Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Birthdays and 2 litre bottles....

So, Monday was my nephew's birthday, he is now ELEVEN - I cannot even believe it. I remember feeding him his bottle when he was just a baby, when he used to sing/hum himself to sleep. I think his best gift was a book my sister bought him that had 1500, yes 1500, FLOOR PLANS in it. He is a budding architect I am sure and he LOVES to draw floor plans. My sister even gave him some house plan software for his computer a couple of months ago and he calls it his house "game". I love that kid. I told her a few weeks ago, not that I needed to, to never hold him back, never keep him from doing something, because I think someday he is going to do something extraordinary and I can't wait.

OK - who buys 2 litre bottles of soda ? I mean, for home. I used to buy them when we had an office party and I flaked out and signed up for drinks, but do people really buy them for every day use ?

Going to the No Frills Grill of course on Friday and then to the horse races Saturday at Lone Star Park...should be a fun filled weekend. Maybe I will take my camera to the races.

Oh, and I saw this on someones blog today and thought it was freaking hilarious :

Anatidaephobia - the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.

Later.

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Vacation

So, a recap of the vacation. I had a fantastic time. How could I not, the whole family was there with the exception of my brother-in-law, who was missed. I think the best part of the family vacation beyond just being together, is the calmness of it. I mean, we really didn't DO anything.

Each day was waking up and sitting around the campsite just visiting. The kids went swimming most days. We went to the beach a couple of times. We ate out a couple of times and did some shopping but it was mainly, do what you want.

Amazingly we didn't play any cards. Some highlights :
  • Visited the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola - been many times but every time is awesome.
  • Morgan ate a raw oyster - for $30
  • Took the Gap picture at the beach for Joey
  • Shrimp Boil - awesomely yummy
  • Played ladders
  • Spent one night doing 8 loads of laundry together
  • Only opened the laptop a few times
  • Mason says I don't snore
Can't wait for the next get together.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

My shows are back and I wanna have a party......

YEP - the writer's strike is over. I am so glad that my shows are back and my NUMBER 2 show was back tonight. CRIMINAL MINDS. I don't blog much anymore 'cause I don't think there is any exciting stuff going on in my life.....so I decided maybe I just need to blog about the things that are important to me, even if they don't really matter to everyone that reads this. So, I am starting with that theory now. So, whether you watch CM or not, here is my review of the new episode that aired last night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you Ed Bernero and team.....definitely one of my top 5 episodes ever.

I have wanted to see Hotch take more of a guardian/mentor role with Reid and I loved their scenes together in this episode. Hotch is definitely at his melting point with all he keeps bottled up inside and behind that 'in-control' exterior.

I think he would have prevailed in a throw down with the serial killer guy but I was more than glad when Reid jumped in - in his moment of terror - to diffuse the situation. I love it when he spews facts like he did and love it even more when in the end he admits that it was probably half made up.

While I think Hotch still has a lot to deal with, I was also glad to see him open up a little with Reid in the car and tell him about the divorce papers. They have a good dynamic and I think Reid was pleased with the interaction too.

I felt bad for Hotch at the end, but I am not a fan of Haley.

I felt the Rossi part of the story was good, it allowed us to see a conclusion to the baggage he brought with him while at the same time served as a lesson to him about being a part of a team.

Best lines

Rossi : Why do you care ?
Prentiss : Because you do.

Welcome to the team, Rossi.

I actually thought the ending of that storyline was a little anti-climactic but in this case I don't think the story was as much about the crime or solving it as it was about the team. So I am OK with it but as someone else said I prefer the episodes to have some level of urgency to them and hope future episodes get back to that.

Overall....fantastic episode. I'm so glad the show is back.

P.S. Joe Mantegna doing the opening quote....not so much.

Do you watch ?

Monday, March 10, 2008

Ready.

I am ready for vacation - past ready. I need to shut my brain down for 7 days. So, only 4 more days of work counting today and then I am off for a week. I cannot wait.

This may be evident in the fact that I was an HOUR late for work yesterday. I know, me, the person who is never late, never calls in sick, etc. I forgot to set my clock forward Saturday night and I was an hour late to work yesterday. I felt like a complete idiot.

