bekeeblog

i seem to have contracted some sort of springtime cold. but i can't stay home from work because i'm taking friday off to spend the day with kurt for his bday (which is actually tomorrow).

and i don't want to get sicker because tomorrow evening i'm going to see v.s. ramachandran speak at the union and it would be miserable if i were snorting and coughing the whole time.

i've been kinda lax in my braille lately. i haven't even opened up my laptop except for maybe saturday mornings to check the weather forecast. i should be more diligent so i retain more.

also, this design*sponge post reminds me that i wanted to design a deck of cards a long time ago until i realized how much it would cost to print. but maybe i can do a block-printed set... which might not be any less expensive but could be more fun. that might be a good summer goal. i remember learning about why some kings have daggers and other have swords, and one-eyed jack (which made the "gentleman's club" in twin peaks make a little more sense); this was all about 10 years ago.

time is silly.

Posted by bekee at 8:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

another thing i noticed as a non-smoker is that it seems that i have more time. it's weird, you wouldn't think something so passive would take up time, but it did. another reason to feel foolish about having been a smoker.

speaking of time, i find myself filling a lot of it with tasks that, in the past, i wouldn't care about. for example, this weekend i intend to get an oil change and a car wash, clean the fridge (it hasn't been scrubbed out in an embarrassingly long time), adjust the organization of the computer room (a new desk requires moving stuff around), and finish my super awesome sweater.

also, tonight is girls' night out, which means dancedance revolution at the inferno.

aaaand, i have til tuesday to finish the diary of anne frank; i'm currently on page 11.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i just ordered two more copies of allen carr's easy way to stop smoking to lend out. it is my goal to get as many of my friends to quit as i can without being an asshole about it.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have a lot of packages arriving today; we'll just call it "stimulating the economy".

the yarn for my super awesome sweater is to arrive today, along with my new crock pot and green laser pointer for the dogs. amazon split my order into two packages, so ups and fedex will both be arriving today. i picture them dueling to get up to the door.

unfortunately, joann is where i had to order the needles for the super awesome sweater and it doesn't appear they've even left the warehouse.

in other news, i'm taking a friend to the apple store this afternoon to get an ipod touch and we're going to eat at the food court! that, combined with my recent rocky's trip, and a visit to mcdonald's next week for a shamrock shake, apparently, it's "reminisce about old foods" month.

i'll leave you with this awesome picture of nora:

Posted by bekee at 9:44 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i started working on lesson 7... each lesson reminds me of why i probably never finished my manuscript. it's a very persnickety language. lower sign contractions can't be used in conjunction with punctuation, except for the capital sign, etc, which means you can't use (en) for enough when it's written, "Enough!" because of the surrounding punctuation.

also, i bought yarn for the awesome reversible sweater; hopefully it arrives around the same time as the needles (i had to get those from a different online retailer).

yesterday marked six weeks of fresh air and better health.

Posted by bekee at 8:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had to run to the library over lunch to pick up a book that, if i had waited one more day, would be shipped back to the madison public library. on arrival, i was behind a red saab who was waiting for a short, dark-haired lady and her two little girls to cross the path of incoming vehicles. they cleared the way and stayed right, while i pulled in and parked one median past her honda pilot, or whatever it was.

on my way in, i was reminded of the simplicity of life by watching a boy show his father some snow that he had picked up. once inside the building, i found myself behind a (presumable) grandma and her granddaughter whom i had seen walking in as i was parking.

i quickly made my way to the reserved shelves, isolated the one self-checkout that was out of order, and caught the eye of a librarian to check me out.

on my way back to my car, i noticed that honda lady had not yet pulled out; i said to myself, "yea, i should never have children." i was out of the parking lot before she even got into reverse.

Posted by bekee at 12:58 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

friday night was girls' night out. it wasn't as awesome as in previous months, but i had a good enough time.

i finished stiff in two days. it was well written and entertaining. it may have changed my mind about what will happen to my body when the time comes. as of right now, i'm highly considering donating it to medical education. it beats making family pay $3k to incinerate me.

i didn't do any knitting... i finished my headband and couldn't think of another project to start.

we got our tax returns a week earlier than anticipated, so that's helpful since i seem to be spending more than i am bringing in.

edit: i totally forgot to brag because that's how often i think about it. four weeks smokeless. eff you phillip morris!

Posted by bekee at 8:42 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

in an attempt to save some franklins, i went and became a library card-carrying member of society this past tuesday. so, i used their online service to reserve two books by mary roach, stiff and bonk. thus affording me the opportunity to remove them from my amazon wishlist, and (theoretically) saving me $20.

now i have to commit to reading them.

Posted by bekee at 1:45 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i accidentally bought myself a pair of boots. the winter boots i have now are almost on their last leg (hah!), and these were on sale...

my windbreaker should be arriving today. i probably won't get to use it until march, but that's ok. it'll be nice to have for biking around when the sun goes down.

it seems, with all this spending, that i might need to work on another commitment, which would be to knock off the eating out for dinner. :x

Posted by bekee at 8:19 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the weekend went really quickly. i did a whole lot of knitting, not as much cooking as i wanted to, and not as much cleaning as i wanted to.

we're dog-sitting until saturday. sam's an almost-12-year-old australian shepherd and he gets a little cranky at some of the younger dogs' shenanigans.

here he is about two years ago:

p.s., 3 whole weeks not smoking.

Posted by bekee at 8:05 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i was going to put $50/two weeks into savings because of the money i'm not spending on cigarettes... but i think i might have to spoil myself with this windbreaker instead.

so, i bought the windbreaker. i also ordered a small token to give to kurt for vday.

i would like to make this vanity tray for some reason, but i know i'd never use it; though, it would make a nice gift.

Posted by bekee at 8:57 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i took a sick day yesterday... i started getting a sore throat around 2pm on sunday... came into work with sinus drainage on monday, and by monday night, i was hacking. i haven't been go-to-the-dr. sick in five years, and nothing fell into the list, so i decided to sleep it off. i finished another plarn bag (pics to come), and took a long walk with the dags.

back to work today...

Posted by bekee at 8:03 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

allen carr says to avoid gaining weight after quitting, you shouldn't change your eating habits at all. i would be lying if i told you that was the case during my last two weeks... i've been slightly more snacky; whether it's as a result of wanting to have more meals at home, or a reaction to a craving. if it's the latter, i'm not doing it consciously. as i've said, i haven't really experienced a craving bigger than, "me, two weeks ago, would have had a cigarette before/after/during that."

i have noticed a slightly larger muffintop, but i presume once the warm weather comes around, it'll be easy to get rid of.

Posted by bekee at 2:28 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i haven't done much of it this weekend... i've been experimenting with my rice cooker; took a trip to south park street to check out yue-wah, and determined a) i don't like umeboshi and b) whytf can't anyone accelerate on onramps?

i worked on my braille lesson six, and should hopefully have a 100% correct version to send to my instructor by the end of the weekend.

today, i'd like to clean the coffee maker and come up with something made from shrinky-dinks that will make me a million dollars.

also, i'll be celebrating two weeks without a cigarette.

Posted by bekee at 9:38 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the pandemic has spread! i have friends and a husband whom i never thought would even consider quitting; and some of them have recently. that makes me happy.

part of the reason smokers don't want to try to quit is that they're told it's hard and that 95% of cold-turkey quitters smoke again within the first year and you suck and yadda yadda. so they're already set up for failure and say to themselves, "why bother?".

the myth that it's hard needs to be dispelled. i know it's only been 11 days, but i have had bigger urges for sushi in my life than for a cigarette in this short amount of time.

Posted by bekee at 8:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

allen carr was right. he illustrates the smoker as someone who's just counting down the minutes (hours, days, whatever) until the next cigarette. why would someone wish their life away in order to simultaneously destroy it? i just sat through a two-hour movie and not once did i wish it were over so i could get outside and smoke. i may even enjoy movies in whole pieces now, imagine that.

it's been almost eight whole days and i feel great. the only disappointment i have in myself is that i didn't, wouldn't, couldn't do it sooner.

Posted by bekee at 3:04 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

well, a little shy of.

on fridays, work finishes at 1. i was worried that i'd be twiddling my fingers all afternoon, but i seemed to fill it up. we went to the dog park for a little while, and then came home and i had a craving, so i vacuumed. and then cleared a cupboard of expired crackers, etc. we really need to pay more attention to our purchasing habits.

i told a friend, last night, that i was going to clean something every time i had a craving. he seemed convinced that i would run out of things to clean. after vacuuming today (this is usually kurt's job), i realized that as long as we have black-haired animals, i will never run out of things to clean.

yesterday, i cleaned out about 40 bottles of condiments, salsas, ketchup, sauces, dips, and other assorted crap from the fridge.

oh, and also, these last five days have been surprisingly easy. aside from me becoming a more aggressive and impatient driver, i haven't noticed any other bad things. it makes me wonder... i won't get cocky about it ever tho. that helps no one.

Posted by bekee at 5:32 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so it's been a measley not-even-four days and it's not too bad. i did have a craving after lunch today, cuz i was out at a work conference, and had just eaten and was getting ready to leave. i normally would have really enjoyed a cigarette walking to my car, but i saw two people outside smoking and i thought they looked pathetic.

so now i'm sitting at home waiting for the next dog walk and i had another craving, so i decided to go to woodman's. i'm sitting here again because i can get to and from woodman's in 20 minutes, including shopping; and i want a cigarette.

i think i'll clean out the fridge. we have condiments from before we moved.

Posted by bekee at 2:49 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it's been almost a full 78 hours. i haven't really had any cravings to speak of. i may, however, be slightly more irritating to those closest to me. according to what i've read, the first 3-5 days are when most of the nicotine leaves the body and it takes a little over two weeks for the rest to dissipate.

another note, i've been eating the exact same subway sandwich at least three times a week since october 2008 and today's sub had a taste that was different; i think it's caused by my taste buds being allowed to do their job. i may have to cut out ingredients until i find the offending flavor-maker.

Posted by bekee at 3:30 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i think my sense of smell/taste is better already. my daily apple was just a tiny bit sweeter than normal and almost tasted like a pear. i could also smell the faint aroma of tobacco when i unzipped my earbud case and i wrinkled my nose. that's a good sign.

kurt's been nice enough to smoke outside when i'm home and awake. it really doesn't help much in the morning because i can still smell it upstairs, thanks to forced air heat.

hopefully he'll join me soon.

