My front porch a few days before Christmas.

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Here is my new car in a nice, fresh pile of snow. It took me about 20 minutes to shovel it out.

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You can't top this, can you?

Where's the healthiest city in the US according to the CDC? Click on the picture to find out or read below....

That's right, suckas. BURLINGTON, VERMONT!!!

Here's the latest - I have a car!!

It's been a long time since I have written anything (the last posting on the cat poll is an exception. So here I am. I have been having internet issues at home which have prevented me from writing as well. I paid my bill and the cables are all connected. Not sure why it isn't working. Sigh. Technology sometimes really sucks. So here I am at the laundromat typing away.

Lots has been going on. With just about 4 months under my belt without a car, I finally got one!!! It took me a long time agonizing over what kind. Do I get a used one like I always have? The Taurus was pretty good for me, with 10 years of life. But if a used, what kind? I want something with good gas mileage. But what? Do I get new? As I plan to have the car, whatever it is, for a long time, the resale value doesn't really matter, so new would be good. Plus with new, I can get warranties like there's no tomorrow.

I had been looking at the Toytoa Carolla (used), Toyota Matrix (used) and Kia Spectra (new). I finally decided to go with the new Kia Spectra. Though I am paying more than I wanted to pay a month, I got some good warranties on it and the likelihood of it shutting down on me in the first few years is very slim. The warranties cover 100,000 miles (it started with 12) and includes losing wheels, flats or other tire damage. I also got GAP protection if I am ever in an accident and still making payments. It's a good car. I can hold 4 other adults though I wouldn't suggest that for a long road trip. I kinda wish I had gotten something a little more sporty, but this is fine. It's a big change having a car payment and insurance now. I don't like that. I guess the only plan is to work on paying it off sooner so I don't have a car payment. :-)

It is so nice being able to go where I want to go, when I want to go. The freedom is something I feel privileged to have. I am lucky to be able to afford car payments, especially in this economic time. I am lucky to have the opportunity to choose what kind of car I want. I didn't mind riding the bus and carpooling. For the work week, it was fine. But on the weekend the bus schedule is shortened and having to depend on friends for rides was really depressing. Meeting up with friends wasn't spontaneous like I would have liked. It's all better now. I will send a picture shortly,

Is your cat trying to kill you? Take the quiz

Bed manic high, carless manic low

Only three and a half years later and I am finally getting a bedframe. When I move here, my landlords had an old bed I used for about 6 months. I finally ordered a new bed, but the boxspring wouldn't fit up the stairwell, so I have been sleeping with the mattress on the floor ever since. I finally ordered a platform bedframe. I am super excited to get it! It's very similar to the one I had in LA. Soon, I won't be sleeping on the floor. How sweet it will be!!

Carless for three full months in just a day. I have been really manic about car shopping and it came to a head Friday and Saturday. I finally have settled myself down and have concluded that I will get a car after payday in October. I might even get a new car. Part of me is a little hesitant about getting a new car living in the neighborhood I live in, but on the other hand, why not? The car I have my eye on is about the same price as the used cars I have been desiring. I have never had a new car before. We shall see. I still have a couple of weeks before winter arrives. Plenty of time.

Car stuff, sick and hope on the horizon

So I am still going through this car withdawl thing, two and a half months into it. I know I won't be able to last through winter. But there is hope. I got pre-approved. What that means is the world of car shopping is open to me (at least for the next 90 days). I can use it, or not. That's the beauty of it. I can use the maximum amount or not. I can get a junker or a new car. It makes me feel so much better just having that in my pocket, ready to go.

But I am still excited at times to not have a car. No parking worries. No payments in loans or insurance. No worries about theft. No gas price worries. I really like that. Plus, yesterday my friend Erika took me around on some much needed errands (laundry, groceries, movie, etc) and we had a great time. We go to the same laundromat so it worked out well for her to take me.

I have a cough and cold thing going on which is a bummer. Cough, cough, cough. Clear throat. Sniffle. Rinse, repeat. It's really annoying but over the counter meds don't do crap. Oh well, hopefully it will be over in a week and not two months like the last one.

