountain. This mountain also is home to a local lake and a favorite of all the kiddos. The locals hike this mountain and go fishing here!


Another view of Juneau. It's so beautiful. While shopping I got to chatting with one of the girls that was working in a shop and learned she was from Texas! I asked "WHY" would you ever move from Texas to Alaska and Juneau at that!? It's only accessible by boat! She said she had gone there on a visit (friend or sister) and she loved it, so she went back for a 6 week visit and decided to stay. She'd been in Alaska for about 8 years now. It's nice... but I like being able to drive in and out of my city :)

Belated 4th

Happy 4th of July yesterday! Here are a few pics from our night. We went to a little cookout at a friends house... set off some of our own fireworks and watched all those around us.

Cruising Through

I'm back!

I'm not sure where to start in telling my travel story. I'm glad to be home though. It was fun to go, but it sure is a long trip and having so many time changes and traveling with your entire family plus being surrounded by so many Asian people who have no consideration for your personal space... wears on your last nerve. Grant, you'd love the Alaskan Cruise. They announced that there were 85 different nationalities on the ship and I bet 70% of the people were Asian.

The absolute best part of the trip was cruising Glacier Bay. Those big chunks of ice are amazing and alot bigger than you'd ever imagine. We were fortunate enough to watch huge chunks of ice falling into the ocean - they say they move 6 feet a day. At first we heard what sounded like a huge clap of thunder, and then you see 'dust' on the side of the glacier and then you see it hit the water and then you feel the ripples of waves. The environmentalist that was brought to the ship to describe and explain everything to us, said that the big piece that fell (that we saw) was the biggest he'd seen while doing these tours and none had moved a ship like this one had. It was so exciting. The water is smooth and calm and a murky green/gray color. We were in a huge glass of liquid refreshment with ice cubes.

I've got more to write later but i'm still diggin through hundreds of pictures. Here's a few!

On Break

I'm taking a break from packing... we're fixing to head north! Canada will never be the same once we're done with it! hehehe

Here are a few pictures that Richard took of baby Z and I the weekend I did Red River Roadkill. We'd walked down to the water to check it out and daddy snapped some good pics of us!




If I don't talk to you before I left for the trip... I'll talk to you afterwards. I'm sure I'll have alot to share!

P.S. Good luck and best wishes to Posse :) He's having a new baby boy on Friday!!!

Sunday

Happy Father's Day!

Fare Thee Well

It is with great sadness that I report the end of my blogging career. Health issues have reared their ugly head and all my efforts and energy will need to focus there. I appreciate all of you and have enjoyed taking a peek into your diverse lives over this past three years. I hope to continue reading your blogs and wish you the best in all your endeavors. Mz Kerbear will hopefully continue to keep you abreast of the events surrounding her life with her terrific hubby and precious Baby Z. Please feel free to stay in touch via email. Ironically, my addy is mzblogger@hotmail.com.

hugs and kisses,

circe

Follow up to the story

Ok.. since i'm not watching that horrid movie, it gives me the chance to post some pics.
Here's Sheri and I at the butt crack of dawn. Actually, i'm not sure it was dawn yet. We were fixing our oatmeal and loading up to get to register for our ride.


Our group skipping off to the cars after we'd finished our ride and grabbed some lunch.


A few of the guys that we ride with... and they are all smiles after we finish! They are an awesome group!


The most beautiful baby at the lake. Love the fishing hat!

Edit to Previous Post

I am not watching that shit.

I'll have nightmares!

I walked in on a scene where my Will is screamed at by some freak of nature and I'm not watching that. I'll have nightmares.

So, i'm going to work on my pictures.

It's Raining Men!

I have been so neglectful of this blog... and even worse at catching up on my fellow bloggers sites. *begging forgiveness*

I have been seriously so busy with all our summer activities and the job and trying to train my bike butt. I have been able to sneak a few peaks at some of the posts... i'm trying to stay in the loop!

Sheri and I rode in the Red River Roadkill bike ride this past weekend. After doing Tour de Meers, the 30mph wind and winding hills around Lake Murray were nothing! We pumped those miles out like pros and were greeted with applause and whistles and we pedaled into the station at the finish line.

I'll see what pictures I have to post from there too.

We made a weekend of it and camped out at the lake... I have awesome pics of me and baby Z! My sweet hubby got some great pictures. He is so good about taking us out and doing photo shoots ;) I'll share those soon too. Right now the guys are all in the back room watching a Will Smith movie... so I gotta go. I love Will!

Photo Opportunity

I made the front page of the Sunday Oklahoman... the Destinations section!

I got out of bed this morning and headed to check my email and there sat a message from one of my sweet little friends that read..

I opened the Sunday paper and who do I see leading the pack of bikers, Kerry and Sheri.....Great Job!! I am impressed!!! I know it was hot and muggy that day. You will have to get the paper and have the article framed!! Oh, and I love the pink that you have on....

