I Made It

Yeah, so here I am in the hotel room just about ready to go to bed. It's only 10:40 pm on Sunday but my body thinks it's 1:40 am on Monday. Of course, the city is alive, and it's calling to me. "At least walk the strip for an hour," it's saying. "Check out the slot machines in lobby at least," it whispers. But I'm too tired. I have clothes to iron, a shower to take, a cold bed waiting to remind me how much I love my own bed. But tomorrow night I'll be better rested and ready to take on the lights and whatever else the city wants to throw at me (that can be legitimately expensed). Hey, I may not see a show but at least I'll eat well.

I'm off to Vegas

Wouldn't you know it? There's a conference I really want to go to, but it's in Las Vegas. I told management about it about three months ago. They finally decided on Friday at 4:30 pm to say 'yes'. (I understand that I'm the only one in my office that does what I do and with our product going to a beta site they were afraid to have me unavailable to fix potential problems, but still.) What that meant was a mad rush to book my flights and get me registered. Lizzy was an angel staying with me til 6 pm getting everything just right. I owe her big time. So, I'm leaving at 3 something tomorrow and won't be back until Thursday morning. I'm bringing my laptop and my webcam, of course. Don't know how diligent I'll be in bringing you updates from the Strip, but I'll try.

Til next time, viva Las Vegas!

I'm working on it....

It went. I went. It was good.

My friend, Rainy, is Misty's neighbor. Misty was the one having the going-away get-together last night. I've known Rainy since college. I really like having her as a friend. Our relationship is so simple. We can not talk for years but when we hook up it's like old times. Well, I've been endeavoring to be a more frequent friend so I've been making more of an effort to call her up this past year, esp. when she was expecting. Anyway, last night she called and left a message asking if I was going to Misty's. When I called her back I confirmed my attendance but I told her I really wanted to come by and see her baby girl. She promised to try to keep little mama awaky for the ten minutes it would take me to get there. Unfortunately, I didn't make it in time. Little mama was out. We sat and talked for a bit and looked at baby pictures and then I figured I should head over to Misty's since her scheduled timeframe was 5-11 pm and it was already 9:30 pm. Rainy went back with me and that's where it got interesting. As I walked in I was greeted by quite a few familiar faces - some of whom I hadn't seen in ten years. Didn't have much time to catch up because I really wanted to scope out Misty's new man. He wasn't hard to spot. He wasn't as GQ as I expected but he was cute enough. I guess they'd make a nice couple. He seemed friendly and helpful enough. Apparently he's a brainiac too. Hey, if Misty's happy (she is) then I'm happy for her. After seeing him I decided to "work the room" with Rainy in tow, so to speak. I think I spoke to 99% of the people there. That's quite odd for me. Remember, I'm not a people person; I'm more of a people watcher, which leads me and Rainy to a comfortable corner of the room with the perfect view of most people in room. Now how can I put this mildly...we some good laughs from the vantage point of that corner. It was all good though. Aside from being accosted by a three-year old every few minutes (Sidney taught me well how to handle toddlers), we met some cool people. We had a good time. Right when Rainy was about to leave (at 11) I decided I was hungry. By the time I finally made it back to her house where my keys were, it was 11:30. (Aside: Where were my babies, you might be wondering? They went to some graduation celebration my pseudo-cousin was having.) Rainy and I and her torn-ligament foot husband talked and laughed some more. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time; you know the kind of laughing that makes you cry. I had planned to be home by midnight (a mama's curfew, you know) but I didn't leave Rainy's til 12:30.

So this post was supposed to be about Misty's event, but yet again, you can read my heart is really feeling the good friend time rather than the get-together time.
Although, the get-together gave us some good fodder for our conversations!

I'm tired, I'm restless, and I'm ready for this project at work to be over. I need to be able to get on with my life. At least I've been pretty consistent with my bike riding in the evenings.

Is that so wrong?

SP and I sort of share a mutual friend. I say "sort of" because this friend is much more SP's than she is mine. But anyway, this friend is having a going-away get-together. I plan on attending but I can't afford a going-away gift. Tell me: do I have to buy something in order to be welcome?? When I told SP I wasn't bringing a gift, she looked at me like I was crazy. But I'm not kidding. A card I can do but that's about it. I tend to be quite a generous person. My friends know that. I'm frugal, but I when I have some dollars I spread the wealth. I would expect that my friends also understand that if I can't give, it doesn't mean I've switched to being cheap, it just that I don't have the means.