Posted by bekee at 3:31 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had my final cigarette on sunday evening. allen carr said to savor the filth so you can remember how awful it tasted, because later on, the little monster (nicotine) will try to make the big monster (brainwashing) forget, over time, how terrible the drug is.

it sounds like a bunch of cult-talk, but it's working so far.

i found a comment on metafilter where a woman mentioned that she carried colored pencils and a sketchbook; so i tried that last night, but my expensive prismacolors kept breaking, so now i have to put together a whole art kit to carry about.

Posted by bekee at 8:14 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i got mad and i broke.

there's this weird feeling of letting someone down, but that's not at all true or tangible. i can't word it quite right, but i know that there's no one who is affected by my decision but me and that makes it not as bad, which seems really stupid.

i had a frustrating day, an almost tolerable drive home, and an incident that made me feel like i needed a cigarette, and i bought a pack. that's all there is. problem is, i won't throw the rest of it away. it was almost $8. chump change, really. i won't even spend that on a sit-in movie, on principal.

i am relating this because i want record of an attempt at something that i haven't tried before. but i'll try it again. as sure as you sit there and read this.

i need a new plan... i didn't think it through. i just picked a date and stopped. you'd think that would be enough, right? it's not. there are minute-by-minute factors to consider, which i didn't.

who was it? mark twain who said "i've quite a million times". i'd rather not experience this a million times...

Posted by bekee at 9:15 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

so, i broke down and rolled a cig. kurt got some drum to save money and i rolled one. i really didn't like how it made me feel, but i think this set me back a couple days? i don't know. i'm gunna pretend it didn't cuz i didn't like it, but i think if we were on record, i would have to start over.

i told someone tonight that i was considering this a physical experiment. just seeing and feeling how my body would react. so that's how i dealt with it. i won't do that again. i didn't like it at all.

Posted by bekee at 8:54 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i tried quitting while in college, bumming one cigarette a day from someone at matc for a week. then we roofed my mom's house in oregon and my uncles (who were also quit) convinced me to go to kwik trip and get a pack.

so it's been a little over a day and a half; this is the longest i've gone without smoking.

the drive home was fine. i walked to the tavern to see kurt and was convinced i'd cave after a drink. instead, i got annoyed at those around me. my friend, judy, was very encouraging tho. i kept saying, "we'll see".

if i can make it a week.

Posted by bekee at 8:40 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

last year, my resolution was to perfect my written communication at work. i had noticed that, too often, people sent short and almost unintelligible emails; obviously not proofed prior to sending. i vowed not to turn into that person. it happened once or twice anyway, but i think overall, i did well.

this year, my resolution is more important; i'm going to quit smoking. in the past 6 years, i've cut down to 8-10 cigarettes a day, smoking only when i'm not at work. this fact creeps up to me as an excuse not to quit because the american cancer society considers me a light smoker; but it's not a very good excuse.

i'm going to try cold turkey; i realize that attempting to quit without aid is probably a lost cause, but if i do it this way first and fail, then at least i'll know that i tried. i don't really like gum or sticking things to my arm anyway; and i certainly don't like pills that make you suicidal, have nightmares, and give you hives or whatever chantix is purported to do.

i have figured out that i need to become acutely aware of my triggers, most of which are congratulatory. like, i made it through a day at work (this will be the hardest), i knit 100 rows, i drove 100 miles, i finished a meal, i painted the kitchen for an hour.

almost all of my (non-work) friends smoke. hanging out with them will be difficult... luckily for me, i'm extremely picky and don't have any friends who smoke my kind; so bumming isn't much of an option.

it's been 15 hours since my last cigarette and i don't yet feel like ripping anyone's head off.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this was the first year in a long time that i was in bed before midnight. i didn't even call my mom as per usual.

here's to a happy 2010 and hope you all have a wonderful one.

Posted by bekee at 12:28 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

in just a few, short hours, i'll be off work for a week and a half.

this year flew by... what with the summer consisting of 4 hour round-trips to kenosha and lots of hospital visits and family flying in and sadness. and work ramping up for two huge projects and christmastime.

i can't believe it's almost 2010.

Posted by bekee at 8:46 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

sorry folks, not a whole hell of a lot to write about.

i can barely think of anything to say in less than 140 characters, let alone an entire page.

i guess i can talk about how kurt's mom's death has been pretty rough on us. kurt's the executor of her estate, but hasn't gone to probate court yet to get the paperwork transferred. they decided to rent out the house, and it just occurred to me that we would have to claim the rent as income and that could suck for our income taxes. and then it occurred to me that we (or someone has to) have to file income tax for 2009 for elaine.

there needs to be a manual, or at least a list of tasks that have to be done. maybe i should become a probate lawyer to help people through this shitty time.

on a brighter note, i've been knitting more and still find it enjoyable. i'm also still waiting to hear back about lesson 5; the instructor was out of town over the thanksgiving holiday, so we're experiencing a minor set back.

Posted by bekee at 8:14 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'd been biking most evenings after work up until tuesday... my tires just aren't knobby enough to get through all this snow, and new tires are too expensive since i'm not a commuter.

speaking of commuting, it's been taking me 1-2 hours to get to work and back since the snow fell; at least it's stayed in the realm of comical.

Posted by bekee at 9:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it went by awfully quickly.

i submitted lesson 5 on saturday... i proofed it; wondering how many times i would have to read the sign for which to remember it.

apple bought lala, so they no longer offer cd trading; which means my 150+ want list will either never be fulfilled, or i'll have to start using swaptree; which is a weird model because it's most commonly a one-to-one trade.

also, the next two weeks at work are going to be pretty crappy. i likely won't get home til 7 tonight and tomorrow night; unless we cancel tomorrow's usability testers on account of the weather.

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i published some comments yesterday which rendered the blog blank; since i only display seven days out.

thanksgiving was nice.. it was good to be out of the office for four days. we went out to my aunt's in sun prairie, and although the whoel family was not in attendance, it was a pleasant time.

saturday afternoon, kurt's sister had a little get together at her house. i was only there for a second, but got to see his niece's mushroom farm. it's quite amazing.

sunday, we spent most of the day cleaning out kurt's mom's cabin; i guess we're going to become landlords. anyone want a cute little cabin for less than $50k?

it's only three and a half weeks until my holiday break. i can't wait.

i also bought a savory baking cookbook... weird.

also, i guess pee wee herman is making a comeback. this is exciting to me because i used to watch pee wee's playhouse every saturday before going on my paper route.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we went to see paranormal activity this weekend, and i've been watching a lot of dexter; which, in turn, is making my dreams quite strange.

i didn't find paranormal to be all that good of a movie, considering all the attention it garnered as people petitioned to have it shown in theaters nationwide.

anyway, season three of dexter was really good. i wasn't particularly a fan of season two; i don't even remember if i watched all of it, but decided to give three a try, and it impressed. i'm looking forward to more.

Posted by bekee at 8:06 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it's been kinda quiet lately. nothing new or exciting to report, which is fine by me.

i've started knitting again, but only on request. hopefully it'll stick.

the dogs are good, the house is good; so i'm thankful for that.

also, last night, i dreamed i was staring at people through a coffee decanter; yelling at them that it wasn't real coffee because i could *see* them through it.

i'll leave you with a nice pic:

Posted by bekee at 8:05 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

lesson for was emailed yesterday after another thorough proof-read. i wasn't going to peek at lesson 5, but i did; it's gunna be scary.

in other news, i've returned my favorite winter coat to columbia to take advantage of their lifetime warranty. the zipper pull basically just fell apart on friday, rendering the otherwise perfect coat useless. hopefully they don't give me any grief since it was purchased at an outlet.

Posted by bekee at 8:40 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it doesn't feel like i had friday off. i stayed up too late, drove too much, and woke up too early. it made the weekend feel twice as long.

we had a really nice time in milwaukee. kurt had to visit conejito's and the tostadas were not as yummy as i had expected. but 3 for $3.75 cannot be beat.

then we headed to the uptowner near where a friend of kurt's lives and had a drink. i met a nice, old, lousianna man who insisted, if i ever needed to refer to him, to do so as "mr. nobody". whatever.

afterwards, we went to my cousin's wedding reception at the italian community center; costume's optional. we stayed til about 8 and drove back.. i was exhausted, but managed to stay up til 1:30 watching the roseanne halloween marathon.

Posted by bekee at 8:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

except for shipping.

they're going to accept my used fenders as crappy. i just need to yank them off the bike and throw them in a box. my friend, joe, has a business in which he does a lot of shipping and has graciously offered to cover the cost back to oconomowoc. so, for the $28 installation, and $11 shipping+tax, i get nothing but a wet backside.

Posted by bekee at 8:36 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

after getting my bike stolen on my birthday, and buying a new trek bike, i needed some fenders so i wouldn't get back-spray during wet bike rides. so after quite a deliberation, and some back and forth with trek, i bought these bontrager approved fenders.

after unsuccessfully attempting to install them, i paid revolution cycles another $27 to install.

they are the hugest pieces of crap i've ever bought. they have a "safety feature" which allows the fenders to be popped off the stems in the event they get tugged on by something. well this wonderful feature causes them to pop off after going over any sort of bump. so, after this happened three times on my way home last night, they received an email:

i need to return these fenders for a refund. they are subpar and completely unreliable. they were installed by a professional retailer and the "safety feature" that releases them reacts upon every bump i encounter, rendering them completely useless.

i no longer have the packaging or receipt. can you let me know what i need to do to send these back? i am entirely disappointed in your recommendation and the manufacturing of these terrible fenders. i won't, ever or at all, suggest these to any of my bike-riding friends.

i'll even bring them to waterloo if it is necessary. i will not pay return shipping for such an outrageous piece of crap.

let's see how this goes.

Posted by bekee at 8:11 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i had a few seconds before a meeting yesterday, so i added up my amazon wishlist and to get me everything i want would cost a mere $489... with free shipping!

my back has recently been giving me more grief than usual. i've gone to the chiropractor every friday for the past four... if i bend my neck back and to the left, a tingly sensation happens down my left arm, and if i do it for too long, my fingers fall asleep. kind of a neat trick, except now it's interrupting my sleepytime; resulting in being moderately more crabby.

i haven't mowed the lawn in a over two months and really need to before the winter sets in. i apologized to the neighbors and she chuckled... what i'm most concerned with now, is not the act of mowing, but picking up two months worth of dog poo in the back yard.

