So Sleepy!

Aah the holidays in the land of retail. At the #1 mall destination in Minnesota. I am having fun, but I am oh so tired, and I still have 5 more 12 hour days to go. Now I know this may sound whiny to those of you who regularly work long days or are very active. But to pudgy, out of shape me, 12 hours on my feet is long, especially 5 in a row. But it will all be worth it. When I get 40+ hours of overtime on my next check I will be able to purchase a very nice swiss made watch that I have had my eye on. With money left over. Yay for overtime! I would post a picture of it, but I could not find one on the web. It would appear that it has been discontinued. Hopefully I will still be able to get it from the manufacturer, but if not, I can pay a little more and buy the one in our case at work. (Watch manufacturers generally sell watches to employees below cost to encourage them the wear the watches in the hopes of driving sales.) When I get it I will take a picture and post it because it is very pretty. I think I will go to bed now.

The Zoester

Here is a picture of the culprit of last evenings mischief. Annoying how something so cute could cause so much trouble. (She gets a stern talking to and several squirts from the water bottle just about every day.)

And here she is with her big sis. Zoe is a little bigger now, but still pretty much looks the same.

Stupid frickin cat

So I was gonna write a nice long post and tell about my new computer and how much Dell's customer sevice sucks and how excited I am that Margaret moved to Minneapolis (having family close is somehow nicer than having them far away even if you don't see them any more often than before), but the annoying (yes I know she's only 4-1/2 months old but still) kitten that is Zoe had to go and walk all over my keyboard and erase what I had written and I couldn't figure out how to get it back. It really pissed me off, even though rationally it shouldn't really have made me all that mad. Anyway, I just wanted you to know, that after not writing for so long I was finally going to and Zoe ruined it. So blame her. Thhhhhppppt. Arrrrgggghhh.

Times really haven't changed that much

We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate. -Thomas Jefferson

As true today as it was back in the day. I hope that everyone votes in a few weeks here. I also hope that everyone takes enough of an interest in their local elections to learn enough about the candidates to make at least a quasi-informed decision. With so many seats up for grabs here, I am having trouble keeping up, but will take the opportunity of my day off today to do some research. So far I am leaning independant in most races. We shall see.

Pleasant Valley Sunday

Today we went to see the new Scorsese film The Departed. It was very good. right before we left for the theatre, we saw a review for it on TV where the guy said it had is three top movie annoyances: too long (2 1/2 hours), too much violence and too much swearing. At which point James and I looked at each other and said "that sounds like the requirements for a good movie in this house!" (Quentin Tarantino is in both of our top three favorite directors) And yes, there was A LOT of violence and swearing (mostly in the form of "fuck" and it's variations, which happens to be my favorite curse word.) A very good plot with dual moles in opposing organizations, and a couple of clever twists. Apparently it is based on a Hong Kong movie. James & I were wondering if maybe we needed to start watching more Hong Kong action flicks.

I had something else in mind to write about too, but I forgot what it was. I guess I'll post it when I remember what it is.

Erin, meet Zoe.

So its been a while since I posted, and guess what! Things Have Happened! Last Saturday we got a new kitten (she is now 11 weeks old). We decided to name her Zoe because Turbo, while appropriate to her behavior, did not seem like a really good name to us. Technically, she is my Christmas present from James. I am giving him the gift of shelves in his closet. Dad, I may need to borrow some power tools and saw horses. Here is a picture of our newest furball.

So far things are going ok between the two cats. Hopefully they will move from mostly tolerating each other to actually playing and getting along. We shall see. Erin is still hissing and growling some, but Zoe also provokes her by jumping on her tail and such.

In other news, I got (sort of) a promotion at work. I am moving back to our Rosedale store, which is a much higher volume than Southdale, and they actually make months, so I should get more than two bonus checks in a year. I will really miss working with the crew at Southdale, but the move is really what is best for me, and probably best for both stores as well. Southdale now has a decent chunk of payroll freed up, and Rosedale gets an experienced Office Manager to help them through the Holidays. I am still looking for more of a nine to five, but with this move (and raise) I can afford to do a lower intensity search and be a little choosy.

