Okay, so today's actually Tuesday, but it's a rainy day, so the title still applies. And even though I had yesterday off of work to celebrate Veterans' Day (Thanks, all of you who have served our country in the military, regardless of what I might think about the various wars that have been fought.), yesterday still managed to get me down because I've been struggling with a vicious cold all weekend (and on through today with no end in sight).
It's been awhile since I blogged but that's mostly due to the fact that when I was on the computer I was too busy to stop and write, and when I could tear myself away from working on the computer, the last thing I wanted to do was be back on the computer, even just to check in.
A few weekends ago I took a pastel drawing/painting workshop, which was a great deal of fun. When I was in 6th grade I won a county-wide art competition with a pastel drawing I did in art class, but that's really the last time I ever used any artistic ability I have. Mom's always said I had it in me (and she would know), but for various reasons I've never pursued it until now. I'm still not sure how much I'll do on my own...I really need to take more classes to learn techniques and the basics of drawing. That's on my to-do list for next spring once the legislature adjourns and I have some free time.
The next weekend was the annual Pigeon Forge Shopping Extravaganza event, and I trundled off with Mom and the other moms and daughters from church for yet another shop-til-you-drop weekend at the outlet malls near Gatlinburg, TN. We leave on a Thursday night and come back on Sunday, and in between we ignore the beautiful Smoky Mountains, the colorful leaves and/or Christmas decorations, the variety of shows, and all other possible distractions and just eat, sleep and shop. Actually, we're slowing down a bit and resting more, and this year we even played several games together. Mostly, though, the shopping is a great excuse for a lot of laughter, story telling, and good conversations. I love these women, most of whom I've known my whole life, so it's great to get away and just be together for awhile.
Last week we had an election for governor and other constitutional officers. There will be a new governor inaugurated on Dec. 11th, and lots of things will change around Frankfort. No election has a direct impact on my job (even legislative elections, which we didn't have this year), so that's not a worry. But I was just beginning to think that I'd met all of the "big wigs" associated with the committee for which I'm the lead staff person, and now many or all of those people will be moving on and new people will fill those roles. So here goes the "meet and greet" merry-go-round again. Fun, fun!
Now, if I could only shake this cold, the rainy days wouldn't seem quite so bad.
13 November 2007
15 October 2007
The Life and Times of a Slug
I admit it, I was a slug this weekend. I made it out of the house every day, but that's not saying too much, to tell the truth. The past month has been a busy one, and I still felt like I hadn't caught up from last weekend, so I intentionally kept my weekend clear of much activity.
While it doesn't speak highly of my social life, I spent Friday night finishing a book Maria had lent me on Tuesday and working on a knitting project that I have to have done by next week. "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Julia Spencer-Fleming is an interesting and entertaining murder mystery set in the New York Adirondacks, and of all things, the main character is a female Episcopalian priest. Finishing the book was part of what got me out and about a bit on Saturday...to return it to the library and pick up some lunch. But before and after that, I was simply knitting, sleeping, watching TV, and reading.
Saturday evening I did venture out to Judy and Scott's house in rural Kentucky (south of Frankfort). Judy had invited me to come and enjoy their dinner and bonfire. Two of her sons were there with their friends, as were two couples of friends closer to Judy and Scott's age. We all collectively painted a chair, watched UK beat LSU in football (Go Cats!), ate lots of good food, and laughed together. I did finally get to go for a walk back in their woods, which was so peaceful, and allowed another chance for Judy and I to have a few good conversations. It was a fun evening!
On Sunday I decided to skip church, mostly because Lisa's cat thought that it was time to wake up at 5 a.m., when I'd only been asleep for about 3 hours, and I just didn't want to try to stay awake through the service. Despite that lack of structure I did go out briefly again on Sunday...to the knitting store for needles and yarn and back to the library, this time to pick up the next 2 books by the same author.
So, you can see the theme of my sluggish weekend...sleep, knit, read, sleep, eat, knit, read...and the worst of it is, I'm still sleepy!
