| Branson |
[02 Jul 2008|10:34pm] |
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We spent the weekend in Branson for Tom's mother's birthday. It was a bit stressful, but not too awful. We returned yesterday. I slept a LOT today. More details later.
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| weekend car shoppping |
[27 Jun 2008|02:10pm] |
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We spent last weekend in the LR/Conway area. We went down b/c Donna needed to go car shopping with her mom. The original intent was to do very little of the actual car shopping with them, but instead spend the weekend doing things with our friends and family in the area. It didn't work out that way. On the way down we noticed that Tom's alignment was a bit out of whack, so we had the dealer check it out. They informed us this would take at least 2 hours. Tom and I resigned ourselves to doing a bit of car shopping. The salesman at the North Point dealership was a complete jerk. He treated Donna, Margaret, and I like very stupid women. We didn't appreciate that one bit. He claimed that the base price for a Toyota Yaris was 15k and we would not be able to find one in the five state area with cruise control for less than approximately 18k. In the past I've had very positive dealings with North Point, but this guy was a real ass. He pulled all the car salesman tricks and claimed he was really working to get us a deal. The price on the car that he quoted us (17,800) never changed even ONE penny in spite of all his effort. During his last attempt to work with us I got on the phone and called the dealer in Conway. Amazingly he told us the base price of a Toyota Yaris was 12 or 13k. When the terribly helpful Arthur returned from his last "chat with his manager" we informed him that we were going to go to Conway and buy a Yaris from Mark since the base price was mysteriously cheaper there.
We ended up finding Donna a car with all the options she needed for less than 15k. It also happens to be a very pretty red. Looks like poor Arthur is sadly misinformed. smirk.
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| Gardening |
[19 Jun 2008|05:03pm] |
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This morning I took my car by the dealership to see why the check engine light was on. Turns out that when the helpful guy at the Wal-mart tire and lube installed my air filter, he knocked a hose loose and didn't reconnect it. This is moderately annoying for a couple reasons: 1) I didn't notice it myself and 2)it cost me 50 bucks to find out why the light was on. Oh well, I guess that's just my "tuition" for this particular education. Next time I'll check the hoses more carefully.
I spent the afternoon playing in my garden. The grass was choking my plants, and now they have some breathing room. Tomorrow I need to do some more weeding, but there's definte improvement. I've got baby peppers and tomatoes growing. The squash has also bloomed and should have some small ones growing soon. The radishes need to be thinned pretty badly, so perhaps I can get that done tomorrow. The act of wresting sustenance from the earth is rewarding if somewhat tiring. It's reassuring to know that I can still do that.
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| Lazy Day |
[18 Jun 2008|03:17pm] |
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The house is almost restored to its usual state. There's still one tv out of place and the kitchen table needs to be adjusted. Otherwise, we're pretty much recovered from party.
Today, I've been doing Wii Fit aerobics and trying to stay motivated. The weight loss is such a slow game. The wii fit is a helpful motivational tool, according to it's tracking I'm down approximately 3 lbs since we bought it just before my birthday. That's less progress than I'd like, but it is progress.
Had a quiet night with Tom last night. He is running so very tired these days. His spirits have been better since the party though. That's encouraging at least. After dinner, I made him a nice relaxing bubble bath and he hung out in the tub listening to "Desperation" by Stephen King for about an hour. Then he went to bed early and I stayed up cleaning and puttering for a couple hours. We're very domestic these days.
Tonight is date night, so I'm currently trying to come up with a way to send Donna out for the night. Heck, I'll probably just tell her why and then let Tom assume she just decided to go out on her own. (until he reads this, of course) I'm not positive how she'll react to this, but I'm trying to get her used to my openess and bluntness in these matters. Were it my own sister, I'd simply say, "Hey, Hoss, go out and see a movie so I can get laid, ok?" Given she didn't grow up in my family, I'll have to be a bit more tactful. sigh. chuckle.
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| Brazil Party wrap-up |
[16 Jun 2008|10:14pm] |
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Thanks to Donna, Christopher, Robert, and Alex: invaluable help in party set up.
Tom's party didn't go exactly as planned, but they seldom do. I think Tom had a great time and I'm glad that those who were able to come were here. We borrowed Karen's family Wii system and Christopher's X-Box, setting up four gaming stations in the public areas of the house. D&D was held in the gazebo and food was served buffet style in the kitchen. I'm glad we could do something to help Tom destress from his big work project. I would like to note that I was afraid he was going to go into attack mode during the pre-party grocery shopping when I suggested having Brazil Nuts to snack on. I'm wondering how long he'll hold a grudge against that poor nation. smirk.
Post party we went out for dinner and a movie with Steven and Rachel. It was a nice change from all the big party energy. Sunday turned into an imrpomptu Karaoke fest while waiting to hear from Joe about D&D (that turned out to be some sort of misunderstanding, but we had fun here anyway). Donna, Chaz, Steven, Rachel, Tom and myself sang a ridiculous amount of Karaoke while the cats provided comic relief. Penguin (aka StrangeCat) is apparently a bit of a music critic, attacking both Steven and Tom when she disapproved of their performances. The cat may well have earned herself yet another name: Simon.
