Another First Day

I wanted to include a photo of the bane of my existence for the last couple of days, the tree, but Flickr is experiencing some sort of uploading problems and I just don't have the patience to fool with the damn thing all night. Just know that as far as stitched trees go, it's spectacular. I'll try again tomorrow.

The first day at the new job went well. I like first days because nobody ever expects much out of you and I'm happy to not disappoint them. There are only four officers out on the road at a time, so I think I'll be getting a lot of reading done on the midnight shift. I'm sure there will be other stuff I'll have to do, but for the most part this is looking like the job I always wanted ~ very little work and plenty of free time! I'll know more next week after I start my regualar shift.

Flowage

I actully experienced flowage yesterday! Usually I walk into the craft room, sigh and walk back out, but yesterday I sat down (after sighing). I scrapbooked for over 2 hours! I only have a few more pictures left for 2004 and then I can start on this year. I also need to work on the Hurricane Ivan book. The hurricane will have it's own little separate book since it played such a pivotal role in our lives. I think part of the reason I scrapped yesterday was because I was trying to avoid the cross-stitch. I'm at a part of the picture that is just really tedious to me-backstitching. I'm not a big fan of the backstitching and I have a rather large tree with many branches all requiring backstitching, so I was looking for a little backstitching escape yesterday. Tonight, however, I will conquer the cross-stitch beast and finish that tree!

I also have to get my clothes ready for my first day at the new job tomorrow. I'll work the day shift for the rest of this week (Wed-Fri) and then start on my regular midnight shift on Monday night. I won't be issued a uniform for another 6 months, so I have to wear dress-up clothes until then. Yuck. Especially with the snow coming! I'd much rather wear boots and a goofy police uniform then cold girlie shoes.

Vic and I have been trying to save our Wendy's AirTran points and so far we have 12! Just another 116 and we'll be livin' large and flyin' free! Of course, I'm not sure when I'll get vacation time again, so I may be livin' large in the metro Detroit area for a while.

Books & Flows

Vic & I made great strides today house-wise. We finally, FINALLY got all our books out of boxes and onto bookshelves. Yea for us!! Of course they still need to be arranged, but they are out of boxes and the boxes are out of the house! Next up is all the knick-knacky stuff we have stored in my craft room. I think that's why I haven't scrapbooked in so long ~ there's just too much stuff in there and it's cramping my creative flow. I just can't flow properly!

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind...(As You Like It)

Thursday
Vic & I spent a lovely Thanksgiving day with her mom and a few of her friends. It was just a small get together of five people with great food and conversation! It was really a nice relaxing day and we managed to get home early enough in the evening to get to get to bed early so we could get up early the next day to catch all the "Black Friday" sales. There was a light snow all afternoon and the temp was 28 degrees! The wind chill was like 18 or something, but really, when you get past 25 degrees it's all pretty much the same, I think. This was my first opportunity to really wear my nose mitten and it worked wonderfully! With my nose mitten on it felt like a balmy 30 or 35 degrees at least!

Friday
The alarm clock went off at 3:30 this morning... and again every 8 minutes for about on hour until we finally stumbled out of bed. We didn't actually get to our first store until almost 5:30, which I guess is kinda late, but we still managed to get everything on our list. Well, actually it was my list. Vickie did the driving and I was responsible for organizing and crowd manipulation. We made it back home around 8ish and took a nice nap for the rest of the morning. When I woke, I called work to tell them I was quitting. It actually went a lot better than I thought it would. Everyone I spoke with was very understanding and wished me the best of luck. Of course I haven't spoken to the either of the main cheeses yet, so I've got that to fret about all weekend. Tomorrow is Vickie's mom's birthday lunch. She wants to go to Red Lobster, so I guess we're going to Red Lobster. I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow night plopped in front of the fire watching a lot of nothing on the TV.


Feast Seventy-One
Friday, November 25, 2005

Appetizer
What did you look like when you were a teenager?
I was very tall and very skinny and had horrible hair. I was very unattractive and it's a wonder I didn't get stuffed in a locker daily.

