whispers from wendy ...

... words to live by

start at the bottom if you want to stay in chronological order

 

Sunday, December 31, 2000:

Happy Old Year's Night!  Galahad & I decide to stay home tonight.  My niece & my sister left today, so we're enjoying time alone together.  I do miss them though.

Saturday, December 30, 2000:

Went shopping with my sister & my niece.  Realized again that I really detest shopping for more than an hour or two at most.  The company I was with definitely made it bearable, but maybe only once a year.  Saw my brother's new house & oohed & ahhed over it, not that I had to fake it since it is very nice.  He's doing all kinds of work to it that doesn't look necessary to me, but I'm not known for my aesthetic taste usually.  Had dinner with some of my family casually, which was very enjoyable.

Friday, December 29, 2000:

Made dinner plans to meet up with my whole family at a Greek restaurant.  I picked this one because the food is good & if a family scene erupts, no one really has anything to lose here.  I spent a stressful day settling end of year financial matters at work.  I was very apprehensive about dinner at this point, but it went very well.  The food was not as good as it was previously but not too bad.  Galahad elected not to attend since he was also very busy at work dealing with end of year matters.

Thursday, December 28, 2000:

Had to drive down to the big city today & then worked very hard at the office all day.  My sister flew in today although I did not get to see her until dinner.  And, by that point, I was pretty tired.  She gave me an Excedrin NASCAR toy racecar.  Very cute.

Wednesday, December 27, 2000:

Got paged today with a minor business emergency.  So much for taking the next two days easy at work.

Tuesday, December 26, 2000:

Happy Boxing Day!

Monday, December 25, 2000:

Merry Christmas!  What a fabulous day!  I stayed up very late last night talking to my niece about life, nothing, & other stuff.  Somehow, I was still able to wake up early though.  We had great weather to wake up to.  Galahad & cleaned the pool just to delay the fun of present-opening a teeny bit.  Plus, it was so nice to be outside.  Then, we came in & tore open our gifts to each other.  He bought me some beautiful clothes which were just my size.  I gave him assorted fun stuff, including new pens.  My favorite gift to him was an adoptive bird, an American Kestrel to be more exact.  Then, off to Christmas dinners at both of our family's homes.  My family surprised me with my very own butler.  Boy was I shocked!  Galahad has named him Cadbury.

Sunday, December 24, 2000:

Still feel the same, no better & no worse.  More Echinacea & more vitamin C...   Galahad & I each opened up one present.  I gave him a new Recife fountain pen, which he loved.  I think it was just because of the silver clip...  Watched the Dolphins barely win over New England, and watched the Buccaneers barely lose to Green Bay.  Galahad went to pick up a cheesecake for tomorrow's dinner.  I tracked Santa's flight today around the world.

Saturday, December 23, 2000:

Feel like I'm getting sick.  Dosed up on Echinacea & vitamin C all day.  Galahad & I took my niece out to dinner at California Cafe.  Afterwards, we walked by the water & went yacht-watching.  We saw one from Bahrain, which isn't a common occurrence.  Played one game of backgammon with Galahad & beat him by one stone.

Friday, December 22, 2000:

MAJOR MIGRAINE AGAIN!!!!  It woke me up at 6:30am.  I took two doses plus an injection to subdue this one.  It scares me that they may be getting resistant.  Galahad was very sweet and made me breakfast before he left for work, which of course made him late.

Thursday, December 21, 2000:

My niece came over to stay for the weekend.  She's down from college.  Again, it seemed like a good day to reminisce.  We looked at many old photographs I have & read through some journals written by my mother.  Then, it was off to my nephew's home for his birthday celebration.  He got some wonderful toys, including my long-time favorite, Lego's.  Watched two cats & three kittens trash the house.  Very entertaining!

Wednesday, December 20, 2000:

Hung out with my brother today.  We did some Christmas shopping but mostly just had fun.  I played with his dogs and reminisced about old times, some good & some not so good.  When I got home, there was a message from my dad saying how cold it would be tonight.  He recommended bringing in all of my orchid plants so they wouldn't die from the freeze.  So, at 11pm, Galahad & I braved frigid temperatures and dark of night to bring in all of them.

Tuesday, December 19, 2000:

Read an article saying that Orlando found more votes for Gore.  He really did win.  Now what?  Also read another one full of Bush-isms.  I guess we'll laugh well for four years....

Monday, December 18, 2000:

What an amazing game!  The Buc's vs. the Rams.  That was probably better than the Superbowl will be...

Sunday, December 17, 2000:

Promised no family today.  Just the two of us.  However, that did not turn out to be very romantic & cozy.  We spent the better part of the afternoon doing major landscaping in our yard.  I should say that Galahad did the major stuff & I assisted.  We also programmed Sparky, our robotic dog.  That's what Galahad named him.

Saturday, December 16, 2000:

Visited with my dad & later, visited with Galahad's parents a little.  After that, we stopped by my brother's house.  It was a very busy day for family. 