While it doesn't speak highly of my social life, I spent Friday night finishing a book Maria had lent me on Tuesday and working on a knitting project that I have to have done by next week. "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Julia Spencer-Fleming is an interesting and entertaining murder mystery set in the New York Adirondacks, and of all things, the main character is a female Episcopalian priest. Finishing the book was part of what got me out and about a bit on Saturday...to return it to the library and pick up some lunch. But before and after that, I was simply knitting, sleeping, watching TV, and reading.
Saturday evening I did venture out to Judy and Scott's house in rural Kentucky (south of Frankfort). Judy had invited me to come and enjoy their dinner and bonfire. Two of her sons were there with their friends, as were two couples of friends closer to Judy and Scott's age. We all collectively painted a chair, watched UK beat LSU in football (Go Cats!), ate lots of good food, and laughed together. I did finally get to go for a walk back in their woods, which was so peaceful, and allowed another chance for Judy and I to have a few good conversations. It was a fun evening!
On Sunday I decided to skip church, mostly because Lisa's cat thought that it was time to wake up at 5 a.m., when I'd only been asleep for about 3 hours, and I just didn't want to try to stay awake through the service. Despite that lack of structure I did go out briefly again on Sunday...to the knitting store for needles and yarn and back to the library, this time to pick up the next 2 books by the same author.
So, you can see the theme of my sluggish weekend...sleep, knit, read, sleep, eat, knit, read...and the worst of it is, I'm still sleepy!
08 October 2007
A Disturbing Development
I got a call from my mother a few minutes ago, asking me why I hadn't posted a new blog yet. Good grief, it's only been 5 days! I posted all of 2 blog entries in the entire month of September. My response was that I've been a little busy, which is true. The other part of it is that I hadn't even thought about a new entry.
But here I am, feeling pressure from Mom to put something down. With my work travels, I was in 5 different airports over the course of about 38 hours between Thursday and Friday. I spent most of Saturday trying to sleep off the dregs of the traveling. I don't know how people travel for work, week in and week out. They must find a well of stamina somewhere that I've never tapped.
Saturday night I met my friends Pam, (Kim, but we never call her that) Crady, Gina & her husband Nick and their two boys, Jackson and Charlie, for dinner at the corner Mexican restaurant, and then the girls and I headed to the movie theater. We saw "In the Valley of Elah," which is by far the best performance by Tommy Lee Jones I've ever seen. But it is also one very sad, depressing, and tense movie. We all walked out in total silence, and didn't speak for over a minute. I found myself thinking about the movie later that night and again on Sunday, which is always the mark of a good movie. Next time, though, I think we'll seek out a comedy.
Sunday I met Mom at church and was glad to see Nancy and Davis Gray visiting St. Paul, too. Then Mom and I headed down to the St. James Art Fair, which I look forward to every year. Of course, it's not over 90 degrees every year, either, and the heat and humidity took it's toll. We didn't stay nearly as long as we have in past years. But I did find some beautiful pieces of pewter, and even have a pewter nativity to look forward to as a Christmas gift (thanks, Mom!). The rest of Sunday was pretty quiet, at least for me. Lisa was running around like crazy getting ready to leave for her chorus competition in Calgary. I dropped her off at the airport on my way to work this morning. I hope the competition goes well and that they place at least as high as they did 2 years ago, if not even higher!
So, Mom, I hope you're happy. I've caught everyone up on the excitement of my weekend, and have spent some time today just trying to catch myself up.
But here I am, feeling pressure from Mom to put something down. With my work travels, I was in 5 different airports over the course of about 38 hours between Thursday and Friday. I spent most of Saturday trying to sleep off the dregs of the traveling. I don't know how people travel for work, week in and week out. They must find a well of stamina somewhere that I've never tapped.