WHAT!? What paper!? I raced to the corner store and there on the front page was a little blip about Tour de Meers last weekend so I knew that's what she had to be talking about. I bought the paper and raced out to the MM to check it out. Sure enough, a huge picture of me and Sheri leading a pack up the side of the mountain. Our first ride/race and we made the paper :) I'll see if I can get it scanned in and share the pic.

My Sweet Bloggin Partner

Big Hugs and Kisses to you, Circe!!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I miss you!

Bull Bait

While I am enjoying this abbreviated workweek, I can’t help but feel the day is dragging along interminably. *sigh* Oh, and our internet will be shut down at 4p for "maintenance." Great.

This past long weekend was not without its ups and downs. On Sat, I finally grabbed a few cold ones and saddled up on the riding mower to enjoy the bright sunshine as I chopped down pesky weeds and long grasses. However, this favorite chore of mine was not without drama. A few weeks ago, TBC purchased a young bull that is currently undergoing “hormonal changes”. I don’t know all the technical jargon but suffice to say he’s in the process of becoming a steer and his current job description is alternate mower for the back forty. Making my way around the front of the house proceeded smoothly as I warily kept my distance from the fences. Upon finishing that section TBC suggested I next work on the side front which technically resides in the gated bovine confines. Being a city gal and not having had much interaction with livestock, I was understandably nervous. I repeatedly asked TBC if Mr Moo would keep his distance and not come after me and was given several lukewarm assurances. Assessing the situation with each turn, I realized there was no way out should a confrontation arise except back through the gate as both a barbed wire and an electric fence blocked hasty exits. I finished the section closest to the road but kept turning around to see if I could spot our munching newcomer. He was nowhere in sight as I started on another section. After making about three turns, Mr Bull decided it was time to check out this noisy contraption and its human rider and ambled up to an uncomfortably close distance to yours truly. I came to an abrupt halt and started screaming my head off for TBC to get over here!!! (The neighbors poked their heads out after hearing all the shrieking.) He calmly (and slowly) made his way toward me and motioned for me to shut off the mower whereupon I was informed that if I headed toward Mr Bull, he would run away. Had he chatted with the big fellow earlier and had him pinky swear that said bovine would not harass Mz Circe or chase her around the field as she went about her pleasant pasture chore? I don’t think so!

Letting out what I fervently hoped was a menacing bellow, I gritted my teeth, switched on the power, and resumed my determined trek toward him. And he moved. Not very fast and not very far and in no way scared of little ole me, but he did get out of my way as he resumed eyeballing me from some trees near the bordering fence. And after a while he plodded back down the field to his former resting place way the heck at the back of the property. After I finished and had parked the mower back in the garage, TBC asked me to please not give his bull a heart attack again. Yeah, whatever…

Tour de Meers Ride

Happy Memorial Day!

I've started the weekend celebration by riding 57 hellacious miles on a cycling ride. Surprisingly enough, my bike butt didn't hurt. It was outdone by the 100mph wind, intense 92 degree heat and 41% humidity plus the elevation since we were riding in the ONLY mountains in Okie Land. Tour de Meers should be renamed Ride from Hell.

We set out to ride the 67 miles (the longest route) and about 15 miles into the ride, we rethought that idea... and decided we'd do the 57 miles instead.


Our last 15 took us by the Wind Farm. Here's two of our fellow cyclists pedaling by.


Our 3rd and final rest stop where we scored another banana and ice cold water served with love from our generous host! This guy met us at our bikes with water and filled our water bottles for us. Thank God he did... because the last 15 miles were horrid and hot and for the last 6 or 7 miles we were running out of water and fuel.


At the next stop, 30 miles into the heat, we were doing ok but a little bit of a forced smile for the camera. This stop was out of water and we had to ration our water to the next stop... at 45 miles!


At the first 15 mile stop, we grabbed a banana and O.J. and were still all smiles!

I forgot that you have to upload pictures backwards, but I'm not going to redo them, so sorry for going in reverse! lol

Afterward we finished the ride and made it back to the car... two guys in our group who have ridden for years, told us that it was the worst ride they'd been on (conditions) and if they could have hitched a ride about 30 miles into it, they would have! So we did good. Awesome really!

Puter Parts

I've been in the IT world for many moons and my current job is nothing close to being IT related. Other than we use a PC to work. That's kind of how i wanted it. I was really getting tired of the hassle. Did you know the average IT person changes jobs after being in the field for approximately 7 years... because they experience burnout!? Yep. Its true... I read it somewhere.

Anyways, at my new job... my experience is getting the best of me. Its driving me crazy that the office manager insists on moving the 'guts' from point A to point B. I say "you mean the CPU?" Her: "the guts". UGH!

Then she asks me if I need a UBS plug thing. Me: "you mean USB?" Her: "yeah, that thingy". UGH

We change "the guts" and all the "stuff" that goes with it to different locations and holy cow... the one I connected works... the one they connected "isnt working". The PC, I mean "the guts", is working. There is power. But the internet won't come up. hhhmmmm

They ask "Kerry, is yours working?"
Me: Of course!
Them: This one isn't working. Can you... do you know what's wrong?
One guess what it was. I looked behind "the guts" and sure enough no network cable. I plugged it in and told her to try again.