Friday, December 15, 2000:

Went to an early holiday party.  Galahad & I received a robotic dog as a present.  Kind of silly but also kind of fun, too, in a silly way of course.  Our friend who took us to the Humane Society party gave us this gift.  Now we can officially be pet owners, I suppose.

Thursday, December 14, 2000:

Time to renew my passport.  Don't you hate getting your picture taken, knowing that it will last 10 years?  My expression is just lovely.  I have that "deer caught in the headlights while stoned on pot" look.  I can't wait to show that to a customs official in a foreign country, she said sarcastically.

Wednesday, December 13, 2000:

Went to a Humane Society Social Party last night.  We met some fabulous people from Canada.  They're always so nice. <grin>  It was held at a wonderful old estate.  Half the fun of the night was looking through the rooms of the house, at least those that weren't roped off.

Tuesday, December 12, 2000:

Learned from a Canadian Wendy exactly what a Chinook is.  Fascinating.  Read an interesting article about how trial lawyers are now joining forces with environmental groups to help clean up the environment.   They are very worried (as am I) that if G W Bush becomes President, then he would harm the environment even worse.  His track record in Texas says so.

Monday, December 11, 2000:

Had to go to the office until very late.  But, I did get to eat sushi for lunch.  <grin>

Sunday, December 10, 2000:

Watched football & ran errands with Galahad.

Saturday, December 9, 2000:

Did lots of yard work.  Hung out with Galahad's mom later.  Here's an article about the villainous sugar barons that helps to explain why the Everglades are in such bad shape & perhaps why South Florida is under water restrictions even though this has been almost a record rainfall year. 

Friday, December 8, 2000:

Worked late.  Finished up the last of my Holiday cards.

Thursday, December 7, 2000:

Kept busy with work.

Wednesday, December 6, 2000:

We're going to a hockey game tonight.  It'll be my first ever.  I'm pretty excited.  Plus, our seats are in a suite.

Tuesday, December 5, 2000:

Wrote out more Holiday cards and continued decorating the tree by candlelight with Galahad.

Monday, December 4, 2000:

Put out more decorations.  We also baked an apple crisp.  It was our second attempt, and it came out much better than before.  Recipes really do help!

Sunday, December 3, 2000:

Galahad decorated the tree while I yakked with one sister & then another. He's very particular about the tree, so I try not to interfere much.  Our tree looks lovely.  We watched football in the background and had a relaxing day.

Saturday, December 2, 2000:

Yippee!  We got our tree today.

Friday, December 1, 2000:

I hit the mall after work today.  Now, I remember why I dislike shopping.  The mall as actually been redone & is very nice, but there is just too much stuff to sort through.  I can't be bothered.  I tried to buy Galahad a Christmas present; however, I did not make much progress.  I found a few little items but nothing spectacular.  Not that he's expecting anything spectacular, but he does deserve something hugely spectacular.  That's why I got my courage up to face the mall.  People were a lot nicer than I remember them being.  Maybe it's me?  I did find some shoes for me, which is a major feat in & of itself.  That's actually what I told Galahad that I wanted, handmade shoes for me that actually fit well.  I may have found some that are machine made that fit well.  There's a new store named Walking Co.  They measured my feet with a computer pad.  Very cool!  It lets me know where my pressure points are & what shape my arch is.  That way, I'll know the best type of shoe to wear.  They also give me 30 days to walk in the shoe to decide if I like it.  How cool is that?  And no, I have no affiliation with the store.  This is actually an honest plug.  <grin>

Thursday, November 30, 2000:

I went to a client location today.  I didn't have as much fun as last week but still had a pretty good time.  I also managed to work sushi into the day for lunch, so that made it more of a positive experience.  [Yes, it is possible to for me to eat sushi several meals in a row.  I plan on eating last night's leftovers when I get back home.]  My client was from South America and gave me an entirely different perspective on our election.  He also informed me that the Hispanic media was angling way more in favor of Bush than the American media.

Wednesday, November 29, 2000:

MIGRAINE again.  Fortunately, it was not as pernicious as last week's episode.  Galahad took me out for sushi dinner with miso soup to speed my recovery.  This was my first time back to my favorite sushi restaurant since the "Sushi Incident." Everything went well, so maybe they didn't remember that I was involved in that other nonsense.  They definitely remembered Galahad since he is frequently in there picking up a to-go order.

Tuesday, November 28, 2000:

Time for Dark Angel tonight....

Monday, November 27, 2000:

Caught up with work.

Sunday, November 26, 2000:

The Florida re-count was certified without all the results being in.  I guess no one should have been surprised at that.  It seems kind of blatantly biased that the secretary of state would not wait 2 hours to get Palm Beach County's results.  It probably isn't keeping her awake at nights, I suppose.

Saturday, November 25, 2000:

Thought about going out to buy a Christmas tree, but that's as far as we got.