I have also realized I need to get on the horn about dealing with my depression. It is affecting me mentally and physically. It's just too much of an effort to arrange to see a therapist/doctor without a car. I did find one who has an office within walking distance from my apartment, so maybe I should contact them?

Maybe I should.

All About My Mother Part 4

NOTE: This is part 4 of a series about the last few hours of my mom's life. To read the first part, see the posting on 7/12/08 and the second part from 8/9/08, the third is on 9/14/08

January 10, 2008 - afternoon
We called hospice in to give Mom a bath to help her feel more comfortable. They put a clean nightgown and housecoat on her. She seemed more comfortable, more at peace. We continued holding her hands, stroking her arms and hair. Dad came in a couple of times and we gave them time to be alone.

At one point I was sitting alone with her and she started doing exactly what hospice told us she would do when it was close to the end. They told us that she would make a gutteral choking sound, which was just the body beginning to shut down. They said it wasn't painful for her, but would seem so. It really freaked me out and I ran out to tell the family.

We all gathered in the room and watched. After a few minutes it stopped. My cousin Mary Kaye, called to see how things were going. She wanted to speak with Mom. We put the phone by Mom's ear and Mary Kaye told her that she was sitting on her back porch waiting for Mom to stop by to visit when she passed over. Mom mumbled something and Mary Kaye asked us to call when it was over.

It was about 5:45 when the final stage that the hospice people told us would happen. They said the breathing would become more rapid, almost panting. We gave Mom some morphine in her mouth in case she was in pain. The panting began which was very hard to watch. Then she was still. We stood by the bed, holding hands, being together. We waited a a bit longer before calling the funeral home. Two men came in and with the help of Bob (and I think Dad) they took her away.

Strangely we went out to dinner a few hours later. It was weird. We were all feeling pretty numb. It was so good to be with the family. I slept in Bob's room that night. She was gone. My mother was dead. It's hard nine months later to write that.

All About My Mother Part 3

NOTE: This is part 3 of a series about the last few hours of my mom's life. To read the first part, see the posting on 7/12/08 and the second part from 8/9/08

January 9, 2008 - January 10, 2008
I think I slept about 3-4 hours the night of the 9th. It was a restless night and I didn't get much sleep. Bob and Merry both told me they stayed up with Mom. I think it was Merry who told me she and Mom sang a song from the penguin snowglobe Dad had given Mom for Christmas. I know Bob had some good moments speaking with Mom. No idea if Dad went in while I was sleeping. We kept encouraging him to go in, but I think he just couldn't deal. I drifted from her room to the office to the living room to Bob's room. Pretty numb. I found a box of things Mom had intended to give me for Christmas but wasn't well enough to mail out. There were all kinds of things in there that she thought I would like but weren't my style. We never really did see eye to eye on fashion, as I think fondly about that. There were cat pins, hair clips, clippings, gift cards and a few small Christmas decorations. I poked through the box in between the wandering from room to room and the time sitting with her.

January 10, 2008
In the morning with no thought of food or shower, I went in to be with Mom. When I was flying out to California, I had thought of a ton of questions I had wanted to ask her or find answers about. I didn't know what state she would be in, and I was hoping she would answer things. At the same time, I realized that it probably didn't matter. When I was actually there, none of that DID matter. If I didn't get answers to my childhood or how to bake this or fix that, it wasn't important. Just BEING in the moment was the most important thing I could do.

There were a few really funny and wonderful memorable moments -

Mom had lots of medicines from all the health issues over the years. And she never threw any of them away. At one point, I was looking through the rows and rows of meds that I had no clue about. I came across several expired bottles of Vicadin. I told Merry and she said her stepson said they could sell for $3 a pill on the streets. So at one point in the morning, Merry and I were sitting with Mom and told her that. I said "When this is all done, Merry and I are going to sell off your pills at the local high school." Mom, who hadn't spoken in hours said "Pay for your trip." That was so true to my mother's sense of humor. Merry and I had a good laugh with her.

