"I want one!" was Alex's desperate whisper to me when I'd entered the room......
It was Sunday afternoon at the Maidy's. We put together a little BBQ for my sister's birthday which meant our beloved Ellie-Belly would be joining us (my niece).
We love every chance we get to see her, but even more, we love having her over. She brightens up our cozy place quite a bit. We're very lucky that she loves playing with her Uncle 'Boo' (Alex). I guess to her, Alex is very funny (funny looking maybe...hmmm).
Alex and Ellie were in the computer room...don't know what they were chatting about, or if he was trying to show her how to load a program on the computer, or show her how to create her own web page using HTML. I went in to ask Alex something while Ellie was darting back out to her parents in the livingroom. Before I could utter my question ("would you like to eat the fruit and whip cream now?") he turned to me and whispered, "I want one!", and pointed to Ellie as she'd just turned the corner out of the room. "You just want another play mate around the house!" I accused him lightly, to which he smiled widely.
I can't wait to have a family, a little Alex or little me...just a little something to make us a bit immortal, that we 're not here on this planet for a short time for no reason, that our life has more purpose....eh-hem...sorry. I'll stop now.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
Edgar
We have a family of bunny rabbits living under our patio bushes.
We discovered a baby bunny the other day...well, actually, Nellie and Newt discovered him first.
Whenever the bunny shows up on the patio, our cats' ears go low, their gaze turns into laser beam concentration, and they crouch down as low as they can go.
I got worried when I saw Nellie take this position because it was exactly what happened right before the great 'Pee-Off and Fight' the cats had a couple of days before we left for Rome. We had to separate them for 1.5 days. Something startled Newt and he associated the fear and anxiousness with Nellie and began attacking her.
So here was Nellie, crouching low like a fat tiger, ears back, eyes not breaking from her focus no matter how much noise I tried to make to distract her. I decide to find out what has captured her audience. I was afraid of what I would see. Newt's friend the skunk? A giant racoon? Or even worse, a rat or possum! Argh!
I slowly parted a layer of our verticle blinds and followed Nellie's eyes onto the patio concrete. A bunny! Phew!
He was very small and very cute, looked cute enough to bring into the house and raise myself if I wasn't afraid of wild animals (yes, even the ones that live in our subdivision are considered wild to me). But of all the 'guests' we've had around or on our patio, this one was the most welcomed.
Once Edgar discovered he was being eyed by two cats and a human from behind the glass door, he scurried back under the bushes, his cute tail bounding off out of sight.
I hope to see him again soon. Maybe I'll leave a carrot out for them....hmmm, wonder what kinds of bugs that would attract...maybe I won't.
We discovered a baby bunny the other day...well, actually, Nellie and Newt discovered him first.
Whenever the bunny shows up on the patio, our cats' ears go low, their gaze turns into laser beam concentration, and they crouch down as low as they can go.
I got worried when I saw Nellie take this position because it was exactly what happened right before the great 'Pee-Off and Fight' the cats had a couple of days before we left for Rome. We had to separate them for 1.5 days. Something startled Newt and he associated the fear and anxiousness with Nellie and began attacking her.
So here was Nellie, crouching low like a fat tiger, ears back, eyes not breaking from her focus no matter how much noise I tried to make to distract her. I decide to find out what has captured her audience. I was afraid of what I would see. Newt's friend the skunk? A giant racoon? Or even worse, a rat or possum! Argh!
I slowly parted a layer of our verticle blinds and followed Nellie's eyes onto the patio concrete. A bunny! Phew!
He was very small and very cute, looked cute enough to bring into the house and raise myself if I wasn't afraid of wild animals (yes, even the ones that live in our subdivision are considered wild to me). But of all the 'guests' we've had around or on our patio, this one was the most welcomed.
Once Edgar discovered he was being eyed by two cats and a human from behind the glass door, he scurried back under the bushes, his cute tail bounding off out of sight.
I hope to see him again soon. Maybe I'll leave a carrot out for them....hmmm, wonder what kinds of bugs that would attract...maybe I won't.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Ode to Suction
I did it! I have a Dyson Vacuum...what a wonderful machine.