I healed it!

It's really killing me to watch all this go on. I have worked with the smartest of the smartest guys and this hurts!

OH OH OH! AND she also had to put a shortcut on my desktop so I could get to a document and enter some data. She asked me if I could do it and then just did it for me! UGH! I don't particularly want it on my desktop PLUS if I did... I can do it!

Another girl in my office came from Dell and she handles it alot better than me! Somehow she has the capability to ignore. I tend to lean towards... telling them where to stick it :)

Time Of Our Life

Work and end of school commitments have kept me super busy and I havent had time to blog! *big tears*. I have so much to share... and zero time to share it.

I wrote a $1 million dollar umbrella policy today. Yeah for me!

Baby Z grabs at my sonic cup and loves her sippy cup! She's growing so fast.

Only 5 more weeks til we're headed to Alaska and Canada. I need a vacation...

PLUS I'm in training for a 500 mile cycling ride! How exciting!

More later I hope... but off to work the End Of School Bash!

Cat-astrophe

The renovation in my area is done and as of last Thursday I’m back in my old digs replete with a fresh coat of paint, spiffy new lighting and much needed contemporary office furniture which has been repositioned to make the area more airy and spacious. While this has helped tremendously in that respect and I’ve received very positive comments, my vulnerable back is now viewable from the oversized windows looking out toward the library not to mention the nosy peek those exiting can take at my screen. It’s also easily seen by anyone sauntering down our IT hallway. Privacy? What’s that? Blogging is going to be even more difficult than usual. :(

I recovered from my wisdom tooth extraction nicely, but not before suffering from an extended outbreak of canker sores. Then I caught a cold. And let’s not even discuss all the horrendous bad weather all of Okieville has been dealing with lately. Yeah, it’s been a lovely May so far.

Remember the kitten we adopted from "K" because, bad mother that she is, she ‘didn’t want her anymore’ and dumped her off on us? Well less than three weeks ago, Miss Cami went into heat and we made immediate arrangements for her to be "tutored." Between tests for leukemia and the actual surgery, we shelled out $116. Pre-surgery, they removed her flea collar so the day after she got home I replaced it with an adorable red one sporting a jingly bell. In a massive fit of historical irony, our newly spayed four-legged daughter is MIA. Yep, vanished without a trace. Unbelievable! We have not discovered any flattened black catcakes on the road and she never strayed far from the house so the most logical conclusion is she hopped in the bed of the pickup, fell asleep, and was accidentally taken for a ride Tuesday when TBC went to check on "S"’s dog. We can only assume she got out of the truck and wandered off unbeknownst to TBC and is now calling another location home. Still, you never know. She is one tough little cookie and hopefully will show back up when we least expect it.

Oh Happy Day

Happy Mothers Day!

We are going to a wedding. So, I guess all mothers in this family get skipped over today and will have to celebrate another day.

In the Saddle Again

I truly have Bikers Butt. Saddle Ass. Bruised Bike Butt Bone. Whatever you call it... I have it!

We rode 33 miles today in the flipping wind. For most of our trip "there" the wind was against us. We fought it uphill and downhill. When you go downhill you try to get as much speed as you can to push you up the next hill but today we couldn't get much speed built up because even on the "down" we were fighting the wind. So, the "ups" were HELL. One hill I almost climbed off my bike and walked it up.

We managed to increase our average speed... even with fighting the elements! Yeah!

I read online how to take care of your Saddle Ass. Put like Dr Scholls corn cushions on your Biker Butt the next time you ride, and it will help take pressure off that bone.

LMAO! Yeah, right.

The Wheels go round and round

We rode 27.8 miles yesterday! We could have gone alot farther, but I had to pee like no other... so we came back to the JEEP. I feel bikebutt coming on but we're still hitting the pavement this afternoon. Although cycling is alot of work... especially those darn UP hills, it makes you feel so good and in the end its a fantastic accomplishment! The burn is awesome! Your muscles in your legs and butt ache, but it's a good ache!

The Wheels on the Bike

Cycling Update: I'm not riding today.

Yesterday my sis and I set out to go riding and our goal was 24 miles and to do it quickly so we'd still make Happy Hour at Sonic (my new rule is happy hour diet cokes only because they charge way to much for a drink there - when I can go to my local 7-11 and get a huge gallon for 99 cents or something). When we pulled up to the lake we saw that you could surf on those waves. Waves mean wind and LOTS of it! Determined, we geared up and headed out. OMG! At times you had to put 100% of your body weight to one side or another to keep yourself upright. If you didn't, the wind would knock the bike out from underneath you and you'd be out flat on the pavement.