Regardless, should I not go or will a card suffice?

What is the color of love?

I went to the park during lunch yesterday. I was feeling so restless at work. I dragged a co-worker with me. We didn't know what we wanted to eat but we were hungry. But I didn't want to talk about anything I just wanted to DO something. So I drove. And we ended up at the park. We found some swings. I haven't been on a swing in years. But there they were, in the middle of an unshaded grassy area. We got out of the car and I trudged over to the swings, in my black top and heels. Did I mention the sun was out? There were two sets of swings. Three swings for little kids and three swings for older kids. I picked one of the latter and sat down and started to swing. I almost felt like a kid again. Except I kept seeing my heels. And my butt was starting to burn. I remember not having much fear as a child. I would swing really high and then jump off. I thought, for a minute, about trying it. Then I remembered I'm not 10 anymore. Plus, I'd probably have twisted my ankle. We swung for a while, til my behind couldn't take the searing pain anymore. I have a good friend. We sat together on a bench in the shade afterwards. Then I thought I really shouldn't let him starve so we left to find something to eat.

There aren't that many people who I consider tried and true friends. B has been around since college. Thanks to me (and I never let him forget it) he has a great-paying job *and* he gets to work with me. We sit in opposite cubes. We talk all the time. All. The. Time. He's good peeps. His wife is cool. His children are my children (not literally, but you know what I mean). I love them.

Me and my crazy babies!

Edit: You guys are so crazy! Thanks for the compliments. Btw, the whole dress is the same material as the bodice. K likes the dress too. As for the couches, I fell in love with them when I first saw them. I guess they're a sort of wine color. And the legs. Welllll....

Here I am about to get my grub on (again) after the wedding with some wedding cake. The real purpose of this post is to show some of the detail of my dress.

Can We Do Better, cont'd

Got some interesting feedback on my post about how to keep a man. I particularly liked the advice Anon 1 gave - very practical advice. Men, if you have anything to add to that, let us know!

Where am I going with all this? Hey, I'm always open to learning new things. Things I can use to make my relationship even better. This forum seems like as good a way as any to get input from others. And with it being public, maybe others can read and learn and apply.

That said, let's expand on the previous post. We know guys are not the best at taking 'hints' as to what we want or like, when we're ready, etc. They say we're complicated. Men, what do you find confusing about us? Women, what do you wish men understood about you?

My Cousin's Wedding

So yesterday we went to my cousin's wedding. It was really nice. I had a good enough time. The church was nicely decorated. The bridesmaids wore a lilac color. The party was huge, like six bridesmaids, a maid of honor, a matron of honor, two best men, six groomsmen, jr bride, flower girl, bible-bearer, kind of huge. Her dress was beautiful - simple and sophisticated. I don't know how much she spent but I really liked it. I would post a pic but my husband said not unless I get her permission. Overall, she looked amazing to me. I couldn't take my eyes off her. All the times I've seen her she draws me with her poise, her confidence, her beauty, her intelligence. She's a few years younger than me but she has impressed me greatly which is not easy to do since I'm so critical. All of those who toasted her said all of the things I already mentioned. I'm wasn't suprised. Her husband to me has been an associate of mine for years. I had to get over that weirdness because I knew him way back when he dated this other girl I know. Anyway, they met just before she moved to NY from California. She must have spent a year in NY and then she moved here. And in all that time, approx two years, they say they have never even kissed. Kudos to them. I thought *I* was a tough nut to crack. I guess not! I wish them the best. I know they'll be happy and successful and give me many cousin babies!

Another Pet Peeve

Most people who know me know that I can't stand inconsiderate drivers. Well, I just recently realized that I have another pet peeve that gets under my skin almost as must. Recently someone came to me and said that someone told her to come to me because I had something for her, but she's not going to tell me who. I barely know the lady and I didn't have anything for her. But what bothered me is that she had to make a point (and re-emphasize the fact) that she's wouldn't tell me who sent her? What's the big deal? Was it really necessary to 'protect' the identity of her source? And if so, why even tell me that you're not going to tell me?! I would never have known that anyone "sent her" if she didn't mention it. Maybe I'm just over-sensitive. I can't put my finger on exactly why it bothers me so much. I know I won't stop thinking about it til I do.

Me?

After the wedding