Noone else lost their job today at my office. Well, at least not as far as I know. That is good news, I suppose. For some unknown reason, I agreed to work tomorrow. I hate when I do that...LOL. But this guy who got fired? Well, that is just one more person that we will have to somehow make up for. I am still hoping that he appeals the whole ridiculous situation and will get his job back. If he even wants it. I know he has 2 kids in college, so....he probably NEEDS it whether he wants it or not. But anyway, it is supposed to rain all weekend, so at least I am not missing out on a pretty sunny Saturday. And I will get Monday off, and that is always nice. Having a week day off once in a while is a good thing because there are just so many things that need to be done on week days. Errands like going to the bank, the vet, the doctor or dentist. Even shopping is easier on a week day morning when its not so crowded. I won't mind sleeping in on Monday for sure.
I hope all of you have a nice weekend. Maybe the weather will be pretty wherever you are. And if you have the time, send some happy thoughts to my kids....Erica is in Nashville running a half-marathon tomorrow morning. And Stephen defends his paper for his Master's on Monday. Both of them will do fine, I'm sure, but happy thoughts never hurt anybody. :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Yeah, I'm a slackard
I have been informed that I have been rather slack with the blogging lately. And its true. But in my defense things have been a little hectic trying to get back into the swing of things after vacation. And why would that be, you ask? Or maybe you don't, but I am going to still tell you...LOL. I came back to an office with ALL new management. And lots of changes, most of them of an inconvenient nature. Why do those restructuring changes that supposedly promote progress always seem so cumbersome and painful? And besides that, people are being scrutinized, audited and today? One person was fired. We were warned that it probably wouldn't be the last. We are all walking on eggshells, watching our backs, and feeling persecuted. On the other hand, its not exactly news to anybody that I really do hate that place. Have ALWAYS hated that place. If I got fired, then....I would figure something else out and go on with my life. Because its not, you know...my life. Some people act like its their lives, and our management certainly acts like it SHOULD be our lives. I was even told once that if (fill in the blank with any company name) wanted us to have a life, we would have been issued one. Yeah....whatever. I am not going to let it drive me crazy.
And about the pictures....I really wanted to post some vacation pics. But I think I told you that my new netbook doesn't have photo editing capabilities. So, I downloaded everything we took onto Bruce's laptop, which is relatively new too, since he bought it this past Dec. And guess what? He never put any kind of photo editing software on it either. LOL. So I am stuck with a bunch of pictures on his computer that I can't post until he puts Nero or Photoshop on it so I can resize them. Blogger and Facebook are really picky about the size of pictures that can be uploaded. So about those pictures....ask Bruce. The ball is in his court now. Maybe he will get around to it this weekend. Don't be too hard on him, he has pulled a muscle in his back and has been walking around looking old and crippled for a couple of days now. Its starting to get better, so we don't think its anything serious, but still, he hasn't felt that great this week.
But anyway, things are fine here. The weather has been warm and sunny. Our animals were all extremely happy to have us back home again. Life is good.
And about the pictures....I really wanted to post some vacation pics. But I think I told you that my new netbook doesn't have photo editing capabilities. So, I downloaded everything we took onto Bruce's laptop, which is relatively new too, since he bought it this past Dec. And guess what? He never put any kind of photo editing software on it either. LOL. So I am stuck with a bunch of pictures on his computer that I can't post until he puts Nero or Photoshop on it so I can resize them. Blogger and Facebook are really picky about the size of pictures that can be uploaded. So about those pictures....ask Bruce. The ball is in his court now. Maybe he will get around to it this weekend. Don't be too hard on him, he has pulled a muscle in his back and has been walking around looking old and crippled for a couple of days now. Its starting to get better, so we don't think its anything serious, but still, he hasn't felt that great this week.
But anyway, things are fine here. The weather has been warm and sunny. Our animals were all extremely happy to have us back home again. Life is good.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Back to Reality
We are home again, safe and sound...if maybe just a bit sad that our vacation is over. It was pretty amazing though, so at least there's that. Ocean, snorkeling, rain forest, cool old city....all of it right there. I could so live there in Luquillo. But its back to reality now, and that is going to be a cold slap in the face as we have tons of yard work pending this weekend. Spring has sprung and the grass is already growing....blah.