Merry is my half sister. Mom gave her up for adoption when she was born. They reunited when I was in college. Later this afternoon, Merry and I found ourselves together with Mom again. I said,"Mom, there are some things I feel I should get off my chest and confess to you." I mentioned how I intentionally locked my brother out of the house when we were kids and when he would do that to me, I would have to pee so badly I would do it by the side of the house. I confessed that I tried smoking when I was roommates with Stephanie and Steve and tried it for three days. Then I asked both Merry and Mom if they had anything they'd like to confess and if Merry had been a naughty girl too. She confessed a couple of things Then Mom pointed out that she was the naughtiest of all (having had a baby "out of wedlock!"). In writing that moment down it may not seem all that funny, but it had the three of us in stitches, to the point of tears of laughter coming down.

Another sweet moment was when I was telling Mom how we all loved her so much. I started naming everybody who was at the house. I even mentioned Katu and Wiloughby as being (in their minds) the most important. She corrected me saying that they weren't, that Jesus was. She was confident in her faith, which was moving to see.

At this point, we were still giving her pain meds in about an ounce of water and that's it. Judy and Becky came in to talk with her for a bit, while the rest of us waited in the living room. The afternoon had come.

Messy room, messy mind

This weekend I did go out and have some fun. I went to support Company X at a wiffleball charity tournament. That was a blast. (Photos to follow).

But the rest of the time I have spent being depressed. So many reasons for it ranging from missing my mother to not excercising. A large chunk of it has to do with my freaking messy room. It's a disaster. So clean it! I am too depressed to, lame as it sounds. So it won't fix itself. I think back to when Merry and I cleaned up Mom's room with gusto. Maybe if I clean my place with the mindset that I am cleaning up a dead person's apartment, I would be more inspired to clean. Make no mistake that I am wishing I was dead. Just wishing I could magically clean my room like Samantha on "Bewitched". Wrinkle my nose and - BAM the house is clean. Part of my lack of motivation to clean is with the exception of actual trash, I have no place to dump the stuff I don't want. Other reasons for depression - I am tired of not having a car on the weekend. I really hope the car sharing program that is starting up soon helps alieviate this pain. I want to be able to go out and meet up with friends. I want to be able to jump in my car and go to the movies, shopping or to take a nice drive. I am still glad to not have a car payment, insurance or pay for gas. Really I am.

I am really feeling like crap and might just go to bed. Yes, it's almost 7pm.

Getting down at the baseball game

Lake Monster baseball game with dancing mascot Champ

Barking dog. 4:00am, Barking dog. 5:00am

I woke up to hear a really loud dog barking at 4 in the morning. The dog barked for a good 20 minutes. There were times when the bark sounded like the dog was in pain. It finally stopped. In my mind I am thinking that there was a break in or something. But I went back to sleep, after about a half hour. Then it started again. Barking dog almost to the exact minute that he did it before. I listened and waited. It continued, so I went to my window and saw that there was a police car out front. The officer was standing about 12 feet from what looked like a boxer/pit pull black and white dog. The officer gets back in the car and drove off after the dog took off. But then the dog started barking again. I called the police station (don't worry, I didn't call 911.) because I didn't know what to do about the dog. It was barking so much I couldn't sleep. I even told the officer on the phone I was sorry to call about a dog, but didn't know what else to do. The dog was quiet for the rest of the morning and I got a little more sleep.

Today has been such a boring day with the exception of the men's water polo game at the Olympics. I even checked my work email. THAT'S how bored I am. I asked several people to go to the movies, and nobody was available. I might just go by myself.

The end of the week - trivia, bring green, shopping, movies, Olympics

Thursday was trivia night. My team has grown to about 10 people, mostly work people and Catherine. Kyle brought his friend Shane, who I had met in July. Patrick W. and his wife, also named Catherine, brought co-worker Greg. There were about 4 others there. We placed in the top 5 out of about 30 teams. Afterwards, we went down to the waterfront. The weather was really great. I had two apple martinis and had a nice vodka headache Friday.