Friday, November 24, 2000:

My niece & her beau left this morning.  They were anxious to get back to college as they had kittens to care for & papers to write.  Galahad & I went shopping around dinnertime and had no trouble with crowds.  I bought at least half of my presents for my nieces & nephew.  Then, we stopped back at Galahad's parents to retrieve some leftovers.  Mmmmm, food for the weekend. 

Thursday, November 23, 2000:

Happy Thanksgiving!  Hung out with my niece for awhile.  Caught up on her life, her joys, & her challenges.  Went to Galahad's family thanksgiving dinner first.  That went very well and had all kinds of yummy food.  Then, went to my family dinner.  The mood there was strained at times, although the food was superb.  Galahad & I left after a while.  My niece & her fella' came back a little later.  Galahad taught him how to play backgammon and was unmerciful.  He slew him the first time.  But, the second time, with some coaching from me, he held his own.

Wednesday, November 22, 2000:

MAJOR MIGRAINE!  Took several doses of medicine.  The fourth one, the shot, finally worked.  By 6PM, I was feeling much better.  An Excedrin gave me the energy I needed and took the last edge off the migraine.  I am very excited!  My niece and her boyfriend are coming down from college and staying with Galahad & me.  Galahad went shopping and bought all of her favorite foods.  I was planning on going until the migraine knocked me down for twelve hours.  With my new energy, I cleaned the house and got it ready for them.

Tuesday, November 21, 2000:

Caught up on snail mail & email.

Monday, November 20, 2000:

I'm exhausted and thankful that this is a short week.  I have to go to a client today.  Fortunately, it's local.  I hit it off wonderfully with my clients and had a nice long relaxing, yet stimulating, sushi lunch.  They may be my favorite client ever...

Sunday, November 19, 2000:

Yippee!  I get to fly home today to see my knight.  I hit major traffic on I-4.  Amazing how many people were on the road.  Fortunately, I turned off onto a toll road to get to the airport.  No one likes to pay to drive, so that road was relatively congestion-free.  Called the office before I left to see if they had any last-minute questions or problems.  Nothing too severe, fortunately.  Galahad told me to confirm my return pick-up with the limo service.  I pooh-poohed that idea and was sure that he would be there waiting for me.  The company was highly recommended to me and did such a great job getting me to the airport.  But, I should have listened to him.  No one was there to meet me.  I called the company and found out that they had been there yesterday but for some reason I had not shown up.  The earliest he could get someone there would be 35 minutes.  I ended up hiring a car out front for an exorbitant fee but was not charged by the original company for my ride on Thursday.  My driver gave me a rundown of every celebrity or celebrity's family member who live in a 50 mile radius.  By the end of the trip, I felt very sorry for them all.

Saturday, November 18, 2000:

Woke up early to call Galahad and remind him that Batman was on.  Caught Batman Beyond before I went to work.   Found out my niece was in town.  I tried to get in touch with her but found out that I had just missed her also.  I guess it was for the best since work kept me busy until 8PM or so.  Then, I went to Wolfgang Puck's for dinner in Downtown Disney.  Mmmmm, yummy!

Friday, November 17, 2000:

Worked all day again until about 9PM.  Then, went for sushi.  Missing my Galahad...

Thursday, November 16, 2000:

I took a limo service this morning for the first time instead of driving to the airport & leaving my car.  That was very nice not to have to fight traffic.  Flew to Orlando.  Realized this morning that my brother-in-law was there & left a message on his cell phone.  He called me back as his plane was landing back at his hometown.  I was just arriving at Orlando Airport.  Oh well, maybe next time.  Ate lunch at California Cafe.  I just love their food.  Went back to the office and worked until after 11PM!

Wednesday, November 15, 2000:

Picked up Galahad's parents at the BIG airport.  He decided to come with me.  Good thing, too.  We had to split up & look on different levels to figure out where international arrivals were.  It turned out to be easy to get them since the airline was not able to send their luggage on the same flight.  The airline has promised to send it tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 14, 2000:

That didn't take long.  One trip gone, and another one took its place.  I leave on Thursday and stay through the weekend.  Sucks to be me....

Monday, November 13, 2000:

My trip was canceled this morning just before I left for the airport.  That was beautiful timing.  Usually, it's canceled after I already arrive.

Sunday, November 12, 2000:

It seems kind of ironic that this whole mess & confusion is happening over Veteran's Day weekend.  I bet most war veterans think that the shenanigans by both parties are silly & degrading.

Saturday, November 11, 2000:

Galahad & I went down to one of the many protests staged across America today.  That was absolutely fascinating.  I am almost ashamed to admit that I've never been to one before.  I had not seen that much media all together in one place ever.  There were more members of the media than there were protesters, I think.  We saw media not only from all over the country, but also from all over the world.  Even though the turnout of protesters wasn't as big as it could have been, it was a nice change from the apathy I usually hear of when speaking of politics.  

Friday, November 10, 2000:

Regular work day ... although I did have CNN on ALL day long.  This is truly astounding what is going on.