I have lots of pictures to post (probably on Facebook). But I haven't had the time to do it just yet. Part of the problem is that I don't have a good photo editor on this new netbook, and everything has to be resized to post. I did a few clumsy ones earlier, but it is a tedious process the way I had to do it. I don't know....I may end up downloading the pics on Bruce's laptop. I love my netbook, but it doesn't really have the processing power to edit photos. I think he has a decent photo editor on his. I can barely bring myself to sit at a desktop computer anymore. It feels wrong....archaic almost. LOL.
So, things are getting back to normal again. I have finished unpacking and doing laundry (well, almost). The animals are getting back on schedule. It stresses them, all of them, to be left like that, and I hate doing it to them. But Mama needs a vacation, so....they just had to survive through a week. The cats were fine, although they have been a bit clingier than normal. Normal meaning we are ignored until feeding time. Omen has been sleeping through the night on our bed like she is determined to make sure we don't disappear again. Its the dogs that I worry about. They are getting so old and fragile. But everyone seems to be doing ok and shaking off the stress of living without us for a few days.
Also? Stephen just found out he has been accepted into George Mason University's PhD program in D.C. He still might choose Purdue (has already accepted Purdue but could technically change his mind), but the getting accepted part has made him very happy and us, very proud. It will all boil down to which school offers him the best funding, since both linguistic programs are excellent. The cost of living in D.C. is a whole lot more than Indiana, though, so there would have to be some kind of compensation to make it worth it. Its weird, knowing that he is going to be moving in a few months, but not having any real idea of where that is going to be. It will all work out though. You just gotta have faith. LOL.
I have lots of pictures to post (probably on Facebook). But I haven't had the time to do it just yet. Part of the problem is that I don't have a good photo editor on this new netbook, and everything has to be resized to post. I did a few clumsy ones earlier, but it is a tedious process the way I had to do it. I don't know....I may end up downloading the pics on Bruce's laptop. I love my netbook, but it doesn't really have the processing power to edit photos. I think he has a decent photo editor on his. I can barely bring myself to sit at a desktop computer anymore. It feels wrong....archaic almost. LOL.
So, things are getting back to normal again. I have finished unpacking and doing laundry (well, almost). The animals are getting back on schedule. It stresses them, all of them, to be left like that, and I hate doing it to them. But Mama needs a vacation, so....they just had to survive through a week. The cats were fine, although they have been a bit clingier than normal. Normal meaning we are ignored until feeding time. Omen has been sleeping through the night on our bed like she is determined to make sure we don't disappear again. Its the dogs that I worry about. They are getting so old and fragile. But everyone seems to be doing ok and shaking off the stress of living without us for a few days.
Also? Stephen just found out he has been accepted into George Mason University's PhD program in D.C. He still might choose Purdue (has already accepted Purdue but could technically change his mind), but the getting accepted part has made him very happy and us, very proud. It will all boil down to which school offers him the best funding, since both linguistic programs are excellent. The cost of living in D.C. is a whole lot more than Indiana, though, so there would have to be some kind of compensation to make it worth it. Its weird, knowing that he is going to be moving in a few months, but not having any real idea of where that is going to be. It will all work out though. You just gotta have faith. LOL.
Monday, April 12, 2010
San Juan
We spent Saturday touring the old historic district in San Juan. It is a beautiful city, and I fell in love with it the first time we ever saw it back in 2005. We drove in, found public parking, and took off towards the fort called "El Morro". There are 2 huge old forts in San Juan and we did Castillo de San Cristóbal last time we were here.
We were parked pretty near El Morro and someone (it was Stephen, but who is keeping score?) decided that we should walk the outer walls of the fort and enter the city from the other side. Its a beautiful view, so we all agreed and set off on what will be from henceforward known as "The Death March".
We had no idea how long of a walk it was going to be. Or that the fort blocked out the breeze for most of the walk. Or that the concrete intensified the blistering heat making every step a study in torture....noone told us any of that. And also?
Noone bothered to tell us THIS either:
Yep, thats right. We were hot, sweaty and exhausted. We were almost to the end where we should have found the entrance to the city and where we could hopefully (please God) find an air-conditioned place to sit down and have a cold drink.....and then...instead.....we had to turn around and walk the whole way back. It wasn't any cooler or more comfortable the 2nd time around either. I thought Bruce was going to have a nuclear meltdown. He was furious. And seriously, somebody could have posted a sign somewhere near the beginning of the walkway. Would that be too much to ask? Needless to say our day in San Juan didn't get off to the best start.