We pushed along and about 1/2 way through we decided we're not doing 24 miles! lol We did finish with about 12 and 1/2. Not too bad considering the elements. Later in the evening, we found out the the boys in the bike club didn't go riding yesterday because of the wind. There were 40mph wind gusts and it was too much for them!

HA! The girls made it! We rode and the boys didn't. hahahahah

Money In Your Pocket

This afternoon I was listening to the guy on the radio bitch about gas prices and food prices and how he made some beans this weekend (because its cheap) and it cost him $20. That's not cheap.

So... it made me think and I googled some info. A few ways to cut your grocery bill!

Stop eating out -- This one is a no-brainer and doesn't really need an explanation.

Don't buy frozen meals -- Do you realize you are paying $300 a pound for that tiny bit of veggies on the side?

Don't buy pre-cut meats -- Doing the cutting yourself will save you about $1 per pound or $223 per year for the average family of four.

Compare supermarkets --

Buy generic -- Generic and store-brand products are often processed at the same plants as name brand products, but they are much cheaper because they aren't advertised.

Buy day-old bread -- The bread at the day-old bakery is almost as good as the bread in the supermarket, yet it is half the price of fresh.

Buy in season -- There are times when the supermarket is practically giving away fruits and vegetables and other times when they cost a fortune.

Use more nonfat dry milk -- Nonfat dry milk is cheaper than regular milk.

Pick your own fruits and vegetables -- Find out if there is a food co-op in your area at www.localharvest.org and pick your own fruits and vegetables, which can be purchased at a fraction of what you pay at the supermarket.

Don't eat meat every night -- Fixing vegetarian casseroles and such several times a week can save the typical family of four about $3.00 per meal or $15.00 per week or about $800 a year.

Brown bag it at work -- This is one of the easiest ways to save money, as brown bagging it is about one-third the cost of eating lunch at an inexpensive restaurant.

Don't buy what you don't really need -- There are many products we buy because we love them, but don't really need them. Good examples are soft drinks, sugary snacks and other sweets. Giving them up will improve your health, reduce your medical and dental-related expenses and fatten your wallet.

Avoid vending machines and bring your own snacks/drinks to work: You pay significantly less for the candy bars and soda pop you buy at the grocery store than from a vending machine.

Use coupons -- Coupons can save you money, but too many people buy products they don't really need or use just because they have a coupon. Good coupon websites: CoolSavings.com -- Coupons.com -- StartSampling.com.

Leave the kids at home -- Caving in to pressure from crying children begging for certain cereals, snacks and toys adds, on average $6 to $20 to the weekly grocery bill. Leave them at home and buy only what your family needs.

Helpfully Yours

For those not in the loop and living in a hole, today is Administrative Professionals Day and so far I've received a pretty green candle and holder from my secret pal, an adorable pink lounging outfit from my boss, a funny singing card from the IT gang, and a gorgeous bouquet of pink carnations from my dearest work bud, "L". I love it! Last year I bought a similar loungy outfit in turquoise and even packed it for the Jamaica trip this past February. No word yet on if or when we’ll be having our annual staff luncheon but with all the events currently going on, I’m sure it won’t be until May at the earliest.

On the other hand, Cowgirl didn’t last even a year with our crazy IT department as she heads out the door for greener pastures after this Friday. (No, I didn’t run her off, I swear.) She will be settling in the neighboring state of Arkanslaw and hopes to sell homemade wagon wheels to the Amish. She even brought one of her ‘creations’ to work today to show to fellow employees. I don’t make these things up. Honest. Ever the professional, she has a new food joint’s menu tacked up to her door. Wtf? Are they paying her for this free promotion? This seems out of line but I do admit that some hungry techs and I were salivating reading the list of offerings. IT will be hosting a small going away party for her in the lounge Friday and boss is providing the refreshments including cake. Guess the least I can do is scrounge up a Buh Bye card.

Also in the news, our six-month old adopted wild child, Cami, is getting ‘tutored’ today. This surgery was scheduled just in the nick of time as she went into heat yesterday with kitty grrl hormones making their presence known as they took over her adolescent body. She’s been suffering a case of funky eyes and the vet suspected leukemia but it came back negative. After plunking down the bucks for shots and neutering, what usually happens next is they run out in the road and become kitty pancakes.


This past Sunday I attended the dreaded Premier jewelry party and altogether dropped almost $100 bucks on glittery ornamentation I had no intention of purchasing. Damn those shiny, flashy irresistible earbobs! (One can tell I’ve been reading Scarlett O’Hara again). Normally wild horses cannot drag me to these pressure parties but my preshus niece pulled the begging puppy dog eyes and I knew I’d capitulate for her. The small crowd consisted of mostly female relatives and no less than three had their arm twisted to book future parties that I will no doubt be invited to. *slaps forehead* Will this vicious, never-ending cycle ever run out of steam?! Two are pooling time and resources by going in together for their bash but I will fortunately be out of town on vacation on the day chosen. Oh darn! The other isn’t until September and who knows what previous engagement may run interference and give me a much need break. ;)

Occifer I Promise I'm Innocent!