I was physically miserable throughout the entire weekend (stupid cramps), but things went well considering. Next time we have a party I'll hope my body is a bit more cooperative.
BTW, Wii Fit is a great party game. Several new people tried it for the first time, and everyone enjoyed it.
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| Wii Fit Duel |
[09 Jun 2008|08:49pm] |
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Tom and Donna, like most siblings, are intensely competitive. Their latest competition is a Wii Fit Duel. Anytime one of them sets a record on Wii fit, the other must play that game until they beat it. This inspired Tom to spend 80 minutes on the Wii Fit last Saturday. Donna was out of town, so he got a chance to get the top score on several games. She's now fiercely working on getting all the high scores back.
I'm not so competitive, but I am definitely enjoying the system.
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| 28 |
[06 Jun 2008|11:04pm] |
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Another year has passed. I'm 28 today. It was, overall, a nice birthday. Tom did his very best to be sweet and helpful. We had some fun in the bedroom this morning, did some birthday shopping, and had people over tonight for a LOT of Wii Fit playing. I'm definitely enjoying the game and getting better at it. I think it will be very helpful with keeping to a good exercise routine. If nothing else, I now have an excellent way to track my weight and BMI. So far, I think the hula hoop activity is my most surprising favorite. I hated hula hoops as a kid, but I'm really enjoying them on the Wii.
Hoping for a year of growth and happiness in the months to come.
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| late return |
[05 Jun 2008|11:45pm] |
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I'm back dating this one to get it on the date of most of the occurences, as I returned very very late.
My quick to the farm was pretty nice, but not terribly productive. Yesterday I went to a routine checkup with Doc, had Dinner with parents, dessert at home with kate, tate, and mom, and then katie had to go to work. The pumpkin bread that I made went over very well, even if I messed up and let the raisins sink. Today Dad and I have been running around with Tate. We went out to Pizza Hut for lunch and then went to his family farm to work on moving the hay there. I had hoped to get a fishing trip in afterwards, but things took much longer than expected with the haying. After working in the hay I had dinner with mom and the newlyweds and hit the road. I made it back here shortly after 1 am, but I'm posting this early to keep it before my birthday. I'll be waking Tom up at 4:44 am to celebrate the birth of yours truly (and most likely staying awake for a short time before collapsing again).
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| Wii Fit |
[02 Jun 2008|11:40pm] |
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Finally got my paws on a Wii Fit tonight! (thanks for helping Karen) After trying 3 stores today (and several last week) we managed to get a Wii Fit. It's my birthday present from Tom and I'm really excited about it. So far I've just done the initial test and watched Tom do his. We both have an awful center of balance, but that doesn't really surprise me- we're both pretty klutzy. I was surprised that his was actually a bit worse than mine. I always thought I was the world's biggest klutz. smirk. I'm looking forward to working with it and seeing what the workouts are like. So far I really like it, but I'll update as I get to do more. Thanks for my early birthday present, Honey!
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| calm weekend |
[02 Jun 2008|04:22am] |
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I've slept a LOT this weekend. Tom's Brazil project was extended until July 1, so he didn't have to work this weekend. We're still planning to have the party on June 14 b/c he thinks he'll really need one then. We mostly just hung out around the house and spent some nice lazy time together.
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| Interesting Personality Test |
[29 May 2008|01:14am] |
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| Zombies!!! |
[28 May 2008|10:00pm] |
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Ctefen came over tonight and we had his very late birthday dinner of Lasagna. I obtained his grandmother's Lasagna recipe years ago to surprise him for a birthday. Since then, I've tried to make it for him every year if possible. After that Tom, Donna, Ctefen, and I; played a game of Zombies!!!
I think Zombies!!! expansions may end up on our board game wishlist now that we have a larger dining room table. I had forgotten how much silly fun that game could be.
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| lazy day |
[27 May 2008|04:50pm] |
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We slept in until almost lunch time yesterday. I guess the trip wore me out more than I realized. Once we were up we went out to lunch with Tom's mom and visited a bit before she left. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. We watched "The Golden Compass" which was nice. Otherwise the day was full of Tom's video games, some snuggling, and housework. Not the most exciting stuff to describe, but it wasn't a bad day.
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| Weekend Wedding |
[26 May 2008|02:06pm] |
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The weekend didn't go as planned, but it was nice. The quilting class that my mother and I had planned to take was cancelled, so it will be rescheduled for later. My sister's fiancee was able to get home from his job in Texas a bit earlier than we originally anticipated, so the weekend became their wedding weekend instead. They didn't have a formal service, just went to the mayor. After that we had a nice family and friends reception at the community center in Franklin. She seemed very happy with the way things turned out, so it's all fine. Tom and I were able to make it in to help with the reception and visit with Kate and my new brother-in-law.