But it got better. The kids took off to check out a museum and Bruce and I found a shady bench to sit down and rest for a little bit and we just happened to sit down right beside this:
And while I know it doesn't look like much, it turned out to be the taping of a tv show "Royal Pains" that shows on the USA network. Pretty interesting to watch. I have never actually seen the show, so the actors were not known to me at all....but it gave us something to look at while we were recouping from the Death March.
There were a lot of other good things about that day, too. We had a delicious lunch at a little place called "El Buren" where we had tropical pizza with ham and pineapple and some special Puerto Rican white cheese that was OMG delicious. And it has forever spoiled pizza for me from anyplace else. Nothing will ever be that good again.
And there was the "Pee Nazi" that amused the hell out of us, too. Some of the public restrooms in the city are pay-toilets. Usually like .25 cents or so. But one of them was a whopping .50 cents and the old woman who manned that station? Lord help us all, she took her job very seriously. She handed out these wet baby wipes, and forced you to wipe your hands and face while waiting in line. She militantly guarded the line, too. You better NOT step out of form, or else. And then she escorted us, one by one into the bathrooms, waiting while we all did...whatever...spraying some noxious probably toxic chemical thing all around while she waited. And then, she went in to the stall and second-flushed the toilet, forced paper towels into your hand and barked orders to wash and sterilize your hands....it was an extremely weird experience. Especially since the middle sink in the bathroom was built up like a shrine with flowers and strange trinkets with this fake yellow bird sitting on top of the mound of stuff like a wedding cake ornament. We have no idea what that was all about, but it was definitely a shrine of some kind. The woman wasn't exactly "chatty" enough for us to be able to ask.....but it has given us something to laugh about ever since.
We were parked pretty near El Morro and someone (it was Stephen, but who is keeping score?) decided that we should walk the outer walls of the fort and enter the city from the other side. Its a beautiful view, so we all agreed and set off on what will be from henceforward known as "The Death March".
We had no idea how long of a walk it was going to be. Or that the fort blocked out the breeze for most of the walk. Or that the concrete intensified the blistering heat making every step a study in torture....noone told us any of that. And also?
Noone bothered to tell us THIS either:
Yep, thats right. We were hot, sweaty and exhausted. We were almost to the end where we should have found the entrance to the city and where we could hopefully (please God) find an air-conditioned place to sit down and have a cold drink.....and then...instead.....we had to turn around and walk the whole way back. It wasn't any cooler or more comfortable the 2nd time around either. I thought Bruce was going to have a nuclear meltdown. He was furious. And seriously, somebody could have posted a sign somewhere near the beginning of the walkway. Would that be too much to ask? Needless to say our day in San Juan didn't get off to the best start.
But it got better. The kids took off to check out a museum and Bruce and I found a shady bench to sit down and rest for a little bit and we just happened to sit down right beside this:
And while I know it doesn't look like much, it turned out to be the taping of a tv show "Royal Pains" that shows on the USA network. Pretty interesting to watch. I have never actually seen the show, so the actors were not known to me at all....but it gave us something to look at while we were recouping from the Death March.
There were a lot of other good things about that day, too. We had a delicious lunch at a little place called "El Buren" where we had tropical pizza with ham and pineapple and some special Puerto Rican white cheese that was OMG delicious. And it has forever spoiled pizza for me from anyplace else. Nothing will ever be that good again.
And there was the "Pee Nazi" that amused the hell out of us, too. Some of the public restrooms in the city are pay-toilets. Usually like .25 cents or so. But one of them was a whopping .50 cents and the old woman who manned that station? Lord help us all, she took her job very seriously. She handed out these wet baby wipes, and forced you to wipe your hands and face while waiting in line. She militantly guarded the line, too. You better NOT step out of form, or else. And then she escorted us, one by one into the bathrooms, waiting while we all did...whatever...spraying some noxious probably toxic chemical thing all around while she waited. And then, she went in to the stall and second-flushed the toilet, forced paper towels into your hand and barked orders to wash and sterilize your hands....it was an extremely weird experience. Especially since the middle sink in the bathroom was built up like a shrine with flowers and strange trinkets with this fake yellow bird sitting on top of the mound of stuff like a wedding cake ornament. We have no idea what that was all about, but it was definitely a shrine of some kind. The woman wasn't exactly "chatty" enough for us to be able to ask.....but it has given us something to laugh about ever since.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday
We were able to book a snorkeling trip for Friday. It didn't look like we were going to get one, but after calling persistently, Bruce finally found a company with openings. We went out with Captain "Sa-So" (spelling is definitely not correct, but I have NO idea) on the Salty Dog.