Posted by bekee at 9:07 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i just canceled home phone service for my deceased mother-in-law. i feel sorry for the guy who had to take my call. he was nice enough.

we've also had her mail forwarded here so we can deal with bills, etc. it seems medicare didn't cover $6 of the total expenses of her treatment. i'm not sure what to think about that.

we also have to prove the address change to her bank because of the privacy act.

Posted by bekee at 12:56 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i can't believe it's october already. in less than a month, we'll all be setting our clocks an hour back and it will be dark before i leave work. depressing.

also, the pinched nerve in my neck has started interrupting my sleep. it's only tolerable when laying flat on my back, which means i can't fall asleep so i roll around all night. i've been to the chiropractor twice in two weeks and i don't know if i can afford the frequency with which he wants me to return.

also, i finished lesson 3 yesterday, but will wait to hear back about lesson 2... and i'll probably braille it a couple more times just for practice before handing it in.

Posted by bekee at 8:33 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

sorry i've been so mute. life's been quite distracting lately.

i handed in lesson 2 yesterday for my braille certification. hopefully she'll be able to turn it around quickly as i've read lesson 3 several times already.

work has been ok. two huge projects launched in the last 15 days and we've started work on one for next year.

here's me and the dogs trespassing in garver field:

Posted by bekee at 8:07 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i don't feel like doing a whole lot of anything lately. there's been a lot of stressful activity in my personal life; not likely to end soon.

i have to wait until my braille instructor has time to grade lesson 1... it's been two and a half weeks since i send it off... hopefully the future lessons will be graded and return with more quickness.. but i don't know what the capacity of my instructor is. like, does she do this full time? or am i dealing with a student or mom who has more important priorities?

also, work stinks.

Posted by bekee at 3:08 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

a friend at work directed me to the perfect frame for my a2-sized poster; since i couldn't seem to find one to fit that size paper on this side of the pond.

i've sped through three lessons of braille, but can't hand any of them in until i get my first one back and get assigned an instructor (or is it a proofreader?). i sent it off on friday, so i'm sure it'll be a little while.

Posted by bekee at 10:33 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this time, for being so chatty! i no sooner claim lameness then start barraging you with updates and whatnots.

this particular one is in regards to an event taking place downtown this weekend, called ride the drive. essentially, blocking off the middle of the isthmus to motorized vehicles and only allowing bicyclists and pedestrians.

when people and their "movements" happen all at once, or in a prescribed timeframe; it makes people who do not participate want to hurt them. i use my bike for most everything other than driving to work (because i am not committed to waking up earlier than i have to). and i don't think it's a benefit to inexperienced bikers to allow them to "take over" such an area and possibly glean false self-importance that won't exist the next time they want to bike around the outer square.

also, this likely means i won't be able to eat at the old fashioned for sunday brunch because getting there will suck.

Posted by bekee at 3:33 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i think i will, anyway... back in 2000 (or was it '99?), i took a braille class to become a certified braillist through the national library service for the blind and physically handicapped, under the library of congress. the class was fun, the rules were difficult, the braille-making machine was heavy.

at the end, we were required to transcribe 50 braille pages with no more than 10 errors total. i chose the jaunt by stephen king, it is one of my favorite short stories of his and if they ever make it into a movie, i will refuse to view it.

anyway, i had eleven errors and could not, for the life of me, nose any of them out in order to qualify for certification. lame, i know. i still have all 50 pages printed out in a folder with coffee stains and smudged ink (the computer software simply prints dots as if they were raised; i can read braille with my eyes, i don't need to use my fingers).

so, yesterday, i sent an email to the volunteer braillists and tapists, where i took the class almost 10 years ago, to see if they could give me more information about how their certification works now; apparently it's all done by correspondence, hopefully the electronic kind.

Posted by bekee at 9:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

stupid facebook and twitter. they've been blamed for killing blogs. thoughts and opines have been reduced to 140 characters (tho not a limitation on facebook, it seems the practice has been adopted). maybe another blog killer is that there isn't a whole lot going on that's worth talking about...

i've been working on two pretty big projects at work, but i can't share them with you, gentle reader, until they go live (both in september); but i don't tend to talk about work, specifically.

i hope to get the bathroom painted before winter. that will complete our necessary painting until i tackle the stairs. they're kinda shoddy and blue and really out of place. i want to paint them brown.

here's a photo of jones putting up with katrina:

Posted by bekee at 8:15 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

guess i'm getting old. my back's really been bothering me this summer. what's worse is that it's only apparent while at work; as soon as i get in my car to go home, i feel instantly better.

that's somewhat telling, isn't it.

Posted by bekee at 8:09 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

been kinda low on energy lately. as is evident in my sad-looking garden... the cukes didn't make it due to my lack of watering/nature's lack of rain. the tomatoes, on the other hand, are flourishing. must be some sort of yin-yang thing.

i finally got around to mowing the lawn yesterday while it sprinkled. i'm not sure if it's dangerous to mow during a sprinkle with an electric mower (common sense would say that it is); but i survived.

we took another trip to see kurt's mom on saturday. she's doing a little better. she has more energy than last week. that will probably change when she starts chemo later this month. kurt's sister is back from her round-the-world trip after the beginning of next month, so she'll probably arrange for some hospice or something.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

a dream woke me up at 5 this am, then i let the dogs out, then the cat snuck out while letting them back in; i couldn't fall back asleep until i knew she was back in the house, which was an hour later. so i finally decided just to get up at 6:22. that, in itself, isn't too early, but i really was wide awake at 5.

as i was getting my daily snack routine all bagged up, i decided to make my lunch! it's been quite some time since i've done that. i used my laptop lunch and made a bologno and provolone sandwich, some olive salad from fraboni's (which i should just start making and quit buying), collage cheese and cherry tomatoes, and some grapes!

the drive to work was quite pleasant, aside from the jerk who sped up and got over without using his signal on cty rd m. i long for the day when i can bike to work.

Posted by bekee at 7:45 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've been so quiet lately. there's not a whole lot going on at work or at home. kurt's mom's condition is getting better; she's going to be released next monday to go home. she thought she could have max back for a couple weeks, but it really isn't a good idea. she's sad to have given him up but we've been assured that we can visit him.

the peach tree is doing well!

Posted by bekee at 8:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm no good at blogging anymore.. ever since twitter and facebook, i've reduced communication to fewer than 140 characters, making most longer stories mundane.

i also know that anyone who reads this, i've contact with on facebook, so there's risk of duplicating content.

one thing that's going on right now, which is taking up a lot of my mental capacity, is that kurt's mom has cancer and it's not looking good...

so, i'm just trying to enjoy life and summer and biking around town and hanging out with friends.

oh, and we're adopting kurt's mom's cat. hopefully i'm not allergic.

Posted by bekee at 9:19 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

wow the blog looks lame when i don't update! i'll fill 'er up with some pictures til i can come up with something better.

Posted by bekee at 11:50 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this is moderately old news, but if you haven't seen it.. a friend just re-sent it to me and i think it should be shared.

Posted by bekee at 9:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my iphone left china at 11pm last night and is in transit. i find it simply amazing that something can be that far away and is going to be on my doorstep in two (estimated) days.

in other news, it's bleepin' hot out. kurt broke down yesterday evening and installed a spare air conditioner in a window on the first floor. i think we're going to have to get an estimate for central air... the heat makes us crabby, and there's no need to live like that.

also, i just signed up for alice.com, they're a madison startup that allows you to order common household goods and they keep track of when you may be running low, and they ship for free. unfortunately, they don't carry my coffee.

Posted by bekee at 8:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

between adequate and awesome. beware, this could be kinda long.

when i am the recipient of a gift card with limited funds, i purchase myself an amazon gift card in the amount of the original card. this way, i can use two methods of payment with amazon in the event my order is more than the total on the card (you can't use two cards, but you can use an amazon gift "certificate" and a debit card).

this morning, i attempted to do so and saw they were double-checking the accuracy of my card info by placing a $1 charge on the card before fulfilling the order for the full $100.. this essentially made amazon think i only had $99 and they wouldn't be fulfilling my order until i "please revise [my] payment". so i tried several times to reenter the card and, several times, got the same, generic error message. so i contacted help... and told them what i had gone through and hoped they could help me.

what i got back was a very explanatory response with an apology in regards to my frustration and the rep canceled my gift card order because cs reps are the only ones who can make changes... s/he then explained their process and why it worked the way it did. here's what i'm telling them as a result of the interaction i just had:

just wanted to say thanks for the quick and accurate response from your customer service representative.

although, my problem still exists, i don't feel so bad about it and will happily try a different solution.

Posted by bekee at 3:55 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i promised to be more diligent about my updates. i guess i lied.

a week ago today i had friday, the 12th off to look forward to. i slept in and we went to the dog park, as per usual. i did not mow the lawn. on saturday, we went to the marquette waterfront festival and hung out at mickey's.

on sunday, we had a pretty terrible brunch. and i made poor man's spanakopita for an early dinner.

monday, we found out that kurt's mom has cancer in her lung, so i opted not to come into work on tuesday. yesterday was actually quite nice at work; i had lots to do, and my day went by quickly.

Posted by bekee at 9:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

at lunch, a friend was reading the "a year ago today" section of the paper to us, so i thought it would be funny to begin each of my blog entries with "one day ago today", and then describe anything interesting that happened yesterday.

so, look forward to tomorrow when you can hear about what happened the day before.

Posted by bekee at 12:14 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it's been a slow news month.

i could tell you about the awkward facebook friend rejection i got last weekend, or how i had to stop myself from cleaning the dining room before work this morning. or how i'm taking the last week of june off work. or how my garden has grown exponentially because of all the rain we've had.

but that would all be kinda boring.

Posted by bekee at 8:19 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

work's been kinda slow lately... and since things are always changing, it's good to keep up on what other online retailers are doing.

so, i bought this hat, and these sunglasses in orange.

it has been suggested that i'm too old for these accessories, but i'll beg to differ. at least until i'm 80.

Posted by bekee at 1:29 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it occurred to me today that it's possible the reason people seem to get more outraged at gas when it gets above $2.599 is that we don't commonly see large, digital numbers displaying 2.69 or 2.74 on every street corner. it's just never that time.

