blog archive 2: 1/01

Monday, April 30, 2001:: Last day of April already!?!? How did that happen? I am still so jet-lagged. Dude! I'm getting old. I remember flying cross-country for one night. Now, a week is kicking my ass.

I had to get another basal cell carcinoma burned off today. Sucks to be me. I will just turn into a giant (well, figuratively speaking, of course) white girl (no sun for me anymore) with pink polka-dotted burn marks. Sounds attractive, aye? If I get enough of them, people will probably think Galahad abuses me by putting out cigarettes on my body. Good thing he doesn't smoke. He's so sweet. He took off from work to drive me to the doctor and listened sympathetically to me whimper about it all. And, he also paid attention to me whimpering about the dearth of sushi in my diet this past week. He brought home sushi for dinner. I love this man so much!
Sunday, April 29, 2001:: We stayed in bed all day watching TV. I kept falling in & out of sleep. We watched a very cute, funny cartoon called 'Wakko's Wish'. It had the Animaniacs in it & other assorted characters.
Saturday, April 28, 2001:: Finally the day has arrived for me to travel thousands of miles back to my knight in shining armor. Fortunately for me, I was able to cash in some frequent flyer miles & upgrade to first class. What a difference that makes! It's the difference between getting courteously waited on in a nice restaurant and being bashed in the head with a telephone at McDonald's. Has anyone else heard of this incident from (where else?) Miami? It's weird how I end up with a warped view of the country by living in a state that has such a totally different lifestyle & different life values. It's a good thing I travel so I can see how other people live.

I called my honey from the Dallas airport in-between planes. I had just stuffed my face with a sundae on the airplane. Yes, you read that correctly. I was served a grilled chicken barbecue sandwich and a custom-made ice cream sundae for lunch. Then, as if that weren't enough, I had a very rare, very juicy steak dinner and a blueberry cobbler for dessert on the next flight. I was sated nicely.

There was my sweetie, waiting for me to walk off the plane, looking as handsome as ever...
Friday, April 27, 2001:: Last day of work! Yippee! I'm leaving a little early to take my co-worker to the airport. He was able to find a flight that left this afternoon. My flights are so long that there weren't any for me to take in the afternoon, unless I wanted to get in at 2am. So, I decided to stay an extra night (not a big choice) & see my brother & sister-in-law. While I was waiting for them to finish work, I went shopping at REI. I love that store, but there aren't any in Florida. Of course while I was there, I bought more Thorlo socks.

For dinner, my brother & his wife took me to Waterfront restaurant at Pier 70. We were able to catch up with each while enjoying the sunset & eating lovely food. And, because they are warm-hearted people, they invited me to stay my last night at their beautiful home instead of at that icky hotel.
Thursday, April 26, 2001:: I miss my Galahad so much!

I ran into other people from my company here who I didn't expect to see. We went out to dinner & caught up a little bit.
Wednesday, April 25, 2001:: It was a glorious day outside, so my colleague & I left work two hours early and caught the ferry to Bainbridge Island. From there, we drove across the island and caught the ferry to Whidbey Island. We were on a quest to see whales. We had dinner along the way at a beautiful little place on the water. I had Dungeness crab since we were so close to Dungeness. On our last ferry, from Whidbey to the mainland, when I had almost but not quite given up hope of seeing my whales, we saw 4 or 5 baby Orcas right alongside of the ferry. We theorized that the adults were underneath and did not need to come up for air just then. I was so cold on the ferry in the wind but it was such a magnificent sight.
Tuesday, April 24, 2001:: I am NOT loving going to work in the cold room. It's a data center that's kept constantly at 55°F. I have to put more clothes on to sit in there than I need to wear outside. Actually, today was a beautiful sunny day. I'm very glad that I brought my gloves, just for the cold room.

For dinner, we wandered down to Tacoma & ate at a little brewpub near the University of Washington. It was very pleasant except that there were a prolific amount of homeless people hanging around. Because it was such a nice day, we had opted to sit outside. This meant that they could walk right up to us & ask for money. The problem was that the guy used his regular line on us -- that he was hungry. Well, me being me, knowing that I can never eat everything anyway & hating to hear about someone being hungry, I offered him some of my food. That took him completely by surprise, I think. He accepted my offering & then quickly left when he realized we weren't giving out any money.
Monday, April 23, 2001:: I popped wide awake at 4am. I just love changing time zones, she said sarcastically. I forced myself back to sleep for another two hours & finally got up at 6am. What a different way to live my life! Going to sleep early & waking up early. Amazing.
Sunday, April 22, 2001:: Happy Earth Day! I got lucky on both segments of my trip. I was in an exit row to Dallas and in a bulkhead seat from there to Seattle. Thank goodness because that is an even longer flight than the first. I watched 'Proof of Life' with Meg Ryan & Russell Crowe. Fascinating movie but probably very bad for the South American tourist & business trades. It scared the bejeezus out of me.

I got a page in Dallas that one of my colleagues' flight from Denver had been canceled because of the snow storm there. He would be arriving on Monday instead. When I got into Seattle, I found out that the other colleague had just canceled his trip altogether. I was pretty bummed about that. So, I rented a car & drove all by myself to our hotel, which sucked. The back of it looked like a seedy motel. I was about to cancel my hotel reservations altogether & find a different one. But, I was kind of tired & cold & hungry and thought I'd check out my room first. It turned out not to be too bad, so I ended up staying. Then, the next day, I realized that I had come in the back way and saw that the front was fairly nice. I think I scared Galahad a little by telling him that I was staying at the 'Shining' hotel.
Saturday, April 21, 2001:: Today is Tropical Fruit Tree Sale Day. My brother was supposed to go with us, but somehow he couldn't wake up in time. So, Galahad & I went and bought a lovely Lychee tree. I can't wait until that starts fruiting properly. While I was there, I developed a massive migraine. I'm not sure if it was the pollen in the air, the miracle fruit that I ate, the front that moved in, or just all of the forces of nature conspiring against me. Anyway, I ended up having to take a triple dose to squash it just a little. Of course, that made me nervous because I hate traveling like that. And, tomorrow is a LONG travel day.
Friday, April 20, 2001:: I have the day off today so that I can catch up with personal errands & laundry & such.