The four of us went out to see the new Indiana Jones movie in Mtn. Home on Saturday night. We were a bit late b/c the pregnant lady had to have her Taco Bell fix before the movie (and more Taco Bell after the movie). We're happy enough about the pregnancy to be really tolerant of the whims of said pregnant lady. The movie was enjoyable and returning to that universe was a lot of fun. Our only real misadventure was getting a flat tire on the HWY 412/62 bridge across Lake Norfork. NB: bridges are not the best place to change a tire. smirk. I enjoyed getting to go out on a double date with my sister. Plus, having Tate along prevented me from having to help change the tire. smirk.
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| personality |
[23 May 2008|12:26am] |
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The personality profile I did for the Cox position apparently did not match what they were looking for. The test, which is called The Hogan Assessment, is apparently supposed to pick out the people who would be best in that environment. I was encouraged to apply for positions they don't use the Hogan for, so not tech support or retail teams. As such, I went ahead and applied for two other open positions on their site.
I must say I am interested in just what my scores were and exactly what they were looking for. What can I say? I'm just a curious creature. I'm also a bit amused at "failing" a personality test. Hmmm Perhaps I don't have one? smirk.
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| Brazil again |
[23 May 2008|12:20am] |
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Starting a new thread for the party. The house network is fixed and setting up the LAN should not be a big problem. I hope the weather will allow us to use the gazebo for some of the food and board games. Here's what I've found out so far:
Joe would like to run a D&D campaign
Jeff Otte has offered to bring some additional video games and game systems
Aaron is willing to help with LAN set up
Any other ideas? Anyone have any suggestions of things I should get for food? Does anyone that wants to come have any dietary restrictions? Do we want to have mixed drinks and/or beer?
Let's try to keep this thread focused on Tom and the party. Thank you all.
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| personality |
[21 May 2008|11:10pm] |
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Today I took a skills test and a personality test for a job. Why does a tech support job require a personality? smirk. Seriously, I wonder what they are looking for. I should hear something in the morning. If I did ok on my tests things should move forward fairly quickly as the position is set to begin june 3.
This will require some rethinking of my level of farm involvement, but as my future borther-in-law returned home today things should work out.
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| live from my office |
[20 May 2008|06:05pm] |
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My office is finally set up. I still have some unpacking to do, but the big stuff is done. The house network is now up and humming along. We've got 10 wired connections throughout the house, and plans to add some switches in the future. For now, my office is restricted to my primary computer (and of course anything wireless I want). This room and the living room will probably get switches in the near future. For now, I'm just thrilled not to be sharing an office with my sweet, messy Tom.
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| Gardening |
[18 May 2008|02:22pm] |
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Yesterday the garden fence was completed and I was able to plant my garden. It's a late start, but I'm hoping the fact that I put out small plants instead of seeds will be enough to make up for that. I'm looking forward to having a nice garden to play in all season. So far the puppies haven't figured out a way to break into the garden, but I'll be watching. (hopefully Tom will be watching while I'm on the farm.)
I get to spend this week in Bentonville as my mother is coming to visit next weekend. We'll be going to a quilting class at a local quilt shop:
www.therabbitslair.com
Tom's mother and sister will also be town that weekend as Margaret is dropping Donna back off from their vacation. With such a full house expected, I'll need to do quite a bit of cleaning this week. I hope Tom doesn't have to work too much of next weekend, but his deadline is fast approaching. So far this weekend he's done pretty well, only having to go in for 3 hours or so.
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| Lions, Tigers, and bears |
[12 May 2008|11:01pm] |
For Mother's Day we took Tom's mother out to lunch and then went to the Wild Wilderness Animal Safari in Gentry. Lots of interesting animals and some cute baby animals to see this time of year. Tom, Donna, and their mother had not been before, so we took quite a few pictures. The camels and emus seemed very interested in us this trip. I suspect this had something to do with the car in front of us feeding the animals a lot. We wandered through the petting area and enjoyed the baby animals.
I talked to my Mom on the phone and it sounds like she had a nice day. She went out for lunch with my sister and came home with some new deck furniture and a couple of new dogs. Apparently Mom and Kate were sucked in by some free Labrador/Boxer mix pups being given away in the parking lot. There are now two new female pups on the farm. I'm not sure what Lily and Josie will make of this on our next visit, but it should be amusing.
This afternoon Tom and I worked on the garden. It is now completely tilled and the fence is about halfway done. We need another roll of chicken wire and then I should be able to finally plant some things. Josie amused us both by using the freshly tilled earth as her own private treasure hiding ground. She buried a half eaten pizza crust and stood sentinel on it for the rest of the afternoon. She growled viciously and chased of any animal who came near her treasure. Tom decided to distract her by giving her a rawhide bone. This failed miserably, only giving her another treasure to guard.
I'll be heading back to the farm soon to resume work on the fences there and spend some more time with the family. I think I'll do some baking for mum before I leave here so I have something to take her for mother's day.
Federal Tax refund finally arrived. It's already been spent on paying down some debt. Nothing too exciting there, but it does take a little worry off my mind.
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