It was a beautiful day and unlike other snorkeling tours, the alcohol flowed freely. We've been on boats that only offered drinks AFTER the snorkeling was over and we were on the way back. We've been on boats that sold beers, and boats with no alcohol at all. But the Salty Dog had NO rules about drinking. They offered Rum Punch and Pain Killers (my personal favorite) ALL day long, as many as you wanted and all free for the asking. A Pain Killer is a mixtur of orange juice, pineapple juice and Creme de Coco with rum. So yummy.
We went to one island about 45 minutes away and snorkeled right off of the beach. That part was cool to me, because its so much easier to adjust your equipment, and walk casually into the water. Other trips we have to jump off the side of the boat.
Afterwards we walked around for a quick tour of this little island. Our group being silly (as if we could ever be anything but). I don't know why my son insisted on rubbing his nipples, but ....maybe it was the Pain Killers???
They served a very simple lunch back on the boat of fresh bread, cold cuts and cheese, pasta salad, and a delicious fruit tray. Nothing fancy, but it was the BEST tasting food in the whole world. Probably was all of that swimming. Then we took off to another snorkeling spot where we found a lot more fish. The captain told us to take leftover bread and feed the fish. We had them eating right out of our hands. Unfortunately, this is where my camera battery died, so we don't have pictures of that, but the snorkeling was beautiful.
It was a beautiful day. After some recovery time back at the condo we went out for dinner where I had my first taste of the local dish mofongo. Its mashed, fried plantains and it tastes somewhat like hashbrowns. I enjoyed it, especially with the most delicious mojitos in the world being served for happy hour. LOL.
So, today we are headed into Old San Juan to enjoy the old city. My camera has been charged up so hopefully there will be lots of pictures to share. We are having a blast, except I find myself missing our animals quite a bit. I don't have any kitties here to curl up in bed with me, and that makes me a little sad. I hope our pet sitting service is taking good care of them.
It was a beautiful day and unlike other snorkeling tours, the alcohol flowed freely. We've been on boats that only offered drinks AFTER the snorkeling was over and we were on the way back. We've been on boats that sold beers, and boats with no alcohol at all. But the Salty Dog had NO rules about drinking. They offered Rum Punch and Pain Killers (my personal favorite) ALL day long, as many as you wanted and all free for the asking. A Pain Killer is a mixtur of orange juice, pineapple juice and Creme de Coco with rum. So yummy.
We went to one island about 45 minutes away and snorkeled right off of the beach. That part was cool to me, because its so much easier to adjust your equipment, and walk casually into the water. Other trips we have to jump off the side of the boat.
Afterwards we walked around for a quick tour of this little island. Our group being silly (as if we could ever be anything but). I don't know why my son insisted on rubbing his nipples, but ....maybe it was the Pain Killers???
They served a very simple lunch back on the boat of fresh bread, cold cuts and cheese, pasta salad, and a delicious fruit tray. Nothing fancy, but it was the BEST tasting food in the whole world. Probably was all of that swimming. Then we took off to another snorkeling spot where we found a lot more fish. The captain told us to take leftover bread and feed the fish. We had them eating right out of our hands. Unfortunately, this is where my camera battery died, so we don't have pictures of that, but the snorkeling was beautiful.
It was a beautiful day. After some recovery time back at the condo we went out for dinner where I had my first taste of the local dish mofongo. Its mashed, fried plantains and it tastes somewhat like hashbrowns. I enjoyed it, especially with the most delicious mojitos in the world being served for happy hour. LOL.
So, today we are headed into Old San Juan to enjoy the old city. My camera has been charged up so hopefully there will be lots of pictures to share. We are having a blast, except I find myself missing our animals quite a bit. I don't have any kitties here to curl up in bed with me, and that makes me a little sad. I hope our pet sitting service is taking good care of them.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
We Are Here
We made it safely to Puerto Rico. The flights were uneventful, and everything went according to schedule. We had a long wait at the rental car place though. It took forever, because it looked like everybody got in at the same time and needed a car. The wait was exhausting, but we got the van that we reserved...a 2010 Dodge Caravan...pretty nice, with lots of luggage space and everyone has a comfortable seat. Then came a really nerve-wracking drive to Luquillo. Luquillo is only about 25 miles east of San Juan (with beautiful beaches), but that drive....OH MY GOD!!!! You pass through about 4-5 little towns with a million stoplights, but people in Puerto Rico drive like maniacs. I saw my life pass before my eyes about a dozen times in that hour long drive. It was insane.