Posted by bekee at 10:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had been meaning to post about this for a couple weeks now...

a friend of mine was biking his daughter to school recently, when he heard a noise and turned around to see that a mini-van had hit his daughter (at a very low speed), and she was laying on the ground, no longer on her bike.

no one was injured.

but he received two ordinance violations; one for not having registered his bicycle, and another for riding an unregistered bicycle!

imagine my surprise after having just had my bike stolen.. no one with whom i spoke had anything to say about the fact that it hadn't been registered. according to the bicycle registration website, registering increases the possibility of a stolen bike being recovered; even though i had the serial number, which is all that is really needed (aside from a description).

the site also states dealers are required to register bikes at the time of sale (wouldn't that have been handy!) but willy bikes said nothing about it when i replaced my stolen one with a spiffy new one.

so, i'm still trying to decide whether or not to register. and if i don't, whose nose i'm actually rubbing it in.

Posted by bekee at 2:16 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so you get some pictures.

here's the morning dove that is having a second go at raising a family in mickey's back patio:

here's nora noodlebutt with all her legs akimbo:

Posted by bekee at 10:44 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

a neat little article about shel silverstein. i didn't know he was such a playa with the ladies.

on another note: we got our party invites, but i ordered them about 3 weeks later than last year so we haven't had time to hand them out to as many people. i'm toying with the idea of doing a facebook invite, but only if it'll let me pick the category(s) of friends.

Posted by bekee at 8:21 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my biggest problem today is that i have a $25 amazon gift certificate and i want a pair of sandals but onlineshoes.com is having a buy-one-get-25%-off-the-other sale and the pairs are the same price.

and i have to decide. either i spend more and get two pairs or spend less and get one.

Posted by bekee at 12:38 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it bugs me when people use "literally" and "seriously" when they don't mean it.

"my head literally exploded!" (she's still alive)

"i'll be back seriously in two seconds!" (she walked away for five minutes)

Posted by bekee at 4:48 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

can't believe it's almost may. we have only three weekends to prep and paint our kitchen before our annual memorial day party. that, of course, doesn't take preparing for the party itself. :/

they should sell motivation in a bottle.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm not sure why it bothers me so much, but i absolutely hate it when i'm the only one in a bathroom with more than 2 stalls (how about 5?) and the next person who comes in chooses the one adjacent to mine.

Posted by bekee at 10:57 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

all in all, a good birthday was had. we went to the magnus for a delicious dinner on saturday night. kurt had the elk (which he described as "awesome") and i had the sesame-encrusted ahi, which was delectable.

sunday morning, we met mom and george at the old fashioned and then came home and lazed about. around 3, kurt decided to open the blinds and said, "you shouldn't leave your bike out in the rain." so i asked him to hold the door while i brought it in. imagine my surprise when i didn't see it in the driveway! the non-emergency police weren't too hopeful that it would be recovered.

i'm kinda hoping the kid's mom will make him return it.

so, we get to go bike shopping this week.

Posted by bekee at 9:51 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've tied up as many loose ends as possible and i still have 4.5 hours to go before my vacation officially begins. i may sneak out early. :x

i've spent the last 20 minutes trying to find an iphone app which will allow me to upload pics to flickr. really, it shouldn't be this difficult.

i got to see two ducks in the neighbor's front yard yesterday:

also, since i got to the dentist early yesterday, therefore got home early, we were able to enjoy some sun at the dog park:

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

bought the tix last night. should be a good show.

according to my records, it's been over a year since i've done anything show-like. not counting dub trio and el valiente. that wasn't really planned, so much as i decided the night of the show that i wanted to go.

we're also trying to figure out which night to go to the magnus and then which night i get second birthday dinner at takumi (it's kind of like being a hobbit having elevensies and second lunch).

i just have to get through the next four days.

Posted by bekee at 7:33 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

as i've previously mentioned, i'm taking next week off work... i wonder if i can get kurt to find someone to come in early so we can go see louis ck on thursday. i find him to be quite amusing:

Posted by bekee at 8:26 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i'm distracting myself for a minute with the help of the internet and i keep finding cool things.

those who know me well know that i have a weird thing about storage containers.. particularly those involving the storage of food. even tho i stopped bringing my lunch to work in october (thanks subway!). well, i found another unnecessary container... i won't buy it today, but i will add it to my amazon wishlist. it's the alladin lunch & go.

Posted by bekee at 1:33 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

how lame the blog looks when i do not update.

unfortunately, the most exciting thing going on right now is they're doing a controlled burned of the adjacent prairie and everyone is freaking out because no one sent out an email.

i swear, it's like the office.

Posted by bekee at 1:22 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i seem to facebook more than blog any more, it's just easier with the iphone and what not... so i apologize to those of you who are one of my fb friends and still bother to read this, but i'm really excited. i just bought this shirt from the most hilarious episode of the office:

in other news, i still haven't heard a resolution from the insurance company from the accident that happened over a year go which resulted in renewing my faith in chiropractic treatment... if i can get a decent settlement, i could afford to go see the dr. on my own dime for a while (his particular office isn't covered by my health insurance; what a bunch of crap).

also, at work, we're having our annual silent auction to benefit the united way and i think i out bid too many people on a couple of high-ticket items. the auction ends at 5 today, so i'm hoping there are some dog lovers among us that want one of the two "doggy baskets" that i've bid on. :x

Posted by bekee at 8:15 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've been really silent lately. i have no excuses other than general cabin fever and stir craziness.

i am, however, looking forward to enjoying my birthday week off again. we're going to (hopefully) spend the time painting our kitchen walls and cabinets. and maybe the bathroom.

picking out paint chips seems to be our major deterrent. we were able to identify the main color (mustard yellowish) and the cabinet color (a dark reddish, brown)... now i just need to get some samples so we can verify our aesthetic assumption.

also, i haven't been knitting much. i've actually been playing too many games on my iphone. i bought zombieville and critter crunch and those have been really fun. i can't wait til they get castle wolfenstein developed and released.

it just occurred to me that april fool's day is wednesday. i hope no one tries anything funny.

Posted by bekee at 8:39 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

staying home, day two.

i wish it were nicer out. i think that's part of the reason why i'm not going anywhere.

Posted by bekee at 9:48 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i remember when he died, i called all over town to used cd stores looking for anything i could get my hands on. the jerk at strictly discs laughed at me. i haven't shopped there since. it's been almost 10 whole years. jerk.

Posted by bekee at 8:34 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

as in tradition, we're extending kurt's bday celebration into this weekend. we were gifted a certificate for the magnus and will be enjoying dinner there tomorrow night.

i can't wait for the chimichurri.

Posted by bekee at 9:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the weekend went by much too fast, but it was still very nice and relaxing. for some reason, the diamond jo boat wasn't open, so we headed over to the physical building and it wasn't as cool. we each contributed $50 to the dubuque economy and decided that was just enough.

it was rainy and cold on sunday, so we spent most of the day in the hotel room, not before catching a classic brunch at timmerman's supper club; which was a lot like traveling back in time.

like i've said before, dubuque closes early on sundays. except, unlike two years ago, it's closer to 8 than 10 now. we almost didn't get dinner... we stopped over at the trusty old bricktown brewery, but they had just turned their wood-fire grills off (at 8:19). so we rushed back to the hotel and dined in the restaurant there. it was nice that they didn't rush us since they were closing at 9.

we went over to the busted lift for an after-dinner drink (which is, incidentally, now called 180 main and has a fancy restaurant on the first level).

we'll likely go back again, maybe for my birthday.

Posted by bekee at 8:13 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

one more work-day and i'm off for a long weekend. i'm excited to spend time away from four-legged creatures; we've been dog sitting since the 24th and i need a break.

in case you're on the edge of your seats, there are still no charges from the company claiming to change everyone's lives.

also, i had an impromptu presentation yesterday morning to our director and i didn't freak out in panic. that was nice.

oh, and burrito drive has been out of fish since sunday. wtf? it's lent!

Posted by bekee at 8:27 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we spent the majority of the weekend on the couch watching the entire 2nd and 3rd seasons of the office.

now, i have a four-day week to look forward to, and daylight savings time, and a long weekend away in a hotel; with a hot tub.

Posted by bekee at 8:06 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

no extraneous charges from the questionable company that i mentioned previously. yet.

i try to get the same parking spot every day, but didn't yesterday. so appeared a (presumably used) condom out of its wrapper on the pavement. it's still there today.

kurt and i are trying to agree on paint colors for the kitchen. the most annoying part is that there are eight million colors from which to choose.

Posted by bekee at 1:20 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we've been carrying a balance with home depot since purchasing the house... what with buying a grill, wood for the raised-bed garden, and random accessories (like the hand-sander which we've never even used).

well, i convinced kurt to use some of our surprisingly large tax return to pay off the balance. now we just have the sears purchase to worry about.. if they ever deliver.

Posted by bekee at 10:34 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

really, i'm not this stupid. i promise you.

so i come across this website promoting some magical berry pill that makes you a superwoman and slim at the same time.

of course, i want to give it a try. it's only $4.95 for shipping for the 14 day trial. so i order it. and then read the fine print. and decide that there's no way i'm paying their "monthly membership fee" even if it does turn me into madonna (the 1990s version). so it comes in the mail and i call the company without even opening the little bubblewrap-lined manilla envelope and was like, "i'm canceling my membership. what are your return instructions?" and she tells me and then today i google the company and see all these posts from people who canceled their membership but were still receiving random charges for random amounts.

so now i want to call the company and make sure they're clear about my direction to cancel... or drive to des moines and tell them myself.

or report my (debit) card as lost or stolen.

Posted by bekee at 12:46 PM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

i've been a woodman's shopper since i became responsible for my own well-being. for some reason, they've recently discontinued peddling the things that i buy.

it started with my hair dye... which isn't their fault, i guess, since it was discontinued by the manufacturer. then they stopped carrying orange la croix soda water (but they kept "plain" flavor. really!?). on our most recent visit, we discovered they no longer carry the flavor of yogurt that i most enjoy or my style of pen anymore.

i really am not fond of copp's or cub foods... but i might have to switch.

Posted by bekee at 9:48 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i need to try to find academic studies of language, specifically around the evolution of business-speak and maybe even a study that shows the geographical influence over time.