So, mentally, I am ready for this break. However, this week there are still lots of tasks to complete in order to be ready to leave on vacation - so that is what I have on the agenda. Laundry, packing, a little cleaning and then I'm out.

Here's where I'll be : Navarre Beach Campground

Maybe one more blog before I leave.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Amended profile

I amended my profile yesterday to add a third favorite TV show to my list : Torchwood

It is a British SciFi show....airs on Saturday nights on the BBC - America channel on cable.

Love it.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Sleepy, but for good reasons

Not much happening on the Tracy front these days....I am soooo sleepy today. Did too much this weekend, or maybe need to do more things every day.

I drove to Abilene Friday, had to be there by 3:00p to pick up the kids from school and pulled into the parking lot at 2:55p - cutting it kinda close but made it. Enjoyed babysitting them for 24 hours....we didn't do much, except stay at the house and play on the computers and watch a little TV, but it is always fun to hang out with them. Somehow, I managed to stay up Friday night until 4:00a though and was feeling it when the kids got me up at 7:30a the next morning.

Got home Saturday night around 7p - tired....managed to make myself go to bed at midnight. Worked yesterday for 8 hours, and was tired.

Last night, I met my aunt and uncle, Jim and Joan for dinner - we ate at The Cheesecake Factory, it was yummy and I now have 4 TO GO containers in my fridge with dinner leftovers and 3 kinds of cheesecake....yum. We went back to their hotel and chatted until about 11:00p and I was tired. Came home and manged to stay up until 2:30a - for some unknown reason and then tossed and turned.

So, needless to say, today I am exhausted.....luckily, so far we have been moderately quiet at work and I have no plans tonight, so I am going to MAKE MYSELF go to bed early.

Ha. We'll see.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

My last $20.....

....so, there is this website I go to sometimes and they have this feature called 'Writer's Block' - basically it gives you a question or topic you can write about in your blog when you can't come up with anything. So, here is today's question/topic :

List three things you'd buy with your last $20. One practical, one frivolous and one of your choosing.

OK, I guess I have to make some assumptions here in order to answer this....so I guess I am going to say, this is my last $20 and I homeless, in other words, I don't have all my other stuff.

Hmmm, one practical, probably some kind of container, something I can eat out of, maybe drink out of and carry stuff in. Frivolous, hair clips or rubber bands, I guess...and my choosing, a deck of cards.

What would you buy, assuming the same thing....you are homeless and this is your last $20.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Chinese food, good.

Didn't go to eat Chinese the other night because my friend Charles had to work late. So we went last night, it was yummy. I don't go eat Chinese that often and it is kind of mine and Charles's one thing we still do together I guess. I forgot to bring my fortune home but it was something about working as a team this week.

I started thinking today about what clothes I am going to bring for vacation. I checked the weather.com website for average temp in Navarre, FL for that time of year, and it looks like it could get cool in the evenings. Here are the averages for the timeframe we are there [graphic didn't turn out very good - sorry] :

So this looks perfect to me as long as it is sunny. I think capris and shorts are definitely the casual wear required and possibly a couple pair of pants. Crocs, flip flops and one pair of tennis shoes and I am golden. More planning to come.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Contracts

OK people....I wasn't going to have a topic to blog about today but my customers have given me one, well, one customer in particular.

When you sign a contract with someone, READ IT.

Now, I am not necessarily saying read EVERY word, not many of us do...thus the jokes about the fine print but for goodness sake, read SOME OF IT, like the part that says TERM and the part that says FEES and the part about CANCELLING/RENEWING.

I had a customer call today saying her bank account was overdrawn by $800. Why? Well, I am looking at two contracts she signed with us. One for a retail store and one is for her internet business. Each of them are 3 years contracts, with a monthly minimum fee of $25 and a statement fee of $7. So even if they do not have a single sale, they are billed at least $32 a month. They've been open since 10/2007.