Despite it's cost, despite my initial skeptisism on yet another household item that claimed to change my life, I took the big leap of faith and bought one yesterday at Best Buy. It's the mid-range version, but still very powerful compared to conventional vacuum power that's out there right now. And mind you, I did not just go out and get one flippantly with one swift ponder of the machine. I'd been eyeing the Dyson since the first commercial lept out at me from my TV screen.
You see, for me, cleaning around the house is therapy and to have clumsily rummaged through the house with a vacuum that merely swooshed the dirt and cat litter behind itself and onto my feet was a horrible experience. On a good day, our old vacuum would suck up Nellie tumbleweed (balls of fur left on the carpet where ever Nellie had been situated for 2 minutes or longer). There were also days when I'd just pick up a bigger piece of debris myself and dump it in the trash. The filter in our old vacuum was hopelessly clogged, and no matter how often I would clean out the container, or how many hours I'd spend trying to unclog/flush out the filter, it was all to no avail. There was also the vacuum odor whenever I used it. I once thought about sprinkling lemon zest on the floor and running the vacuum over it to see if it might 'freshen' things up. I didn't of course for fear of compromising the rickety gadget even more.
I needed a better clean! I could not wait any longer.
We brought the Dyson home and Alex put it together. He had it assembled in two minutes (this in itself is amazing as we typically spend hours on anything that needs assembly of any kind with the usual sprinkling of curses every few minutes and the usual 'extra' screws, bolts and pieces).
We were amazed at how much sense the owners manual made (it may have been written at the 3rd grade level). We were amazed at how every thing we tried in the manual actually worked, and quite easily and effortlessly. We surmised immediately that a machine that is made correctly and well, is easy to operate and maintain. For instance, we couldn't figure out where the lever to release the vacuum from the upright position was located. We reference the owners manual. All you have to do is put your foot on the front part of the vacuum and it's magically released from its upright position.
Although Alex had vacuum earlier in the day, we decide to do a test run of our new machine. Even though I knew how badly our old vacuum worked, and anticipated to see debris the old machine left behind, we were still amazed at it's power! It was as if we'd never vacuum at all before the Dyson.
Unloading the dirt container was easy and amazing. It was amazing to actually feel the weight of the debris as it landed in the plastic bag I held underneath...another cool thing, the dirt container opening is at the bottom, so the debris just falls out when emptying. My hands need never touch the debris. It felt as though the machine pushed all the debris so tightly together that it formed a solid out of it.
I'm glad the only dilema we have now is what to do with the old vacuum.
Despite it's cost, despite my initial skeptisism on yet another household item that claimed to change my life, I took the big leap of faith and bought one yesterday at Best Buy. It's the mid-range version, but still very powerful compared to conventional vacuum power that's out there right now. And mind you, I did not just go out and get one flippantly with one swift ponder of the machine. I'd been eyeing the Dyson since the first commercial lept out at me from my TV screen.
You see, for me, cleaning around the house is therapy and to have clumsily rummaged through the house with a vacuum that merely swooshed the dirt and cat litter behind itself and onto my feet was a horrible experience. On a good day, our old vacuum would suck up Nellie tumbleweed (balls of fur left on the carpet where ever Nellie had been situated for 2 minutes or longer). There were also days when I'd just pick up a bigger piece of debris myself and dump it in the trash. The filter in our old vacuum was hopelessly clogged, and no matter how often I would clean out the container, or how many hours I'd spend trying to unclog/flush out the filter, it was all to no avail. There was also the vacuum odor whenever I used it. I once thought about sprinkling lemon zest on the floor and running the vacuum over it to see if it might 'freshen' things up. I didn't of course for fear of compromising the rickety gadget even more.
I needed a better clean! I could not wait any longer.
We brought the Dyson home and Alex put it together. He had it assembled in two minutes (this in itself is amazing as we typically spend hours on anything that needs assembly of any kind with the usual sprinkling of curses every few minutes and the usual 'extra' screws, bolts and pieces).