Work Friday was pretty busy. It's a little stressful, but I went with a friend to watch our CEO play in a tennis tourney doubles with another co-worker. It was really fun to watch. I think it was my first tennis game in person. The CEO's team won. there were about 8 of us from work who showed up. And they had free pizza and salad for us, as our company was one of the main sponsors (being a charity event).

Today started out really slowly. I watched a movie, did some dishes, watched some Olympics. The my friend Catherine picked me up and we went to see Pineapple Express starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much at the movies. Sure it's a pretty typical buddy movie with lots of swearing and drug references (I only mention this for anybody who is sensetive to that), but I think it's the best thing James Franco has ever done. There are those moments when the subject matter is so wrong and not PC, it's funny. Some of the dialogue is just so freaking awesome. I would almost see this again.

After the movie, I left Catherine to go on her merry way and went to the City Market co-op. It's a natural foods store and right next door to the movie theater. I checked out the bus schedule and found I had about 35 minutes to shop before the last bus by my house. I was in much need of groceries as I had run out of all fresh food and was down to my canned goods. I bought some really good looking veggies like Swiss Chard, nectarines, onions, bananas. I had a hankering for burritos so I got the fixings for that too. I walked a few blocks to the bus station and only had about 10 minutes to wait. The bus dropped me off a block and a half from my house, which is really convenient. This is the first time I have done major grocery shopping since I got rid of my car. It was great. It gives me confidence for future grocery shopping events. I know I don't need to ask anybody for a ride.

Friday and today have been good no car days. Convenient bus riding and rides from friends. I also learned about a car sharing program that is coming in September. I hope I can hold out that long so I can at least try the program. As of today, I am telling myself that yes, I CAN go without a car. Complaining like I did last week about friends and getting rides I feel today is silly. Of course, I will probably complain about the car thing soon enough. But for now, I am ready to go to start the fall season without a car.

Olympics - So Michael Phelps has won 7 medals in Beijing. It has been awesome to watch. Tonight he has his last event. Might win #8. For now he is tied with Mark Spitz for most medals in one Olympic and already is the most medaled sportsman in the Olympic history. The diving and track and field have been pretty great to watch too. Tonight they have the women's marathon on. I can't believe the running outfits they wear. They look like tankinis. I have such a great time watching the Olympics. I just can't get enough of it. I think I might go swimming on Monday after work.

I am inspired.

The AMAZING Summer Olympics - 2008

PHOTO COURTESY
OF GETTY IMAGES (pictured Lezak, center, and Bernard, right)

It's summertime and this year amongst the dreary, rainy weather there is a big spot of sunshine - the 2008 Summer Olympics. If you are banning the Olympics or you just hate sports, that's fine. But for me, the summer Olympics brings me hours and hours of sheer joy.

This year is no exception. My most favorite events are the ones with gymnastics and swimming. But mostly swimming. Though the women's team is amazing, I am partial to the men's team. (I had a crush on Mark Spitz at age 5.) Now lots of people are obsessed with the extremely talented Michael Phelps, who, by the age of 23 has (as of this writing) won 9 medal. That is impressive and he is amazing. But last night's 400-meter relay was the most exciting sporting event I think I have seen in years! You can read all about the events HERE.

But here's my view of the events of last night...

One of the French had bashed the USA relay team, but that did not scare Team USA, no sirrrreeee. When Michael Phelps took off for the first 100 meters, I figured USA had a chance against the favored French. He managed to assist in surpassing the world record for that event. After Phelps came Garrett Weber-Gale then Cullen Jones. Cullen was I would say a whole body length away from the French, who were in first. Then Jason Lezak jumped in. He cinched up the space between Bernard the Frenchman who had dissed Team USA. Then, as I was on the edge of my seat, I watched Lezak catch up. They were neck and neck. It was intense! Lezak touched the wall 9/100 of a second before Bernard. Not only did Team USA beat the French, and set a new world record, but to win by that kind of a margin was AMAZING. When they realized they had won, I saw a few had tears. I have to admit, I did have moist eyes. USA has done extremely well in swimming, it makes me proud. Even my crushee, Aaron Peirsol, just won a gold. Sigh.