She says she has called in before and cannot understand this and that when she signed the contracts she wasn't really opening her business yet, just getting things in order and never put ANY money in her business bank accounts. So we have been billing her $32 for each location each month for 4 months - we charge non-sufficient funds fees every month, her bank charges non-sufficient funds fees every month and now she is $800 overdrawn from all the fees and she hasn't sold a thing at her business yet.

People, read contracts. Once you sign one, make sure you have money in the bank in case there are fees, which you should know if you read the contract. And, lastly, don't wait 4 months to call and figure it out.

That is all.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

About me

I decided it was time to do an update on the "about me" section at the top right of my blog so I revamped it a bit yesterday. I updated the number of years my parents have been married and added a little more about me and what I enjoy and do in my offtime. Any questions ? Ask them here and I will blog you an answer.

Had a fun night at No Frills Grill last night, when Barry [Corbin] got there for dinner there were no booths available [which he prefers] so I waved him over to sit with us until there was one. He did and sat with us for about 30 minutes. He was super nice and chatted with us quite a bit.

It's a rainy cold mess here today - no big plans all day except to hang out inside and then I am meeting Charles later for dinner - Chinese ! - Yum !

Friday, February 15, 2008

Cactus Farmer

So, I am trying to grow cactuses [I guess that is the plural of cactus] - anyway, I bought this little cactus greenhouse. You've seen 'em at WalMart or around. It is like this little plastic container and it has 6 little pots, 6 little soil pellets and seeds. I planted them like 2 weeks ago and so far nothing, not one little bit of life poking through yet and I thought I would see something by now.

My grandfather used to have cactuses in his office, so I thought I would continue the tradition in my home office but perhaps I do not have the cactus green thumb .... we'll see. More cactus updates to come.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Yay, Ouch and Ugh

Yay ! - the writer's strike is over. I'm sure the deal isn't EXACTLY what they wanted but I am proud of them for holding out for something they can live with as fair. PLUS I will now get a few new episodes of my favorite shows before summer.

Ouch ! - somehow, and I have no idea how, I pulled a muscle in my side while I was in the shower Sunday, and now it is like a charlie horse. You know, the pain is gone 90% of the time, but if I move just so, it wants to hurt again. I think I need to start taking a multi-vitamin.

Ugh ! - it's official, I am old. Yesterday, Sony BMG and Michael Jackson released a new album THRILLER 25 which is a special 25 year anniversary edition of the original album which I feel certain was just released a couple of years ago......apparently not.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Here I am....

.....so here I am. Alive and well. Apparently, I have been so busy doing nothing it has kept me away from the blog. So, I am going to school and working.

Recent news :

I'm getting excited about vacation - one week in sunny Florida in March with the whole family [sans brother-in-law] at a campground with mom and dad's trailer and a cabin. Can't wait for a week of rest and relaxation. I plan to visit, play games, hang out, write and generally chillax. I need to add a countdown clock to the blog.

Part one of job changes, I am getting a new schedule effective IMMEDIATELY - I am now working 8a - 5p CST Sunday thru Thursday [off Friday/Saturday] - this still fits with my school schedule and puts me back on days, which I am actually happy about....other than I have to adjust my sleeping and quit staying up until 2am....more on this later.

There was a coupon in the paper this weekend for M & Ms, for Valentine's Day, they are selling bags of ALL GREEN M & Ms....ha ha !

That's all I got right now.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

I love THE DAVE

What is THE DAVE you may be asking. Here it is :

There is this store called IKEA which is a home furnishings store - kinda, I don't know, Swedish style I guess, they name stuff weird names and this is my new laptop desk - called THE DAVE. I bought it yesterday and I may never leave my apartment again. I love it.

OK - so, what else. Last week I spent getting my major switched over to Math and now I am registered for Spanish I and Pre-Calculus for this semester. Once I get thru pre-calc, I can sign up for all kinds of math classes to get the show on the road.

I'm trying to figure out a unique and creative way to get in on the textbook buying selling thing, because surely when you sell me a book for $108.00 and then you buy it back for $18.00 there is money to be made, right ? UGH.

