Currently feeling:
happy dancing!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Officially official
She called just as I was walking out the door this afternoon. The offer has officially been made, and I have officially accepted. Now we just need to get the nitty-gritty worked out (hook up with contracting companies (will have to switch), find out what to do about phone/computer/etc, start hand-off of current job, etc). But as long as things don't fall through again (please, please), I have a new contract!
Currently feeling: happy dancing!
Currently feeling:
happy dancing!
Employment News
Some of you may remember from way back when that I was actually offered a contracting position before the one I am currently working under. At the time, I still wanted to stay home with Luke (he was only 16 months old; dang, that seems like *ages* ago, and I guess it was 16 months ago; Luke has doubled in age since then! sorry, I digress....), and I was only willing to do it if I could work mainly during business off-hours. She initially thought this would work, but it fell through. Six months later, I was offered my current contract, which I accepted, and eventually put Luke in full-time daycare (two weeks before he turned 2), which he loves and is currently thriving in that environment.
As most of you know from recent comments, there was some flux around my current contract. First, it was going to be terminated at the end of June because my current group was going to cease to exist (being split and absorbed into two other groups, and neither were willing to take a contractor). The group split was pushed out to January, thus I would at least be allowed to finish out the terms of my contract through the end of August. Last month, I mentioned that I may not have to go job hunting. Well, the possible full-time actual employee position fell through, but they found out in the process that my contract is technically funded in the budget through December 31, even though it is slated to end in August. So, they decided they would move forward on at least extending my contract through December. Hey, four months of additional income (right before the holidays especially) isn't a bad thing, and it buys me some more job hunting time.
Enter Wednesday's email. Same former boss who tried to hire me ages ago that fell through is seeking another headcount. I call and ask about timeframe. I told her that I did feel obligated to work to the end of my contract in August, but also said they were working on extending it through December, so if she couldn't wait that long, I needed to have them halt the contract extension procedure. She said she can't wait until December, but could wait until August if it meant she could have me (aww, I feel so loved!). I talked with my current boss and explained the situation. Current job is offering me 4 additional months of additional employment beyond August. Possible new job is offering me 12 (albeit for a bit less money, but less money for 12 months is better than somewhat-more money for 4 months), and the fact that it is a growing sector of the business (she's added two headcount in two years while current business unit is not backfilling any positions) means that a contract renewal a year from now is fairly likely. Plus, it will give me some official project management experience, which is something new (and highly desired by many employers) for my resume. Unless she (current boss) can assure me a contract renewal after December, or a full time position, I think I would be a fool not to take the offer. And my current boss completely understands. In fact, she agreed with me that it would be ridiculous for me to turn it down if she can't guarantee me a new contract come January, which we both agreed was unlikely. She did make some calls and ask around just to be sure, but upper management said that adding anything headcount-related to the 2008 budget (i.e. a new contract for me) is "highly improbable."
So, it's not officially official yet (I had to leave my hopefully soon-to-be (again) boss a message late Thursday, haven't heard back yet), but it seems I have managed to find new employment, at least through the end of August 2008. Yay!
Currently feeling:
hopeful, and amazed at my continued employment good fortune (and hoping I didn't just jinx myself)
As most of you know from recent comments, there was some flux around my current contract. First, it was going to be terminated at the end of June because my current group was going to cease to exist (being split and absorbed into two other groups, and neither were willing to take a contractor). The group split was pushed out to January, thus I would at least be allowed to finish out the terms of my contract through the end of August. Last month, I mentioned that I may not have to go job hunting. Well, the possible full-time actual employee position fell through, but they found out in the process that my contract is technically funded in the budget through December 31, even though it is slated to end in August. So, they decided they would move forward on at least extending my contract through December. Hey, four months of additional income (right before the holidays especially) isn't a bad thing, and it buys me some more job hunting time.
Enter Wednesday's email. Same former boss who tried to hire me ages ago that fell through is seeking another headcount. I call and ask about timeframe. I told her that I did feel obligated to work to the end of my contract in August, but also said they were working on extending it through December, so if she couldn't wait that long, I needed to have them halt the contract extension procedure. She said she can't wait until December, but could wait until August if it meant she could have me (aww, I feel so loved!). I talked with my current boss and explained the situation. Current job is offering me 4 additional months of additional employment beyond August. Possible new job is offering me 12 (albeit for a bit less money, but less money for 12 months is better than somewhat-more money for 4 months), and the fact that it is a growing sector of the business (she's added two headcount in two years while current business unit is not backfilling any positions) means that a contract renewal a year from now is fairly likely. Plus, it will give me some official project management experience, which is something new (and highly desired by many employers) for my resume. Unless she (current boss) can assure me a contract renewal after December, or a full time position, I think I would be a fool not to take the offer. And my current boss completely understands. In fact, she agreed with me that it would be ridiculous for me to turn it down if she can't guarantee me a new contract come January, which we both agreed was unlikely. She did make some calls and ask around just to be sure, but upper management said that adding anything headcount-related to the 2008 budget (i.e. a new contract for me) is "highly improbable."
So, it's not officially official yet (I had to leave my hopefully soon-to-be (again) boss a message late Thursday, haven't heard back yet), but it seems I have managed to find new employment, at least through the end of August 2008. Yay!
Currently feeling:
hopeful, and amazed at my continued employment good fortune (and hoping I didn't just jinx myself)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Another Krista tag
I'm rather brain dead right now (long busy weekend, and it's been an even longer week at work so far, and it's only Wednesday!), and Krista tagged me ages ago, so I'll go on and do this meme.
Your Partner?
Wonderful, brilliant, patient, my best friend.
Your hair?
Red, curly, coarse, past my shoulders (and currently 6+ inches shorter than it was last week)
Your Mom?
Rocks.
Your Dad?
Also rocks.
Your dream last night?
