Happy Halloween!

Whatever your Halloween plans entail, I hope that you are able to have a safe and happy holiday.

Trick or Treat!

My Halloween Monster Name

Halloween Monster Name Your Halloween Monster Name is Julie Anne the Stinky Drooling Account Manager Get Your Halloween Monster Name at Quizopolis.com

Not quite ready, afterall

Yesterday was a typical Seattle autumn weather day. It was foggy, then sunny, then cloudy, then drizzly, then raining, then windy, then pouring, then windy, then sunny, then gray, then cold, then cloudy and then windy. By the time the sun set on the day it was clear and colder than it has been in months.

I spent the day at home. It was the perfect day to be at home. I spent the majority of the day studying and prepping for my midterm this week. I also watched a couple of movies, finished a fabulous book (more on that in a later post) and took a nap. By the time the evening news rolled around I was prepping for today and preparing for bed and couldn’t believe what a big deal they were making of the weather, not at all surprising for Seattle meteorologists. Due to my dislike of one particular Seattle weatherman, I don’t pay a great deal of attention to their forecasts but I do recall them saying it would be cooler today.

Upon leaving the house this morning I was shocked at how cool it was. I thought about running up and grabbing a jacket and then thought that I would be fine in the car once it warmed up and then I would be at the office. When I arrived at the office some 30 minutes later I couldn’t believe how cold it was. It’s always cold on Monday mornings but this seemed worse than usual. An hour into my workday I was still freezing and wishing I had a jacket or coat. That is when someone looked at the thermostat and realized that the heat wasn’t working. The repairman was called and a few moments after 11:00 a.m. the heat kicked on again.

It’s finally starting to reach a “normal level” and it’s a whole lot more comfortable. The past few weeks I have been thinking that I am totally ready for winter. After today’s temperature test, I am not so sure.

Cell Phone Woes

I hate my cell phone! A few weeks back it began to just spontaneously stop charging halfway through the charging process. Now it has just stopped charging all together unless it is in a very specific position. In order to achieve this position this morning I have placed the phone on a sponge used duct tape to tape my phone to the desk.

I has not reached the point where I have to go to the Verizon store and argue with them. I hate dealing with Verizon. I hate going to their store. Ugh!

Today's Poetry Moment

All that is Gold Does Not Glitter

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

--J. R. R. Tolkien from The Lord of the Rings

When will I die?

I saw this on a website that I read daily and decided to take the quiz. According to the quiz he was going to die at 75 and I am going to die at 75 so I am starting to think that whomever takes the quiz will get the same result. You will have to let me know.

Beautiful Autumn Sunset

Highway Guard Dog

This dog barks every time a car passes. I turned right and pulled alongside this truck and didn't see the dog. So when he turned on the guard dog parking it scared the crap out of me.

Friday Morning Soapbox

Seattle may be good for a lot of things but selling ourselves obviously isn't one of them. Today's announcement of the new ad campaign for Seattle is, in my opinion, an embarrassment and proof that we totally suck at launching and running a decent ad campaign.

The State of Washington announced a new campaign that they spent millions in April 2006. There was tremendous fanfare over the announcement yet I was shocked and embarrassed. A group of advertising executives created the "Say WA" slogan and campaign and were truly excited at the launch. I had not talked to a single person that liked the "Say WA" campaign and they even made fun of us on NPR. So no one was surprised when just six months into the campaign it was cancelled.

Now evidently it's Seattle's turn to make fools of ourselves. The "Metronatural" campaign has been launched by the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau to increase tourism to the city. Just in case you need the definition of metronatural, here it is.

I spent the morning listening to Seatteites call in to my favorite radio station and share their opinions on the air and let's just say that I am not alone in my opinion of the campaign.

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Today is "light bulb changing day" at the office. The question that I pose every time this day rolls around... "How many employee's does it take to change a light bulb?" In the past it has taken as many as 5. Today it only took 3. I am glad to see that we are making some improvement on this.

I wish I were joking.

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Quote of the day...

"I think that somehow, we learn who we really are

and then live with that decision."

--Eleanor Roosevelt

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This day can't end soon enough. I don't quite know why I am so eager to have it behind me but I am. My weekend plans include beer, errands, plank-grilled fish, seeing the *cutest nephew in the world, wine and shoe shopping. Maybe I am just anxious to get started on all the fun.

Have a good weekend!

Real Beauty

I saw this on YouTube and loved it. Enjoy!