Isn't this an odd little site?
Thursday, April 19, 2001:: I had a great time at my client today. She was certainly a character. I took her out for lunch & laughed my ass off. Then, I hurried over to the airport and caught an earlier flight. I had to sit in a middle seat though on the way home. Somehow, I got claustrophobic or something right at the end. As people were de-planing, a man got in front of me and started to take his sweet time, putting on his coat & collecting his belongings, so I kind of pushed past him. I feel really bad about that. I suppose I could have waited the extra minute, especially since I had to wait for my luggage anyway. They made me check it --- since the flight was packed, there was no more overhead room anymore. So, mister, if you're reading this, forgive me for being an impatient bitch. And, if this wasn't you, forgive me anyway, because if it had been you, I would have pushed past you, too.

I was so ecstatic to see my Galahad!
Wednesday, April 18, 2001:: It was freezing here last night. I had the heat cranked way up & an extra blanket on my bed. The overnight low was in the low 40's, with up to 40mph wind gusts since yesterday. I guess that's why my plane landing was so rough. I'm really nervous about today's flight. I'll be flying on a little puddle jumper. My stomach gets edgy on those on a good day. First thing, check to make sure I have my barf bag.

Smart me didn't learn my lesson. I went & ate a McDonald's cheeseburger & fries for lunch before getting on the puddle jumper in high gusts. I had a really rough landing in Tampa. Whew!

I met a friend for dinner, and we went out for sushi in Ybor city. Mmmmm!
Tuesday, April 17, 2001:: Flew up to Jax for the afternoon. Very rough landing. I almost tossed my cookies when I heard some little kid sound like he was going to. I ate two bags of greasy Southwest Airlines peanuts, which weren't doing my stomach many favors.

The client was very happy to see me. I worked with them for about four hours and then went for sushi. Got back to my hotel room just in time to see Dark Angel. My hotel room, BTW, has a very LARGE conference table in it. This is very odd, but incredibly convenient. I have all of my work stuff laid out on it as well as my suitcase & various sundries.

This is an odd little web page of the world's largest roadside attractions.
Monday, April 16, 2001:: Tying up loose ends before I go out of town. I just found out that I'll be going out to Seattle next week, also. I can't believe it's still cold there.
Sunday, April 15, 2001:: Happy Easter. Here is an article explaining that the holiday got its name from pagans and why the Easter bunny gives out eggs.
Saturday, April 14, 2001:: Got up early to water. Now, on to cartoons.....

Remember Peeps? Tomorrow is Peep day. Actually, I'm not sure what I ever liked about them. I loved them as a kid and tried them a few years ago & almost got sick. Way too sweet!

We started driving around looking for water garden shells. Boy are they overpriced! Anyway, we ended up driving around & eventually west to the Everglades. There is a fabulous park there --- the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Right before we turned into the park, we saw a panther. That was the first time I have ever seen one in the wild. How exciting! In the park, we saw alligators, of course, and a zillion birds. There were plenty of turtles, too. One of them came up onto land and was digging a place to lay her eggs. The worst part was all of the grasshoppers. They were huge & jumping everywhere. At one point, I started to panic. Lucky for me Galahad doesn't have these weird phobias like me. He chased all of the bad grasshoppers away for me.
Friday, April 13, 2001:: Last night, Galahad & I went to California Cafe for dinner. Yummy! Then, we took a tour of all the expensive yachts & sailboats that we could never afford in 5 lifetimes.

I found out that I have to go to Jacksonville next week. I had already planned a Tampa trip, so now I have both.
Thursday, April 12, 2001:: We had such a great time last night! The concert pianist was unable to attend, so a substitute one was procured. He was just phenomenal and incredibly animated. Since we were in the fifth row center, we were able to see every dramatic gesture, which maybe wasn't such a good thing. Several times, Galahad & I used every self-restraint we could think of to stop laughing. I got that silent, shoulder-shaking laughter which set him off, which made me laugh even harder somehow. At one point, I was afraid that I was going to embarrass a whole lot of people, most especially myself. The pianist was really into his music & had amazing facial expressions & body language. During parts of the symphony (which was Haydn's London - No.104, in case anyone is interested) when he wasn't playing, he would just slump there with his arms swinging freely & his face up to the ceiling. It was truly a fascinating experience. I can't wait to thank my father. Maybe I'll call him in California.

What a busy day today! One of my clients kept me running all day. I did manage to sneak out for a few minutes to buy a new headset telephone. Yeah! My arms, my ears, & my neck will be so happy from now on. I know, I know, " You talk too much, homegirl you never shut up!" Believe me it's for work, mostly. Mostly.
Wednesday, April 11, 2001:: I'm very excited! Tonight, Galahad & I have tickets to the symphony. My Pops gave them to us since he & his wife are out of town.

I just happened across another weblogger who suffers from headaches. Poor guy! I emailed him the advice of taking Excedrin over Advil, even though I have not undergone any kind of medical training [disclaimer]. He had to contend with bongo-drummers outside his window while enduring a particularly excruciating episode. I remember spending Christmas in Trinidad one year and listening to the very LOUD music at the Savannah until 5 in the morning, while lying awake in bed & wishing my meds would work faster & better. And, also keeping the light on (despite my photophobia) to watch out for the large roaches who would carry me off in the middle of the night. Actually, now that I think about it, I might have been better off that night if they had taken me away...
Tuesday, April 10, 2001:: A different Wendy sent me an odd website that lists all kinds of phobias. That's something to look at whenever I feel my problems overwhelming me. Imagine having an irrational fear of going to bed (clinophobia)?!!? My bed is supposed to be the best place in the world when I freak out & need to feel better. Who can deal with that kind of stress?

A friend of mine sent me a link to a spudgun page. Yeah, you read that correctly, a potato launcher. Dude!!!!
Monday, April 9, 2001:: A grackle was just splashing around in our mini-fountain. I can't wait to see what shows up when we put our mini-pond in.

Galahad brought home sushi for dinner, and we enjoyed a delightful evening on our back deck.
Sunday, April 8, 2001:: I got a burst of energy from the Excedrin I had taken (still fighting this migraine), so Galahad suggested we take a hike in our backyard down the canal & over to the park. I always forget how amazing it is back there. We saw gorgeous birds and possibly our friend, Gronk. He's a bright orange iguana who's over six feet long. The reason I say possibly is that he was only partially orange, possibly due to molting and possibly due to him not being Gronk.