Thursday, November 9, 2000:

Yippee, I'm home again.  My filing cabinet was delivered today.  It's positively lovely to feel organized again.  Alright, so I'm a little anal-retentive -- I can admit that.  Sushi dinner with my Galahad is quite a delightful way to finish up the day.

Wednesday, November 8, 2000:

Wow, what a bizarre night last night was!  Who will be the next leader of the free world?

Tuesday, November 7, 2000:

Finally, it's ELECTION DAY!  After I vote, I'm off to the airport again.

Monday, November 6, 2000:

The election is so close.  Who to vote for.....?  There are still a few races in which I am wavering.

Sunday, November 5, 2000:

While Galahad washed & waxed my car, I spent hours online researching how to vote.  It's all so confusing.  Went to a family gathering at my father's house.  That went okay.  Afterwards, a few of us got together to honor my mother's memory.  I can't believe it has been a year already.

Saturday, November 4, 2000:

Went to PEN FEST 2000!  Invited my grown-up niece to accompany Galahad & me.  She loved it although my brother (her father) didn't seem impressed.  Fine pens just don't excite everyone, I guess.  Galahad & I went out to dinner with my brother, which went well.  This was the first time since the "sushi incident".

Friday, November 3, 2000:

Learned that I have basal cell carcinoma & need to undergo surgical removal soon.  Lucky me.... 

Thursday, November 2, 2000:

Watched the hawks through my window who have come down from the cold north, circling outside looking for food.  Not a bad way to work.

Wednesday, November 1, 2000:

I went in to qualify for my clinical migraine study first thing this morning.  What a debacle that turned out to be!  I was a mess getting there because of the fasting part & driving through downtown rush hour traffic while being hungry.  Fortunately, Galahad packed me a breakfast to take with me.  Unfortunately, the clinical nurse was not at all impressed with my emotional outburst & did not want me in the study.  I managed to convince him otherwise, but then failed one of the physical conditions.  These turned out to be very strict since this drug has been tested on only 8 people previously.  Yes, you read that correctly, EIGHT.  So, maybe it's for the best that I didn't get accepted, but I'm still disappointed.  I'm pretty sure that the condition I didn't meet was because I had gotten worked up by not being able to eat properly.  However, this nurse was gunning for me since I started crying earlier.  He would not let me re-test at a later time -- his loss when he can't find enough suitable guinea pigs.

Tuesday, October 31, 2000:

Happy Halloween!  Back to the grindstone for me.  Actually, work is going pretty smoothly considering that it's my first day back.   We had a small bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters, but none came.  Last year, we had a bigger bowl.  Maybe next year, we will be bowl-less.

Monday, October 30, 2000:

Home again, home again, jiggedy-jig.  The commuter turbo-prop puddle-jumper plane turned out to be quite a challenge for me.  There was plenty of turbulence, and we were all over the place.  I located my little barf-bag & kept an eye on it, but lucky for me (& more so for my fellow passengers), I didn't need it.  There was a kitty in the cargo hold.  I felt even worse for it.  Someone was shipping it all by its little lonesome.  The poor thing just kept caterwauling until the sound of the propellers drowned it out.  Galahad kept pinching a pressure point on my wrist to keep me from throwing up. But then finally, he just handed me the bag & said I would feel better.  My ladylike nature however did not allow for unnecessary public purging.

Sunday, October 29, 2000:

Relaxed & vacationed & froze just a little.

Saturday, October 28, 2000:

Relaxed & vacationed.  We accompanied our friend to his photo studio to do a photo shoot.  Very cool, but very labor-intensive.  Afterwards, we watched a recap of the year's superbike races.  

Friday, October 27, 2000:

Relaxed & vacationed.

Thursday, October 26, 2000:

I feel like Team Rocket from Pokemon, blasting off againnnnnnnnn.....  This time, though, Galahad will be accompanying me.  Anyway, off to the airport again.  Lucky us, our trip calls for a change of planes to a teeny tiny commuter plane.  Today's trip was calm fortunately, so no thinking pleasant thoughts while trying to concentrate on how much my stomach isn't queasy.  We had a lovely view of the the leaves changing in the northeast.  What a gorgeous sight!

Wednesday, October 25, 2000:

Went in to the office & tried to tie up loose ends before leaving town again.

Tuesday, October 24, 2000:

Received a phone call asking for my participation in a clinical migraine study.  I agreed to come down & get tested although I am extremely leery about getting there in the morning before eating, which of course, is when they need me.

Monday, October 23, 2000:

Played catch up all day with work.

Sunday, October 22, 2000:

Time to checkout & come home after eating breakfast on the beach.  I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again with soft sheets.  Galahad kept complaining about the scratchy hotel sheets & lumpy pillows.  Welcome to my world of glamorous traveling, she said sarcastically.  