Thursday Morning News

My commute home last night took 1 hour and 48 minutes. Ugh!

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It's a miracle! The delete key on my keyboard works again! :-0

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Sarah McLachlan was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. She is promoting her new album, Wintersong. This album is like a dream come true for me! I love Sarah McLachlan and I love Christmas music. The two mixed together I am sure will send me to the moon! I am going to run out and pick it up this weekend.

Following her performance I was lying in bed and my thoughts naturally went to Christmas music. I LOVE Christmas music. I LOVE Christmas music so much that in college I created a mix tape called Merry Melodies and gave it to my friends and family for Christmas. The following year I made Crazy Christmas Cheer. Last year I recreated them on CD's and gave them as gifts.

I decided years ago that it was perfectly acceptable to begin listening to Christmas music as soon as Halloween was over. It drove my friends and family crazy and it never failed that by Christmas Day I was stick and tired of it. I hadn't given any thought to Christmas music thus far this year. Maybe I have been too busy with school and work and life, I don't know, but last night got me thinking about it and despite my excitement I have decided that I am going to hold out this year and not listen to any Christmas music (except when working on my Christmas CD mix for this year) until Thanksgiving weekend.

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The construction project on my blog is nearly finished. I reviewed my "to-do" list last night and was pleased that it was nearly complete. YEAH!

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Happy Thursday!

Wednesday Wrap-Up

I figured out why my stomach was bothering me yesterday. It was the Safeway brand instant oatmeal that I bought at the store. I usually cook a big batch of oatmeal on the weekend and then heat up a individual portion every morning. This week I decided to give the instant Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal a try. Won't be doing that again.

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The DELETE button on my keyboard at work stopped working today. I think it's been overused. ;-)

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It rained all day today. It has been a long time since we have had a fully gray, rainy and dreary Seattle day.

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"I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it."

--Terry Pratchett

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I am going to eat some yummy soup and curl up on the couch with a book tonight.

100 Things About Me

The idea for this list was inspired similar list that I saw on the website of a girlfriend. It's 100 factoids about me that were spontaneously generated in about 15 minutes.

1. I am my parents oldest child.
2. I have 2 younger brothers.
3. My parents are divorced.
4. They are both re-married.
5. I have 11 step-siblings.
6. I know them all by name.
7. I don't have addresses or phone numbers for the majority of them.
8. That used to bother me, it no longer does.
9. I went to college at Oregon State.
10. I was in a sorority.
11. Living with 61 other women drove me crazy.
12. We didn't have pillow fights in our underwear.
13. My second grade teacher told my mother that I was loud because my voice carries.
14. My mother told her that I was loud.
15. I am a good cook.
16. I love experimenting in the kitchen with new flavors and inventing recipes.
17. My current passion is pairing the perfect wine with every dish.
18. I used to hate white wine.
19. Now I love it and prefer it to red.
20. My favorite color is red.
21. When I was a kid my favorite color was fuchsia.
22. I hate the color purple.
23. I have curly hair.
24. I love my hair.
25. Sometimes I wear it straight.
26. I live in Seattle.
27. And I love it.
28. And no it doesn't rain 9 months out of the year.
29. I like rain.
30. I wished it snowed in Seattle at least once a year.
31. Autumn is my favorite season.
32. I love sweater weather.
33. Christmas is my favorite holiday.
34. I love giving gifts.
35. I hate receiving them.
36. I like to watch people open gifts that I have given them.
37. I hate to open gifts in front of people.
38. I have been known to get a bit carried away with decorating for the holidays.
39. Last year I had 28 strands of lights on my tree.
40. Valentine's Day is my least favorite holiday.
41. I think it is a stupid holiday.
42. If you love someone you should tell them everyday.
43. I would love to have a dog.
44. I need to find the right dog for me.
45. I love football.
46. I prefer college match ups to the NFL.
47. I was born in Utah.
48. I have lived in Oregon, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey.
49. I went to Girl Scout camp every summer.
50. I loved camp.
51. I was a CIT (Counselor in Training) summer of 1988.
52. My camp name was Gonzo.
53. I don't do a lot of camping as an adult.
54. The best part of camping is singing camp songs.
55. I often misinterpret the lyrics to songs.
56. This often leads to embarrassing moments.
57. I am not a very good singer.
58. I love to sing in the car.
59. I love music.
60. I saw my first concert at the age of 12.
61. It was Neil Diamond.
62. I have been to numerous concerts since.
63. And have seen Neil Diamond 3 other times.
64. I am a total klutz.
65. My family calls me "Princess Grace."
66. Slippery surfaces are a nightmare for me.
67. My family also calls me "The Camp Director."
68. I have always been the organizer of family functions.
69. When my mother remarried I passed out 4 page itineraries to the family.
70. I was not very popular that day.
71. I have always resenting being the one in charge.
72. Yet I always end up being that person.
73. I can sleep almost anywhere.
74. I snore.
75. I find it to be horribly embarrassing.
76. If I could change anything about myself snoring would be at the top of the list.
77. I love to have pedicures.
78. I love to read.
79. I love to escape into other lives and worlds in books.
80. I have a fairly good memory.
81. I tend to remember useless bits of trivia.
82. I am smart.
83. I love being smart.
84. I love playing board games.
85. I love coffee.
86. I got an espresso maker for Christmas last year.
87. The older I get the more I like tea.
88. I love my palm pilot.
89. It keeps my life organized.
90. I get teased by friends and family about relationship with my palm pilot.
91. I love technology.
92. My favorite TV show is Gilmore Girls.
93. I also like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and ER.
94. I usually watch my favorite shows when they are on because I can't wait to see them.
95. I am addicted to NetFlix.
96. I do not like to "browse" when shopping.
97. Except in bookstores.
98. I hate working out.
99. I always feel better when I work out.
100. I love living alone.