I dreamed I responded to DH when he asked me a question this morning. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until he called my name and repeated the question I thought (dreamed) I had already answered.
Your favorite drink?
Coke or milk. Hard to pick.
In which room are you now?
Family room (watching the Braves actually score some runs for a change)
Your fear?
The safety, happiness, and well-being of my child.
What do you wanna be in 10 years?
Under 40, but I believe that is mathematically impossible.
With whom did you spend the last evening?
My husband, until he went to bed, at which point I spent quality time with my work for a super-important meeting this morning.
What are you not?
Thin. Tall. Shy. Lady-like. Pick one.
Your favorite book?
Voyager, by Diana Gabaldon (3rd book of the Outlander (aka Jamie and Claire) series)
Last thing you ate?
Homemade spaghetti, YUM!
Your mood?
Exhausted (is that a mood?)
Your friends?
Are IRL and online, and from all over the world. And also rock.
Your summer?
Busy.
When did you cry the last time?
For once, I get to say that I don't remember. It has thankfully been a while.
Favorite weekend hobby?
Sleeping. Oh, fine. Digital Scrapping (wanna see my newest stuff?).
Job you dream of?
Teaching Excel. It is one of my favorite parts of my current job, even though it is informal.
Your Computer?
Needs to be replaced (both laptop and desktop are officially over 3 years old, and were not top of the line then).
Winter?
Cold and dark, but I actually prefer it.
Religion?
Sometimes. I have a relationship with God that I explore frequently, but I am currently playing the heathen and avoiding organized church.
Holidays?
Rock. I get to not work and see family. Or celebrate my anniversary (July 4).
On your bed?
Wish I was. So tired, and still have a little work to do tonight (should take less than an hour, I'm just enjoying sitting and doing not much right now). Sheet, two blankets, sometimes a throw, one pillow each for DH and me.
Love?
"Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
Currently feeling:
brain fried
Your Partner?
Wonderful, brilliant, patient, my best friend.
Your hair?
Red, curly, coarse, past my shoulders (and currently 6+ inches shorter than it was last week)
Your Mom?
Rocks.
Your Dad?
Also rocks.
Your dream last night?
I dreamed I responded to DH when he asked me a question this morning. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until he called my name and repeated the question I thought (dreamed) I had already answered.
Your favorite drink?
Coke or milk. Hard to pick.
In which room are you now?
Family room (watching the Braves actually score some runs for a change)
Your fear?
The safety, happiness, and well-being of my child.
What do you wanna be in 10 years?
Under 40, but I believe that is mathematically impossible.
With whom did you spend the last evening?
My husband, until he went to bed, at which point I spent quality time with my work for a super-important meeting this morning.
What are you not?
Thin. Tall. Shy. Lady-like. Pick one.
Your favorite book?
Voyager, by Diana Gabaldon (3rd book of the Outlander (aka Jamie and Claire) series)
Last thing you ate?
Homemade spaghetti, YUM!
Your mood?
Exhausted (is that a mood?)
Your friends?
Are IRL and online, and from all over the world. And also rock.
Your summer?
Busy.
When did you cry the last time?
For once, I get to say that I don't remember. It has thankfully been a while.
Favorite weekend hobby?
Sleeping. Oh, fine. Digital Scrapping (wanna see my newest stuff?).
Job you dream of?
Teaching Excel. It is one of my favorite parts of my current job, even though it is informal.
Your Computer?
Needs to be replaced (both laptop and desktop are officially over 3 years old, and were not top of the line then).
Winter?
Cold and dark, but I actually prefer it.
Religion?
Sometimes. I have a relationship with God that I explore frequently, but I am currently playing the heathen and avoiding organized church.
Holidays?
Rock. I get to not work and see family. Or celebrate my anniversary (July 4).
On your bed?
Wish I was. So tired, and still have a little work to do tonight (should take less than an hour, I'm just enjoying sitting and doing not much right now). Sheet, two blankets, sometimes a throw, one pillow each for DH and me.
Love?
"Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
Currently feeling:
brain fried
Friday, June 22, 2007
Finally!!
My brother is now an official Atlanta citizen, and he has the signed lease to prove it!! Woo-hoo!!
Currently feeling:
thrilled
Currently feeling:
thrilled
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Why yes, the rules *do* apply to you!
Sorry folks, I've had this bee in my bonnet since Monday, and I just have to say something about it. Is there a reason that people think that the rules don't apply to them? What exactly makes them so special that they think they shouldn't get in trouble for something they were specifically told NOT to do? I've had this peeve all my life, but this one is just completely chapping me right now.
As many of you in the US know, there is a drought going on in about half of US states, and Georgia is one of the worst, especially Atlanta. Consequently, virtually all of the extended metro area is on some kind of outdoor watering ban. At the state level, I think it is the even/odd system (even numbered addresses on M/W/F, odd on Tu/Th/Sa, and only from midnight-10AM, or something along those lines), but local governments are putting in stricter measures in some areas, depending on the water supply and the situation at hand.
Fulton County is one of those most concerned about it. There is a real threat they might run out of drinking water. Yes, really. Hard to imagine that happening in this day and age, but it is true. So, they have banned all outdoor watering during the week. Even numbered houses on Saturday, odd numbered houses on Sunday. That's it. And to enforce, er, encourage residents to follow the rules, they put in place a very steep fine: $1000. Now, hold your horses. For the first offense, you get a written warning. You are told that you have violated the outdoor watering ban, and that the next offense will cost you $1000. In writing!
Well, today, 24 residents are going to magistrate court, saying that the fine is "unfair" and "too steep" and that they "should have been given a second warning." To borrow a term from my friend Heather,
Schwunh? (She says that IRL, too, it's so funny! She's also the only person I've ever met, besides my great-grandmother, who says "pshaw." But I digress....)