By the time that we finally got to our condo, we were all starving and exhausted. We threw our bags in here and went out to search for food. The service here? Well, friendly but slllooooowwww! Expect to wait. And when you are ravenous that is hard to do. But when the food finally got to us: Delicious! We had some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, and decided it was worth waiting for. I had grilled tilapia in a creole sauce. I was a little worried that it might be too hot and spicy, but actually it was a really savory salsa-like sauce with tomatoes and onions and cilantro....so yummy. We also ordered sangria by the pitcher and that was delicious as well. It took us a while to find this place to eat (apparently Puerto Ricans don't eat mid-afternoon, it was 4:30 and most local places seemed to be closed until dinner) but it was worth it.
Our condo has a wonderful view. Absolutely breathtaking. I will post some pictures later. But up here on the 21st floor its so windy. And the windows are crappy, so we are living with this howling non-stop sound of wind, like we are in the middle of a hurricane. I don't mind it. Stephen really hates it. Hopefully he will adjust, or.....maybe the wind will die down....? We don't know if its just an occasional event or if its like this all the time. But whatever....its a gorgeous day and we are still recovering from an exhausting day of traveling, so we plan to hang out here at the beach, do a little exploring of the grounds, take some pictures, and save the more strenuous stuff for later in our visit. We want to do a day long snorkeling trip to one of the islands off the coast here, and of course, we will have to spend at least a day exploring old San Juan. And eat.....we plan to do LOTS of eating. LOL.
By the time that we finally got to our condo, we were all starving and exhausted. We threw our bags in here and went out to search for food. The service here? Well, friendly but slllooooowwww! Expect to wait. And when you are ravenous that is hard to do. But when the food finally got to us: Delicious! We had some authentic Puerto Rican cuisine, and decided it was worth waiting for. I had grilled tilapia in a creole sauce. I was a little worried that it might be too hot and spicy, but actually it was a really savory salsa-like sauce with tomatoes and onions and cilantro....so yummy. We also ordered sangria by the pitcher and that was delicious as well. It took us a while to find this place to eat (apparently Puerto Ricans don't eat mid-afternoon, it was 4:30 and most local places seemed to be closed until dinner) but it was worth it.
Our condo has a wonderful view. Absolutely breathtaking. I will post some pictures later. But up here on the 21st floor its so windy. And the windows are crappy, so we are living with this howling non-stop sound of wind, like we are in the middle of a hurricane. I don't mind it. Stephen really hates it. Hopefully he will adjust, or.....maybe the wind will die down....? We don't know if its just an occasional event or if its like this all the time. But whatever....its a gorgeous day and we are still recovering from an exhausting day of traveling, so we plan to hang out here at the beach, do a little exploring of the grounds, take some pictures, and save the more strenuous stuff for later in our visit. We want to do a day long snorkeling trip to one of the islands off the coast here, and of course, we will have to spend at least a day exploring old San Juan. And eat.....we plan to do LOTS of eating. LOL.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter Everybody!!!
I hope everyone is having a nice Easter. We aren't doing anything really special besides having a nice dinner this evening (with chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert...yum). I have to admit that I really do miss the early morning treasure hunt for the baskets, and the egg hunts, and the candy. Easter really does have the BEST candy of all the holidays. I mean, seriously! How many holidays have so many specialty candies that are ONLY available for that time of year? Cadbury Eggs, which are a favorite of mine, but those definitely take a connoisseur of sugar to stomach those. And I am....a connoisseur of sugar. My daughter is too. Nothing can be too overly sweet for us to not like it. But there are also robin's eggs, those giant homemade peanut butter eggs...just a whole bunch of stuff that only comes out during the spring. Peeps used to be an Easter exclusive, but now they make them for everything. Pumpkin peeps, Christmas tree peeps...it kind of cheapens the experience somehow.
Anyway, I hope everyone finds a treasure-laden egg, gets lots of candy, and has a blast. Its the season for awakening and rebirth, so embrace it and enjoy.
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