Posted by bekee at 3:41 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this morning, i received four unanswered phone calls from 213-426-2701... a number in LA. i don't know anyone in LA, so i called them back but got no answer.

they called me again while i was typing this! i asked them to remove me from their call list and then i hung up.

Posted by bekee at 9:56 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i forgot my keycard and ipod. i spilled coffee down the front of me in the car this morning.

i'm returning the boots i bought. they're too nice to wear. actually, they're too hard to get on and off.

i have a four-day work week ahead of me. we're having our new wash and dryer delivered on friday and we have to move the fridge and stove over in order to get them in the basement. i'm really not looking forward to the installation.

Posted by bekee at 8:23 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've never been one to put off the filing of taxes. one year, i went with a boyfriend to the usps annex on milwaukee street before midnight so he could file.. i vowed there and then never to wait to file.

i'm happy to report that because we pay so darn much in interest and property taxes that it saved our butts from owing; in fact, we're getting twice as much back as we did last year (in total). nice.

Posted by bekee at 5:14 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've been fairly blah lately. not feeling all that creative (knitting), or motivated to create well-crafted work-related documents (annotated wireframes, use-case flows, ui design), or wanting to do anything around the house (paint the bathroom, kitchen).

i think we need to get out of dodge for a weekend.

Posted by bekee at 8:32 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the blog looks rather boring with only one entry..

i guess i can tell you about a couple of our vacation plans... kurt's bday is in march and we might head to dubuque again for some festivities. we'll probably stay in the old hotel instead of the holiday inn. the rooms are about the same price but the one in the historic building is about twice the size. and they have a greasy spoon diner on the first floor which had a happenin' slew of regulars the last time we stayed.

i'll probably have to reign in the gamblin' budget tho; i can sit in front of a video poker machine for an amazing amount of time without realizing it.

Posted by bekee at 9:54 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i need a yarn swift. i understand why they're $80 but i don't want to spend that much because i don't need it with the frequency in which $80 is worth to me. a friend claims i should sit funny and wrap the hank around my knees to unwind, but i really don't see that working very well. perhaps i'll give it a try first.

i've successfully plotted all 120 hours of vacation for this year; ensuring that i go no more than 14 business days without a long weekend. except in december. they get kinda funny about using vacation after thanksgiving since we do 80% of our business in those 3.5 weeks.

i'm in meetings from 10-5:30 today (minus an hour and a half--not concurrent--which is too short of a span of time to get anything important started, let alone finished.

Posted by bekee at 9:36 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

• you don't need to drive with your foot on the brake.
• you don't need to ride up on my ass when you can see there is ice on the road.
• you may as well not bother expecting to be to work on time because you know the person in front of me is scared and won't go over 40 (in a 55).
• you can't make someone go faster by ensuring your lights are not visible in their rear view mirror, but i can make you go slower.
• please use clues like the two to three (sometimes five!) red lights on the back of the car in front of me as an indication of speed change.
• feel free to familiarize yourself with how to navigate a roundabout. they're really quite simple.
• remember, semis are not cars. they cannot stop quickly. so don't lane-change in front of them at a red light.
• your time is no more important than anyone else's.

Posted by bekee at 8:12 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i have to get this out so i can understand what the heck happened...

so kurt had, as part of his cell plan, messaging 200. last month, just moments before he was about to go over, i upped it to the next option: messaging 1500 (for an additional $10 per month). imagine my surprise when his part of the bill was almost $25 more than it should have been.

there was a $3.50 credit for the second half of the month of which messaging 200 was canceled, and an $11 charge for the second half of the month of which messaging 1500 was active. there was also a surprising $12.70 charge for going over the cut-off point of messaging 200 (which i had initiated in order to avoid overages). so, basically, we got charged $23.70 for trying to avoid getting any overage charges.

so i emailed them (i hate waiting for customer service on the phone) and let them know there was an errant charge of $12.70. they emailed back to poorly explain (outright lie about) the situation and credited the account $13.40 "as a courtesy"... i have no idea how they came up with that amount.

so i emailed them back asking if they thought their customers shouldn't make changes to their messaging options mid-cycle, then they shouldn't have that option available.

Posted by bekee at 10:51 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

sorry, folks. i just haven't had anything interesting happen lately which would be worthy of penning. the lack of updates here is even further affected by my new facebook addiction.

i guess i could tell you about how i'm done with my chiropractic care from the accident a year ago and still haven't heard back from the state farm guy about closing the claim (it's been a week). i'll leave another message this evening if i don't hear from him today.

i'm moderately nervous about negotiating what my time is worth. obviously, it's worth more to me than to an insurance company. someone at work said i didn't seem to mind leaving early to go to the appointments, but i don't really think whether or not something was annoying should decrease my time's worth.

also, on a completely different topic: i wish i had the stylee design skillz of this lady.

Posted by bekee at 8:35 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i haven't had a whole lot to blab about lately. i've been back at work for four days and it hasn't been that bad, actually. a huge project was approved the day before our holiday break, so i'll have something new and fun to work on.

i ordered some more yarn from knitpicks, not sure what i'm gunna make.

sorry i don't have anything more interesting to share.

Posted by bekee at 9:31 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

they usually show up for me around 3pm on sunday afternoon. seeing as how i've been off work for 12 days, they're here a couple hours earlier.

my car is coated with a thick layer of ice, and we have to go rescue kurt's truck from the mickey's parking lot. it's battery terminal has corroded to the point where the connection no longer works... at least it's 31 degrees out and not 2.

we had our large family xmas last night at the residence inn in middleton, and i, of course forgot to take pics. it was really nice to see everyone and eat yummy foods.

and i'm forced to drink weak coffee because i didn't have enough to last me til my sunday trip to woodman's. :/

Posted by bekee at 10:03 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

what a whirlwind of a year.. this is the first new year's that i'm up before noon, suffering only from mild sleepiness.

the year started out with a car accident, which resulted in my obtaining an iphone, a new car, and a remodeled (half) bathroom. i built my raised bed garden during a week off of work for my birthday. we built a deck and had a housewarming party. fended off some mosquitoes. invented knitting with joy. started dyeing my hair again. started having panic attacks again. someone ran into a car while on their bike cuz of staring at me. voted in a pinnacle election. dropped 10 pounds. ate more sushi than i should have.

it was a good year.

Posted by bekee at 11:56 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

not unlike a year ago, my day will consist of dog stuff. and knitting. not sure about the huevos rancheros. i can't remember if i made those at home or if the diner was open last year.

we're about to head over to where kurt's mom is staying to walk her dog (along with ours), hopefully the temperature outside will cooperate.

the dogs have been quite antsy because we're not really walking them in these temperatures, just letting them out back to run and poop. i know i complained about that exact thing, but my excuse is the weather.

i've started working on a cowl, which isn't turning out nearly as pretty as the one to which i've linked. i'm not yet sure who the recipient will be. it's not orange, so i won't keep it for myself.

time to get out of the pj's.

Posted by bekee at 10:21 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

until i have 12 days off in a row. this week can't go fast enough.

Posted by bekee at 8:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i had a teacher once make it very clear that in order to not sound like a fool, you had to pronounce poem, "pome" but make the o sound more pretentious. anyway, i've never really had an appreciation for poetry, other than shiel silverstein, dr suess, lewis carroll, roald dahl... you know, the rhymey-types.

i tried getting into e e cummings, but that was simply because of his use of lowercase.

i just came across a poem by frank o'hara which i kinda really like; not sure exactly why...

As Planned

After the first glass of vodka
you can accept just about anything
of life even your own mysteriousness
you think it is nice that a box
of matches is purple and brown and is called
La Petite and comes from Sweden
for they are words that you know and that
is all you know words not their feelings
or what they mean and you write because
you know them not because you understand them
because you don't you are stupid and lazy
and will never be great but you do
what you know because what else is there?

Posted by bekee at 1:08 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i woke up with this awesome blog post in my head and have since forgotten about it.

i had a weird work dream last night that involved my cube falling apart, someone tripping over it and suggesting i call facilities. then one of the facilities guys came to my house to break down and rebuild all my bookshelves because the wood was toxic.

on another note: people at work are already scheming about how to get out of here early.

Posted by bekee at 8:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've been trying not to flagrantly toss my money about as much.. but if i could, i'd buy this. the orange one, of course.

but i know i'd rarely use it.

omg. i'm in love with this website. this ring is awesome. and i think i could justify this doormat.

sorry guise, i keep updating my post. i think i found what kurt's getting me. adult-sized footy pjs.

Posted by bekee at 8:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

ennui is setting in a couple weeks early. great.

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it occurs to me that it probably is an urban legend that carrots help you see better at night. i used to eat as many as i could stomach the day of halloween so mom would let me stay out later, claiming, "i can see in the dark!"

well, i have eaten two cups of baby carrots each weekday for at least a year and i don't think it's helped. according to wikipedia, vitamin a will cause a betterment of vision. but too much will cause liver damage.

wtf people?

Posted by bekee at 10:46 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

thanks to my sheer technological genius, i got to listen to franz ferdinand turned up to 11 on the way to work while simultaneously getting a song out of my head.

it won't make sense if you haven't heard it... but it's kind of annoying to wake up with "it's always better on holiday! so much better on holiday! that's why we only work when we need the money!" now i won't have to listen to that cd for a while.

p.s., dudes? this is my 1800th post ever.

Posted by bekee at 8:07 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have one little white taste bud on the tip of my tongue and it's pissing me off.

also, i don't know what to think about the sniftag. i kinda want to get jones and nora one (each). whoah, nevermind. i just looked at the cost.

Posted by bekee at 8:11 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i went and saw dub trio last night... i wasn't entirely impressed, but the second band, el valiente, was really good.

i didn't get home til 2:30. as i told a friend, i think i turned into a pumpkin.

Posted by bekee at 10:51 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

stoughton road and commercial ave seems to be the spot where some of madison's homeless hold their signs, looking very forlorn and cold. last week, a girl with star tattoos on her cheeks and only a hoody and jeans was there. i couldn't read her sign cuz i was driving toward the dog park. i had planned on giving her the only five in my wallet and my headwarmer but she was gone by the time we were on our way back home.

today, there was a sad looking man with a sign expressing his desire to get home for the holidays. and a jesus fish. i think they always add "god bless" in order to appeal to people's catholic guilt.

anyway... i gave him a 10 and said, "good luck". as i drove away, i thought, "i don't care if he spends it on alcohol because at least that'll give him a warm night's sleep, even if it's just in his head."

hopefully he spends it on a bus ticket instead.