We were amazed at how much sense the owners manual made (it may have been written at the 3rd grade level). We were amazed at how every thing we tried in the manual actually worked, and quite easily and effortlessly. We surmised immediately that a machine that is made correctly and well, is easy to operate and maintain. For instance, we couldn't figure out where the lever to release the vacuum from the upright position was located. We reference the owners manual. All you have to do is put your foot on the front part of the vacuum and it's magically released from its upright position.
Although Alex had vacuum earlier in the day, we decide to do a test run of our new machine. Even though I knew how badly our old vacuum worked, and anticipated to see debris the old machine left behind, we were still amazed at it's power! It was as if we'd never vacuum at all before the Dyson.
Unloading the dirt container was easy and amazing. It was amazing to actually feel the weight of the debris as it landed in the plastic bag I held underneath...another cool thing, the dirt container opening is at the bottom, so the debris just falls out when emptying. My hands need never touch the debris. It felt as though the machine pushed all the debris so tightly together that it formed a solid out of it.
I'm glad the only dilema we have now is what to do with the old vacuum.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Plasma
I love popping zits.
I do not pop zits at anywhere but home, unless they become so huge that NOT popping them would do more harm than good (e.g. scaring co-workers as they walk pass my cube in horror at the workplace). Today, sitting in our usual client conference call, I was checking on a zit that formed two days ago. I just rubbed my index finger on the darn thing to see if it was ready to explode or if it should be left alone. When I had checked this morning, it was the same size as the night before...small and just red.
The darn thing exploded. I don't believe any of my co-workers saw the explosion, I don't believe they did because if they had, a harsh gasp would have eminated from all three of them as they scurry to the door.
There is no tissue to be found in the conference room. Dang! I had to use my hand. Oh my gosh! All the blood! So much blood! It was as if the zit had a bloody nose! I guess it was ready to pop. I spent the next five minutes in the ladies room assessing the damage and what I could do to make it stop. 4 tissues did the trick.
I'm the only 33 year old I know who still gets zits on a regular basis. Dang!
I do not pop zits at anywhere but home, unless they become so huge that NOT popping them would do more harm than good (e.g. scaring co-workers as they walk pass my cube in horror at the workplace). Today, sitting in our usual client conference call, I was checking on a zit that formed two days ago. I just rubbed my index finger on the darn thing to see if it was ready to explode or if it should be left alone. When I had checked this morning, it was the same size as the night before...small and just red.
The darn thing exploded. I don't believe any of my co-workers saw the explosion, I don't believe they did because if they had, a harsh gasp would have eminated from all three of them as they scurry to the door.
There is no tissue to be found in the conference room. Dang! I had to use my hand. Oh my gosh! All the blood! So much blood! It was as if the zit had a bloody nose! I guess it was ready to pop. I spent the next five minutes in the ladies room assessing the damage and what I could do to make it stop. 4 tissues did the trick.
I'm the only 33 year old I know who still gets zits on a regular basis. Dang!
Friday, June 10, 2005
Fiumicino!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...it was the summer of my foot's discontent.
Hahaha, just kidding. Depsite my badly formed feet, we had a lot of fun in Rome. It's dirty, noisey, polluted (what place isn't at this point), and it was HOT, but I am thankful.
I am thankful to have been given the chance to see history, beauty, the birth place of civilization, to have stood on grounds once walked on by Roman Emporers, soldiers, citizens, to have drunk from the same crystal clear water fountains popes of many hundres of years ago drank from, and finally, thankful to gaze upon the brush strokes of Michaelangelo...to have gazed upon that ceiling the way he did long ago to check his work, then climb back up on his scaffoldiing to continue this awesome labor of love. How absolutely fantastic it was! And this was just the touristy sights!
Everywhere we walked in Rome, something appealed to our fancy. Office buildings, churches, their wonderful piazzas and numerous fountains were sights to see unto themselves. We took hundreds of pictures. Around almost every corner, there was something we wanted to capture. Even at our hotel. The hotel had a resident cat, who we named Francesca. She came to greet us in the mornings and the evenings almost every night. She was sweet. We've got pictures of her! We even took pictures of traffic!