Let me get this straight. There was huge publicity about this law. You were told not to do it. And you did. You were given a written warning by a police officer and told not to do it or you would be fined $1000. And yet YOU still *chose* to do it again. And they fined you $1000, just like they said they would. And you seem to think this is unreasonable? I don't think so! Who do you think you are, Paris Hilton? (And we see what happened to her!)
To me, whether $1000 is a reasonable fine for the infraction is not the point. Although, to my mind, I don't think it is unreasonable at all. Any less and people would just pay it and keep watering. At least $1000 gets your attention and will probably prevent you from doing it again, and hopefully your friends from doing it at all since they know that YOU actually had to pay it, which is the whole freakin' point of the fine!!
The POINT of this whole thing is that they told you not to do it, they told you in writing not to do it, and you did it anyway, and now for some reason, you seem to think that the rule should not apply to you? No way. You were told not to do something and what the consequences would be, and you chose to do it anyway. The only person you have any cause to be upset with is YOU. You made the choice, now you must accept the consequences of your actions.
How do these people discipline their children? Or are these the same people who say "I just can't do anything with them" and "they don't listen to me" and all that crap? Here is how things go in this house:
"Luke, don't do that."
Luke does it again.
"Luke, don't do that, or I will ___."
Luke does it again.
I do ___, just like I said I would.
I told him what not to do, I warned him and told him what would happen if he did, and I followed through when he repeated the violation. Just like they are doing in Fulton County. My child is not above the rules, and neither are you!
Now grow up, pay the $1000 you owe, and stop watering your lawn when you're told not to!
Currently feeling:
furious with stupid people
As many of you in the US know, there is a drought going on in about half of US states, and Georgia is one of the worst, especially Atlanta. Consequently, virtually all of the extended metro area is on some kind of outdoor watering ban. At the state level, I think it is the even/odd system (even numbered addresses on M/W/F, odd on Tu/Th/Sa, and only from midnight-10AM, or something along those lines), but local governments are putting in stricter measures in some areas, depending on the water supply and the situation at hand.
Fulton County is one of those most concerned about it. There is a real threat they might run out of drinking water. Yes, really. Hard to imagine that happening in this day and age, but it is true. So, they have banned all outdoor watering during the week. Even numbered houses on Saturday, odd numbered houses on Sunday. That's it. And to enforce, er, encourage residents to follow the rules, they put in place a very steep fine: $1000. Now, hold your horses. For the first offense, you get a written warning. You are told that you have violated the outdoor watering ban, and that the next offense will cost you $1000. In writing!
Well, today, 24 residents are going to magistrate court, saying that the fine is "unfair" and "too steep" and that they "should have been given a second warning." To borrow a term from my friend Heather,
Schwunh? (She says that IRL, too, it's so funny! She's also the only person I've ever met, besides my great-grandmother, who says "pshaw." But I digress....)
Let me get this straight. There was huge publicity about this law. You were told not to do it. And you did. You were given a written warning by a police officer and told not to do it or you would be fined $1000. And yet YOU still *chose* to do it again. And they fined you $1000, just like they said they would. And you seem to think this is unreasonable? I don't think so! Who do you think you are, Paris Hilton? (And we see what happened to her!)
To me, whether $1000 is a reasonable fine for the infraction is not the point. Although, to my mind, I don't think it is unreasonable at all. Any less and people would just pay it and keep watering. At least $1000 gets your attention and will probably prevent you from doing it again, and hopefully your friends from doing it at all since they know that YOU actually had to pay it, which is the whole freakin' point of the fine!!
The POINT of this whole thing is that they told you not to do it, they told you in writing not to do it, and you did it anyway, and now for some reason, you seem to think that the rule should not apply to you? No way. You were told not to do something and what the consequences would be, and you chose to do it anyway. The only person you have any cause to be upset with is YOU. You made the choice, now you must accept the consequences of your actions.
How do these people discipline their children? Or are these the same people who say "I just can't do anything with them" and "they don't listen to me" and all that crap? Here is how things go in this house:
"Luke, don't do that."
Luke does it again.
"Luke, don't do that, or I will ___."
Luke does it again.
I do ___, just like I said I would.
I told him what not to do, I warned him and told him what would happen if he did, and I followed through when he repeated the violation. Just like they are doing in Fulton County. My child is not above the rules, and neither are you!
Now grow up, pay the $1000 you owe, and stop watering your lawn when you're told not to!
Currently feeling:
furious with stupid people
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wet and Wild Weekend
Okay, I finally have some time to sit down and recap my wacky weekend. As well as things ultimately went, and as much fun as was ultimately had, it is not something I care to repeat any time soon.
Here was the weekend schedule, as it was supposed to have played out:
Friday (like every week):
Daycare drop-off
Work
Daycare pick-up
Dinner and groceries
Saturday
Wake at 9:30, get ready
Meet Connie at airport at 11:30
Attend shower at tea room at 2
Connie and my parents back to my house
Nice calm dinner
Sunday
Sleep late
Meet friends for lunch or dinner
Possibly a movie
Monday
Sleep late
Meet friends for lunch
Connie to airport
Clean and simple, right? Ha. Let's actually start a little bit before Friday, shall we?
First, there is something you have to understand about Connie. I love her like a sister; she and I have been best friends since we were randomly assigned as roommates in college at Georgia Tech in 1996. She also has this knack for things not going quite right. I only semi-jokingly call her "Catastrophe Connie." You know the Peanuts character Pigpen? He has that little cloud of dirt that follows him everywhere. Well, Connie has this little cloud of chaos surrounding her constantly. Nothing is ever simple or straight forward where she is involved. And this weekend would be no exception.