Saturday, October 21, 2000:

Training all day again.  Somehow, I managed to create enough confusion & shame to push the starting time from 8am until 10am.  The shame moved it to 9am & the confusion pushed it another hour.  :-)  We finished early at about 4:30pm.  Nice.  We actually had a few hours of play time on a Saturday night.  Plus, depending on people's foresight in planning their plane schedules, some of us could sleep in.  Dinner on Las Olas after first stopping for a chilled, aged tequila at the swing place where Galahad was enjoying a leisurely late lunch.  Then, a water taxi tour after dinner before saying my goodbyes & turning in.  I was exhausted both physically & mentally.

Friday, October 20, 2000:

Teambuilding Day.  Isn't that enough to strike fear in your heart?  I got to sleep past sunrise which has become increasingly important in my life.  We started with an airboat ride through the Everglades.  Believe it or not, my first time doing that.  That turned out to be kind of hokey.  I saw alligator wrestling & bogus Indian villages.  I guess it's good for out-of-towners to know what they're destroying when they keep moving here & over-developing.  We did see some of Mother Nature's greatest sights, in my humble opinion.  Then, it was off to a picnic with a 27-foot rock-climbing wall & an inflatable obstacle course.  Before you think how silly that is, they both kicked my butt.  I made it to the top of the wall, barely, after several attempts.  And, I made it through the obstacle course twice.  The first time was a practice run & I had to rest halfway through.  ( I know, I'm a weenie.)  The second time through, we raced.  No resting there, just peer pressure to succeed.  My team lost, but not because of me.  I either stayed with my opponent or actually maybe gained ground.  I was way too tired to think of participating in the other activities of volleyball & egg-tossing.  Afterwards, we had a small awards ceremony in which I was recognized.  That felt good.  My boss is really cool except for his driving schedule of too-early mornings & working-lunches.  Galahad met up with me again for our dinner at a colleague's house.

Thursday, October 19, 2000:

Heard about how my company will be branching out & what role I might play in that.  Sounds very exciting if it works out that way.  Sorry, I can't say more -- security & all.  Working-lunch again.  Came home to see Galahad since I didn't have to be up before the crack of dawn tomorrow.  He brought me sushi.  That's why I love him so much....

Wednesday, October 18, 2000:

Learned about network security & breaking through firewalls.  Internet security seems hopeless to the really  determined hacker.  Luckily, they're probably going after the big guys & leaving little people alone.  Security works well to prevent small theft.  Too much work would have to go into it to make it financially viable, it would seem.  Worked through lunch again.  My boss is turning into a slave driver.  All this fresh air is wreaking havoc on him, apparently.  Galahad can't come over.  Too much commuting wore him out.  Poor me.....

Tuesday, October 17, 2000:

Meetings start so early, & drag on all day.  The president of my company addressed us today.  It's nice that he knows who I am & remembers my name.  He has quite a talent for that.  He let us know that our contributions have been appreciated, which is very nice to hear.  Worked through lunch.  Dinner at a place that is famous for its outdoor swinging tables.  My colleagues love it, so it will become THE meeting place the rest of the week.  The food's okay, but the atmosphere is wonderful.

Monday, October 16, 2000:

Time to pack again & then I'm off to my departmental conference.  Fortunately, this one is semi-local, so Galahad can come visit some nights & meet all those crazy people I work with & incessantly talk about.

Sunday, October 15, 2000:

Yippee!  I woke up in my own bed today.  It turns out that I was very entertained yesterday on the plane.  I sat next to a Seminole Indian who was heading back to his reservation after going through a drug & alcohol rehabilitation program in an Indian Exchange program in Olympia National Forest.  I learned quite a bit about the lifestyle of American Indians these days & the traumas that they have to endure.  It's truly awful how such a proud race has fallen to this.  He shared his native music with me via the high-technology of a Walkman.  What a magnificent time I had listening to that while flying over the snow-capped Rockies looking at Nature's creations.  It was interesting to hear that he was taken aback by the casual piercings done these days by teenagers, but thought nothing of the mutilation rituals that his & other tribes perform in the name of spirituality, some of which sounded much worse to my ears.

Saturday, October 14, 2000:

Finally!  I'm on my way back home to see my Galahad.  I'm dreading the extremely long time I'll be spending in airports & airplanes.  Oh, well, I have a couple of good books to kill some time.  And, somehow, I didn't get much sleep last night, so maybe I'll catnap a bit if it's not too crowded.  Then, there's the old trusty migraine to keep me occupied...  

Friday, October 13, 2000:

Today's the day of days for superstitious people.  Friday the 13th & a full moon.   No big deal though for me, except of course for my lingering migraine.  That's not really all that rare in my case though.

Thursday, October 12, 2000:

Woke up with a migraine but am not surprised since I went to sleep with one.  That said, my day started off better than some.  There's some nasty stuff going on around the world.  Migraine hung around all day, but work got more productive.  Dinner with my brother.  I really feel like I know him now.  Amazing that it should take so long, but it was definitely worth the wait.  :-)

Wednesday, October 11, 2000:

Slow day so far...  Trained the rest of the crew that I came to train.  I'm not sure what else I will be doing the rest of the week.  Was offered by someone to take me shopping for my very own pair of Doc Marten's.  I hope that she was serious, that we'll have time, & of course, that something will fit that is to my liking.