OMG! HAHAH

I sat down to check my emails this morning and I got a sweet little message from a friend who is still at Chaos College.

"I was going thru old pics for Dr K retirement party and I found these. LOL"

LOL is right! I'd totally forgotten that while I was there I had been "arrested" and spent time in the pokey!




OMG! HAHAH

I got disciplined before I was hauled off.

It was all in fun *giggle*. The students were raising money by having people arrested and someone had to bail us out. It was Drug Awareness week or SADD or something of that nature. Gosh those were fun times!

Green Giant

Baby Z is enjoying her green beans! We spent a week on greens... now we're trying carrots and so far, so good. She likes them best when C feeds them to her though. lol

She's also sportin a new high chair at the dinner table. We broke down and bought her a new 7 position reclining high chair. The thing might as well have heated leather seats. She loves to sit with us and if we're eating... you bet your sweet bippy you better have something for her to eat!

Nothing For Today

UGH. F'n Blogger. I've tried all afternoon to get some pictures uploaded and it keeps erroring out!

I hate the "try again later" comment.

*pissed off pouting action*

Lost & Found

I walked in the lounge first thing this morning to wash out my coffee mug and lo and behold, guess what was sitting on the counter next to the sink holding out its widdle cuppy hands for me? Mmm, yeah. And the odd thing is it wasn't there before and it was washed! My my! Sure wish drinking utensils could talk and I'd love to know where my little wanderer has been this past week. The stories this one might tell me. Methinks I smell a rat.

Cubed

Now that the ole IT gang is bunched up together in our temp quarters, we are discovering the undeniable joys of cubiclicity. This is a pleasure I have never experienced in all my years as a working gal and I’m so channeling Dilbert and Office Space. We’ve already initiated our new cubicleness by sending paper airplanes flying and now that GFR is back from Vegas I fully expect to feel spitballs raining down upon my unsuspecting back. I can lock eyeballs with no less than two of my colleagues with just a slight tilt of my head. We are already overhearing personal conversations and detecting minor quirks and pesky flaws we were blissfully unaware of in our former autonomous state. More that likely these quirky peccadilloes will become major bones of contention by the time we make our graceful exit. Right now I am staring at ten huge printer boxes slated for shipment to a far site and stacked in front of me for lack of storage while they do double duty as a tricky obstacle course. Oh, and the fruit flies that were bothering us before have managed to track us down and return to pestering the living daylights out of us. Some things never change.

What Will His Friends Say?

Cate Blanchett named her new baby... Ignatius.

Why? What kind of name is that? I thought that was something we only heard of in the movies... bad movies.

If I Only Had a Brain

It’s official. I have lost my befuddled, confused mind. The last two weeks have been crazy busy here at work and yesterday the IT dept made the big move (about 30 ft) across the hall to a temporary sanctuary while our area gets its facelift. This former conference room has morphed over the years from its original purpose to an ITV classroom, back to a conference room, then chopped up and vastly shrunk to make room for offices on the other side and now into alternate cubicle offices for those in transition. (That was one long sentence.) So yesterday was our turn to shuffle and I have misplaced a few things that I normally can get my hands on immediately. At any rate, my credenza is now behind me and this is where I’ve always set my coffee mug and water glass. Now I know it was a chaotic madhouse yesterday and I was quite distracted but I was indeed drinking out of that glass all yesterday afternoon and am absolutely positive it never budged. Surely it wasn’t swiped by some nefarious personage masquerading as a benign colleague? And if they were going to filch a mug, why couldn’t they at least have picked the cheap Dollar General coffee mug that I bought here in town for a whopping dollar? "S" suggested maybe my secret pal took it and they are going to give it back to me as a present because they are cheap. Or possibly they borrowed it temporarily with plans of returning it filled with candy. That’s putting a positive spin on things but I’m not so optimistic.

Anyway, I walk in this morning and it has vanished into thin air. Poof! So I’m frantically scratching my head as to where it possibly could have gone. I checked the obvious places but to no avail. After wandering back to our old area in search of this special OBX glass I discover to my horror three Fedex envelopes from last Thursday that were processed but never picked up for distribution! OMG!! How did I blank out and drop the ball so badly on this one??? I can’t remember what happened yesterday let alone what occurred a solid week ago. And they were tests to far sites meant to be taken this past Tuesday. Yikes! I’m very surprised the instructor hadn’t called me demanding to know their whereabouts but she hasn’t so I’ve bitten the bullet and left a VM to discuss making amends. I’d say the day can only get better but we’re expecting severe storms this afternoon so I cannot envision that happening. In conclusion, has anyone seen my brain?

Bicycle Built for Speed

I got a new road bike for my birthday and yesterday I broke it in. First of all, let me explain that a bike used for racing and those huge, mammoth bike rides are not like the bikes we ride as kids nor are they the bike you run up to Wal-mart and get for a little ride around the neighborhood. They are specifically for your height and inseam and they are designed so that you have to reach as faaaaar as your little arms will go to get to the brakes and gear shifts! Not only that, but they expect you to wear shoes with cleats to lock in your feet!