On Thursday, Connie called me to say that her grandfather had died. She wasn't sure of the funeral details yet, so we had to wait and see if she would actually be coming or not. Ultimately, with the blessing and encouragement of her family, she decided to miss the funeral and come anyway. This has been planned for weeks, she already had her plane tickets (she moved back to Texas (her home state) several years ago), and it really is the last time she would be able to go out and do something just for herself before the baby comes. On the surface, this seemed to be the disaster we were all waiting for, but I knew it couldn't be, since nothing had actually happened to affect the weekend. The threat was there, but no real result, so the other shoe had yet to drop.
Friday went pretty well, except for the unexpected expense of four new tires. I had been noticing for a few days that there was a little bit of vibration with my car. I could mainly feel it in the steering wheel as I accelerated from 20-50 mph or so. I figured my alignment was off, and I would try to get it fixed the following week sometime, since the weekend was scheduled to be so busy with Connie, her baby shower at the tea house, and some other inevitable meet-ups with our local friends while she was here. But Friday morning, the vibration was noticeably worse, and the car was pulling quite a bit to the right. So I went straight from daycare to the dealer, were I was informed that I not only needed alignment, but four new tires as well. Great. That was not really in the budget for this weekend, but there was little choice in the matter, so four new tires were put on.
While I was there, my father called. That, in and of itself, is pretty unusual. It is usually my mother who calls, and Dad may or may not be on the phone. So the fact that he was calling, and so early, meant something was up. Sure enough, he was calling to say they were not coming. My mother was supposed to attend the shower, but she had come down with something around Wednesday. Even after three days of antibiotics, she was actually *worse* on Friday instead of better. So, #1: she didn't want to expose Connie (who is about 28 weeks pregnant) to such a rampant illness, and #2: she simply felt way too bad to travel. Dad said he hasn't seen her *that* sick in a long long time. So, no parents visiting. We also didn't make it to the grocery store Friday evening (our usual grocery night, after dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant) due to a huge heavy rainstorm. With Luke in tow and the nutty traffic, it simply wasn't worth it. I can't really complain about the rain, since we really did need it, but that was just one more errand that I had to move to Saturday morning, which was already rather busy. We stayed up a little later than we planned, until about 12:30 AM, and then went to bed. At least I would get to sleep in a bit, right?
Yeah, right. For a change, Luke decided to sleep in on a Saturday morning. It was after 8 AM when DH decided to get up and try to prep stuff for Luke, who would certainly be waking up at any moment. I was supposed to stay in bed for another 90 minutes or so. DH had also agreed to wash the outfit I was planning to wear to the shower, so he went to throw that in the washer.
I barely woke up as he left the bedroom, so I was already dead asleep again five minutes later when he burst into the bedroom. "Where's the water shut off valve for the house?" Who, huh, wah? What are you talking about? "There is a burst pipe and the kitchen is flooded. How do I shut off the water to the house?" Like I have any freakin' idea! So I grab the phone and call my father to see if he has any ideas. First, Dad doesn't even recognize my voice (I also have some kind of respiratory thing, but it is going away), but I finally get through to him that it is me, and he gives us a couple of places to look, and also says to call the water department, just in case. Remember, I've been awake for like 30 seconds. By this point, Luke is calling from his room to come get him; he's ready to get up! Joy. I throw on some clothes, beg Luke to be patient and stay in his crib for just a few more minutes, and go downstairs to see what is going on.
I don't hear any running water, so DH must have gotten the water shut off. I never even made it to the kitchen to see what was going on. I stopped several feet away, after stepping on soaking wet carpet. This cannot be happening! Connie will be landing in about 3 hours, she is supposed to be staying here, we have just shut off the water to the house, our carpet is soaked, and Luke is now screaming to be let out of his crib. Grab the child and just accept the fact that he will be splashing around the house in sheer glee while we try and assess (and perhaps repair) the damage. I immediately called our friends Ina and David to see if they could be emergency hosts for Connie should we need it, and of course they agreed. I then abandoned DH and Luke to the wading pool that was our kitchen and headed to Hope Depot.
On the way there, I realize that the other shoe has dropped. Instead of the catastrophe happening *to* Connie this time, the chaos gods decided to take pity on the pregnant lady and inflict the pain on her hosts instead. She has a place to stay in case we can't get it together (and I really believed we wouldn't be able to at this point), we'll do the shower, then I will turn her over to Ina and David's keeping and work on the house. Maybe I'll get to see her sometime later in the weekend. We'll see how it goes.
By the way, my heroes wear orange vests! I walk in to Home Depot, and I am instantly struck by the same "oh, someone, please help me!" feeling I always get there. Despite both being engineers, neither DH nor I are very handy. We can follow instructions, but as far as just "knowing" that we need a this and a that to fix this thing, that is beyond us. Home Depot scares the beegeebers out of me. Too many things I know nothing about and could only get in lots of trouble trying to use. And there are NO people standing around just waiting to help like they show on the commercials. I finally track one down and ask about renting a wet-dry vac. They send me to the rental department at the absolute far end of the building from where I am standing (and parked). And my hero steps in.
Yes, hi. I think I need a wet-dry vac? "Well, ma'am, what happened?" I explain that both my kitchen floor and my carpet now splash. "You can do a wet-dry vac if you want, but I suggest a carpet cleaner." No, see, I don't want to clean my carpet (yet), I just want the water to go bye-bye. "Carpet cleaners are *designed* to suck water out of carpet. Just leave the cleaning solution part empty. They are easier to use, more powerful, hold more water so you have to empty it less, and are cheaper to rent than a wet-dry vac." Sold! They showed me how to use it, and I was all set. All I had to do was check out. There was a line, though, so I had to wait. I glance at my phone (don't wear a watch anymore). It was 9:30. That should give me just enough time to get home, shower, and get to the airport in time to meet Connie's plane. Cue my cell phone. Caller ID says it's Connie. I figure she is calling to tell me that she is changing planes in Memphis and will see me soon. Ha.