Tuesday, October 10, 2000:

Had sushi for lunch & dinner at the same restaurant, which is, incidentally, a first for me, I believe.  Missing Galahad like crazy...  Watched Dark Angel again.  Love that show even if it is a little fantastical.

Monday, October 9, 2000:

Went to the office today & learned new software.  Blah, blah, blah, blah....  Tonight, I'll be going to eat at the top of the Space Needle with some colleagues, one of whom has a fear of heights.  This should be interesting.

Sunday, October 8, 2000:

Visited Snoqualmie Falls.  Cool place. Got asked for directions in downtown Seattle, so I guess my native outfit is working.  :-)  Visited with my brother & got to know him better than ever.

Saturday, October 7, 2000:

Started my long journey to Seattle.  Man, that takes a long time!

Friday, October 6, 2000:

Finished class.  Did laundry & finished packing most of my warm clothes for my trip.

Thursday, October 5, 2000:

Class

Wednesday, October 4, 2000:

Class again.  Rain is finally starting to let up & migraine is hitting full force.  :-(   Watched premiere of James Cameron's Dark Angel.  Loved it.

Tuesday, October 3, 2000:

Class again.  Rain again -- doing some major flooding.  

Monday, October 2, 2000:

Getting hammered by perfect storm formation in Caribbean.  The water is reaching record levels, even more so than when the hurricane hit last year.   And, of course, my class starts today, so I get to join the morning commuters in a veritable deluge.

Sunday, October 1, 2000:

Three or four storms looming on the horizon...  It's a good day to watch football & the tail end of the Olympics.

Saturday, September 30, 2000:

Rained all last night but cleared up to a beautiful day.

Friday, September 29, 2000:

Nasty migraine came in with the weather last night & caught me by surprise.

Thursday, September 28, 2000:

Trying to change where my website sits.  Not really happy with AOL.

Wednesday, September 27, 2000:

Nothing.

Tuesday, September 26, 2000:

Nothing.

Monday, September 25, 2000:

Nothing.

Sunday, September 24, 2000:

Olympics, football, & pizza.  Did you know that you can order a pizza from the Internet?  How cool is that?  I looked for but could not find the Grand Prix in Indianapolis on any channel.  Pretty bummed about that.  I did find the Doggie Olympics on ESPN.  That was riveting.  The announcers were fabulous to listen to; they really took their jobs seriously.  I feel like such a lazy sack.  I've been eating & watching TV all weekend, sometimes in bed, & sometimes I motivated myself down to the couch.  It feels good though after the past couple weeks of losing an hour of sleep a night minimum.  It all caught up to me this weekend.  And, somehow, it's very stressful rooting & cheering these athletes on through sheer will, especially when I know that every Olympic event has already transpired; and, I am in essence, watching re-runs.  It has been quite tempting to check the outcomes of a few close events.  So far, I have resisted...

Saturday, September 23, 2000:

Olympics, eating, & out-by-the-pool time.  Lovely weekend afternoon.  Galahad went out for a late night ice cream run for me... 

Friday, September 22, 2000:

Set up my new 2-way pager.  Very cool gadget, which may actually have real usefulness besides being lots of fun to play with intradepartmentally. 

Thursday, September 21, 2000:

Because of my car situation yesterday, I was forced to ride in my new car last night.  For those of you who don't know me well, I am extremely allergic to the "new car" smell.  Actually that smell is the formaldehyde used to treat the interior, which is just oozing out into my lungs & bloodstream.  [Galahad's father offered to build me a bubble to live in.  Gallantry runs in their family, wouldn't you say?]  So, I've been delaying driving my car because of that.  Anyway, the good news is that my allergic reaction was minimal.  Barely any migraine to speak of ... and that could have been from the next tropical wave moving through the area.  So, today, I am officially reclaiming my car from Galahad, whose job it was to drive it until the new car smell dissipated.

Wednesday, September 20, 2000:

Don't you hate when your car won't start & you're all dressed up ready to go somewhere?  Me, too.

Tuesday, September 19, 2000:

Caught up with my mail.  Whew!  That can accumulate quickly when I'm not home every day to deal with it.  In doing so, I got fed up with my long distance & local telephone carrier's customer service level.  So, it was time to research a new long distance carrier & also to find out about switching back to Ma Bell for my local one.  It turns out that Ma would be very happy if I want to come back....  And, while researching for a long distance carrier that applies to my needs, I came across a very cool site.  It's called LowerMyBills.com.  Basically, they do all the research for me.  Now, hopefully, they'll turn out to be reputable & factual....  I'll keep you posted.  BTW, they also research other stuff like car insurance, etc...