Traffic

Brake lights as far as I can see. I haven't broken 10 mph for the last 15 minutes. Ugh!

Step 6

I found an email correspondence from 9/11/06 in which a friend and I agreed that the official motto of the doormat is...

Expect nothing, get less.

Step 6 in the Doormat Recovery program is not living by this motto anymore!

A Better than average Tuesday

Today was a "better than average" day at work which is really good considering that it was a Tuesday which is usually my least favorite day of the week. I think it was because most of the team is out of town and therefore our weekly meetings were cancelled. Plus it was one of those days when everything just falls together and projects that I have been trying to finish for months just came easily to a conclusion.

I had a "bad stomach day" today and I don't know why. I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary but ended up sick. It's been a really long time since I had a bad day in the stomach department. I don't know how I lived with several days like this in one week!

I am going to settle in for an evening of Gilmore Girls and studying. Have a good evening!

I am a geek

Are You A Geek? Congratulations, according to our experts, you scored : 61% which makes you A Geek You are a geek. Don't try to fight it, it may be hard to accept but the truth is being a geek can be a good thing. Now you can meet all your dates online first and have cyber romances Are You A Geek, find out at Quizopolis.com

Relaxing Evening

I had the fortunate opportunity to be spoiled by friends tonight.

I was invited over for dinner. We shared a great bottle of wine (see left), had a wonderful home-cooked meal, watched Grey's Anatomy and to my pleasant surprise - my car got washed! :-)

Quote of the Day

"Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."

Jack Nicholson

as Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets

Please Pardon My Dust

When I moved to Washington, DC in 1999 I was worried about keeping in touch with everyone that I was leaving behind in my hometown. I decided to start sending out a "weekly update" to everyone detailing my mis-adventures. I was diligent about sending the messages and continued for several years. Then I quit.

I started sending my weekly update messages again in January 2005 and continued through July. I stopped because it was becoming the task was becoming more of a chore than a joy. Then a few months later I began this blog. I kept this secret for several months because I was tweaking it. Once it was fairly complete I told a few friends about it and now it has spread to the majority of my Seattle friends and a few family members.

In an effort to keep all of this information together in one place I am going to be posting my weekly update messages from the past. If you prescribe to this blog via an RSS feed it may clog up the feed for a week or so. In advance, I apologize.

Also, I am added labels to each of my previous posts so that I can have thing better categorized. This too may clog up RSS feeds. And again, my apologies.

I think the dust will settle in about a week and will let you all know when I am done.

Thank God it's NOT Tuesday

It's Wednesday which only means that Tuesday is over with! Tuesday rolls around once a week and turns out to be my least favorite and yet favorite day of the week. I know that is confusing, allow me to explain.

Tuesday is *meeting day* at work. All of the recurring meetings for my team happen on Tuesdays which means that the bulk of the afternoon is spent in the conference room. I used to enjoy this time because it was a chance to connect and share ideas with my co-workers. However over the last few months the focus of the meeting has changed and now sitting through the meetings is pure pain and torture. Yesterday I spent 3 hours and 15 minutes in the conference room and was so annoyed, exhausted and drained by the time I came out that I couldn't even explain to a co-worker why it was so utterly annoying. The good news is that I am not the only one who feels this way and yesterday everyone interjected their commentary about their disdain for Tuesdays. I have hope that in the future my Tuesday's may not be so bad.