Adventure Kitty!

So we had a pretty good time at the lake. We did a lot of reading, I finished a small quilting project and James did a bunch of Su Doku puzzles. Erin managed to get into the ceiling in the kid's room. She thought it was a good time, but it kind of freaked us out, so we closed the door to that room after that. Ever since we got back she has been very talkative. I think she wants to go back out onto the screen porch. Oh well.

Liz, if you haven't already, you may want to check out St. Germain. I like his "Tourist" album. He samples Miles Davis. It is good stuff. I also just today found out that I like all four of the Gnarls Barkley songs that play on their website. I probably like their other stuff as well, but it's hard to say as I haven't heard it yet.

Right now I am reading a biography of Django Rheinhardt. It is really interesting, not only for the info about Django, but because it gives a wonderful history of Jazz in France and also an overview of gypsy culture. One of the books I read at the lake was Dial M, the murder of Carol Thompson. It is about a murder that took place in the Highland Park neighborhood in 1963. Dad, did you or your sibs know the Thompson girls? Do you remember anything about the murder? The three girls went to Highland Park High School, the boy to SPA. I think the youngest is about two years younger than my dad. It was kind of odd to read an account of a crime where I knew all of the locations. Fascinating though, and the book was great because the second half dealt with the aftermath. How the kids grew up with their mom dead and their dad in jail for it. It also discussed how the kids dealt with their dad after he was released. I highly recommend this to anyone curious about a slice of local history.

My neat-o kean cousin

I think Liz has fabulous taste in music (from what I can tell). There. I said it. Out loud and everything (well, virtually out loud). From her blog I discovered Gotan Project (fan-tas-tic electronic tango fun) and Ok Go (the treadmill guys). I think they are both great. The music she mentions that I know is always good stuff, and the stuff I don't know is also good (when I manage to remember to find it.) Ok, lots of parenthases tonight huh. Silly me. Anyway, I thought the world should know that I like my cousin's taste in music.

Friggin' about time.

Yea! I finally finished the afghan that I started THREE YEARS ago! Yeeeeaaaaa!

In other news, we went to Como Zoo on Saturday, where it was apparently sleepy kitty day.

Also we saw the polar bears and the cheeky monkeys (that are really great apes, not monkeys because they don't have any tails).

That would be an orangutan with a sheet on it's head. They like to put things on their heads for some reason.

On Thursday we are going to the lake for a long weekend, which we are both looking forward to. It has been a long week since James got fired. Time to wind down and not think about it will be lovely. He does have a few resumes out, and will have a second phone interview with Target tomorrow. It would be neat if he got a job right off the bat. Fingers crossed and all, we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Big Sigh

I feel a little blah just now. James is in Des Moines. He is supposed to be back Wednesday, but he may come home tomorrow instead. I always feel a little lost when he is gone. Like I should take advantage of the alone time and get a ton of things done. But I never get half of my list accomplished. I do feel good that I got the laundry done, blocked 4 more squares for my afghan and walked for an episode of Angel on the treadmill. I should be going to bed, but even though I am sleepy, I just don't really want to crawl in just yet.
I was reading Liz's blog tonight about her wonderful sounding trip to Maine with Scott's family. They sound great, and like a wonderful fit for Liz. The differences between us struck me as much as the similarities. A four mile run is probably not something I could even realistically contemplate at this point, but on the other hand, reading to unwind may be the most common thread in our family. I never realized how large a family Brenda is a part of. I can't even imagine having that many cousins.
Anyway, a melancholy mood does not an interesting blog make.
The gala for lifetouch was alright. The food was good. When it was announced after dinner that the entertainment for the evening was Lionel Ritchie we left. Along with about half of the people there. He doesn't seem to have been a popular choice. Oh well.