Monday, September 18, 2000:

Caught up with work & tried to get back into a routine while still applying new knowledge & techniques from class into everyday life.  Dinner with my dad, which went much better this time.  No yelling except from the wait staff, & it was fortunately not directed at us. <grin>  Finally got to watch some Olympic events.  Way too stressful to listen to these announcers get caught up in the tension of the moment during swimming.  Also, not pleased how NBC announcers are handling USA's performance in men's gymnastics.  USA did not perform as well as four other countries.  That should be all they need to say; however, they don't stop there.  They seem to wish that another country would fail so that USA can move up.  Sore loser attitude in my humble opinion.

Sunday, September 17, 2000:

Continued on with our gastronomical rampage.  Went to a Sunday Brunch buffet at Korean restaurant, Palladium.  Stayed there for almost three hours.  Spoke with our friend about his illness, Moyamoya syndrome.  [Anyone wanting to share information regarding this, please email me.]  Tried to keep his outlook positive, which I believe helps immeasurably.  He has already had two brain surgeries & seems to be making positive progress.  He drove us to the airport that night where we found out that there seemed to be a hurricane in our flight path.  Nevertheless, the plane took off & only a teensy bit late.  And, a thrilling roller-coaster ride later, we were home.  Gives new meaning to the term E-ticket.  (For those of you who don't remember, E-ticket rides used to be the good rides at Disneyland -- the ones that cost extra.)

Saturday, September 16, 2000:

Class had been exhausting, so sleeping late was glorious.  Way too much extraversion for me all at once these past two weeks.  Today was a day for wandering the streets hand in hand with my guy [henceforth known as Sir Galahad] & taking in the sights, sounds, smells, & of course, tastes of NYC.  We went straight to Washington Square Park to watch the ball games.  They are so much better to watch there than at an NBA game.  From there, it was on to some street festival where I bought purple chopsticks.  Tried to meet up with a friend who happened to be here on a photographic assignment but never got in touch.  Cruised through Chinatown & ended up at a Malaysian restaurant just when we were getting hungry.  How fortuitous.  Tried not to stuff ourselves since we were meeting another friend for dinner, and he had promised a feast.  I had Malaysian fritters, stuffed with something yummy & assorted other unknowns.  Met our Korean friend at 6PM & left with him to his home where we met his wife, in-laws, & two adorable children.  On the way, we stopped at a Korean grocery store.  (Galahad & I bought Korean toothpaste to bring home & try.)  We were fascinated by the whole experience & spent much more time than was expected with our eyes wide, taking it all in.  We were the only round-eyes there.  They even had moochi ice cream, which I had seen only at one other sushi restaurant ever.  So, naturally, we bought some -- strawberry & green tea flavors.  Back at his house, we gorged until we couldn't move & even then had barely made a dent in the food.  We had a huge (with a capital U) sushi platter, karbi (no idea how to spell that -- Korean ribs, sort of), and other delicious unpronounceable-to-my-American-lips dishes.  Talked until late into the night....

Friday, September 15, 2000:

Last day of class.  Yes, I'm learning lots, but I won't bore you with the minute details.  Hopefully, I will be able to apply this knowledge in real life scenarios.  Lunch was back to Ruby Foo's although a large consensus of my class went to eat at the Olive Garden in Times Square & was truly puzzled when my colleague and I declined.  I was just wondering aloud to him the day before who would eat at the Olive Garden when there were so many choices of delectable cuisine at every corner.  Amazing.  Less wait time for me, I guess.  After class, my colleague caught the train back to his home, & I went to explore the town with my fella'.  We had Mediterranean food & tried to find a sports bar to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.  That turned out to be a bigger challenge than we thought, so we headed back to the hotel to enjoy them in comfort.

Thursday, September 14, 2000:

Class. Lunch at some Texas-style BBQ place.  More class.  Then, rode the subway to take a tour of our facility at the World Trade Center.  Very cool tour, with some creepy sections thrown in which aren't ours but added to the flavor.  My colleague was tired of sushi by this point, so we wandered over to Rockefeller Center to find a place to eat.  Picked one spot, but our attire wasn't up to snuff, so they suggested another one nearby.  As we walked there, we were passed by a serious entourage of police cars with sirens blaring & lights whirling, undercover cars, limousines, & big, black Suburbans with dark-tinted windows.  I looked up for the black helicopters on whisper mode but couldn't find them.  Finally ate at Maritime, which had excellent food although it was a little pricey.  I had lobster, scallops, & caviar.  Mouth-watering deliciousness.  We found out later that it was Gore causing that entire ruckus.  He had just done the Letterman show that day & was on his way to the Democratic Tribute Concert.  Went back to the hotel to wait for my honey!  I was so excited to see him!

Wednesday, September 13, 2000:

Class was better than expected.  Lunch at Ruby Foo's.  Excellent cuisine ... it's a dim sum & sushi restaurant with very cool decor.  More class.  Dinner at Zuni, which was absolutely delectable.

Tuesday, September 12, 2000:

Flew to NYC.  Remembered exactly how dirty & smelly the city is.  Sat next to freaky pierced people in the plane.  Cabbie was a lunatic.  Went for a walk & was assaulted by all kinds of odors & sights.  Walked down 42^nd street.  It's not that much cleaner although there are decidedly fewer porn stores.  Is that a good thing?  Maybe, maybe not.  It seems like it's just another city now with all the regular chain stores.  It has definitely lost a little of its local flavor.  Dinner was sushi, of course.