So here's to the men and women of these 2008 Olympics. They are talented, courageous and amazing. I think it's a wonderful forum for people of all nations to come together in what is (for the most part, most of the time in my Pollyanna kind of belief) a world-wide event that unites people of all races. Deep down inside, Sporty Girl is watching these events desiring to jump in the pool.

Drug dealers in my neighborhood

This afternoon I was clearing out a box of junk that was on my porch. There was a car parked in front of my house with three occupants and the engine on. I didn't think much of it since I was focused on my little project. But as the time passed, I wondered why they were parked out front with the engine still on. Then I noticed something.

The passenger in the back seat had a bag on his lap with an herb-like substance. I watched him fill up smaller bags with that substance. I watched him take some of that substance and fill up a cigarette paper with it, roll it and light it up. I watched the passenger by the driver get out of the car with a slightly filled plastic bag in his hand and go across the street and around the backside of the building where my landlords and I suspect the drug dealers live. By this point I was inside my apartment watching from the doorway. About 5-10 minutes later, the guy comes out with his bag a little heavier. He gets in the car and the young woman driver (think, blonde) is talking on her phone. I see the front passenger open the bag and take out a smaller bag with white powder in it. Then they drive away. I did manage to write down a partial license plate.

I would say the whole thing took about 20 minutes. At first I didn't know why they were parked. And when I saw the backseat guy with his "herbs" I thought about calling the cops. But I also had a bit of fear and trepidation. They had probably seen me. If I had called the cops, would there be retaliation? This crossed my mind. I just didn't know what to do. I think tomorrow I am going to call the police department to ask them. I know this is a rough neighborhood for Vermont. And I know from my neighbors that there are several drug dealers on this street. It's times like this that make me want to move. I just don't know.

Car withdrawl and how Sunset Blvd. inspired me

I am going through car withdrawl. The inconvience of not having a car is affecting my social life. Being dependent on public transportation and the kindness of friends is wearing on me. I am getting progressively aggrevated at one friend in particular who I have given rides to, bought tanks of gas for in the past who never offers to give me a ride though we have many of the same social things happening and the events are not that far away from where I live (but too far to walk to). And when I do ask for a ride, the reaction is one of disdain or that I am bothering him. I am thankful for my carpool buddy and that the bus picks up close to my house. However, I can't just pop into my car to go hang out with a friend, go to the movies, shopping, laundry. That all needs to be planned out now. I could go to a car dealership and get some crappy car to put an end to my pathetic misery, but the stronger person in me says "NO!" I am still trying to hold out for another month or two we shall see.

Last night, I went over to my friend Catherine's house for dinner with a few friends. Megan, from my writing group was there. She asked how things were going and I expressed my lament about not having a car. I told her that I am thinking that part of my lesson in this is that as inconvenient as it is to not have a car and hampers my social life, I should use the time to write. Maybe that's what God is telling me. WRITE, MRS. HAN SOLO. WRITE.

Then I watched Sunset Blvd. Director Billy Wilder wrote this film which came out in 1950, starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson. It's a great film and very well written. In watching it, there is a scene near the beginnigng that was so appropriate to where I am at with the car. William Holden is in fear of losing his car. He asks his agent for money to prevent it from being reposessed.




Joe Gillis: ... If I lose my car it's like having my legs cut off.
Agent: It's the greatest thing that could happen to you. Now you'll have to sit behind a typewriter. Now you'll have to write.

Wow. If that's not a sign...

So though I am writing on this blog, let's say that I am more inspired to get into my writing. It will be a much better use of my time instead of moaning and whining about the lack of car and blaming certain friends for not having the forethought to offer rides.

All About My Mother Part 2

NOTE: This is part 2 of a series about the last few hours of my mom's life. To read the first part, see the posting on 7/12/08

January 9, 2008:
During her last 27 hours with me, Mom had several really lucid moments. She rarely spoke complete sentences, but would give responses here and there, which I am glad to have had with her. For the most part, she laid down on her side, oxygen tubes in place. There were many times when I was watching her when she seemed to be dreaming something wonderful. She was always a mumbler and massive snorer but in this moment, she would giggle here and there. One of our friends said maybe she's seeing Heaven. We will never know. A few days before I came, she had told my dad and brother that she was ready to go - half way between here and there, she had said. She knew it was time for her to go. I find it fascinating and amazing what people experience before death. At the same time I think Mom was waiting for all of us to be there and for us to tell her she could go. That would come in the next day.