My hair, the bane of my existence

So we are going to this gala for Lifetouch's 70th anniversary next Saturday, and I cannot figure out what to do with my hair. I have a great evening gown, shoes (though if I can find better ones in the next week I will return them) and my accessories are all picked out. I just can't seem to do anything with my hair. I found a great style on the web, but when I went to try it, there was no way it was going to work. My hair is just to thick. Bobby pins bend out of shape at the mere sight of my hair. I want to do a nice, elegant up style. I wear buns and braids to work a lot, so I want something different. I have never successfully put it into a french twist, it is always too long (like it is now) or too short or maybe just to thick, I don't know. Even when I flat iron it I can't really do anything. I may have to go with a low bun. Poo. I wanted something new and exciting. Any suggestions are welcome. Going to a hairdresser is not an option, they cost too much, so I need to be able to at least theoretically do it myself. I think I will go and try a french twist variation one more time, who knows, maybe I'll luck out. My frizzy wavy thick-but-kinda-fine hair really is the bane of my trying to avoid looking to frumpy existence.

New stove excitement!

So we got our new stove on Saturday and I Love IT! It has a built in timer, and the flat top is much easier to clean. It seems like it takes longer to heat up a pan, but that is probably a good thing. We haven't tried the convection feature on the oven yet, but probably will soon. It has a warm feature, which is great when I don't plan well and things are done too early. It also has a nice big window and a light so there isn't so much opening of the door. It also features a clock and two dual size burners. It is nice to be able to tell it to make a burner larger or smaller depending on what pan I am using. I think that I will try out my griddle on it this weekend and see how that goes. Yeah! I really like our new stove.

This Saturday I am going fancy dress shopping with Heidi. It should be fun. Why fancy dress shopping you wonder, well, James' company (Lifetouch) is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year and the are having a gala to celebrate. However, I do not have a gala worthy dress, thus the fancy dress shopping. I am looking forward to the shopping, oddly. Usually shopping is frustrating because I am made up of about 4 different sizes, and am just on the edge between regular sizes and women's sizes. But dresses usually go pretty well, especially with and a-line or full skirt so that the top fits well, and the fuller skirt covers my fuller hips without straining. Anyway, it should be fun even if I don't find anything. Heidi always cracks me up.

Funny Stuff

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is one of the funniest shows on NPR. And I actually learn from it! It is a news quiz that has funny people on a panel answering questions, as well as listeners playing quiz games to win Karl Casell's voice on their home answering machine. I myself played and won the listener limerick challenge about a year and a half ago. However, by the time I got the tape, I no longer had a home answering machine.

In other news, I had a great time at Deb's 50th. They had a band called the Crawlers that was made up of doctors from St Cloud State. They were pretty good. Deb was all excited because she had sky-dived the day before with her kids. We got to see the video, which was fun. She looked all excited until the second before she jumped, when she looked a little spooked. I'm glad she had a good time.

The Guthrie experience on the other hand was awful. The new theater is ok, I still have mixed feelings about the architecture. The seats are better though. The thing that made the event suck was that they wouldn't let anyone into the auditoriums until after Joe Dowling had made his address at 1. So even though Dad and I got there at noon to beat the crowds, we couldn't see what we came for until 1:30 (the time at which I had hoped to be heading out). So we went to the Mill City Museum and learned about Minneapolis' flour milling history to kill some time. It really doesn't take real long to see the lobby areas, so we needed something to do for a while. When we got back, we had some lunch and then stood in line for half and hour so that we could go and see what we had arrived 2 hours or so earlier to see.

And in even further news (I really need to write a little more often I think) we bought a new stove yesterday! Yeah! No more crappy bad thermostat stove! It will be delivered next Saturday, at which point I will talk about it's nifty features after I get to try some of them out.

Kinda random.