Posted by bekee at 1:14 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

one of the cafe workers here noticed and announced that i had lost weight. that was nice.

Posted by bekee at 3:20 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

sunday evening at woodman's. couldn't deal with the line in the liquor store. had to leave.

yesterday at the dr's office. could hardly hold the cup in which to pee.

almost today at lunch. but i did the breathe-on-your-thumb trick and i think it worked.

Posted by bekee at 2:31 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

uti's are hard to misdiagnose. i used to get them all the time. i almost just told the receptionist lady to send me straight to the pharmacy but decided against it. the dr. was nice enough.

so now i'm on antibiotics and i'm supposed to stay out of the sun.

in other news: i've lost 10lbs in 2 months and had to adjust my watch band to a smaller size.

Posted by bekee at 8:05 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i feel, very slightly, as though i'm coming down with a uti. aside from the fact that i loathe going to the doctor, the last time i had a uti i didn't have insurance so i took those cranberry pills for a week and stained my toilet and almost turned it into a kidney infection as a result.

so, now i just have to wait til i have to pee again to decide if i need to go to the dr.

and i think i have a fever.

update: confirmed. leaving at 11. i have to get my insurance card so i'll be at the east side dean urgent care in about 2 hours.

Posted by bekee at 8:51 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

apparently i can't drive in the dark anymore. unless there are street lights. i'm going to have to start taking the through-town route again which sucks cuz there's more braking involved. but i had a difficult time last night on 113; not to mention my phone doesn't get a signal between bishop's bay and the other side of governor nelson's state park.

Posted by bekee at 12:34 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

court stenographer, asl interpreter.

just so i don't forget.

Posted by bekee at 9:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

was not apparent at kohl's this weekend. the parking lot was packed. and i spent $60 on 3 bras. one of which is the most comfortable thing i've ever worn and i highly recommend it. i just may buy three more.

on another note: i have a 3.5 day workweek. using up vacation time.

Posted by bekee at 9:01 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i biked down to mickey's last night and witnessed a hit and run by a vehicle to bicyclist at the atwood/dunning intersection. the biker was fine, but his bike was not. the car took off and it was the first time i didn't look at the license plate. i am manic about that shit. i do remember, however, that it was a tanish, 4-door, compact sedan, and the entire driver's side was smashed in. possibly a toyota or honda. it wasn't an american car.

a white truck took off after the car, presumably to get the plates. hopefully s/he succeeded.

Posted by bekee at 9:05 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have my evening and weekend hoodie and my daytime hoodie. i'm wearing the wrong one right now. it has holes everywhere.

i should probably replace it soon.

Posted by bekee at 8:28 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

everyone's in a really good mood today.

it'll probably wear off as the reality of actually supporting the man we've chosen to run the country sets in. i don't think many people realize the depth of support and investment (emotional, actual) he's going to require from us. it's not like someone just steps into a position and viola (i pronounce that wrong on purpose) the world is a new and better place.

americans who want change are going to have to participate in the revolution of that expectation.

Posted by bekee at 12:59 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the country will be on edge today.

i'm vacillating on whether or not to stay home on my couch with the dogs and a cold bevvie tonight, or hang out at the tavern with other surly/elated folks and risk witnessing a riot.

Posted by bekee at 8:13 AM | permalink | licks (2) | tracks (0)

i forgot my ipod today. which means i had to listen to the bob and tom show this morning since 93.1 the lake is now 9.31 jamz, the place for hip hop in the capitol city. i hate the bob and tom show.

also, since i forgot my ipod, that means i forgot my keycard to get into work because they share space on my dining room table over the weekend. that is all.

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i just donated $15 to the obama campaign. i've never given money to a candidate before.

apparently i get a car magnet out of the deal. my donation probably covered postage for 10 magnets.

Posted by bekee at 12:27 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm trying to figure out which undergrad program the uw has that involves human-computer interaction. their website is kind of annoying to use. i can't find anything resembling it.

Posted by bekee at 9:56 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

woke up with a sore throat and a headache. i never get headaches so they make me ornery.

i slept til 10.

the dogs are excited, but i'm too weak to take them to the dog park. and it's yucky out.

Posted by bekee at 10:27 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i wrote a letter to tds this week complaining about my experience with deactivating my voice line and only having dsl. they have yet to get back to me, but it may be because they're trying to figure out who gets to deal with me.

i used proper capitalization so they wouldn't think me a dunce.

Normally I don't do this, but I'm particularly frustrated with the situation. I've been a TDS customer for over 10 years with the account number 6082861312. I recently opted to get rid of the voice portion of my services since my home phone was serving very little use. This process was very cumbersome and resulted in losing service (both voice and dsl) for a week. Subsequently, I received an electronic credit of $53. As a result of removal of the voice service, I was apparently assigned a new account number and sent a paper bill with a charge of $83; imagine my surprise.

So, I had to call to initiate the credit adjustment from the previous account to the new one; somehow I feel as though that's not my responsibility and your systems should be able to accommodate a changed account number without the customer even knowing. Now I have to wait for a new pin (which I'll have to call again to change back to the previous pin so I can remember it) in order to set up electronic payments and suppress paper statements again.

I'm sure you understand the value of your customer's time, and obviously you're not trying to inconvenience me on purpose... I just would like your company to be aware that it is possible to make this a seamless process for your customer if you've a mind to design for your customer and not for your CEO.

I'd appreciate a response, and if possible, a credit for my week of lost service.

Posted by bekee at 2:57 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

voting early. i'm not sure if my nerves will last against the crowds i'm hoping will turn out.

maybe i'll do it on the way home from work tomorrow.

Posted by bekee at 1:39 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

did not knit yesterday. i forgot to take it with me on my visit to see kurt at the tavern, and we ended up going out for sushi, so i got home just in time to crawl into bed.

late-night sushi results in some very strange dreams. ones that are not appropriate for repeating. oh! except part of the dream consisted of gas being $8.99 a gallon.

Posted by bekee at 10:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i did a load of laundry last night but it was still a little damp when i got up this morning... so my work-suitable hoodies weren't dry. kurt lent me one of his zip-up sweatshirts, so i get to smell him all day. it's nice.

also, we installed our wall-mounted shelves on sunday... but i'm too lame to take pictures. i'll try to grab some tonight.

Posted by bekee at 8:30 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

has positively dragged by.

on a lighter note: i'm halfway to netflixing teen wolf and teen wolf too. i think it's hilarious that you have to rent them together.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

got my new sena case earlier this week. i'd show you the drastic difference, but my blog won't let me upload a pic. :(

Posted by bekee at 3:41 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i was 14/15... and completely in love with digital underground. i played the humpty dance over and over and over and over. listening to it again this afternoon takes me right back to the barrymore when i smelled pot in the theater/room and felt like mom would be so mad if she knew.

lol.

Posted by bekee at 4:15 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

apparently there are some changes in how eligibility to vote is being determined this time around... don't get caught in a rigmarole; check your registration.

Posted by bekee at 10:02 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

not much to say today... the ennui is thick.

i did just get rjdj from the app store and it's pretty awesome.

Posted by bekee at 11:40 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have the chiropractor this afternoon, hairscutty tomorrow, and dentist on monday. it's like dorothy's crew at the end of the wizard of oz.

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, i bought a sena case for my iphone and it started coming apart at the edges from use. i finally emailed them to let them know i thought a $30 leather case should last longer than 5 months and they're sending me a new one free of charge with a return box! though i don't care for the fact that it'll probably wear out in another 5 months, at least i won't have had to pay for it.

here's what the case looks like, if you're interested.

Posted by bekee at 4:43 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i didn't get around to recording knitting for joy this weekend. sorry.

Posted by bekee at 8:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

thank goodness for a short week.

lol. about two weeks ago, i wrote to our hr guy with some concerns about the amount of time and effort put toward halloween when we can't seem to muster the same amount of energy for regular projects.

i just got through my work email after a 4-day weekend... they canceled halloween.

Posted by bekee at 8:21 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i feel like a kid with a.d.d.

i'm willing to bet if i'd been born 10 years later, i would have been diagnosed as such.

i'm currently waiting for the water heater to warm up enough so i can shower. we keep it low, usually.

Posted by bekee at 9:15 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i just bought my discontinued hair dye on ebay for $1 less than retail. i wonder if i can complain to l'oreal.

Posted by bekee at 12:44 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have two skirts. i wear one about twice a year. today is one of those days.

it's made from a pair of phat pants from my rave days. i just tried to take a pic but my cubeoffice is too dark and my arm is too short to hold my phone far enough away. it's also the only bottom-half covering i own which will fit my favorite belt.

Posted by bekee at 8:56 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i pulled something in my back yesterday getting in the car at the dog park after work. it hurts to inhale all the way. i tried kneading it out but now it just feels like a big bruise. i brought my theracane to work to try to loosen up the muscles... prognosis: painful.

Posted by bekee at 8:53 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

now we're not going.

kurt missed a couple days of work this week, and i got behind on some bills somehow (like, they never came in the mail?). so, we're broke(ish). and can't afford the lavish milwaukee lifestyle to which we've become accustomed.

it'll still be a nice 4-day weekend for me. i hope.

Posted by bekee at 8:26 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

people are irritating the piss out of me today.

Posted by bekee at 1:44 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

ok, so now we're going to stay one night and at a hotel closer to the airport (where they're half what they are downtown).

i know you were on the edge of your seat with wonder.

Posted by bekee at 8:36 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, at some point, the travel industry decided that a crappy room with crappy carpeting and a crappy bed with some crappy pressed particle board furniture was worth at least $200 a night. everywhere.

we won't be staying in milwaukee.

i even checked the concourse, just to see "what if we wanted to stay downtown in madison?" nope. not that weekend.

Posted by bekee at 3:21 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

trying. to. plan.

we're gunna stay a couple nights in milwaukee and the hotel that Kurt wants to stay in doesn't appear to exist anymore?

and we're going to try to get together with my cousin to at least grab a bite, if not check out her home.

i'll try to remember to take pics.