The reason that I love Tuesdays... Gilmore Girls! I went home last night and made one of my favorite dinners, poured myself a glass of wine and sat like a total bum on my couch and watched Gilmore Girls. It is the only night this week that I can sit and be a total bum on the couch and I enjoyed every minute of it.

So maybe I have to endure the torture of Tuesday meetings to truly enjoy my *bum time* on Tuesday evening.

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Today is National Coming Out Day. I didn't know this until I heard about it on my favorite radio station on the way to work. I didn't know there was a National Coming Out Day but I really like the idea. Evidently it has been an annual event (on October 11) since 1994 and is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. There is a theme every year and the theme selected for this year is "Talk About It" because every time learn more about one another we get closer to equality.

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In college someone once told me that the official colors for *Coming Out* were purple and green. I wonder if that is true?

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After weeks of experimenting and trying different plug-ins for Audioscrobber I have finally found one that works with my iPod! Until yesterday none of the songs that I listened to on my iPod were transferring to my LastFM page and now they are. I downloaded the jscrob plug-in several months ago and thought that it didn't work so I removed it from my computer. I tried it again last night and it does work but I didn't configure it properly the first time. After you finish installing the software it prompt you to read the "read-me" file which I didn't do until last night and finally realized the mistake that I was making. I configured it properly and it works, imagine that! I so happy! :-)

Blogger Beta

I converted my website to the new Beta version of Blogger last night. You may also note that I changed the colors and some basics on the page. I have had plans for quite some time to add some new and fun elements and the new software is going to make that a whole lot easier. So watch for some new things! And please be patient while the remodel is taking place.

In addition, one thing to note. I read on the Blogger news page that the Beta version is successfully loading on Internet Explorer and Firefox but not consistently on Safari. If you have trouble loading the page, please let me know.

Big Smile

The latest pic from the *cutest nephew in the world* file! I love that he loves to smile and laugh! :-D

Monday Morning Catch-Up

I have been reminded by a few of my regular readers that I have been a bit of a slacker on posting lately and they are right. I think it’s been the combination of battling a wicked head and chest cold, starting a new semester and being totally overwhelmed at work that has left me with little imagination and initiative to post anything.

It’s not because I don’t think about it. There are always several points in each and every day when I think… “I should post that!” but alas I haven’t.

So to those who have been disappointed the last 2 weeks, please accept my sincere apologies and I promise to get back in the groove starting right now…

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I had a great weekend. The weather is absolutely perfect right now. The days are warm, sometimes rainy and sometimes sunny and the nights are cool. I have broken out a few of my sweaters. The leaves are turning bright shades everywhere you look. Oh, how I love this time of year.

I took a walk around Queen Anne yesterday instead of going to the gym. I love my neighborhood. I passed several people out working in their yards and move than a few homes that were proudly displaying jack-o-lanterns and Halloween lights.

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Today is Columbus Day. Everyone I know is working today. Besides the employees of the federal government does anybody else get Columbus Day off? On second thought I guess the bankers are off today too. (

It’s kind of an odd holiday. Nobody really celebrates Columbus Day (except New Yorkers) and nearly everyone works but there is no mail delivery and you can’t make a deposit.

I think one of the DJ’s on my favorite radio station said it best this morning, “It’s not a real holiday if the meters aren’t free.”

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I saw a story on the evening news that made me sad, Tower Records is closing. The parent company has been purchased by a consolidation company and they are liquidating all of the assets of the company. They have credited iTunes and other online music services for their decreased sales.

I have frequented the Tower Records in my neighborhood numerous times over the past year. The staff is friendly and helpful and I have always found what I wanted. I am sad that they are closing but somewhat excited to shop the sale.

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I am feeling like the SDOT and anyone else who has the power to stop traffic has something against me personally. It seems that everywhere I try to go is under construction.

The last two weekends they have been diverting the traffic from the Mercer Street exit so that they can lay the tracks for the South Lake Union Trolley. I have not been hung up in the mess but have had to take longer route to avoid it.