What the heck is that all about!?

My first attempt to get on the bike was just that. An attempt. I failed to get my leg thrown over the thing because the seat was too high. Got that adjusted and then I have to attempt to get a foot on the pedal, and locked in, and take off. Easier said than done. When you're standing on the ground, your seat comes to just right above your butt crack so it's not like you can just sit down and take off. Nope. You have to get one foot on and stand up to get on your seat (gotta get rolling too or you will fall and keep in mind your foot is locked in and if you start to fall you have to not forget to snap your shoe out of the pedal to catch yourself) and throw the other foot into locked position. Start pedaling!

I walked my bike to a safe area to get started. You know, the area on the bottom of the hill, past the poles (so I wont hit them), where hopefully no one can see me try to take a ride. Monday's at 6pm are busy on the trails! I managed to take off and with only a little struggle on the second cleat, I was off and riding!

I rode 12 miles on my first day with no accidents. I didn't wreck or run over anyone or get run over. I did a little off-roading by accident, but nothing major. I managed to maintain control of the vehicle at all times!

Today, I rode another 12 miles in horrid wind... and my butt bone hurts like no other! It was sore from yesterday, but today its major sore. Is there a treatment for that? Bike Butt!

A Little R & R

I don't specifically adore Rachel Ray, but I don't dislike her either. She is a cute girl that has this raspy voice like she just left a smokey bar (all night long). But have you noticed how fluffy her arms are? She's not fat by any means... but her arms are huge!

Most girls gain weight in their arse. I think her yummy dishes go straight to her arms!

You Make Me Sick

For the past few months, I've sat at my computer desk with my back to the District Manager's office and I hear every little conversation that takes place. Whether I like it or not. I've grown more and more irritated with his immaturity and lack of direction and irresponsibility.

He is constantly picking up the phone and calling someone to see if they want to go get drunk. He calls other DM's or agents and calls them dirty names and then giggles. Today, he called someone and told them about an agent (female obviously) that made X amount of sales and won an award and "damn she had this low cut blouse on that made her, well they, it was low cut and blah blah" *cleared his throat*... was probably sportin' a woody just talking about it.

He's a grandpa for God's sakes. Plus we're supposed to be professional and who knows who's listening!?!? There might be a place and time for that kind of thing but not all the time. And its all the time with him. I grow more and more tired of it.

Whether Weather

Ok, this severe weather nonsense is getting old fast. It’s only April 9^th and I think we’ve had five or six tornado watches in the last few weeks and we haven’t even hit the big twister month (May) yet. This is not boding well. It’s especially entertaining when the fronts move through during the early morning hours and all that crashing and booming wakes you up from a dead sleep debating whether to head for the storm shelter (aka wine cellar) or not. Last month, I finally broke down and purchased a weather radio so I’ll know how things stand should the power go off. Several more rounds are expected today and tomorrow with the likeliest chance of terrible twisters predicted to hit during the *shocked look* early morning hours. Oh joy! Kerbear is under a severe thunderstorm watch as I type and I’m certain I’ll come under it later today. I sure hope this extensive renovation on Chaos College isn’t all for naught.

The Topfive.com's 16 Signs Your Website Is Not Very 2.0

16. Yours in the only Website where communities can get
communicable diseases.

15. "This site best viewed with Mosaic Browser."

14. Your source code contains the statement: "Charles
Babbage 1830"

13. Your "social networking" site is nothing but a single
page with a long list of phone numbers.

12. Your hamsters are doing the minuet.

11. Instead of streaming video, your site sends someone
to the user's location with a slide projector.

10. You had to suspend your blog when your blanket caught
fire on the hot smoke.

9. Your highest browser penetration: WebTV 1.0.

8. The "Order now!" link next to merchandise brings up
a simple text page displaying a phone number.

7. “CDIV Fyle Nae Founde."

6. Your site just sits there yelling at the Web 2.0 sites
to GET THE HELL OFF ITS INTERNET!

5. The only thing that's user-generated: cease-and-desist
letters.

4. Instead of uploading an avatar, the user is asked to
approximate his or her look in "ASCII art" using a 30x30
matrix of Courier New characters.

3. Language options are limited to Latin and Sanskrit.

2. The sample MP3s on the site are skipping.

1. Your corporate blog's editorial this week rails at
"Congreff."

Coweringly,
Circe

My Surprise Birthday!

OHHHH!!!! Guess what I got for my birthday!!?!??!?! A road bike! I'm so excited!

Richard and my sis and my parents got me a bike (and intend on me using it)... PLUS I'm registered for RAGBRAI. It's a 500 mile, 7 day bike ride across the state of Iowa.

I'm officially in the "in" bike rider group here and start training this next week I hope! This means long, treacherous rides several times a week. Plus, wearing pants with butt pads. HAHAHAH

My Name Is...