Posted by bekee at 8:24 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

taking fridays off is almost my favorite thing. and i have four more between now and the end of the year (not including the ones they already have scheduled).

the willy street fair was exceptionally warm and claustrophobic. we went down, walked to the other end, got a falafel, ate, and walked back to ingersoll and left.

now, i've got a case of the mondays.

Posted by bekee at 8:32 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i didn't sleep very well last night.. i woke up around 3:45 and thought, "that's ok. i don't have to be up for three hours..." and i tossed and turned until about 5:20 when i started having really weird dreams which kept waking me up until the alarm went off.

i also appear to have contracted The Office Cold™. i've been sneezing all morning and the right side of my throat just started getting itchy before lunch. i'm hoping it's just the chilly nights/mornings and nothing more.

Posted by bekee at 12:23 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

tonight's dinner was good. not great, but good. the whole main room was filled with 5 tables of 10 who appeared to work together and were very loud. i, wrongly, picked the table in the room shoved over in the corner where i had to tippy-toe past four chairs (scoot the eff in!) just to pee. the entree was meh... the appetizers were really good, though. we got three oysters on the half shell and a seared salmon fillet. i had the ahi tuna and kurt had the diablo steak.

perhaps we've just been too impressed in the past. it just wasn't that awesome.

there's always next year. :)

Posted by bekee at 10:48 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we're going out to dinner at the magnus to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.

apparently the traditional gift is candy. color me disinterested.

Posted by bekee at 8:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my mom told us, last weekend, about the erehwon outlet at the bottom of monona drive.. i got a new columbia coat and a pair of keens for half off. it was still spendy (damn brand-loyalty) but i couldn't pass up 50% off!

Posted by bekee at 8:26 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

just so no one gets alarmed.. i'm just going through the low end of a sine wave of workdom. little is motivating and that makes me antsy and bored. that's all.

in other news: i found my next new project. knitty is celebrating 6 years and they just came out with a new issue.

i wonder if it would look as cool if the colors weren't striped, but all mixed up?

Posted by bekee at 8:55 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i just totally forgot how to spell discretion. on the same day that i get forwarded an article about misspelling faster on the iphone. i wonder if it's making me dumber?

Posted by bekee at 1:44 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my back has been really bothering me... i can't sit still cuz i get pangs in the upper left side and lower right side and my left cheek gets cold like it's falling sleep and now my wrist hurts.

Posted by bekee at 10:24 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

maybe i need to get this microphone for joy... the process is a little tedious right now. i have to record using the italk, import the audio file into itunes, convert to mp3, import into audacity, and edit the file. with a lappy mic, i'd be able to record directly into audacity.

Posted by bekee at 8:33 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

before someone decided to (incorrectly) flag my strictly platonic craigslist post as inappropriate, someone claiming to be the guy sent an email. we've corresponded back and forth, very platonically, and he seems nice. i've now achieved closure.

and eff you to whomever decided my post was inappropriate, cuz it was fine.

Posted by bekee at 11:01 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

another solicitation came this morning. i really want to show you the pic that was sent to me, but i feel that would be a violation of his rights... needless to say, scottneedsagirlfriend.com is also available. and he even sent his phone number? wtf?

Posted by bekee at 10:56 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i posted my craigslist ad in strictly platonic for a reason.. i've received two email replies, neither of them from the bikeguy. i want to respond to one of them to apologize for not wanting to respond to him. i'm no dummy. he's looking for someone to go kayaking with and outdoorsy stuff and someone not into "the bar scene".

i don't think he'd like me. :)

my partner-in-humor at work and i have decided i should buy trentneedsagirlfriend.com, post his picture and email address and let him know that, even though i hate water and like bars, i'm more than willing to help a brother out.

Posted by bekee at 2:22 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

was feeling panicky again today after lunch. i drove to qdoba on university to meet kurt, and the drive back was hectic. the root cause? going to bed too late.

Posted by bekee at 3:31 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

head hurts. need caffeine, work is out of starbucks iced coffee :( and it's too friggin hot out to drink more regular coffee.

in other news: did i tell you guys how awesome my new earbuds are? eargasmick!

Posted by bekee at 4:02 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

this weekend went by much too quickly; i slept in a lot and played a surprising amount of card games.

i also made it to work and 30 minutes into it with my fly down. :?

Posted by bekee at 8:26 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

not that you need to know about this, but i have to document it so i don't forget: i woke up sunday morning panicking and it lasted about 2 hours. the dogs looked at me strangely.

Posted by bekee at 1:13 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

can't think of anything worth taking up ones and zeros about.

Posted by bekee at 1:16 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

l'oreal has discontinued my hair dye, but i think i've found a suitable replacement.

Posted by bekee at 12:32 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

sexy people. this is one of the most amusing things i'll probably see all day.

Posted by bekee at 10:37 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my lame attempt at forcing myself to post at least once a morning has left me with little to say today.

except, i could tell you about what i want to accomplish this weekend, mostly saturday. i'd like to try to record episode one of knitting with joy, take my lappy to mickey's and spend a couple hours setting up knittingwithjoy.com and editing the audio file. that last part probably won't happen until sunday cuz it's tedious. and i need to d'l some sound effects for the radio show.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm achy and tired. i'm also anticipating this winter being the second worst insofar as my mood.

i just pulled my head down, chin toward chest, and felt the muscles in my back scream.

Posted by bekee at 8:20 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i love how listening to alice in chains' dirt makes me feel; 15-years-old and all a-twitter about the boy who gave me the cd. lol.

:x i just spent the last 5 minutes googling him; apparently he still lives in middleton.

Posted by bekee at 3:09 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i just bought knittingwithjoy.com. joy's going to have her very own website!

can you believe no one, in the history of the internet, has thought of and purchased that url yet? weird.

Posted by bekee at 9:56 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i just looked at the clock and thought "less than 9 hours." :/

had a pretty good weekend, but it went by too fast. i've been sleeping in later than usual, so that doesn't help. the dudes at revolution have had my bike since thursday afternoon. i've done a lot of walking this weekend. they better be done today or i'm going to take it back. seriously.

Posted by bekee at 8:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

one more thing! i thought i may have been coming down with the strep, but it seems to be going away. that is all.

Posted by bekee at 9:37 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've had upwards of a million pets since my very first salamander. none nearly as long as my childhood cat, bailey (after bailey quarters from wkrp in cincinnati).

mom emailed me today to say that it was time for her to scoot along, she was either 21 or 180, not sure which.

Posted by bekee at 1:38 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i spent a large part of sunday listening to pandora radio in an attempt to expand my music collection, but i didn't find anything worth putting on my lala want-list.

on a side note: my left hand has been tingling since i got out of bed. i need an adjustment. except every time he's about to adjust my neck, i think, "what if he effs up this time?"

Posted by bekee at 8:24 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the weekend went a little faster than i would have liked... i did pick eight ginormous cucumbers which i gave to the kitchen at mickey's.

i have a pretty annoying work week ahead of me.

in other news, isaac hayes died?

Posted by bekee at 8:11 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

nothing is more annoying than people arguing about favre and the jets. as if anyone has any say.

Posted by bekee at 9:00 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the story of joy is generating much interest at work; we've rounded her character out pretty well. we've given her a job at the relay system for the hearing impaired; but she keeps one shift a week at joanne fabrics in order to retain the benefit of an employee discount.

her eventual foray into a professional studio includes having to share the 3am slot with "najir @ night" on 95.3 kqad the place for rock in the quad cities.

please stay tuned, and thank you for being a friend.

Posted by bekee at 12:23 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this friday is 08/08/08.

in other news, i've volunteered to cut a friends' hair this evening.

Posted by bekee at 8:14 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i got more sleep last night. things are turning up.

i will, however, have to manufacture some genuine energy for work soon. if i showed you a screenshot of my calendar for the next two work weeks (and if just hearing "work calendar" makes you throw up a little), you'd cringe. i have about 16 projects going on right now. i'm actually blocking time so people won't schedule meetings so i can get work done. O_O

p.s., i think it's funny and weird that i follow wil wheaton on twitter.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i use my inbox as a todo list of things to respond to, things to read, or bills to pay. the only thing in it right now are four bills to pay. that's depressing.

Posted by bekee at 9:36 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i need to round out my weekend apparel, so i just bought two new tshirts from bustedtees. this one and this one. hilarity.

Posted by bekee at 9:34 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

they go by too fast. i guess i shouldn't complain. i've been hangin' out with people whose schedules allow them very little consecutive free time.

i picked two ready cukes yesterday but i couldn't think of anything to make, so they're in the fridge. hopefully i won't just end up composting them. the dirt in the garden has really settled. i hope i don't have to get much more next year.

happy monday...

Posted by bekee at 8:03 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm frustrated. i can't tell if it's all work, or work+aunt flo.

at least the dogs are making me smile right now.

Posted by bekee at 7:48 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i may enter a contest to decorate a plastic toy for a children's benefit auction being held by our parent company. i can't decide if i have the mad skillz to do it...

Posted by bekee at 8:43 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

less than 13 available work-hours to get something figured out. i thought i had it last night, but now that i'm playing in photoshop, it's a lot more confusing than a 1"x2" thumbnail.

Posted by bekee at 8:36 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this is really ridiculous. i'm dripping from a 20 minute dog walk.

none of my shirts work; i sweat through all of them. actually, biking about was nice because it forces air past you. there were some kids on the bike path that gtfo of the way by one of them yelling, "biker!" i was like, "yr fine".

i can't wait until thursday... unless i can't take friday off. that's the kind of week i'm having. already.

Posted by bekee at 10:14 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i told you about morning coffee a couple weeks ago and how i wanted to use it to motivate or remind me to blog. i think it's been working. the page is fuller than usual (i know, no one scrolls to the bottom to check except me).

Posted by bekee at 9:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

we took the puppers to kurt's mom's house yesterday to celebrate her 74th. she lives very near to a county park and the dogs had a blast. they ran about five times the length of the human walk, and were sufficiently exhausted quite early. it was nice to get out of the asphalt and traffic noise.

Posted by bekee at 8:13 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i get a pang in my side, i have to look up to see where the appendix is located. you'd think i'd be able to remember.

Posted by bekee at 9:57 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm so glad it's friday.

also, check out this awesome clip a friend sent me. it's the cutest thing you'll ever see.