Salad
Whose advice do you listen to?
It depends on the question, I guess. But mostly I'd have to say Vic.

Soup
Name a book you would like to memorize.
The complete works of Shakespeare.
"That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet" (Romeo & Juliet)
"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players" (As You Like It)
"Beware the ides of March" (Julius Caesar)
"Lord what fools these mortals be" (A Midsummer's Night Dream)
"Cowards die many times before their deaths" (Julius Caesar)

Main Course
How often are you sick?
Only maybe twice a year and every time I go to Europe.

Dessert
Do you like or dislike change?
I'm usually very leery of change and worry about it before and then way after the change has been implemented. It takes me a while to adapt.

Snow News Is Good News

Shannon's First Snow
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

Shannon got to experience her very first snow today and as you can see by the picture, she seemed to really love it! Of course now we have to get her little boots for her feet and fluffy towels to dry her off with. We still don't have enough snow to make a fort or have a really good snowball fight, but the weather guys are predicting more snow for the rest of the week, so maybe we'll be able to have a snowball skirmish.
And I finally got the final work from the PD. I start my new job on Wednesday the 30th. Yeaaaa! Of course my present employer doesn't know anything about this yet and I'm not really sure how to handle it. I didn't want to quit before Thanksgiving because I really want the holiday pay, so I guess I'll have to let them know sometime this weekend. I hope they're not too pissed. And if they are, oh well..it's not like I'll have to deal with them on a daily basis any more.

Culture

Not much going on today. I did a little Christmas shopping and Vic & I bought some wood for the fireplace for this weekend, but really not much else new or interesting to report. I didn't hear from the PD, so I guess I'll be going to work at the Sheriff's Office this weekend. I can't wait to have the weekends off. Having weekdays off is nice, but it seems like all the concerts or festivals happen on Saturdays or Sundays and Vic & I would like to start getting cultured again.

Feast Seventy
Friday, November 18, 2005

Appetizer
When do you feel impatient?
While waiting in lines at grocery stores watching old women tear thru their purses looking for the exact change.

Salad
How many times in your life have you had a broken heart?
Two.

Soup
Name a book you would like to see made into a movie.
Any of the Martha Grimes "Inspector Jury" mysteries. I'd like to be able to put a face on the characters.

Main Course
If you could thank one teacher for what they taught you, who would it be and what would you thank them for?
None. I really liked my English Lit instructor at PJC, but even she wasn't so spectacular that I remember her name.

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of pie?
Dutch Apple pie with lots of crumbly things on top. With Cool Whip.

Today Is My Day Off

I really love having days off from work ~ I think maybe more than anybody else ever. I truly believe in my heart that not another living soul enjoys not going to work more than me. Really. It's not that I don't like the job, it's just that I know there is something, anything, that I could be doing other than being at work. I hate to think that most of my life will be spent either working or preparing to go to work. I would much rather be travelling the world, meeting people and adding a little spark of Casey into their lives. And if not that, then just sitting home reading would be fine, too.

On this, the day of my off-ness, I went to get my physical for the PD job. As I suspected, it was little more than peeing in a cup and reading an eye chart, both of which I performed fabulously. I should hear some good news probably next week and I anticipate a start date some time soon after Thanksgiving. I also organized our Winter jackets, scarves, gloves and nose mittens. It is really freaking cold out there! It's been snowing on and off for the last two days, but nothing sticks to the ground yet. Vic is very excited about the snow. I hope she's just as excited when she's pushing that snow shovel in a few weeks.

The conclusion to "Pride & Prejudice" was last night, so tonight I will be without Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. "I am grieved entirely." Nobody can say "grieved" like that Colin Firth. Maybe I'll watch "Bridget Jones" so I can get a little Colin fix. The new Harry Potter movie starts tomorrow, but alas, I'll shall have to wait until Vic and I are off together to finally see it. Maybe she can call out sick tomorrow. For tomorrow is also my day off!