For now, I was spending time just holding her hand, stroking her arm and back. Talking to her without expecting response. Sitting or laying near her just to be there. Every few hours, we would give her pain medication. Bob was in charge of that while I think Dad was having such a hard time with this he stayed out of her room most of that time. Bob would crush up the pill and put it in about an ounce of water. Between him, Aunt Gail and I we would sit Mom up and she willingly took the medication. She would go back to sleep or whatever that place was she was in.

Merry and Dwight arrived in the evening and spent time alone with Mom. I can't really remember what I did when I wasn't in the room with her. Sitting numb in the livingroom or kitchen, talking with Dad, Bob and Aunt Gail. Our friends Dr. Becky and Judy came over to be with Mom and us. They are both therapists, and have known our family for years. It was really great to have them around. Judy and Mom were very good friends and I know it was hard on Judy to say good bye to her friend of 43 years.

Things we do in Vermont at lunch...

For those of you not on Facebook, here's a glimpse of my exciting life in Vermont. After a delightful lunch at the park with my co-workers Drew and Kyle, we returned to work....

One afternoon in Burlington...

street performer on church street.

This week in review...

Monday - After work, Carrie and I went to see Elton John at the Champlain Valley Expo Center. Carrie waited 2 hours in line for tickets a few months ago. Though our tickets weren't together, we both had a great time. I even got busted (a little) for capturing some of the concert on my mobile phone. ha ha ha (Pictures coming soon)

Monday - Friday - Carpooling is going great. I get to work right around 8am and leave around 5. Two times this week I was delayed at the end of the day and Dora kindly waited. The buses around here don't run past 6:30, so I really can't leave much later that that. I could walk home if I miss my ride or the bus, but I really have no reason to work late either. Though when the weather is hot, it's nice to work in an air-conditioned office. Work is going well, though a little stressful. All of my clients want to launch their websites at the same time - the end of the month. I have to really work hard at focusing on working "smarter not harder", as we say all the time at work.

Thursday - Every so often, I go to trivia night at one of the local bars. It's been really fun. There's a group of us that with our combined powers (and a little extra help - thanks Doug) we have been doing okay. I have a friend who's team tries to beat us, but we have whipped them for the last three weeks. This past week, we won the first round of questions!! I was super excited.

The weekend - Jen toted me around this weekend so I could test drive some cars and do some much needed errands like getting a rice cooker. My rice cooker of 6 years died. I had a great time test driving and feel it will really help me make a good decision when I do want to get a car. The weather was really nice which was great considering it has been really rainy and icky for the last two weeks. A little bit of sunshine lifts my spirits so much.

I am looking forward to this week because of more trivia and two softball games with some of my favorite work people.

Test driving 7/26/08

Test drove this 2008 Toyota Carolla. I really liked the way it drove. I drove a Toyota Camry, Ford Focus and VW Bug earlier in the day. Out of those four, I liked the way the Camry drove the best. I also drove a Matrix (picture coming) which was also really great.

All About My Mother Part 1

January 8, 2008 I got a call from my brother that said that mom wasn't doing well. She had gotten an infection the week before and was refusing to go to dialysis or to the doctor. The last time she had been at dialysis the center told my dad that it was time to make funeral arrangements. Long story short, they didn't know how long she would have and I needed to get out there. She had also stopped eating and was resistant to even liquids.

January 9, 2008 I was on a plane to California to say good bye to my mother. When I arrived at the house in the early afternoon, I went in to see her. She was looking so frail, pale and laying down. There was an oxygen tube in her nose. It was unsettling to say the least to see her like that. My Aunt Gail was already there and my sister Merry and husband Dwight were on their way from Northern California. Though now it has become a little blurry, the second day to the last day of my mother's life I spent time with my sister, brother, aunt and father crying and being numb.