An anhinga was fishing in the canal, swimming underneath the surface with his snaky-neck gliding along the top. He went underwater for long periods of time in between. He finally speared a fish and then gulped it down. We watched it drying his wings when he was done eating his lunch. Galahad had his binoculars, so we were able to have quite a view. He sat up on a rock, spread out his wings, and hung out there for quite a while. Just then, a GIANT blue heron came swooping down the canal, its wings missing the water by millimeters. He landed near us and then stepped quite elegantly down the shore towards the anhinga, who got a little protective of his rock but calmed down when he was left alone.

A green heron was doing some preening in his hideout along the shore. And, then the was the requisite death that follows along with life. A very large bloated carcass was floating in the canal. It appeared to be a raccoon or maybe a badger (do we have those here?), but it was hard to identify since it had most likely been there a few days.
Saturday, April 7, 2001:: Woke up with another migraine. Bummer! I took a pill, but then I couldn't wait the requisite two hours, so I did a shot after one hour. I figured the combined effect could only help knock it out all at once. Feeling a little bit better now after mixing in an Excedrin, too.

I just read a fascinating article about the early Everglades history. Hopefully, I'll feel better soon because we were trying to go to a palm & cycad sale today.

Galahad, my brother, and I went to the palm & cycad sale at about 3PM, sponsored by the Palm Beach Palm & Cycad Society. What beautiful trees they had! And, the prices were very reasonable. We bought a Bismarckia nobilis, which I named Marky-Mark, and a Latania loddigesii, which I named Lucy after the Lusitania. All right, so that one was a stretch, but our trees need names. Marky-Mark is purple-hued currently, but I'm told that he will fade to a silver. We also bought special palm & cycad fertilizer. Do we have sucker tattooed on our faces? Just kidding. My brother assured us that it was a very good deal. He's extremely knowledgeable in these matters, so I trusted him. Afterwards, we stopped at Doc's outdoor cafe for a bite to eat.
Friday, April 6, 2001:: Last night our alarm system went off at 1:46am. Not a nice way to wake up! Neither one of us was able to go right back to sleep, so we lost a few essential hours. We made plans to meet up with the local chapter of Mensa for happy hour. I was nervous since meeting new people does that to me. Plus, if I hated it, I'm not the type to just walk out. I usually grin & bear it. It turns out that they were very nice, if a little odd. But, what did I expect? I'm a little odd myself.
Thursday, April 5, 2001:: Today is my company's golf tournament. And, BONUS, my migraine is gone! Yippee! I was a little anxious at first since I had to ride around with the new GM of Florida all day in a golf cart, entertaining our clients. I had met him only once previously for about a minute. I had decided to bite the bullet and volunteer for his cart since I would probably be working with him eventually. This would give me a chance to get to know him outside of his management style. It turns out that I had a lot of fun. First of all, it was a gorgeous day, no clouds, a slight breeze, and about 75°F. Also, he wasn't a control freak; he let me drive first even though I volunteered the fact that I have been known to drive in a reckless manner at times. I guess reckless is relative. While he was driving, he managed to dump the entire cooler full of drinks & ice all over while taking a fast uphill corner. Then, he had the good graces to find it just as funny as I did. <grin>

He had already been told by another employee from another city that I am somewhat of a tree-hugger. He started to goof on me for it; but it seems he's not that far away himself. (This other employee is Rush Limbaugh in a younger man's body.) I saw all kinds of birds enjoying the last vestiges of nature in the area. There were egrets, great herons, gallinules, anhingas, mourning doves, and a kestrel! I was so excited to see the kestrel; it was the first one I had seen in the wild. I kept that little discovery to myself since I was already coming across as a major tree-hugger.
Wednesday, April 4, 2001:: Still fighting previous day's migraine. Kept my hair appointment even though I didn't feel like it. Part of it felt wonderful while she was shampooing & massaging. And part of it was hell, while she was combing & ripping through knots. Stopped by my sister-in-law's home afterwards. Visited with her & my nephew for an hour. I finally left because my pager was going crazy. And, my cell phone stopped working, perhaps because of the unusually high sunspot activity.

Wasn't real confident about how my hair looks, but Galahad loves it, so that's all that's important to me. I don't have to see it nearly as much as he does. My sister-in-law didn't comment -- is that bad or good?
Tuesday, April 3, 2001:: Woke up with a Migraine.... Galahad brought me Imitrex before I ever even attempted to get out of bed. I had just been congratulating myself Sunday on being migraine-free for quite a while. I figured it was the drought we're having. I guess that's at least good for my head. Today is another gorgeous day, with nary a cloud in the sky. Maybe it was something I ate last night, but I doubt it. Yet another migraine with no probable cause.
Monday, April 2, 2001:: I went into the office today. Worked harder & accomplished less...

Argued again with Best Buy. They wrote me up a rain check on 3/18/01for a telephone headset, which apparently they have no intention of ever ordering again. I called their corporate office to complain. The representative I spoke with also called the store while I held the line. They treated him badly also. Nice. I registered a complaint although I doubt that will do any good.
Sunday, April 1, 2001:: Had a very bizarre dream last night. I looked it up at Swoon.com, and it seemed to have favorable intent. I remember raspberries & vivid blue shower gel. My dreams sure entertain me, but somehow I didn't get enough sleep last night. The daylight savings time change (ridiculous as it is) and the late night chatting coupled with my busy night of dreams conspired against my eight hours of sleep.