Flurries

Geez, was it ever bone-chillingly cold today! The wind chill factor made the temp a nose-reddening 22 degrees! There were actually some flurries, too! Nothing that stuck to the ground of course, but I'm sure that's not too far off. Since this is my weekend, the kids (Shannon & the kitties) and I will spend the evening watching part 3 of "Pride & Prejudice" (Will Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy ever end up together?) in front of a roaring log. I still haven't gotten the hang of making a fire in our fireplace, but I'm a wiz at those Duraflame logs! And Vic made me a small roast for dinner because she said she's tired of me defrosting things. But I still have to take it out of the crock pot and make the macaroni & cheese side dish, so I'm being forced to cook! Tomorrow I'm having pizza!

The Theater to Scrapbooking Stream

This is how my mind works sometimes...The other day I was commenting to Vic on how happy I am that we are finally getting a new movie theater near our house, which made me think of the upcoming "Harry Potter" movie, which then got me to thinking of the new "Pride & Prejudice" movie, which led to the old "P&P" movie with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, and Colin was also in one of my favorite movies "Bridget Jones' Diary" where his name was Mark Darcy (a coincidence??), which reminded me of our recent trip to London where we saw the house and restaurant that were used in the film, which leads to the fact that I still haven't put together our London scrapbook! (This is one of my more saner stream of consciousnesses!) So I think I'm going to defrost some taquitos (Vic isn't home to cook) and cross-stitch all night. And coincidentally, "Pride & Prejudice" is on the Biography channel tonight! I just love that Colin Firth!

Update on the HP PD job...I am scheduled to take a physical this week ~ nothing extensive; mostly just breathe in and out and how many fingers am I holding up kind of stuff. If I pass the physical (duh) then they offer me the job. Since it's flu shot time and all government-related offices tend to close up the week before Thanksgiving, it'll probably take a couple weeks before they get the results back. Hopefully I'll hear from them by the end of the month!

Business Casual

I stopped by the Hazel Park PD yesterday to get fingerprinted and to check on my overall hiring status. Both the fingerprinting and the status checking went well. I think as long as my fingerprint check comes back okay (no bank robberies or anything) I should get the job! I hate to plan ahead before I actually have the job, but I'm really excited about it. Like my present job, I'll have to wear a uniform, but it won't be issued to me until I've been there six months, so I'll be "business casual" for the Winter months. Lots of sweaters and long-sleeve shirts I expect. Vic and I did a little clothes shopping this morning before she had to leave for work. I got a few more pairs of pants and a nice sweater, so hopefully I'm set for a while. I really hate clothes shopping ~ all the trying on and dragging stuff in and out of dressing rooms. I wish "business casual" meant jeans and sweatshirts.


Feast Sixty-Nine
Friday, November 11, 2005

Appetizer
If someone made a statue of you, in which pose would you like to be?
The "ta-da" pose. Arms held wide open with a big goofy smile on my face.

Salad
What perfume/cologne does your best friend wear?
Vic wears Fendi. I wear Nicole Miller, but it seems that it has been recently discontinued, so now I have to find a new essence.

Soup
Name something satisfying about your work.
Well, if I get the HPPD job, I'll have the weekends off. This would be the first time in my job working life (since the age of 16) that I'll have a schedule with weekends off ALL THE TIME.

Main Course
What was the last excuse you made, and why did you need to make it?
I honestly can't think of a single thing I've made an excuse for. I'm sure it would have to be work-related, though.

Dessert
Complete this sentence: I wonder why _________________.
I wonder why baby polar bears leave their mamas, too (Shawn). That just breaks my heart. I also wonder why Shannon insists on dribbling water all over the kitchen floor after I've just put on clean socks and why Vic constantly leaves the sink full of dirty dishes for me to wash. I wonder what the hell Katie Holmes was thinking?! and why isn't there a 24-hour "Law & Order" channel? I wonder why the USA hasn't adopted the metric system like every other nation and why I just can't seem to find a good navel orange in the Winter.