Saturday night I met my friends Pam, (Kim, but we never call her that) Crady, Gina & her husband Nick and their two boys, Jackson and Charlie, for dinner at the corner Mexican restaurant, and then the girls and I headed to the movie theater. We saw "In the Valley of Elah," which is by far the best performance by Tommy Lee Jones I've ever seen. But it is also one very sad, depressing, and tense movie. We all walked out in total silence, and didn't speak for over a minute. I found myself thinking about the movie later that night and again on Sunday, which is always the mark of a good movie. Next time, though, I think we'll seek out a comedy.
Sunday I met Mom at church and was glad to see Nancy and Davis Gray visiting St. Paul, too. Then Mom and I headed down to the St. James Art Fair, which I look forward to every year. Of course, it's not over 90 degrees every year, either, and the heat and humidity took it's toll. We didn't stay nearly as long as we have in past years. But I did find some beautiful pieces of pewter, and even have a pewter nativity to look forward to as a Christmas gift (thanks, Mom!). The rest of Sunday was pretty quiet, at least for me. Lisa was running around like crazy getting ready to leave for her chorus competition in Calgary. I dropped her off at the airport on my way to work this morning. I hope the competition goes well and that they place at least as high as they did 2 years ago, if not even higher!
So, Mom, I hope you're happy. I've caught everyone up on the excitement of my weekend, and have spent some time today just trying to catch myself up.
03 October 2007
A Quickie
(Oh, if it were only so! Hahaha!) Anyway, I'm getting ready to head off on a little adventure including a work meeting in Eastern Kentucky and then a quick one-night trip to D.C. for another work related meeting. There's nothing like meeting the expectation of legislators away from the office and trying to coordinate all of that. And since this is my first time at this, it's been an eye-opening experience.
Besides all of that, it's been a busy few weeks. I've gotten a chance to catch up with some friends over coffee or knitting, got to shop at some funky stores I don't visit often enough, and found a few moments to hole up in my bedroom and just veg. I finished my first official knitting project, a cool little hat (I'll put up a picture whenever I get a chance). Woo hoo! I'm so proud of myself and it just whets my appetite for learning more.
Gotta run, time to load up the van with a cooler, water, soft drinks, US and state flags, meeting folder, gavels, name plates, coffee cups, a state seal....now you see what I mean!
Besides all of that, it's been a busy few weeks. I've gotten a chance to catch up with some friends over coffee or knitting, got to shop at some funky stores I don't visit often enough, and found a few moments to hole up in my bedroom and just veg. I finished my first official knitting project, a cool little hat (I'll put up a picture whenever I get a chance). Woo hoo! I'm so proud of myself and it just whets my appetite for learning more.
Gotta run, time to load up the van with a cooler, water, soft drinks, US and state flags, meeting folder, gavels, name plates, coffee cups, a state seal....now you see what I mean!
24 September 2007
Dog Days of Autumn
Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox (and my mom's birthday, by the way)...and it is 97 degrees in Louisville today. Somebody forgot to mention the change of seasons to Mother Nature. It's hard enough in the early days of fall to find clothes appropriate for the season, but even more so when all you want to wear are shorts and a tank top and you don't want to move too much because you'll start sweating and never stop.
Mom and I celebrated her birthday by driving to Paris (Kentucky, unfortunately) and having a lovely dinner at Migdalia's in the heart of the small downtown district. We walked around just a little bit and enjoyed some of the very old buildings, but it was just too hot to do much sight-seeing, so instead we went to the bar and had a leisurely drink and interesting conversation with the bartender before sitting down for a great meal. Paris is a neat little town smack dab in the middle of horse country. It's very quaint to drive along and see all of the yearlings frolicking in the pasture, and then see mares with babies behind the black wooden fences.
We listened to the University of Kentucky football game on the way home from dinner. The Bluegrass state has slipped into some kind of alternate universe when the University of Louisville slips to 2-2 after losing to Syracuse (Syracuse?? In football???), and UK goes 4-0 in a comeback win over Arkansas. Mom and I made it back to her house in time to see the final few plays of that game. UofL drops out of the top 25, and UK is ranked 14th. It's a strange, strange, strange, strange world.