I think my kitty might have the softest fur of any kitty out there. She likes to get scratchies, and I enjoy giving them to her (until she starts nibbling my hand.) James does a better job with the petting as excess fur removal, but I give better chin scratches apparently.

I am really looking forward to this weekend, even though James is out of town until Tuesday Afternoon (a fantastic song by the way. Not my fav. store though.) Saturday night is my Godmother's 50th birthday party, and Sunday is the open house for the new Guthrie. I'll be attending both events in the company of my parents, and I fully expect fun to ensue. Details to follow.

At work today Phil and I were discussing what giant nerds we are. I prefer geek, but nerd is probably more appropriate. He is nerdy because he plays one of those online games where you can buy and sell things for actual money. Me because of my love of all things Buffy. Yup, I am a Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and also Angel) nerd. There is a super fan website that has taken it upon themselves to write an eighth season. It isn't Joss Whedon quality, but still pretty good. I do indeed own all seven seasons of Buffy on DVD, and 1-3 of Angel. They are good to watch while I treadmill. The prices of the last 2 seasons of Angel just dropped at Amazon, so I will probably get them by the end of the summer. And for those enquiring minds out there, I have seen and enjoyed the movie, but I do not like it half as much as the series.

The learning post

Here is one of my favorite pictures of my kitty, Erin. I just learned how to put up pictures, and it is very easy, so I will probably post many more, mostly of Erin.

Now I will learn how to make a link to a website. It sounds pretty easy too, so here goes. If you click here, you can see the website for the restaurant that we ate at tonight. It is called Saji-ya, and it is one of out very favorite places to eat, even though we only go there about once a year. Usually it is for a birthday, but we went tonight for our anniversary since we were in KC for my birthday, and James will be in KC for his birthday.

I just noticed that Liz and I have a movie in common for our favorites, and that Fred's favorite movies closely coincide with Jamie's favorite movies. Huh.

My First Blog

Hi. This is new for me, this blogging. I've never been a great journal writer, though I have tried all my life. I'm not sure how this blogging thing will go. Maybe I'll still do the paper thing too, just in case I really don't want anyone to read something. Typing is easier than writing somehow.

I resisted creating a blog because I was afraid I would post something offensive, but then I realized: Hey, my blog, I type it, I can proof read before I post, so what's to worry about. Unless anyone is terribly offended by run-on sentences. I'm good at those. I also worry about my writing style. I want it to be interesting and readable, but the way I speak in my head and the way the words come out of my mouth tend to be two different things. Maybe my writing will be at least halfway in between, so I will sound slightly more eloquent here than in real life, and slightly less so than I do in my head.

So why does Eli even have a blog you may ask. It is for a couple of reasons. My cousin Liz and her brother Fred both have blogs, and when I am done reading their blogs, I usually click on the "Next Blog" button up in the corner, and I like what I have found. Snapshots of people's lives. The person who writes as their dog, the woman who post pictures of her children nearly every day, and the woman who is blogging as a way to cope with the loss of her husband all had an effect on me. So here will reside a snapshot of my life for whoever stumbles on it, and for those who would like to know me a little better. You see, I have the social skills of a giant panda. I don't deal well with others. Social situations frighten me. So maybe this will be a way for me to get over that. At least a little bit. Another reason for the blog is this: I was at the brunch for Fred's graduation today, and I was talking to his sister, Margaret. I said something like, "you should have a blog, I never know what you're up to." To which she replied, "do you have one?" Of course the answer was no. So. I think that if I am reading other people's blogs to keep up with them, it is only fair that I at least attempt a similar way for them to keep up with me.
Well for a first post this is a little rambley. It is probable that most of my posts will be rambley though. Only time will tell.

My husband, James, just said that he's not sure he would want to read this because I am probably going on about what an "insufferable cuss" he is. Well, he isn't. Usually.

Enough, I'm going to have a bubble bath.