60 Minutes had a great episode on tonight. It was their 1500th, BTW. One segment was about human research subjects and how poorly (& dangerously) they can be treated. I was a human guinea pig for quite a few years and quite a few experimental medications. I guess I was very fortunate most of the time considering other people's stories. Although, now that I know how much these doctors' offices are paid by the pharmaceutical companies, I don't believe I'll ever do that again for less than a few hundred dollars. In fact, since there are already some pretty good migraine medications around, I don't think I'll ever guinea pig myself again. Fortunately, I have not needed any in quite a while....
Saturday, March 31, 2001:: Hung out at my brother's house with his girlfriend, his son, and some of his friends. We had a great time. Galahad started to barbecue some chicken but ran out of propane. So, he had to improvise and cook in the kitchen. My brother had never used his oven before then, although he has been in the house for 6 months or so. We stayed up very late talking & eating chocolate. We thought about trying to drive into the countryside to see the Aurora Borealis which was supposed to be visible on Friday & Saturday nights in Florida. However, it started to storm, which probably reduced visibility a LOT, so we didn't go. Here's a site that has plenty of pictures of it from all over the world.
Friday, March 30, 2001:: Wow, I tried fixing a friend's business website that was created using FrontPage2000, but the person who set it up left it a mess. It was total disorganization. I felt really bad about not being able to help very much. Every time I touched one thing, something else stopped working. It also had some Java stuff thrown in there that I didn't know how to use, which of course didn't help matters.
Thursday, March 29, 2001:: I found this poem on the 'Net somewhere, and it is the barest hint of how I feel about my Galahad...; What is a Soul Mate?
If you have found a smile
that is the sweetest one you've known,
If you have heard, within a voice,
the echoes of your own,
If you have felt a touch
that stirs the longings of your heart,
And still can feel that closeness
in the moments that you're apart,
If you have filled with wonder
at the way two lives can blend
To weave a perfect pattern
that is seamless, end to end,
If you believe some things in life
are simply meant to be,
Then you have found your soul mate,
your heart's own destiny.
-Emily Matthews
Wednesday, March 28, 2001:: Happy Birthday, Kris!
Tuesday, March 27, 2001:: Drove to Miami to visit a client. I'm so glad I don't live there anymore. Had sushi for lunch as usual.
Monday, March 26, 2001:: Went back to the dermatologist for my checkup & had to have another biopsy. Looks like more basal cell carcinoma. I'm bummed. I'm white as a ghost, and my skin is still turning against me. I'm not sure what to do anymore except try to live as normally as I can. I already eat pretty healthily, sleep well, and drink gallons of purified water.
Sunday, March 25, 2001:: We visited with my father today. Went to lunch, hung out, & talked all afternoon. He told some great stories that I had not heard before.
Saturday, March 24, 2001:: Slept 9 hours last night plus a 2 hour nap yesterday. Feeling much better now. Galahad decided to hack down another one of our annoying trees, a Green Island Ficus that got out of control. He took out quite a bit, and there is still plenty of tree left for us to work on next weekend.

Went out to Gianni's with Galahad's parents for dinner.
Friday, March 23, 2001:: Too many too early mornings in a row. Now, I'm just plain cranky. Finished up my meetings and was able to come home & sleep.
Thursday, March 22, 2001:: Another incredibly productive day. Amazing, huh?! We split into just two groups today, techies & sales. We have all come to realize that we just are different & think differently & probably learn differently as well. I finally understand about firewalls thanks to an elaborate 10 minute answer to my 1 minute question that stretched into an hour long discussion.

For dinner, I talked a few people into going down to South Beach & waiting the 2 hours to eat at Joe's Stone Crab. Everyone decided afterwards that it was indeed worth the wait. Some of the sales people also ventured down to South Beach but all decided to hit the much trendier place, Mango's. Anyone who has ever eaten at Joe's knows who the real winners were. During our extended wait, we walked over to Ocean Drive and had a few drinks at a little cafe. Joe's is one of the very few places that I will wait to be seated at. Most other places with a long wait (and there are plenty down here) are not worth it. As you might imagine, I did not get to sleep until 1-ish.
Wednesday, March 21, 2001:: Stayed up too late last night & got up way too early this morning. Got a headache but managed to keep it at bay with Excedrin. Had a very productive day in all the seminars & break-out sessions. Learned quite a bit about a new facet of our business that's rolling out.
Tuesday, March 20, 2001:: Packed up to go out of town 45 minutes away. Stayed at a beautiful place; however, it was in a poor locale, besides being at the beach. There was not much around in the way of activity, which actually may be a good thing considering I'm there to work. Galahad drove down to see me but didn't get there until late since it's pretty far with traffic.
Monday, March 19, 2001:: Woke up to the sound & sight of a gloomy, rainy day. We couldn't be more excited! Maybe our drought will become less severe soon.
Sunday, March 18, 2001:: We ate at an Indian restaurant last night, which was my first time. I have never really cared for any of the Indian spices, so I've never been in a particular hurry to try this. It was my brother's first time as well. Neither one of us was very impressed with the food; and, the service was terrible. It took well over an hour to get our food. We actually left in the middle to go see her sing, and then came back in time to eat. Both Galahad and my cousin reassured us that we had just chosen a bad place and not to judge all Indian restaurants by this instance.

Went to Best Buy to purchase a phone with a headset. Wow! Too many choices to sift through and nothing really that I felt I wanted. So, I left with a rain check and disappointment.
Saturday, March 17, 2001:: Happy St Patrick's Day! I'm bummed. I went to watch the eagles' nest this morning and the site is having trouble. No eaglets for me! :-(

Galahad just got his new Samurai-sharp tree-cutting tool in the mail yesterday. So, as you can imagine, he took out a few trees. He got very carried away in the fun of cutting, until I stopped him. The pile in front of our house was getting too big. I told him he'd have to finish the rest next weekend.

My cousin is in town. Yeah! We're meeting him & his girl for dinner tonight and watching my brother's girl sing out at a courtyard in West Palm Beach. I guess we'll be listening more so than watching.
Friday, March 16, 2001:: I'm so excited. I got our composter today. A woman at the city's office of recycling & waste management dropped it off herself. How nice is that? We had been shopping for one for weeks now. Finally, I asked my sister where she got hers, and she told me she got it from her city/county. We were prepared to spend $100 and ended up with a free one.

Went to the coolest web page the other day, the T-Shirt Chronicles. I killed a few hours surfing through links and ended up there. Whatever did I do before the Internet & DSL?!?!
Thursday, March 15, 2001:: Saw my chiropractor today. He torqued the bejeezus out of my neck. BUT, I graduated to once every 4 weeks now. I never thought I'd get to this day. sniff, sniff, I'm just so happy.