Classes start this week - I'll post a schedule some time this week. All of my favorite shows are winding down on new episodes, only one or two weeks to go - very depressing. I hope the writer's strike is resolved soon.

Check ya later, calculators.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

If they are singing, it is not scary.......

Okay, so a few days off from blogging and I am back again, you haven't lost me yet.

First off, I'd like to send a shout out to my friend Jeffrey, who after reading the tragic news that I was out of candles at home, quickly lit two in his to put me at ease. Thank you, Jeffrey.

So I worked New Year's Day - BY MYSELF - and it was supposed to be a SLOW day since last year we only had 6-8 calls. Well, guess what, I had over 25 and I am sure some dropped, it was crazy. No more working by myself.

So, now my friend Mandy [Hi Mandy!] gets to be on my blog.....a few weeks ago, we talked her into going to see 'I am Legend' with her husband...she was worried it was going to be scary and we told her it really was not scary.....a few things jump out but it is predictable, so not scary. Well, it "scared the crap out of" her - her words. Whatever.

Last night, at No Frills we were all talking about movies that are out that we want to see and she wants to see Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp.....and I am like I am Legend scared you and you want to go see a movie about grisly revenge by Benjamin Barker, a man unjustly imprisoned by a lecherous judge. It's subtitle is The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and it's rating - R for graphic bloody violence.

But, apparently, it is a musical.....so I guess if they are singing, it is not scary. Who knew ?

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Monday, December 31, 2007

I hope you are sitting.....

..because not only have I blogged three entries in a row in less than five days....but also,

I am candleless.

I know.

I have no candles in my apartment. So, number one on my list of things to do when I am off on Friday, is to go to Garden Ridge, IKEA, Target, Pier 1, somewhere and get candles.

A moment of silence, please.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

New Year's Resolutions

What is the end of a year without New Year's resolutions ?

So, I looked back to see if I blogged any last year and I did not. Here are mine for 2008 [in no particular order] :
  1. Eat healthier
  2. Increase movement [nice way of saying exercise]
  3. Get a clear focus on school goals and timeframes
  4. Spend more time with friends and family
  5. Be a better blogger
  6. Keep writing [semi-secret guilty pleasure]
I have two weeks of vacation this year and I am already in the planning stages on using it for number 4 on the list.

Let's see....this week. I am working a short shift on Monday, New Year's Eve. No plans for the evening. Working New Year's Day.....by myself. Supposedly this is a slow day and I will be able to get stuff done around the apartment. Yay !

I know this blog entry is lame, but I am trying to get back in the habit. Stay tuned in.

P.S. You may have noticed I also added a new banner header to the top of the page, I really like black and white nature pics.....hope you like it.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

I think I will blog......

So, before the inevitable New Year's resolution to blog more, I will post one more 2007 blog entry.

Of note :
  • Thanksgiving was at my sister's with mom and dad there
  • Mini-Christmas with mom and dad at Thanksgiving
  • School is done for the semester.
  • I am changing my major, yet again - to Math
  • Christmas Party at Jeffrey's
  • Came in 2nd on the Fantasy Football League
  • Real Christmas spent in Abilene - not the same without mom and dad
  • Morgan and Mason are now addicted to Guitar Hero - lol
  • I am still addicted to Ugly Betty and Criminal Minds
  • No Frills Grill is still a Friday night ritual
Most recently, had a great time spending Christmas in Abilene. Although it wasn't the same without mom and dad there, it was still fun to be with family. I got great presents, including a beautiful new quilt for my bed made by JoLynn's mother-in-law. I think everyone was pleased with their gifts.

Joey, Dina and I got Morgan and Mason, Guitar Hero III for their new Playstation 2, this is the game of the stars, as I read everywhere that celebrities play this game all the time. Here are some pics of Mason and Morgan rocking out :




And, if you thought I was kidding about this being a celebrity thing, here is a pic of Matthew Gray Gubler [Dr. Spencer Reid] from Criminal Minds rocking Guitar Hero, also.


So, another year about to be behind us. I will post once more before year end with some New Year's resolutions and we'll see how the year goes.

Happy Holidays !