Hey Connie, are you okay? (I don't know what made me ask that. It is not my usual way to answer the phone.) "Well, no, not really. It hasn't been a very good week for me, and today is no different." Why, do you have an inch of water in *your* kitchen? "Oh, no, you're kidding!" Nope. What's up with you? Turns out that her plane was having mechanical difficulties. They had finally gotten them fixed, but she was going to miss her connecting flight in Memphis, so she stayed where she was to try and get rerouted to Atlanta. They did that, but the earliest she could get into Atlanta was 4:30 PM. The shower started at 2, and the tea room where it was being held closes at 4! At this point, I just started laughing. It was either that or cry at this point. Now what? Well, there was really nothing to be done for Connie; the flight lands when it lands. But I now had to call my shower co-host to see what, if anything, we wanted to do. I was pretty sure it was too late to cancel (the tea room would have already made all the food for the party, so I was sure they would charge us anyway), but I had Talley check in to it anyway. Sure enough, we would be charged whether we came or not, so with Connie's blessing, we decided to have the party anyway.
I check out at Home Depot and head home. At least not having to meet Connie at the airport gives me an extra two hours to try to assess the damage to the house. By the time I got home, DH had gotten most of the water out of the kitchen, but the carpet was still soaked. The good news, though, was that it was not a broken pipe like we had originally thought. It was "just" a split hose connecting the washer to the water supply. All we had to do was turn off that spigot until we could replace it; the rest of the house still had water. We thought it was a pipe because the hose split right on top. The washer and dryer are in a little closet with bi-fold doors that face into the center of the kitchen. When the hose split, the water shot almost straight up, hit the ceiling of the closet, then went through the gap between the top of the closed bi-fold doors and the track they sit in. This caused the water to hit the ceiling in the kitchen and cascade down the side of the pantry that faces the washer. All DH could see when he first got there was water coming from the ceiling and running down the pantry wall, which made him think it was a pipe in the ceiling. So, no plumber, just need to replace the hose, dry the carpet, and hope the ceiling and carpet dry enough to not need replacing.
So, DH continues with the kitchen while I start on the carpet. I was absolutely astounded at how well the carpet cleaner worked at sucking up all the water. It went from visible standing water to damp but not wet in one pass! As instructed, I just moved it very very slowly (seriously about an inch a minute) and waited until there was no more water being sucked out of that particular piece of carpet, and then move it just a little (an inch or so), wait for the water to finish coming up, and move it again. I sucked up a gallon of water per square foot on the most heavily soaked sections. That is not a joke or an exaggeration. That was about 12 square feet. That does not including the part of the carpet that was just wet, not soaked, that we also had to vacuum. Somewhere in there, we ran out to get lunch. It was after Noon, and Luke was starving. He usually eats 11-11:30, so not surprising. I vacuumed a little more, then showered and left for the baby shower.
The tea itself was quite fun. I'm not really into hot tea, but this was quite good. We also had scones with lemon curd and whipped cream (no clotted cream, boohoo, though I personally prefer Devon double cream), plus a host of other goodies on a triple-tiered tray. Very elegant, if a little fru-fru for my taste. Several of these women I had not seen in 2 years or more, so it was really great to finally see everyone again. We stayed talking and chatting until after 4. I told them I would see how Connie felt and what she wanted to do, and then I would try to get in touch with everyone to see if we could pull something together for later in the weekend. I knew everyone was busy, so it was unlikely, especially for Mandi, who had driven 3 hours one way to be there from Alabama. But we would do our best.
Connie called while I was driving home to say that she had finally made it to Atlanta. She was going to try and find her luggage (that had been checked on the flight that she did not take), pick up her rental car (included in her airfare, ironically cheaper than just a straight flight), and then head to my house. There was no way I could get to the airport from where I was before she would be ready to leave, so I just went home. Where I was amazed! Other than moving the television, media tower, and a couple of chairs, things were exactly where they were supposed to be. The carpet, though quite damp, was no longer soaked. We only really had one fan, but it was running. If you had told me at 8:30 that morning that our house would look that good come 5:30, I'd have said you were crazy. Now, we had only cleaned it to "family" standards (Connie is basically family), not company standards, but still, it looked better than I ever could have imagined that morning.
Connie arrived just before 6. We exchanged detailed versions of our horror stories of the day on the way to dinner. Again, we were over an hour late feeding Luke, but he coped pretty well. We came home and put him straight to bed, but it was an hour and a half later than normal as well, which we would pay for on Sunday (just generally grumpy and disagreeable, most unlike him). I still had not been to the grocery store, and we were running low on some Luke essentials, plus I knew we really needed some fans or the carpet was going to be trashed. So Connie and I ran out to Target for fans and critical groceries. Everyone was completely exhausted by this time (it was 10 PM or so). Connie was very upset that she had missed seeing everyone, which is certainly understandable. I decided then that I would do what I could to get everyone together. I sent out an email, announcing an open house from 2-5, then crashed in bed. The house was not as clean as I would have liked for company. That is part of why it had been so long since we had seen people; I never felt the house was good enough for company. But I just said "they can deal," and decided to figure out the rest in the morning.
Luke blessed us by sleeping late again Sunday morning, and thankfully, there was no swimming pool in the kitchen. I thought I would sleep in a bit (knowing Connie would also be sleeping in, between being pregnant, exhausted, and off by an hour due to changing time zones), but as soon as I remembered the open house, there was no going back to sleep. I gathered up a couple of recipes (including my Salted Peanut Marshmallow Bars that she had specifically mentioned sometime Saturday) and decided I could wing the rest of it with stuff from the deli. Pepperidge Farm is also on my hero list. I got their Entertainment Cookie pack (10 different types of cookies) and Entertainment Cracker pack (4 different types of crackers). I also grabbed a "party pack" of sliced cheeses from the deli and mixed fruit and veggie sets from the produce section. It was like an instant party! Grabbed some plates, cocktail napkins, and plastic cups, and we were all set. Came home, made the bars, cooked lunch, and had everything ready to go by 2. It's a miracle!