But then, it's also supposed to be fall, and it surely isn't that, either!
Mom and I celebrated her birthday by driving to Paris (Kentucky, unfortunately) and having a lovely dinner at Migdalia's in the heart of the small downtown district. We walked around just a little bit and enjoyed some of the very old buildings, but it was just too hot to do much sight-seeing, so instead we went to the bar and had a leisurely drink and interesting conversation with the bartender before sitting down for a great meal. Paris is a neat little town smack dab in the middle of horse country. It's very quaint to drive along and see all of the yearlings frolicking in the pasture, and then see mares with babies behind the black wooden fences.
We listened to the University of Kentucky football game on the way home from dinner. The Bluegrass state has slipped into some kind of alternate universe when the University of Louisville slips to 2-2 after losing to Syracuse (Syracuse?? In football???), and UK goes 4-0 in a comeback win over Arkansas. Mom and I made it back to her house in time to see the final few plays of that game. UofL drops out of the top 25, and UK is ranked 14th. It's a strange, strange, strange, strange world.
But then, it's also supposed to be fall, and it surely isn't that, either!
13 September 2007
On a Wing and a Prayer
My first difficult moment in my new job as head of the staff for the Seniors, Veterans, Military Affairs & Public Protection committee was to take care of some miscommunication about the committee flying on a C-130 to Fort Knox. With a grandfather who retired as a colonel from the Air Force and a boyfriend who is into all thing military, I knew what a C-130 looked like, and didn't think it would be a particularly comfortable ride, no matter how short it was. Of course, I may have just delayed the inevitable...we may be riding on a C-130 next year instead. I'm already plotting how I can get out of actually having to be on the plane.
On the other hand, my committee's going to a regional airport in October and some of the owners of the planes housed at the airport are reportedly going to be giving rides, including one who does loops and other "showy" moves. That I would love to participate in (though I don't think I'll be able to). I think flying is in my family's blood. My grandfather was a pilot, my uncle took lessons and passeed his solo flight before never piloting again, and both Mom and I have always said we'd love to learn. There are bi-plane rides advertised at Louisville Bowman Field, and every time I pass by I say I'm going to treat myself to a ride on one someday. I haven't done it yet...but there's always my birthday next year! Maybe that will be my present to myself.
Otherwise, the new job is going well. I really like the staff I'm working on, and I'm doing my best to not forget all the little details that I am now responsible for that I've never had to do before. So far I don't think I've messed up too badly! I'm certainly doing my best to quickly mount the massive learning curve.
Life is settling into the fall routine, which sounds odd since I don't have children, so the whole back-to-school thing shouldn't really apply. Somehow, though, fall always seems to mean a shift back into a slightly higher gear, as work picks up and other activitie start, too. I'm still loving my knitting classes that I'm taking, which got a head start on the back-to-school time period. And my young adult group has moved into a new phase where we're meeting away from the church we originally formed at. Last week the group met at my house and then we went on a field trip to the Chartres style labyrinth right inside the grounds of the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, which is just a couple miles from my house. Also, as I've already mentioned, I'm back at Weight Watchers weekly, which is going well (though Lisa's lost more than I have so far - and she much deserves credit for her diligence)!
So as the temperature has *finally* dropped around here and there is just the slightest chill in the air when I leave for work in the mornings, I know my favorite time of year is here. Time to get busy, enjoy the weather, enjoy the football, and know how lucky I am to have such a full life!
On the other hand, my committee's going to a regional airport in October and some of the owners of the planes housed at the airport are reportedly going to be giving rides, including one who does loops and other "showy" moves. That I would love to participate in (though I don't think I'll be able to). I think flying is in my family's blood. My grandfather was a pilot, my uncle took lessons and passeed his solo flight before never piloting again, and both Mom and I have always said we'd love to learn. There are bi-plane rides advertised at Louisville Bowman Field, and every time I pass by I say I'm going to treat myself to a ride on one someday. I haven't done it yet...but there's always my birthday next year! Maybe that will be my present to myself.