I really love our daycare lady that keeps Z. She's got flare and sparkling personality and her husband is a jewel too. The kids she keeps are all such good kids... hilarious and very well mannered. Last week I walked in the front door of daycare and I heard "Header, can we have a snack!?"

Header: NO! The kitchen is closed.

Two little boys running around at her feet... each about 3 years old.

Boys: No it's not Header! Can we have a snack?!

Header: NO boys! The kitchen is closed. Go in the other room i'm cleaning up.

Boys: Its not closed Header, cuz we're in it.

Me: LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY Did they call you Header!?

Header: Yep. I get called Header, Ma, Hannah, or Hey and I answer to all of it.

Her name is Heather! LMAO

Make Me Feel Better

Richard and I went to our sunday school social tonight. We've only been to two in two years and for some reason I felt like we needed to go to this one.

I'm glad we did! I've been toying with issues at my new job and not sure what to do or which way to go and tonight I had three people come and ask me about work and "how is it going" and all three of them told me things that confirmed how I was feeling and what direction I needed to take all this.

Funny how things work out like that. I needed to be there to hear what my fellow classmates had to say.

Surely You Jest

Let’s see. March ended and April began much like an angry, ferocious lion by throwing tornados at us. This was followed by April Fool’s Day but my merry band of IT warriors were too busy getting ready for the academic contest we hosted on Wednesday to do much about it. And even though I’ve been minus parts of my group on various days, things have managed to stay hectic this entire workweek. Throw in Chaos College electing a new prez (though this won't take effect until July) to replace our departing Grand Poobah, and you can understand why busy is an understatement around here. Ch-ch-ch-changes, eh? Things are picking up speed as many events preface the grand finale better known as Commencement. And this culmination of educated toil and sweat arrives about a week early this semester.

I’m totally hooked on http://www.cracked.com/ and if you hear loud peals of laughter emanating from my end of the building, this is the reason why. Happy weekend! :)

Errbody in Da House Gettin Tipsy

It's rainy and cold today! Isn't it April and supposed to be spring!?!??

I just left the dermatologists office. I've had this funky itchy rash on my hands the past month or so and he's been treating it so today was my checkup.

He told me that I had to destress. He said stress is hurting me and if my hands are showing signs, that means my entire body is having problems. He then asked what could be causing me stress. Well... I have a new baby and a new job. I can't destress that stuff. lol He said "do you have an Au Pair" *insert hysterical laughter here*

No. I do it myself.

He said "you need to talk to hubby and tell him it's time to get an Au Pair"

Again hysterical laughter to myself.

Then he followed with I probably need to make a job change.

This job change IS my job change! So change from my change!?!? That might be possible. Heck it might be necessary. After today, I was considering it anyways.

Then he asked if he could help by giving me Prozac. As lovely as the thought is... I declined. I need to learn to relax and help myself... myself! I dont want to depend on a pill. Even though its a tiny dose, I dont want to become dependant. I'll just drink myself silly instead. I think I'll enjoy that treatment more.

Margarita's anyone!?!?

Twister

A tornado hit our area last night. Not too far from my house. So close I could almost spit on it and not one time did the sirens go off. We stayed up pretty late last night watching the weather and seeing what was expected. The storms were pretty brutal but it was going to swing around us and we'd probably only get some wind and rain.. maybe a little hail but nothing super major.

We headed off to bed and about an 1 1/2 hours later, Richard got up and flipped on the weather again. Nothing. The weather guy had nothing catastrophic to talk about and seemed the worst was over.

This morning we got up and as part of our normal routine we turn on the news and see what we're faced with for the day and I'll be darn if a tornado didn't wipe out a house and tear up a few other houses less than a mile from us! Seriously!! Its just right over there! *pointing* In fact, two major roads within a mile from our house were shut down today due to storm damage and OG&E was working on it all day.

I asked Richard if the sirens had gone off. He didn't hear them. I didn't hear them. All day long I'd bump into people and they'd ask "did you hear sirens?" Nope. Not one. Neither did anyone else. We grew pissed at our city for not warning us! We figured they spent all their siren fund in testing and couldn't actually blow them in the event of a real situation because we've spent our wad testing every saturday at noon!

Tonight on the news the little weather guy explained. The storm was right over and us and out of nowhere (obviously) a tornado drops on those houses. No warning... nothing. The families all hid in bathrooms and closets. No one was hurt, thankfully.

It occured at the exact time Richard hopped out of bed to watch the weather. Weird!!!

Lost Lingerie

Did someone misplace their trusty binder? I discovered this on the counter by the sink in the gym, crumpled and despondent, whimpering in the corner. Its owner apparently had dressed in such a rush that this helpless undergarment was overlooked in the frantic scramble. Here’s hoping it was later reclaimed and is once again back in commission.

The federal government is sending each and every one of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs. If we purchase a computer it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Japan. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to buy prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in the US. Thank you for your help.