Ate some more of my sister-in-law's homemade cheesecake. She sent us home with some last night. OMG! Scrumdiliumptious!
Wednesday, March 14, 2001:: Woke up early so that I could water my plants this morning (drought restrictions & all). Much to my dismay, I found that one of my sprinklers had emptied itself and a very large pile of sandy soil & debris onto our deck and into our pool.

Read an amazing article about the 50 most powerful women in America. One of my sisters made an insightful comment after reading this. She said something like, won't it be nice that the day comes when this isn't even news because it's not unusual to see women in positions of power. Good point!

Went to a family dinner in honor of my youngest older brother's birthday. We had a great time. Plenty of tasty food & good company. He brought his friend, Chad, who reminds us all of Jeff Spiccoli from 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.' All in all, a very entertaining & enjoyable evening.
Tuesday, March 13, 2001:: Started testing my company's newest release of software. That's quite fun (okay, so I'm a Geek, I know.) I love when it does what it actually was designed to do.

Today was local election day. Yes, we used the exact same Vote-A-Matic machines that caused the downfall of Gore's & Florida's reputations. I was reminded several times to check my chads. What really got me upset later is that no local news stations covered any part of this election. I do NOT see how breaking up an illegal ring of pit bull fighting is more important than electing our new local mayors & commissioners. I was highly disappointed in all 4 networks.
Monday, March 12, 2001:: Work is really getting busy & problematic lately. I guess everyone is doing some spring-cleaning and deciding to get all of their lagging problems resolved.
Sunday, March 11, 2001:: Happy Birthday, Shannon! Galahad & I spent most of today landscaping our yard. We ended up with another large pile of branches & plant-material out by the curb for bulk pick-up. We're debating about getting rid of our Ficus trees. It is positively frightening to learn what their root systems can do to a house or wall.
Saturday, March 10, 2001:: Caught up with my mail, bills, and correspondence.
Friday, March 9, 2001:: Had a long heart-to-heart talk with my father. We both aired out some grievances and are working toward developing a new better relationship. Worked like crazy on an established client who suddenly started having problems. Watched Toy Story 2. What a fabulous movie!
Thursday, March 8, 2001:: Caught up with work.
Wednesday, March 7, 2001:: Yesterday turned into a beautiful day after the horror of breakfast, until I got the message last night that I would need to drive over to Tampa today to see a disgruntled client. The drive took almost two hours. This visit went much better than I had even visualized. Not only did I fix their problems, but when I left they were smiling. So, I raced off to the airport to catch my plane home. On the plane, I sat next to a gentleman who appeared very solemn. For some reason, I was unnerved by this and attempted to break the ice. He turned out to be quite a cool guy, who was flying home from his father's funeral. Poor guy! We talked almost the whole flight home. For those of you who have never flown with me, I usually bury my head in a book & ignore everything except for food & beverages. I was very happy to come home to my Galahad. I missed him so much in just 2.5 days.
Tuesday, March 6, 2001:: Did not sleep well at all last night. Bizarre dreams & bizarre noises kept me awake way too much. Then, the person-in-the-room-next-door's alarm went off very loudly at some hellaciously early hour of the morning. To top it off, I just ordered breakfast, and it's absolutely awful! I'm calmly breathing & visualizing a better day than it started.
Monday, March 5, 2001:: Flew to Orlando. Not a fun flight with all of these strong gusts around. Fortunately, I was in a regular sized plane & not in a puddle-jumper. I had dinner with my former roommate. We had so much fun catching up on each other's lives. I miss her! But, it's nice to have a friend here when I come up.
Sunday, March 4, 2001:: Gray today & very windy. Galahad had to fix one of our trees again, as it got blown over. I worked outside all day, until I was exhausted. First I tended to my orchids, and then I went crazy on some of our landscaping. I cut quite a few of our bushes way back to allow them to re-grow nicely instead of the mess they had become. I made sure I finished in time to pack & watch the Sopranos' season premiere. Somehow, that wasn't as good as it could have been, not that it was bad.
Saturday, March 3, 2001:: Got up early to water all of our fruit trees and my orchids. Drove to Coconut Grove to attend the 56th Annual Miami Orchid Show. I'm sure we'll have another busy day tomorrow applying what we learned. It seems that every expert has his/her own theory. We heard some outright contradictions from what we learned last week about the various species. Galahad really wanted to buy another pretty orchid, but I restrained him until we figure out how to care for the many that we already have.
Friday, March 2, 2001:: Worked some more on my challenging client's issues. Hopefully, I will not hear from them for a long time. Galahad brought home sushi for dinner. Mmmmm!
Thursday, March 1, 2001:: Heard from Galahad's cousins in Vancouver. They felt the 'quake up there but nothing too serious.
Wednesday, February 28, 2001:: Back at the office today. Finished up with yesterday's client, I hope. Called my brother & sister-in-law in Seattle to make sure they were okay after the earthquake. They are.
Tuesday, February 27, 2001:: Went to the office today to work on month end billing with the local branch manager. I also fixed the client's problems from last week and yesterday, with much assistance from Seattle & locally. Started to watch the Presidential address but turned it off pretty quickly. It reminded me too much of my high school pep rallies, which I also walked out of. It seemed kind of pointless to me. Either do a good job or don't, but don't proselytize about everything.
Monday, February 26, 2001:: Worked some more on the problems of client from last week.
Sunday, February 25, 2001:: We got very inspired from yesterday and spent over 5 hours re-potting some of our orchids. Galahad went to the nursery and bought new hangers, rhizome clips, sphagnum moss, and fungicide. What an exhausting day. Hopefully, we'll see soon that it was productive. We have a few orchids that appear to be diseased. After a few treatments with the fungicide, it should heal them. We had quite a time figuring out the ratio of powder to water. They gave us the tablespoon/gallon ratio, but we had a 24-ounce spray bottle. So, after straining our brains with elementary school math, we figured it out. Somehow, we both used different methods but arrived at the same answer. Take that all you teachers who said there was only one way to solve each problem.
Saturday, February 24, 2001:: Went to the Palm Beach Flower Show. We had a lovely time. Galahad wasn't so sure about going; I think he went mostly to humor me. But, then he realized there was much more to it than just flowers. We also listened to a taxonomist lecture about the proper re-potting of orchids, which has made us both a little crazy & perplexed over the past year and a half. There was a symphony there playing. And, it was just a perfect south Florida day, about 75°F, with a full breeze blowing, right on the Intracoastal Waterway. On the way home, we took the top down and drove the whole way along the ocean. It figures that we're in the midst of a drought and got caught in a rain shower with the top down. Even that felt good. I did have one mar on the perfection of the day. I think all the flowers' pollen gave me a migraine. At the car, I took some Excedrin, which I dropped. It went rolling a few parking spots away. There I was chasing it through the parking garage since it was the only one I had. I closed my eyes, brushed it off, and popped it in my mouth. It worked, and a short time later, I was feeling good again.
Friday, February 23, 2001:: Received our new PC from HP. I'm looking forward to tomorrow to set it up, add it to my home network, & transfer everything over from my former new-PC. Another 4 hours today with yesterday's client.
Thursday, February 22, 2001:: Dealt with a very difficult client today with no resolution except that we'll try again tomorrow with one of my local people on hand there to assist me. Went to Galahad's parents for another birthday celebration dinner for his mom.
Wednesday, February 21, 2001:: Had lunch with a dear friend of mine who is going through the scare of possible cancer re-growth. No idea what to say in that situation, just trying to be supportive.
Tuesday, February 20, 2001:: Spoke to HP customer service today about the new PC we just bought last month, which sucks. It's already been in the shop once & came back with extra problems. Anyway, after writing a letter & making several telephone calls, I finally found someone who would genuinely help me. He is switching out our PC for a new one that is slightly better. Hopefully this one will work properly. It is such a hassle to transfer files from one to another and install all of my software. That's nice of them to recognize this & make it worth my while.
Monday, February 19, 2001:: Worked with Galahad all day doing yard work. Somehow we both ended up with puncture wounds all over our hands from thorny foliage. Later, we took his parents out to Joe's Stone Crab for his mom's birthday. Mmmmm! The stone crabs were simply scrumptious. And, we finished it off with a slice of key lime pie.