Monday, September 11, 2000:

Took the day off & slept in a heavily medicated state all day.  Migraine was definitely better.  Unpacked, did laundry, & repacked for trip tomorrow to NYC...

Sunday, September 10, 2000:

Flew home with a major migraine.  And of course, had equipment failure when changing planes so that was delayed by 2 hours.  Long 10-hour day getting home.  Was so excited to see my honey!

Saturday, September 9, 2000:

Local company picnic at Six Flags.  I'm not into amusement parks but didn't have much choice here.  Persuaded everyone to ditch that after a few hours to drive over to Rocky Mountain National Park to see & hear the elks mate.  Felt extremely voyeuristic.  So I'm a perv, so what?  I loved hearing them bugle their manhood.  Very sexy!  Ate dinner in Estes Park, CO.  Every place was packed because of a local Scottish festival.  Who knew the Scots were that popular there?

Friday, September 8, 2000:

Test time, but he called it an assessment to make it sound less scary I guess.  Passed with a minor mishap of the software.  Off to the mountains....  Mt. Evans to be exact.  14,264 feet in altitude.  Yeah, I got a little shaky in my stomach, but it passed.  It snowed at the top, pretty much a blizzard, which fascinated me.  I got wind-burned on my face though, so it's glowing nicely.  We saw bighorn sheep, mountain goats, & mule deer.  I missed out on the yellow-bellied marmot, otherwise known as the whistle pig, and couldn't find the pika either.  I guess they were smart enough to come in out of the severe weather.  We drove down the mountain & had dinner at Tommyknockers, a quaint little brewpub in Idaho Springs.

Thursday, September 7, 2000:

Class all day ... nothing special.  Dinner at the hotel & early to bed, trying to make up for lost sleep.  Bummed that I missed the MTV awards but heard that I didn't miss much.

Wednesday, September 6, 2000:

I'm off to Denver.  I had to get up before the birds, & I now know where that expression came from.  The birds started waking up with a vengeance as I was walking into the terminal, chirping quite vehemently.  I changed planes & experienced a very bizarre scenario in the airport.  A woman driving an electric cart with passengers on it was trying to get through a crowd of people.  Instead of saying "Excuse me", she said, "Honk, please."  Definitely someone unclear on the concept...  I went out to dinner with a bunch of colleagues.  We went to the oldest something in Denver where I tasted Rocky Mountain Oysters for my first time.  Delicious & tasted a bit like chicken.  I also tasted buffalo, which of course tasted like beef.

Tuesday, September 5, 2000:

Today is the primary election.  Who to vote for?  These local people seem so unscrupulous; it's no wonder we have no one running for President who we feel strongly in support of.  We start out with few good choices locally, & they keep getting elected to higher & higher offices.  By the time it's at the presidential level, even if they were good, they seem to get slimy by association.

Monday, September 4, 2000:

Another beautiful sunny day...  Went out by the pool for a while.  What an amazing feeling, just floating in the water with the sun beating down while reading a trash novel.  It doesn't get any better than this.  Went to a Labor Day party afterwards.  I was fascinated by how many Tommy articles of clothing there were.  It was a very white bread party but lots of fun.  Finally caught up with my cousin for dinner at 8:45pm.  Nice family event that ended in yelling.  Can't go back to that sushi restaurant for a long time.  Good thing I'll be going out of town for a while...

Sunday, September 3, 2000:

Had plans to go out boating, but the Donzi had other plans.  One dead battery meant that only one engine would work.  So, unless we wanted to go around in circles until Sea Tow could come, we would have to stay ashore.  Picnicked in the backyard under a huge shady tree eating smoked salmon & cheez-its and drinking root beer.  Not a bad afternoon.  Ate all the way through until it was BBQ time.  Then ate some more.  Tasty ribs, chicken, & assorted other yummy dishes.  My cousin missed it & called at 8PM.  Who has BBQ's at night?  Now, I'm watching Jackie Brown, which is actually Elmore Leonard's "Rum Punch."  Why would they change the title?  And the locale from Florida to California?  How is gun & drug smuggling better in California than Florida?

Saturday, September 2, 2000:

Went out to buy new shoes.  Why is it impossible to find comfortable, attractive shoes?  Are those two terms mutually exclusive?  I did find some great socks though -- more Thorlo's to add to my ever-growing collection.  After that, I swung by a friend's house to fix her Web TV.  Pretty much, it either works or it doesn't.  Not too much to troubleshoot.  I feel terrible because I got her addicted to the Internet, & now she's going into DT's without it.  Who ever thought I would become a Pusher?  Went out for Chinese afterwards.  How is it that when you have leftovers, they always fit exactly into those little cardboard boxes?  I'm thinking that they top off the carton & throw the rest away.

 

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