There is a new building going up on Taylor Ave between Roy and Mercer. I have been told that the ground floor is going to be a Whole Foods and then the floors above will be condos. For the last 3 weeks they have had Taylor Ave reduced to one way and forcing all of the southbound traffic west and around the block. Going around the block is a pain because I always get hung up at the 2 stoplights. I was patient the first few times because I realized that the construction crews needed the extra space but now it’s getting really old. This morning it took me an additional 8 minutes to take the detour. I found an article complaining about the construction obstructing when turning onto Mercer so I am not the only one that is complaining.

Also getting to and from the gym has proven to be more and more of a challenge because of a cleanup project on Westlake Ave. They are cleaning up a huge spill that happened 25 years ago and will have it dug up until January of 2007.

It’s all incredibly frustrating.

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The suction cup holder for my razor decided to fail me again. I am battling it on a daily basis again. Ugh!

Colors!

It's fall on my street and the trees are alive with color!

Song with a new meaning!

From ABBA’s Chiquitita which I have heard a million times but was different when I heard it tonight when H told me to listen to it! ;)

Chiquitita, you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they’re leaving
You’ll be dancing once again and the pain will end
You will have no time for grieving
Chiquitita, you and I cry
But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you
Let me hear you sing once more like you did before
Sing a new song, chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, chiquitita

It's a Girl!

My friend Nikki had a baby girl this morning. She and baby are well and resting. Here are the details.

Karielle Lynne Carlson

October 3, 2006 at 6:51 a.m.

8 lbs. 7 oz.

Welcome to the world little Karielle! Congratulations Nikki and Matt!

Do you Belong in NY or LA?

No suprise that I am more NYC than LA!

You Belong in New York

You're a girl on the go, and LA's laid back lifestyle isn't really your thing. You prefer a city that never sleeps, and people as ambitious as you are. Cultured and street smart, you can truly appreciate everything New York has to offer.

Do You Belong LA or NY?

Monday Morning Mania

All of the members of my team are out of the office today. This means that the responsibilities of the entire department fall on my shoulders. In the first 80 minutes of the day today I dealt with a customer complain, and out of box failure, four purchase orders and someone needing additional information about preventive maintenance. I finally had enough time to run and grab a cup of coffee at 9:20 a.m. and to my delight one of my co-workers had brought in a box of donuts. Forget the oatmeal, I am having a donut.

As a kid I disliked Old-Fashioned donuts. As an adult I think that they are fabulous when dipped in coffee.

I had a pretty low-key weekend as I am still fighting this horrible head and chest cold. I canceled my plans on Friday night and crawled into bed early. Saturday afternoon and evening I attended an Oktoberfest party at the home of a friend. The beer was awesome (Harvest Moon Festbier), the brats were grilled and smoked to perfection, the scenery was exquisite complete with purple mountains majesty and before I knew it 6 hours had gone by. Everyone had planned to camp out so that they didn’t have to drive but I didn’t think I was up for sleeping outdoors with my cold, so we opted to head back to Seattle. Sunday I was a complete bum and really tried to knock the cold with 2 naps sandwiched between 2 really good nights of sleep and it helped. A few more days and I think that I will be back to normal.

The other nice thing about hanging out at home this weekend was that I finally had a chance to listen and absorb some new music. On September 12th two of my favorite bands introduced new albums. I purchased both but had not really had a chance to listen to them. I had heard several of the new songs from the Carbon Leaf album (Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat) when I saw them in concert in August. The album is complete with clever lyrics and catchy tunes. I don’t love it like their previous album Indian Summer yet, but I think it has the potential. The other album is the new one from the Barenaked Ladies titled Barenaked Ladies are Me which was exactly what I expected it to be. I had heard a few of the songs on the radio and the album lives up to the hype for sure.

The other album that I am really enjoying right now is the debut album from New London Fire. I heard the song “We Don’t Bleed” on a podcast while at the gym a couple of weeks ago. I loved the song. It was like a flashback to my senior year in high school because their sound reminds me of many of the bands that I loved back then. They are touring right now.

The nice thing about being alone in the department today is that I get to listen to my music! So I am enjoying a new mix I created yesterday with songs from the above mentioned along with favorites from Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie, Eastmountainsouth, John Mayer, KT Tunstall and of course, Vienna Teng.

Speaking of Vienna Teng, one of my friends attended the Madeline Peyroux concert at The Moore Theatre on Friday night. Vienna Teng opened for her and I told my friend not to miss the opening act. We spoke this morning and not surprisingly Vienna put on an amazing show and has won another fan!

I guess that is enough random manic information for this coffee break. Have a good day!