Sunday, February 18, 2001:: Attempted to buy a composter from Lowe's after not finding one at The Home Depot. Apparently neither place carries one. How ridiculous! They have a huge garden section with so many things one doesn't need to choose from and not one composter.; Watched parts of the Daytona 500. What a bad crash they had and no one was seriously hurt. And then, the shocking news that Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was killed right at the last turn of the final lap. What a way to go. His name & memory will definitely be immortalized. People revered him before; now, he'll take on Elvis-stature.
Saturday, February 17, 2001:: Galahad & I went to the Renaissance Festival. We had such a great time. We saw an archery contest, a falconry display, jousting, comedy shows, and ate yummy food.
Friday, February 16, 2001:: Had lunch with my sister-in-law & my nephew. I think he liked his present but hasn't quite grasped the concept of why he received it. Instead of being happy with what he had, he commented that that was the "ONLY" Valentine's gift he received. Meanwhile, I don't think he's ever gotten lots before, except maybe something silly from his sister. I could be wrong though. I did it for fun, but maybe it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. Oh well, who knows what little boys like? Maybe next year, I'll go back to a card...
Thursday, February 15, 2001:: Yesterday, I gave Galahad his present --- another adopted bird, Picasso, a red-shouldered hawk. I also gave my nephew an osprey, Smedley, but I haven't heard whether or not he liked it yet.
Wednesday, February 14, 2001:: Happy Valentine's Day! I know for all you single people out there, this is the worst idea ever come up with. But, I finally have someone yummy to celebrate it with & absolutely love it now, after years of dreading the day. It seems like as a kid, I liked it because of all the candy & cartoon valentines exchanged. Then, with the teens, came the pressure to conform & find someone. It wasn't until my first Valentine's Day with Galahad that I truly appreciated this holiday again. It's another day that I use to emphasize how important & special he is to me.
Tuesday, February 13, 2001:: Sent Galahad tulips today to surprise him early. Boy, was I surprised when he had the same thought! He sent me beautiful lilies, which have such a fragrant scent.
Monday, February 12, 2001:: Worked with a client to do an inventory audit. Boy, did that turn out to be a challenge. Plus, it's a huge client, so the regional VP keeps getting involved.
Sunday, February 11, 2001:: Went on a botanical walk at Bonnet House, a local historical house. Learned quite a bit about the indigenous vs. exotic vegetation. May have to move a few trees at our house due to potential future root damage. Scary to actually see what can happen.
Saturday, February 10, 2001:: Recuperated from last night. Took Excedrin at about noon, which cleared my head somewhat. Galahad's parents came over, ostensibly so his dad could help him fix our gate. I love seeing them, but it was a little bit taxing to be sociable in my condition. Hopefully, I pulled it off okay.
Friday, February 9, 2001:: Went out to dinner tonight with Galahad & old friends of mine from my last job. Sushi, of course. Something didn't agree with me later though. I got such a blasting migraine. Even though I medicated right away, it hit me so hard, I woke up every few hours all night & took more medicine.
Thursday, February 8, 2001:: I'm really addicted to Eagle Watch 2001. It's a website that has a camera & microphone placed just near an eagle's nest and plays 24 x 7. I've been watching since the two eaglets were teeny tiny. Now, they're much bigger and still making all kinds of squeaky noises. Both parents come back frequently to the nest to feed them.
Wednesday, February 7, 2001:: Took the day off. Should have been nice and relaxing... Except, I witnessed such a horrifying experience that I would have rather worked instead of seeing it. I was hanging out in my living room, talking to my sister on the phone, when a bird flew BAM, right into my living room window. It fell down, either dead or stunned, most likely dead. Then immediately, before I could get outside to investigate, another bird of the same type swooped down and picked up the fallen bird. It all happened so fast that I couldn't identify the type. To make matters worse, the original bird left a birdie imprint on my window, up so high that I can't easily remove it without a tall ladder. So now I have a constant reminder of a probable avian fatality. Work would have been better.
Tuesday, February 6, 2001:: Planned on taking today off but got too busy. Will take tomorrow off instead. I had to catch up on all the stuff I blew off last week.
Monday, February 5, 2001:: Got back into the normal groove of work instead of the crazy hours I worked last week.
Sunday, February 4, 2001:: Galahad took his mom shopping while I caught up on laundry, mail, & house stuff.
Saturday, February 3, 2001:: Slept & watched movies all day long. Watched The Cell & tried to eat sushi at the same time. That lasted one bite & one gag.
Friday, February 2, 2001:: Worked another LONG day at the office, until 11PM. The manager there bought me lunch (sushi again, you guessed it) & dinner (Applebee's). I called my sister on the way home to keep me awake. My eyes were having a difficult time focusing.
Thursday, February 1, 2001:: Woke up and reached for my Imitrex immediately. Felt better at about 10AM. Time for my annual GYN appointment. How much fun is that? What made it even better this year was having my doctor keep up a conversation with me about my work, while his trainee did the exam. I guess it's business as usual for him. Fortunately, I did not get paged by work until after this was over.
Wednesday, January 31, 2001:: Had to stay even later today since this is the last day of the month, and I won't be in tomorrow. Got home at 9:30PM. Again, she took me out for sushi lunch. And again, my dessert was Imitrex.
Tuesday, January 30, 2001:: Went in to the office again and worked another very long day. I am training the branch manager on a financial software application and am going very slowly to make sure she learns not only the steps to take but when & why to take them. Since she is appreciative of my effort & time, she took me out for sushi lunch, while she ate teriyaki chicken. Came home at 8:00PM, but not before taking my Imitrex.
Monday, January 29, 2001:: Bought a zip drive yesterday to take to Friday's emergency client & copy their data for further analysis. Once I got there, I figured out the problem, so there was no need to send off the disk. Took my client out to lunch, then joined a conference call & listened to some cockamamie reason why my company's EBITDA will go up this year even though it hasn't for the past two years. This was on the drive in to my local office where I ended up working until after 7PM. Yup, more Excedrin today.
Sunday, January 28, 2001:: Superbowl Sunday! The Ravens vs. the
Saturday, January 27, 2001:: Galahad and I spent all day sleeping and relaxing. He had a long work week as well. Ordered in pizza.
Friday, January 26, 2001:: Took my car in, and caught up on business phone calls while I waited for it. Worked all day, and then just as I thought I was done, I got paged and worked on an emergency for a few more hours until after 7PM.
Thursday, January 25, 2001:: Checked out of my hotel this morning. Went to the client, ensured that everything was operating correctly, and then caught a late afternoon flight back home. Lo & behold, my ride was there waiting for me. He carried my bags for me and drove me home, which was extremely fortuitous as I had a splitting migraine by this time. I was very happy to be home and see my Galahad again.
Wednesday, January 24, 2001:: Did a repeat of yesterday, although instead of the siesta, we went to our office to work & train that staff. Managed to fit in another sushi dinner and even had leftovers to put in my fridge for breakfast tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 23, 2001:: Woke up to 37°F & pouring rain. Shouldn't it be snowing soon? Had an early morning training session at the client. That took much longer than expected but was not too stressful, fortunately. We had time for a mid-afternoon siesta before a late night training session. I also managed to squeeze in time for a quick sushi dinner.
Monday, January 22, 2001:: Picked up my Bostonian colleague from his hotel and drove to our local office. We did not get much accomplished besides familiarizing ourselves with the staff and the facility. Then, it was off to meet our clients in person after months of conference calls. Since I am not supposed to speak of this much, I will merely say that the people were friendlier than I expected and the circumstances more challenging.
Sunday, January 21, 2001:: Galahad left early for class again, so we said goodbye then. I packed up, washed my hair, and waited for my airport ride. I tried a new company since the last one forgot to pick me up upon my return. This one showed up promptly and helped me with my luggage. The airport was a mess, and Southwest's computer system was down. I spent about 30 minutes waiting in line to check my bag since curbside was unavailable. Then, I spent over 45 minutes waiting in line to get my boarding pass. I do not like Southwest's policies on open seating and first-come first-in. People really get ugly to get in first. Some older man nearly took my toe off to get his foot inserted ahead of me in the mad rush to get aboard.