Otherwise, the new job is going well. I really like the staff I'm working on, and I'm doing my best to not forget all the little details that I am now responsible for that I've never had to do before. So far I don't think I've messed up too badly! I'm certainly doing my best to quickly mount the massive learning curve.
Life is settling into the fall routine, which sounds odd since I don't have children, so the whole back-to-school thing shouldn't really apply. Somehow, though, fall always seems to mean a shift back into a slightly higher gear, as work picks up and other activitie start, too. I'm still loving my knitting classes that I'm taking, which got a head start on the back-to-school time period. And my young adult group has moved into a new phase where we're meeting away from the church we originally formed at. Last week the group met at my house and then we went on a field trip to the Chartres style labyrinth right inside the grounds of the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, which is just a couple miles from my house. Also, as I've already mentioned, I'm back at Weight Watchers weekly, which is going well (though Lisa's lost more than I have so far - and she much deserves credit for her diligence)!
So as the temperature has *finally* dropped around here and there is just the slightest chill in the air when I leave for work in the mornings, I know my favorite time of year is here. Time to get busy, enjoy the weather, enjoy the football, and know how lucky I am to have such a full life!
28 August 2007
Me and Linda Blair
It's been so crazy these past few weeks that my head's spinning. Thankfully, I'm not throwing up green pea baby food, too!
It's been fun, and "interesting," trying to finish up all the work I have for the Elections committee and trying desperately to catch up with a very active Seniors, Military Affairs & Public Safety committee (SMAPS, for short). Officially I start next Tuesday. Of course, I was so busy trying to figure out what I was doing that I completely spaced the fact that Monday is a holiday. Normally I would be thrilled with an extra weekend day. But not this next Monday, which is 4 days before my new committee has a meeting. Nothing like hitting the ground running! Guess that's why I'm planning on unpacking in my new office on Saturday. So much for that extra weekend day, after all. Despite the stress, I'm really excited.
Last week the General Assembly was called back into special session, so that just added to the fun last week. It actually only really meant a few extra work hours for me, which I managed to fill just fine.
On top of all the changes at work (and moving the office is just one of them), I've been a little busy in other areas, too. I'm still knitting, and learned how to purl this weekend, so now my teacher says I know everything I need to know. I'm not so sure I believe that, but it's still exciting. I also went back to Weight Watchers with Lisa last week. It's not news that I need to lose weight, and at least for awhile I feel the need to have some accountability while getting in the groove. Lisa's been really into it, trying new recipes and checking out the website. I've been a little slower getting everything online, but I'm still following the program and that's what counts.
Oh, and Lisa...Linda Blair says "Hi!" Sorry...I couldn't resist!
It's been fun, and "interesting," trying to finish up all the work I have for the Elections committee and trying desperately to catch up with a very active Seniors, Military Affairs & Public Safety committee (SMAPS, for short). Officially I start next Tuesday. Of course, I was so busy trying to figure out what I was doing that I completely spaced the fact that Monday is a holiday. Normally I would be thrilled with an extra weekend day. But not this next Monday, which is 4 days before my new committee has a meeting. Nothing like hitting the ground running! Guess that's why I'm planning on unpacking in my new office on Saturday. So much for that extra weekend day, after all. Despite the stress, I'm really excited.
Last week the General Assembly was called back into special session, so that just added to the fun last week. It actually only really meant a few extra work hours for me, which I managed to fill just fine.
On top of all the changes at work (and moving the office is just one of them), I've been a little busy in other areas, too. I'm still knitting, and learned how to purl this weekend, so now my teacher says I know everything I need to know. I'm not so sure I believe that, but it's still exciting. I also went back to Weight Watchers with Lisa last week. It's not news that I need to lose weight, and at least for awhile I feel the need to have some accountability while getting in the groove. Lisa's been really into it, trying new recipes and checking out the website. I've been a little slower getting everything online, but I'm still following the program and that's what counts.
Oh, and Lisa...Linda Blair says "Hi!" Sorry...I couldn't resist!
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