What I did not tell Connie was that Mandi had decided to make that 3 hour drive from Alabama *again,* with husband and 8-month-old in tow this time. So she was quite surprised when Mandi showed up just before 3. Everyone else arrived around 4. I actually think this was ultimately better than the tea because the spouses got to come. It also allowed one of our friends who was out of town to come by Sunday evening after she returned, another great surprise! Mandi had to head home to get her little one in bed (I completely understand!), and Katie had just moved that morning into a new house so she headed back to do some more unpacking. The rest of us all headed out to dinner and had a grand time (besides Luke being uncooperative). We were only missing Talley, my co-host from the shower. She never did make in on Sunday. Everyone stayed until about 8:30. We worked out meeting Talley for breakfast the next morning, and then Ina and David for lunch, before Connie had to catch her flight home. We then had the hair-brained idea to try and catch a movie, which we did. Saw Premonition at the dollar theater and got home just before midnight.
Monday morning dawned awfully early. We got Luke to daycare, then headed straight to breakfast at a new restaurant called Mimi's Cafe. Totally not what I was expecting inside, but I am dying to go back! Very nice place, casual yet elegant. Breakfast was fabulous (I had quiche lorraine), and I glanced at their yummy lunch and dinner menus while we were there. I love finding new restaurants! They were not busy at all, so we stayed and chatted with Talley until just after 11. (Talley had to be at work at Noon, I was off for the day.) We then met Ina and David at Fellini's in Midtown for some of the best pizza in town. Came home, chilled out for an hour or so, then Connie was on her way. She had her own car, so I didn't go the airport with her. Her return flight was uneventful, thankfully, and she got home safe and sound. I went to bed at 7 PM, just flat out exhausted!
So, all in all, things went much better than I would have thought they could given the facts in evidence around 10 AM Saturday morning. But that is not an experience I care to repeat anytime soon.
Currently feeling:
Here was the weekend schedule, as it was supposed to have played out:
Friday (like every week):
Daycare drop-off
Work
Daycare pick-up
Dinner and groceries
Saturday
Wake at 9:30, get ready
Meet Connie at airport at 11:30
Attend shower at tea room at 2
Connie and my parents back to my house
Nice calm dinner
Sunday
Sleep late
Meet friends for lunch or dinner
Possibly a movie
Monday
Sleep late
Meet friends for lunch
Connie to airport
Clean and simple, right? Ha. Let's actually start a little bit before Friday, shall we?
First, there is something you have to understand about Connie. I love her like a sister; she and I have been best friends since we were randomly assigned as roommates in college at Georgia Tech in 1996. She also has this knack for things not going quite right. I only semi-jokingly call her "Catastrophe Connie." You know the Peanuts character Pigpen? He has that little cloud of dirt that follows him everywhere. Well, Connie has this little cloud of chaos surrounding her constantly. Nothing is ever simple or straight forward where she is involved. And this weekend would be no exception.
On Thursday, Connie called me to say that her grandfather had died. She wasn't sure of the funeral details yet, so we had to wait and see if she would actually be coming or not. Ultimately, with the blessing and encouragement of her family, she decided to miss the funeral and come anyway. This has been planned for weeks, she already had her plane tickets (she moved back to Texas (her home state) several years ago), and it really is the last time she would be able to go out and do something just for herself before the baby comes. On the surface, this seemed to be the disaster we were all waiting for, but I knew it couldn't be, since nothing had actually happened to affect the weekend. The threat was there, but no real result, so the other shoe had yet to drop.
Friday went pretty well, except for the unexpected expense of four new tires. I had been noticing for a few days that there was a little bit of vibration with my car. I could mainly feel it in the steering wheel as I accelerated from 20-50 mph or so. I figured my alignment was off, and I would try to get it fixed the following week sometime, since the weekend was scheduled to be so busy with Connie, her baby shower at the tea house, and some other inevitable meet-ups with our local friends while she was here. But Friday morning, the vibration was noticeably worse, and the car was pulling quite a bit to the right. So I went straight from daycare to the dealer, were I was informed that I not only needed alignment, but four new tires as well. Great. That was not really in the budget for this weekend, but there was little choice in the matter, so four new tires were put on.
While I was there, my father called. That, in and of itself, is pretty unusual. It is usually my mother who calls, and Dad may or may not be on the phone. So the fact that he was calling, and so early, meant something was up. Sure enough, he was calling to say they were not coming. My mother was supposed to attend the shower, but she had come down with something around Wednesday. Even after three days of antibiotics, she was actually *worse* on Friday instead of better. So, #1: she didn't want to expose Connie (who is about 28 weeks pregnant) to such a rampant illness, and #2: she simply felt way too bad to travel. Dad said he hasn't seen her *that* sick in a long long time. So, no parents visiting. We also didn't make it to the grocery store Friday evening (our usual grocery night, after dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant) due to a huge heavy rainstorm. With Luke in tow and the nutty traffic, it simply wasn't worth it. I can't really complain about the rain, since we really did need it, but that was just one more errand that I had to move to Saturday morning, which was already rather busy. We stayed up a little later than we planned, until about 12:30 AM, and then went to bed. At least I would get to sleep in a bit, right?
Yeah, right. For a change, Luke decided to sleep in on a Saturday morning. It was after 8 AM when DH decided to get up and try to prep stuff for Luke, who would certainly be waking up at any moment. I was supposed to stay in bed for another 90 minutes or so. DH had also agreed to wash the outfit I was planning to wear to the shower, so he went to throw that in the washer.