It was 46°F when I got off the plane in Jacksonville at 2:30PM. I picked up my rental car, drove straight to my hotel, and waited 30 minutes to check in. I guess today was my day to learn patience. They finally got me a room after I raised my voice enough. It's too bad that friendliness does not work as well. I ended up with a nice mini-apartment and a log for my fireplace. My local cousins surprised me with a nice family, home-cooked dinner. I had a lovely evening and felt incredibly comfortable there. Their house just has an instant warm ambience. They sent me home with a wonderful banana-nut bread. There's something to be said for Southern hospitality.
Saturday, January 20, 2001:: Galahad was in class all day. I spent the day getting ready for my trip by doing laundry and running errands. I started to watch some of the inauguration but just really couldn't get into it. I did find it amusing when the newscasters kept speaking of the weather by saying, "it's a miserable day in Washington." But, they didn't always say it exactly in that context so it could be taken to mean something else. When Galahad came home, we went on a dinner date for sushi.
Friday, January 19, 2001:: We watched Gladiator. What an excellent movie, although I wasn't thrilled with the beginning scenes. It was way too confusing to follow who was doing what in the opening battle scene. After that though, it was very powerful and moved well.
Thursday, January 18, 2001:: Went to our homeowners meeting tonight. I am always surprised anew at how vehemently some people feel about having fresh flowers at all times outside of their homes.
Wednesday, January 17, 2001:: Looks like I'll be going out of town again. So much for not traveling for a while....
Tuesday, January 16, 2001:: Back to work. It's amazing how much work piles up in such a short time.
Monday, January 15, 2001:: Time to check out and get back to our regular lives. Galahad wants to drive on country roads and get a taste of what Florida used to be like. We passed miles and miles of citrus groves, and stopped to buy some, of course. Then, we saw signs for a Florida Winery, which we stopped and toured. Who knew there was a winery here? We drove through a pretty little city, named Lake Wales. And, finally, we drove to our house and were in heaven to be back in our lovely home.
Sunday, January 14, 2001:: Breakfast was fabulous. They made Belgian waffles with peaches and crème fraîche on top and walnuts and raisins inside. I am so glad that we stayed an extra day. We were able to catch up with my friend and get acquainted with her whole family and new husband. Somehow, they even managed to get us to go bowling. This would be my fourth time ever participating in this sport. Galahad, as usual, surprised me with how talented he is at something I would never have even considered. He said he learned it when he was a small child. It amazes me that I can know a man for seven years and still not know everything. My friend and I reminisced about all the stupid & silly acts we did when we were together. We laughed ourselves silly, although Galahad and her husband didn't seem to find it as humorous as we did. We toured parts of The Villages of Lady Lake, which is a Disney-built retirement community. It's an oasis out in the middle of nowhere. We stayed up way too late talking and laughing and looking at all of her pictures. I can't wait until we can fly there for a visit.
Saturday, January 13, 2001:: Galahad & I are very excited to see Olivia this morning. We checked out of our hotel, after watching Batman Beyond and allowing me to eat breakfast, relatively early. We even bypassed our other Saturday morning cartoons. We drove to the Audubon Center and were allowed to visit with many of their rehabilitated raptors. We were absolutely fascinated to see them all & learn about their different habits & problems. The center is being renovated now, so it was extremely fortunate that we were allowed behind the scenes to see them all. Galahad took all kinds of pictures and was even allowed to feed Olivia a mealworm. Whenever we get the pictures developed, I'll try to post some online.