Posted by bekee at 10:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, joy's got a crush on a highschool sweetie named peter heckle, she also has a long-standing grudge against the bully from the same time named lucy manningham who tricked her into thinking there was a manual for the entirety of the girl scouts of america that she had to memorize. joy quit 2 months after learning there was no such manual.

she's also got a cat named purrl.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

that pang we talked about last week? yea, it's back.

also, i think i need to become a hermit. i think i mention that bi-annually.

or, maybe i could become a jaw-trap ant:

Posted by bekee at 8:26 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

four years ago today i had my first panic attack.

i can't effing believe that was four years ago. god, that was awful. i was sweating like a crazy person, i couldn't use my hands to pick up my pizza.

thus began a couple years of weirdness. i still get a little panicky in groups every now and again, but i've mostly been able to keep calm. i think it's been almost two years since my last one.

Posted by bekee at 9:32 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

carries two brands of deodorant that do not contain antiperspirant; it took me no less than 15 minutes to figure this out.

i've been not really wearing antiperspirant cuz because it doesn't anti-perspire me, and just leaves white stains on shirts and ruins them. and i like most of my shirts.

Posted by bekee at 8:30 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

not what i expected.

fortunately, i'm still good at pool. :)

Posted by bekee at 11:04 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

kurt and nar just left for elkhart lake (i think?). so, i'm a bachelorette until tomorrow some time. i imagine it will mainly consist of playing solitaire. fitting, really.

Posted by bekee at 11:07 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

the tendon that makes my middle finger work gets this little pang if i move my head to the right and front to stretch an aching neck/back muscle.

i need a chair massage; i don't like laying nekkid on tables.

Posted by bekee at 8:38 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

someone told me they read bekeeblog two years back, so i had to go look. the first picture of jones is so cute.

Posted by bekee at 8:37 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i tried diluting my 32 oz of water with apple cider vinegar this morning. i was able to take only three sips the entire drive to work before exclaiming that it wasn't going to work. it appears i need to mix it with something that has a flavor. i'm sure passers-by were amused at the face i was making.

Posted by bekee at 8:07 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i just tweeted about having a headache. i never get headaches without a reason (drinking too much, heatstroke, head trauma*), so i'm slightly annoyed by it. i also have an aversion to analgesics and pills in general.

it's actually subsiding as i type. i can only blame the temperature and humidity; and the fact that i've been sedentary for about 30 minutes.

*this hasn't actually ever happened to me, i just assume it would be a good reason to have a headache.

Posted by bekee at 8:16 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i installed morning coffee, which is a firefox extension that you can assign websites to open by day. so, i'm trying to blog once each morning, even if it's pointless. it helps that i consider no one reads this blog with any regularity.

i have a 9:55 deadline, so i must un-distract.

Posted by bekee at 8:36 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

i currently use stainless steel cutlery, but if i didn't already have it, i think i'd buy the polycarbonate spork

Posted by bekee at 1:10 PM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

a little bit ago i told you i wanted that laptop holder thingy from ikea but it wasn't available online... well... it is now.

Posted by bekee at 10:25 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

some a-hole honked at me this morning because i pulled over for a firetruck that he didn't see. then it turned behind where we were and i looked like the dope.

Posted by bekee at 8:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

according to googleads, the most relevant ad to push up right now is for safe genital hair removal.

Posted by bekee at 10:15 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this is me, scowling at the tv.

Posted by bekee at 9:06 PM | permalink | licks (3) | tracks (0)

so, i started dying my hair at 15. long, curly locks dyed turquoise. someone at school said it looked like snot. which it kinda did. then i started shaving the back of my head. you could hardly tell with all the hair i had. mom said, "stop being so radical!" i blamed the temperature. i have lots of follicles per square inch, it's one of those things you can complain about when you have thick hair.

thusly, green turned purple turned blue... black for a minute, not good with my complexion. it also resulted in some ruined bathroom floors, pillow cases, and the like. i recall ending with green bangs and a shaved head. a teacher in college asked if i'd ever "dye [my] hair a color found in nature?" i said that green was in nature, dummy. i then switched to orange. it's a little more socially acceptable (i.e., "found in nature").

i liked the brand of orange because i didn't need to bleach first. bleaching the hair just ruins it. and the scalp. like, your scalp is screaming for help.

i stopped dying my hair a year and a half ago just to check for greys before turning 30. i haven't found many since, and there's no need to keep track of them. so, as i write this, the dye is soaking into the follicles of my numerous hairs; making my scalp scared (not scarred). the after-shower mirror-look will be one of wonder which shouldn't surprise me, but is imminently going to; in some weird way.

see you tomorrow; orange, shiny, and as loud as before.

Posted by bekee at 8:10 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

tumbling into a recession, i'd buy this:

Posted by bekee at 9:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

someone called me at 10:30 last night. unfortunately, my ringtone is the same as my alarm clock, so i "turned off" my alarm, thereby answering my phone. the person then hung up and called back! so i did it again, but this time i realized it wasn't my alarm because i was awoken. they didn't get to leave a message, so i hope it wasn't important. a quick google search leads me to some arts & crafts thing in stoughton in december.

Posted by bekee at 8:22 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

and took cold&sinus this am. it seemed to work... i only took half a dose, cuz even though they claim non-drowsiness, i fine pseudoepinephrine to make me drowsy no matter what.

i also grabbed mr. pillow* off the floor this morning at 5 and something stung me. great.

*the pillow i cuddle when laying on my side.

Posted by bekee at 4:25 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

my head is stuffed and my voice is almost gone. and i'm unreasonably exhausted.

Posted by bekee at 9:18 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i've contracted some sort of communicable disease which involves lights breaths and coughing up loogies; not common for me; lately. i used to get bronchitis every january and june to divide up the year...

this bring me to the rules of going to the dr.

1. if it's a different color than it was yesterday
2. if something is where it shouldn't be
3. if something is missing where it once was
4. if something is leaking that shouldn't
5. if something is obviously broken

these are my rules for calling dean care.

anyhoo... i'm getting some hott thai food in order to kill the bug that resides inside of me. i'll let you know how it goes.

Posted by bekee at 7:42 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

a post-storm rainblo on my bike ride (i had to wait for the marble-sized hail to stop before i could leave the house:

(click to see larger)

Posted by bekee at 11:11 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i haven't had a whole lot to talk about.. been outside and on the bike a lot. i tried not to use my car at all this last weekend and was almost successful. i couldn't get kurt to bike to breakfast on sunday am, so we drove. but i did hook up the bike trailer and cart it to woodman's. i'd like to get some side baskets but they're so loud. and the forreal panniers can be very expensive. i've seen them for as much as $220 online.

my plants are doing okay... the hail on saturday took quite a toll on a lot of the leaves, but no fruit is up, so it might still be okay.

i've had quite a difficult morning so i came home from work at noon; but we don't need to get into it here.

i made my first amigurumi this weekend. it's for the little boy of one of the cooks at mickey's:

Posted by bekee at 2:27 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i found this site today while taking a little break from work. i can't stop looking at it like it's a car wreck.

hair hats

Posted by bekee at 1:17 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

so, i get 29mpg on average and i drive 27.5 miles round trip to work. lunch is $5.50, if i get the special, $10 if we go out. that means i'm spending $10-14 per day to get to work and eat lunch. that's $220-$308 per month. that's a lot of money that i'm not saving.

that makes me feel foolish.

Posted by bekee at 10:47 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

this am, when i walked out the door, i said to kurt, "when are you going to win the lottery?"

Posted by bekee at 8:54 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

yesterday was the final day for direct deposit, according to the irs website. we still haven't received ours. i filled out the form for figuring how much we're getting and it says the full $1200 is coming to us. according to their payment schedule (and the fact that it comes to the first ssn on our return) we should have received it may 9. when i use the "where is it?" form, it says they don't have info pertaining to our check. :/

the house account is quickly being emptied and we'd like to replenish soon.

Posted by bekee at 1:36 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

it occurred to me on the drive in to work, that humans aren't humbled often enough to keep from feeling entitled. or maybe that's just americans.

Posted by bekee at 8:07 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

whenever i wake up perpendicular to my bed, i wish i had the ability to watch how i got that way.

Posted by bekee at 3:08 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'm staying home today. i woke up at 5:30, left a voicemail for my boss, checked my meeting schedule, and cancelled a meeting i had. all from my bed with the awesomest phone ever.

woke up nauseous and dizzy with a headache at 9. the dogs weren't going to let me sleep any later. kurt made me drink alka-seltzer (yuck!) and now i'm feeling slightly better. but not better enough to go in to work.

i do have some ia to work on this afternoon, though. let's see if the brain is working well enough.

Posted by bekee at 11:35 AM | permalink

i'm running out of clothes. things are wearing out in places, holes are appearing. i had to wear a skirt yesterday because i no longer have suitable pants to get me through one week of work! so, this weekend, kurt and i are going to kohl's. hopefully they have reasonable styles.

Posted by bekee at 7:55 AM | permalink | licks (1) | tracks (0)

someone i know died from an o.d. last night. this marks the second person with whom i've had casual acquaintance who o.d.'d. the weird part is how it shouldn't even be possible for anyone to have had that experience. but i guess the circle of friends i once had are susceptible to the lifestyle that makes it possible.

anyway, a handful of friends are reasonably distraught by this today.

there's a strange feeling that happens when you hear about someone you know, who is mere days older than you, is no longer walking the earth. it has a sort of empty feeling to it. it's much different than when it's a great aunt or a soldier in this shitty war. it's too close.

Posted by bekee at 8:09 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

that's what i refer to my chiropractor as. i'm down to once-a-week visits (i was 3-times in feb, and then 2-times until this week), i was gunna break up with him yesterday, but my re-exam went so well that he said i didn't need therapy (the little zappy things and the traction machine), just adjustments... so my appointments just went from an almost unbearable 45 minutes to about 7.

now i just have to wait for the insurance agent to call to tell me i shouldn't have needed treatment for this long. which would be incorrect.

Posted by bekee at 12:11 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

Posted by bekee at 8:29 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i have to go renew my new driver's license. my current one has an address from 5 years ago on it. and the pic has orange hair; i finally get to fill the hair-color line with an accurate abbreviation.

Posted by bekee at 3:07 PM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)

i'll probably never make the jaunt to shaumburg to put up with the epitome of consumerism that is ikea, but i really want this:

Posted by bekee at 9:49 AM | permalink | licks (0) | tracks (0)