I barely woke up as he left the bedroom, so I was already dead asleep again five minutes later when he burst into the bedroom. "Where's the water shut off valve for the house?" Who, huh, wah? What are you talking about? "There is a burst pipe and the kitchen is flooded. How do I shut off the water to the house?" Like I have any freakin' idea! So I grab the phone and call my father to see if he has any ideas. First, Dad doesn't even recognize my voice (I also have some kind of respiratory thing, but it is going away), but I finally get through to him that it is me, and he gives us a couple of places to look, and also says to call the water department, just in case. Remember, I've been awake for like 30 seconds. By this point, Luke is calling from his room to come get him; he's ready to get up! Joy. I throw on some clothes, beg Luke to be patient and stay in his crib for just a few more minutes, and go downstairs to see what is going on.
I don't hear any running water, so DH must have gotten the water shut off. I never even made it to the kitchen to see what was going on. I stopped several feet away, after stepping on soaking wet carpet. This cannot be happening! Connie will be landing in about 3 hours, she is supposed to be staying here, we have just shut off the water to the house, our carpet is soaked, and Luke is now screaming to be let out of his crib. Grab the child and just accept the fact that he will be splashing around the house in sheer glee while we try and assess (and perhaps repair) the damage. I immediately called our friends Ina and David to see if they could be emergency hosts for Connie should we need it, and of course they agreed. I then abandoned DH and Luke to the wading pool that was our kitchen and headed to Hope Depot.
On the way there, I realize that the other shoe has dropped. Instead of the catastrophe happening *to* Connie this time, the chaos gods decided to take pity on the pregnant lady and inflict the pain on her hosts instead. She has a place to stay in case we can't get it together (and I really believed we wouldn't be able to at this point), we'll do the shower, then I will turn her over to Ina and David's keeping and work on the house. Maybe I'll get to see her sometime later in the weekend. We'll see how it goes.
By the way, my heroes wear orange vests! I walk in to Home Depot, and I am instantly struck by the same "oh, someone, please help me!" feeling I always get there. Despite both being engineers, neither DH nor I are very handy. We can follow instructions, but as far as just "knowing" that we need a this and a that to fix this thing, that is beyond us. Home Depot scares the beegeebers out of me. Too many things I know nothing about and could only get in lots of trouble trying to use. And there are NO people standing around just waiting to help like they show on the commercials. I finally track one down and ask about renting a wet-dry vac. They send me to the rental department at the absolute far end of the building from where I am standing (and parked). And my hero steps in.
Yes, hi. I think I need a wet-dry vac? "Well, ma'am, what happened?" I explain that both my kitchen floor and my carpet now splash. "You can do a wet-dry vac if you want, but I suggest a carpet cleaner." No, see, I don't want to clean my carpet (yet), I just want the water to go bye-bye. "Carpet cleaners are *designed* to suck water out of carpet. Just leave the cleaning solution part empty. They are easier to use, more powerful, hold more water so you have to empty it less, and are cheaper to rent than a wet-dry vac." Sold! They showed me how to use it, and I was all set. All I had to do was check out. There was a line, though, so I had to wait. I glance at my phone (don't wear a watch anymore). It was 9:30. That should give me just enough time to get home, shower, and get to the airport in time to meet Connie's plane. Cue my cell phone. Caller ID says it's Connie. I figure she is calling to tell me that she is changing planes in Memphis and will see me soon. Ha.
Hey Connie, are you okay? (I don't know what made me ask that. It is not my usual way to answer the phone.) "Well, no, not really. It hasn't been a very good week for me, and today is no different." Why, do you have an inch of water in *your* kitchen? "Oh, no, you're kidding!" Nope. What's up with you? Turns out that her plane was having mechanical difficulties. They had finally gotten them fixed, but she was going to miss her connecting flight in Memphis, so she stayed where she was to try and get rerouted to Atlanta. They did that, but the earliest she could get into Atlanta was 4:30 PM. The shower started at 2, and the tea room where it was being held closes at 4! At this point, I just started laughing. It was either that or cry at this point. Now what? Well, there was really nothing to be done for Connie; the flight lands when it lands. But I now had to call my shower co-host to see what, if anything, we wanted to do. I was pretty sure it was too late to cancel (the tea room would have already made all the food for the party, so I was sure they would charge us anyway), but I had Talley check in to it anyway. Sure enough, we would be charged whether we came or not, so with Connie's blessing, we decided to have the party anyway.
I check out at Home Depot and head home. At least not having to meet Connie at the airport gives me an extra two hours to try to assess the damage to the house. By the time I got home, DH had gotten most of the water out of the kitchen, but the carpet was still soaked. The good news, though, was that it was not a broken pipe like we had originally thought. It was "just" a split hose connecting the washer to the water supply. All we had to do was turn off that spigot until we could replace it; the rest of the house still had water. We thought it was a pipe because the hose split right on top. The washer and dryer are in a little closet with bi-fold doors that face into the center of the kitchen. When the hose split, the water shot almost straight up, hit the ceiling of the closet, then went through the gap between the top of the closed bi-fold doors and the track they sit in. This caused the water to hit the ceiling in the kitchen and cascade down the side of the pantry that faces the washer. All DH could see when he first got there was water coming from the ceiling and running down the pantry wall, which made him think it was a pipe in the ceiling. So, no plumber, just need to replace the hose, dry the carpet, and hope the ceiling and carpet dry enough to not need replacing.
So, DH continues with the kitchen while I start on the carpet. I was absolutely astounded at how well the carpet cleaner worked at sucking up all the water. It went from visible standing water to damp but not wet in one pass! As instructed, I just moved it very very slowly (seriously about an inch a minute) and waited until there was no more water being sucked out of that particular piece of carpet, and then move it just a little (an inch or so), wait for the water to finish coming up, and move it again. I sucked up a gallon of water per square foot on the most heavily soaked sections. That is not a joke or an exaggeration. That was about 12 square feet. That does not including the part of the carpet that was just wet, not soaked, that we also had to vacuum. Somewhere in there, we ran out to get lunch. It was after Noon, and Luke was starving. He usually eats 11-11:30, so not surprising. I vacuumed a little more, then showered and left for the baby shower.