Then, it was off to Lady Lake and our B&B for the next two nights. The drive up was quaint and not too bad. We passed through Mount Dora, Florida's joke about having a mountain. It is elevated quite a bit for Florida but could barely be considered a large hill. We checked into our room at the B&B, and coincidentally enough, were staying in the Olivia room. This was, surprisingly, quite a nice place. The drive in through farms & ranches made us hesitant to think we might be sleeping in a barn. However, it was really nice and very comfortable.

We got all dressed up and went over to the Wedding Reception. It was an intimate affair with exquisite food and a fun mix of people. My friend sure has great friends. She surprised quite a few people when she told them she was 4 months pregnant. They had originally gotten married last April in Australia, so no one's sensibilities were offended. This was the reception for her friends and family who couldn't make it to Sydney. One of her friends brought a techno/operatic CD, which the DJ was finally convinced to play. Very cool music, although the small-town DJ and senior citizens may not have cared for it too much.
Friday, January 12, 2001:: I hate car trips. But, I'm hating this one less than usual, so maybe I'm even looking forward to it... I am definitely looking forward to seeing my former roommate tonight. We're meeting out at Church Street Station. I haven't been there in years. Even though I regularly travel to Orlando, I am horrified anew each time I get stuck in their murderous traffic. I was able to contain a budding migraine that started from the long drive up. We had dinner at a local downtown cantina and caught up with each other's lives. I miss her. She and I had so much fun when we were roomies...
Thursday, January 11, 2001:: Last day of the work week for me. That's a perfect week, off on Monday & Friday. Galahad and I have a mini-weekend getaway planned to coincide with a good friend's wedding reception as well as a visit with my former roommate & Galahad's visit with Olivia, his adopted kestrel.
Wednesday, January 10, 2001:: My arm hurts & itches. The spot looks like Galahad put out a cigarette in my arm.
Tuesday, January 9, 2001:: I'm really having a hard time getting back into work mode. I had 22 emails waiting for me today since I had taken yesterday off. Plus, I got paged a bazillion times.
Monday, January 8, 2001:: Went in to get my basal cell carcinoma removed. The office was full of senior citizens. I felt very out of place there, like I must have really screwed up to be as young as I am and as bad off as they were. Fortunately, my biopsy spot had healed really well, so a deep incision with stitches wasn't necessary. My doctor cauterized the spot instead. There's nothing like the stench of burning flesh. Anyway, since I wasn't sure what to expect, I had already taken the whole day off. I spent a nice relaxing day reading my book, Nimisha's Ship, by Anne McCaffrey. Then, I spent about 90 minutes chit-chatting with my brother on the telephone. Right before Galahad got home, I started Clive Cussler's "Atlantis Found."
Sunday, January 7, 2001:: We took down our Christmas tree. Our living room looks so much bigger again. Christmas is fun, but there is way too much clutter involved.
Saturday, January 6, 2001:: Man, what a cluster-f**k! I just tried to order a pizza online from Papa John's. Somehow, I forgot my password. Small wonder since I have approximately a zillion. Anyway, there's no place on their website to email me a new one or reset it or anything. Then, I try the electronic feedback form, which won't even load properly. I call their customer service number and have to be transferred because they don't handle passwords. Meanwhile, Galahad keeps saying, "can't we just call them?" That's not the point anymore. They finally reset my password, and then I log on, and it tells me that they don't deliver to my area. Their closest store is about half a mile from my house. So, I did what any normal person would do at this point. I called up Pizza Hut & ordered from them.
Friday, January 5, 2001:: I jumped in with both feet and attempted to bake brownies tonight. Somehow we didn't exactly have all the correct ingredients, so I threw in a little of this & a little of that. I'm waiting for Galahad to come home & try them. I did lick the bowl, which tasted good in quite an usual way. I'm trying a new font here today. If anyone is reading this, please let me know what you think. Email me at wendy98765@yahoo.com.
Thursday, January 4, 2001:: Watered my orchids today, which are still indoors. I almost killed a baby gecko when he threw himself under my feet. Lucky for him I have lightning fast reflexes when it comes to stuff like that. Another lizard kept running from pot to pot trying to avoid the water. And, here I thought I was helping them to stay hydrated. He'll thank me later.
Wednesday, January 3, 2001:: I can't believe how cold it is this year! We've had our fireplace going almost constantly.
Tuesday, January 2, 2001:: How hard was it for everyone to get back to their regular routines today? I am so over this whole working for a living thing and am really ready to retire now.
Monday, January 1, 2001:: Happy New Year! We watched the Tournament of Roses parade. That had some exquisite floats as usual. In case anyone is wondering, we did not make New Year's resolutions. We never do; we merely try to live our life in an enjoyable & inspiring manner all during the year (not that we always attain that).

whispers from wendy ...

... words to live by

blog archive 2: 1/01 - 4/01

Begin from the bottom if you're anal about staying in chronological order.

Back to Top