Cat a Tonic

Earlier this week my favorite furball experienced a ‘digestive tract upset’ (aka puked) involving worms. TBC apprised me of his predicament and asked me to pick up a supply of worm meds from the vet for all our four-legged children. This I did Monday after work. Administering the pills was quite entertaining as our multiple cat household received their dosage via Dr TBC. Though my role was not as crucial, I did play the part of the encouraging yet distant onlooker nurse. I did miss Stubbly’s turn on the table but was present for the others. My preshus BW was next up and the timid little guy was left quite traumatized but managed to hide his humiliation by wolfing down the wet cat food TBC offered as a consolation prize for playing. I cringed when Spikey’s turn came as she is anything but a model patient and is widely known as the Witch Queen. Anyway, TBC grabbed her by the head, popped open her jaw and slung the little pill into her unwilling mouth. Apparently that sucker traveled a little further than expected and got stuck in her airway causing her to make weird noises and froth profusely. After a minute of consternation and debate, TBC hunted her down hiding under the sofa and heimliched her to where the stubborn tablet finished its original journey down her esophagus. Whew! She too was severely distressed and hid under the corner of the bar, refusing to even consider the tempting plate of kitty treats. Our final feline patient was our feisty female newbie, Cami, who was quite the little trooper and faced her fate with stoic resolve. Later that evening, I headed down the hallway only to discover hacked up clumps of undigested dinner in not one but three huge piles scattered across the carpet. Gross! Grumbling loudly, I cleaned up the wretched mess and questioned the efficacy of giving the puker anything remotely resembling edibles a nanosecond after he’s been dosed, but then, who am I to question the knowledgeable, educated doctor? And speaking of BW, does that sweet snoozing lump of love resemble a ruthless brawler who beat up the neighbor cat so badly they required an IV? I must have a serious talk with that boy…

Birthday Party

I wish I had total freedom to write and write and write sometimes (here). But I don't. You never know who might stumble onto this blog plus I have a few friends that read it periodically... although probably more like once every six months... but this would be the one time in that six months they'd decide to read and it's a post about them. Not cool. So, I will keep my mouth shut (for now) ;)

The less detailed version is...

Last night we had a surprise birthday party for my sister! For some reason she didn't act too happy. hmmmm
Her BF asked Jill and I to arrange it... and we did. We also threw in a little surprise for him. His BD is two days before hers, so I called a few of his friends and invited them and had a cake for both of them.

Her friend Dawna came to pay a visit...


Birthday girl jabbering with someone...


Jill loving on my hubby and precious baby!


The cake (hers)...


I feel something is/was amiss... darn, I wish I could write more!

Sneezin Season

So I’m back online after a brief sabbatical. Ya gotta love how consistently inconsistent I’ve become with blogging. Must be something about getting close to that third year mark, eh? Don't forget to mark your calendars for July 6th as Kerbear and I would love to receive lots of fabulous presents. (We promise to act surprised.)
: -)


The last few weeks I’ve been sneezing. A lot. I don’t recall ever having this miserable of a time with allergies. As I’ve never been officially tested, I’m going to take an educated guess and say it’s the budding trees causing my sniffling woes. I understand cedars might be the most likely culprit and I’d also venture a guess that having the problematic devils line both sides of our driveway is not a plus. Of course, the Okie wind doesn’t help matters because if we are blessed with a warm, springlike day, it’s a given it will go hand in hand with Mr. Gusty Breezes. All I know is I’m helping put the tissue companies, usually the Puffs people, decisively in the black for their profit margins. Ah, Spring in Oklahoma—tissues and tornadoes!

Don't Eat the Chocolate Jelly Beans

Happy Easter!!!

It's been nice all week and today it's supposed to be pretty nippy. Just like spring break, the weather gods know when it's going to be Easter and they make it cold. Every year. Yet every year, the fashion designers make little thin, strappy, Easter dresses to be worn with cute little white sandals, when in reality we need to be wearing sweaters and boots!

Enjoy your day!

Would You Like Some Fries With That?

This morning I stopped by Sonic to quickly grab a little breakfast and out with my French Toast Sticks came two containers of syrup (yes, you read that right). They never give two... and some ketchup.

Why ketchup?

I might could understand ranch because ranch goes with everything (ask my kids)... but ketchup!?

The Irish are Coming!

Happy St Patty's Day to ya!

It's kind of a dark, wet, dreary day here in the heart of the USA. What a crappy way to start spring break.

I've never understood why they have "spring" break in March when it's almost always (99.99%) likely to be cold and nasty. I can't really recall a nice spring break. Ever. I do remember having an ice storm though! I remember snow on spring break too. I don't remember 'springy' weather. Ever.

Why don't they move spring break to be a week or two later? I know that it wouldn't really be in the middle of the academic semester, but it would probably be nicer weather.

Oh. and Heather Mills pisses me off. Just looking at her makes me irrate. If Paul would give me 50 million, I'd be a happy little camper.