The tea itself was quite fun. I'm not really into hot tea, but this was quite good. We also had scones with lemon curd and whipped cream (no clotted cream, boohoo, though I personally prefer Devon double cream), plus a host of other goodies on a triple-tiered tray. Very elegant, if a little fru-fru for my taste. Several of these women I had not seen in 2 years or more, so it was really great to finally see everyone again. We stayed talking and chatting until after 4. I told them I would see how Connie felt and what she wanted to do, and then I would try to get in touch with everyone to see if we could pull something together for later in the weekend. I knew everyone was busy, so it was unlikely, especially for Mandi, who had driven 3 hours one way to be there from Alabama. But we would do our best.
Connie called while I was driving home to say that she had finally made it to Atlanta. She was going to try and find her luggage (that had been checked on the flight that she did not take), pick up her rental car (included in her airfare, ironically cheaper than just a straight flight), and then head to my house. There was no way I could get to the airport from where I was before she would be ready to leave, so I just went home. Where I was amazed! Other than moving the television, media tower, and a couple of chairs, things were exactly where they were supposed to be. The carpet, though quite damp, was no longer soaked. We only really had one fan, but it was running. If you had told me at 8:30 that morning that our house would look that good come 5:30, I'd have said you were crazy. Now, we had only cleaned it to "family" standards (Connie is basically family), not company standards, but still, it looked better than I ever could have imagined that morning.
Connie arrived just before 6. We exchanged detailed versions of our horror stories of the day on the way to dinner. Again, we were over an hour late feeding Luke, but he coped pretty well. We came home and put him straight to bed, but it was an hour and a half later than normal as well, which we would pay for on Sunday (just generally grumpy and disagreeable, most unlike him). I still had not been to the grocery store, and we were running low on some Luke essentials, plus I knew we really needed some fans or the carpet was going to be trashed. So Connie and I ran out to Target for fans and critical groceries. Everyone was completely exhausted by this time (it was 10 PM or so). Connie was very upset that she had missed seeing everyone, which is certainly understandable. I decided then that I would do what I could to get everyone together. I sent out an email, announcing an open house from 2-5, then crashed in bed. The house was not as clean as I would have liked for company. That is part of why it had been so long since we had seen people; I never felt the house was good enough for company. But I just said "they can deal," and decided to figure out the rest in the morning.
Luke blessed us by sleeping late again Sunday morning, and thankfully, there was no swimming pool in the kitchen. I thought I would sleep in a bit (knowing Connie would also be sleeping in, between being pregnant, exhausted, and off by an hour due to changing time zones), but as soon as I remembered the open house, there was no going back to sleep. I gathered up a couple of recipes (including my Salted Peanut Marshmallow Bars that she had specifically mentioned sometime Saturday) and decided I could wing the rest of it with stuff from the deli. Pepperidge Farm is also on my hero list. I got their Entertainment Cookie pack (10 different types of cookies) and Entertainment Cracker pack (4 different types of crackers). I also grabbed a "party pack" of sliced cheeses from the deli and mixed fruit and veggie sets from the produce section. It was like an instant party! Grabbed some plates, cocktail napkins, and plastic cups, and we were all set. Came home, made the bars, cooked lunch, and had everything ready to go by 2. It's a miracle!
What I did not tell Connie was that Mandi had decided to make that 3 hour drive from Alabama *again,* with husband and 8-month-old in tow this time. So she was quite surprised when Mandi showed up just before 3. Everyone else arrived around 4. I actually think this was ultimately better than the tea because the spouses got to come. It also allowed one of our friends who was out of town to come by Sunday evening after she returned, another great surprise! Mandi had to head home to get her little one in bed (I completely understand!), and Katie had just moved that morning into a new house so she headed back to do some more unpacking. The rest of us all headed out to dinner and had a grand time (besides Luke being uncooperative). We were only missing Talley, my co-host from the shower. She never did make in on Sunday. Everyone stayed until about 8:30. We worked out meeting Talley for breakfast the next morning, and then Ina and David for lunch, before Connie had to catch her flight home. We then had the hair-brained idea to try and catch a movie, which we did. Saw Premonition at the dollar theater and got home just before midnight.
Monday morning dawned awfully early. We got Luke to daycare, then headed straight to breakfast at a new restaurant called Mimi's Cafe. Totally not what I was expecting inside, but I am dying to go back! Very nice place, casual yet elegant. Breakfast was fabulous (I had quiche lorraine), and I glanced at their yummy lunch and dinner menus while we were there. I love finding new restaurants! They were not busy at all, so we stayed and chatted with Talley until just after 11. (Talley had to be at work at Noon, I was off for the day.) We then met Ina and David at Fellini's in Midtown for some of the best pizza in town. Came home, chilled out for an hour or so, then Connie was on her way. She had her own car, so I didn't go the airport with her. Her return flight was uneventful, thankfully, and she got home safe and sound. I went to bed at 7 PM, just flat out exhausted!
So, all in all, things went much better than I would have thought they could given the facts in evidence around 10 AM Saturday morning. But that is not an experience I care to repeat anytime soon.
Currently feeling:
Friday, June 08, 2007
19th round draft pick
Hey, I know him! In the recent baseball draft, my husband's first cousin was drafted in the 19th round by San Francisco! How cool is that? His name is John King. I remember him as a 14-year-old kid playing baseball in high school, and here he is, about to graduate from college in December, and drafted into Major (well, Minor) League Baseball. Sweet! I hope we get to see him play at Turner Field one day.
BTW, my weekend was.... eventful, but ultimately a success. I'll have to write about it when I have a little more time.
Currently feeling:
rooting for the home team
BTW, my weekend was.... eventful, but ultimately a success. I'll have to write about it when I have a little more time.
Currently feeling:
rooting for the home team
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