The Game

Why does it seem like whenever you attend mandatory work-related training there is always some fool in the class that insists on debating everything with the instructor and asking endless amounts of dumbass scenario questions (i.e. "What if there's a snowstorm during a tornado and a train collides with a fire truck and all the other units are out answering calls and I'm the only dispatcher in the room because one of the other dispatchers just got food poisoning and the other dispatcher didn't show up for work and..."), you get the idea. Where do these fools come from?! Just sit in the class, listen enough to pass the open-book test at the end and go back to work and do stuff the way you've always done it because "that's the way we've always done it"! Am I the only one who knows how the game is played or am I just being cynical? Geez!

Nachos

Today was my first day of Emergency Fire Dispatching (EFD) training. Like most training required for your job, the classes are just a tad more interesting than clipping your toenails. But hey, it's three days I don't have to go to work and that's always a good thing. Speaking of work, Vic got a call today from the Hazel Park PD guy about giving me a referece for the dispatch job. She gave me a glowing review and when he asked her if I had any areas that needed improvement she told him that I needed to give up my corny jokes. Everyone loves my jokes so I'm not really sure what she meant by that, but she said that the Lt. gave her the impression that they might offer me the job. Yea!! I'll think I'll make anticipatory celebration nachos for dinner tonight!

Traffic

The traffic was so incredibly bad on my way home from work that I had to finally get off the interstate and take the long way home. The long way probably turned out to be the quickest way today. I absolutely fucking hate this drive. Twice a day. Five days a week. About 350 miles a week. On the upside, I got to see a lot of dancing leaves today. It was a bit breezy & the Drop leaves like to dance across the sidewalks in this kind of weather!


Feast Sixty-Eight
Friday, November 04, 2005

Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?
Scene-It for Vic for Christmas.

Soup
Name something in which you don't believe.
Lifetime appointments for Supreme Court Justices.

Salad
If you could choose a television personality to be your boss, who would you pick?
Norm from "This Old House." Just think of all the home renovations I could get!

Main
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?
You can't drink pop from a bottle while lying down.

Dessert
What is your idea of the perfect relaxation room?
A room filled with comfy furniture, a fireplace and tons of books.

Errand Day

Today was pretty much "errand day"; I got gas ($2.17 gal), washed, ironed, tidied up the house and took some stuff to the recycling center. Not a very exciting day, but not a bad day either so I guess that's good. In Michigan you have to pay a dime deposit on all cans and bottles and then you take them to a recycling machine and get your money back. It's kind've a pain in the ass, but you NEVER see any cans or bottles laying on the side of the road, so I guess forced recycling has it's advantages. Anyway, Vic & I cashed in our cans today and stopped at Wendy's for lunch. They have some kind of promotion with AirTran where there is a "flying point" on every beverage cup and if you save up 64 points you can cash them in on a roundtrip flight on AirTran. We only need 126 more points and then Vic & I can fly to Pensacola or Savannah! The promotion ends in February, though, so I guess we really need to start stopping by the Wendy's more often.

New Project & Other Stuff

Victorian Era
Originally uploaded by wahoo1265.

My latest cross-stitch picture is coming along nicely, I think. I've included a picture of it so far. It's actually a street scene of a bunch of Victorian Era people on a Wintery evening. There are tons of color changes and heaps of small details, so I really hope I can finish it before Spring! And, of course, the hoop marks will be gone.

In other news, Vic & I both got our hair cut today. I always like it better the second week after it grows out just a tooch. I ordered some prints off of Shutterfly. The first 15 are free, so I figured it was worth the $2 in shipping to give them a try. I haven't been pleased with the quality of prints from the surrounding stores, so maybe the internet is the way to go. I should get the prints later this week and I'll let you know the outcome. Also, I heard from the Hazel Park PD. The Lt. called to ask me a few questions in conjunction with the background check he was doing on me. He said my interview went quite well and that I should know something in the next week or so. So things seem like they're looking up! I felt good about our talk and I'm just going to try to send positive thoughts his way for the next week. And enjoy the rest of Drop until it begins to snow (I've got my nose mitten ready!).