Roman traffic moves quite differently than Chicago traffic. First of all, they are not guided by traffic signals. With the exception of a few traffic lights, 95% of Roman traffic is self guided, meaning you turn when there's an opportunity. If you're not aggressive, one can sit there waiting to turn or move forward for hours. This is also the way people cross streets as well. You cross when there's an opportunity - and the opportunity must be self created, otherwise, you could wait to cross for half an hour. Cars, Vespas and people move and use the same space of the road. Side walks are unheard of in Rome for the most part. With the exception of a few side walks along the major shopping district, we didn't see many elsewhere. Space is at a premium in Rome, so parking can get a bit tricky. There are cars double and triple parked along the sides of the roads. How one would get out of such a spot is beyond me.
Gelato is awesome. We ate it every day, some days multiple times a day. It cannot be compared to anything here in the states. IT IS NOT ICE CREAM. It's was one of the most purest experience I had in Rome (with the exception of the Sistine Chapel). I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat regular ice cream again (I probably will though).
I am so glad I did Rome. I am so glad that I will have this to share with our children, that we have pictures to look back on and remember that a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when Alex and I were once young and vibrant and not confined to our wheelchair drinking dinner through a straw at 4 in the afternoon, we had been at the birth place of civilization. We had walked along the steps of kings and queens, therefore having made ourselves a part of history already thousands of years young.
Hahaha, just kidding. Depsite my badly formed feet, we had a lot of fun in Rome. It's dirty, noisey, polluted (what place isn't at this point), and it was HOT, but I am thankful.
I am thankful to have been given the chance to see history, beauty, the birth place of civilization, to have stood on grounds once walked on by Roman Emporers, soldiers, citizens, to have drunk from the same crystal clear water fountains popes of many hundres of years ago drank from, and finally, thankful to gaze upon the brush strokes of Michaelangelo...to have gazed upon that ceiling the way he did long ago to check his work, then climb back up on his scaffoldiing to continue this awesome labor of love. How absolutely fantastic it was! And this was just the touristy sights!
Everywhere we walked in Rome, something appealed to our fancy. Office buildings, churches, their wonderful piazzas and numerous fountains were sights to see unto themselves. We took hundreds of pictures. Around almost every corner, there was something we wanted to capture. Even at our hotel. The hotel had a resident cat, who we named Francesca. She came to greet us in the mornings and the evenings almost every night. She was sweet. We've got pictures of her! We even took pictures of traffic!
Roman traffic moves quite differently than Chicago traffic. First of all, they are not guided by traffic signals. With the exception of a few traffic lights, 95% of Roman traffic is self guided, meaning you turn when there's an opportunity. If you're not aggressive, one can sit there waiting to turn or move forward for hours. This is also the way people cross streets as well. You cross when there's an opportunity - and the opportunity must be self created, otherwise, you could wait to cross for half an hour. Cars, Vespas and people move and use the same space of the road. Side walks are unheard of in Rome for the most part. With the exception of a few side walks along the major shopping district, we didn't see many elsewhere. Space is at a premium in Rome, so parking can get a bit tricky. There are cars double and triple parked along the sides of the roads. How one would get out of such a spot is beyond me.
Gelato is awesome. We ate it every day, some days multiple times a day. It cannot be compared to anything here in the states. IT IS NOT ICE CREAM. It's was one of the most purest experience I had in Rome (with the exception of the Sistine Chapel). I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat regular ice cream again (I probably will though).
I am so glad I did Rome. I am so glad that I will have this to share with our children, that we have pictures to look back on and remember that a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when Alex and I were once young and vibrant and not confined to our wheelchair drinking dinner through a straw at 4 in the afternoon, we had been at the birth place of civilization. We had walked along the steps of kings and queens, therefore having made ourselves a part of history already thousands of years young.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Back from the dirtiest place on earth! (but had a GREAT TIME!)
Back from Rome.....currently at work trying not to work...but I really must. Sigh.
Will be traveling for business till Wednesday, then busy with family the rest of the week.
Will write more then.
Will be traveling for business till Wednesday, then busy with family the rest of the week.
Will write more then.
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