A woman from the Hospice Center came to talk to us about what to expect in the last hours and to give us support. She talked about the physical changes that happen when a person is close to death - rapid breathing, like panting and gutteral sounds. She told us that our family was one of the most touching and sad family situations she had ever seen. We asked her why and she said it was because we were all calm and seemingly at peace. There was no fighting, yelling or anger of any kind. I don't know if that's because we were all so numb, but I think it mostly had to do with our believe in God and and the afterlife.

Mom was dying. There was nothing we could do about it. What was the point of fighting, arguing or any of that crap. It was important to spend whatever time I could with her and the rest of my family. The next 27 hours were amazing, sad, and nothing I had ever experienced before.

Bus and carpooling

So a few weeks ago, one of the ladies at work hooked me up with a carpooling buddy. Dora, is a new hire in our Support department and lives close enough to me so she has to pass my way onto work. We have been carpooling to and from work for the last two weeks. It is going really well. I would say the only drawback (if you can even call this one) is that I have to leave at 5pm if I want a ride home. All that means is that I have to work harder at being done with work at 5. If I had a car, I would probably stay later than I should. I am being green, which is nice. I am hoping I can do this at least through July, if not the whole summer.

I have also been taking the bus. Today, I walked about 15 minutes to the bus stop, and took a bus to the U-mall (largest mall in Vermont. Smaller than the Glendale Galleria, about the size of the Media Center mall in Burbank). After about 10 minutes, I took another bus to Williston, which is about a 20 minute bus ride. I walked around for a little bit and ended up seeing Journey to the Center of the Earth. After that, I walked around a bit more and then popped back onto the bus for the journey home. It ended up being a whole day event. I had a good time and the bus ran often enough so I didn't feel like I was wasting my time.

Between carpooling, walking and bussing, it's a little inconvenient, but not too bad. So far it's working well.

4th of July concert

Happy 4th of July! I am listening to the Vermont Symphony at Shelburne Farms on this lovely summer evening. The venue is really great, and we are so much closer to the Vermont Symphony Orchestra than I think I would ever be if I was at the Hollywood Bowl.

That's pretty cool.

(PS - It was a great concert with low bug appearance. They played medleys from Oklahoma and Guys and Dolls. They played one of my favorite Hungarian Dances and the 1812 Overture, among others. )

I test drove this Kia on Saturday. It is a little smaller than the Taurus and a nice quiet ride.

Good bye, my Taurus, my friend

This past week I said good-bye to my long time friend and companion, my 1996 Ford Taurus. I had it for 10 years. This past week I had some engine trouble that sounded alot like transmission trouble. I brought it into the mechanic to get an assessment. He said that with 162,000 miles, even HE wouldn't fix it. It would cost me between $2-3k to fix. Not worth it. For that price, I could put a deposit on a new or newer car. So, my friend Carrie helped me clean it out and take the title over to Good News Garage, a company that will take any car living or dead and fix it or sell it to give the money or refurbished cars to needy people. It's a tax write-off, which is great.

Here's a little bit about my car...

• I got it when I was working at Disney Online
• It held 7 people for a brief ride once
• It was a nice purpley gray
• It held alot of stuff
• I drove it across the country - over 3,000 miles
  
• I only took it to the car wash 2 times since I moved to VT
• It liked to unlock its doors for no particular reason

It was a good car. Did well for me. My plan now is to walk and take the bus as much as possible. It's a little inconvenient to not have a car, but it isn't the end of the world. I want to see if I can last all summer without a car. Walking will be not only better environmentally, but give me some good old fashioned excercise. I took the bus three times last week and will buy a bus pass this week. I am looking forward to riding the bus. It will also help me leave work at a reasonable time.

Good bye, my Taurus. You were a great car. Thanks for all the good times.

The new building (or not so new)

In the fall, Company X moved into a new building, not too far away from our previous location. When we moved in, there was still a few months of construction left in our lives. Picture an open area like Costco but with office walls (not cubicles). Imagine, if you will, the constant hammering, drilling, sawing, beeping, pounding of tools and machinery for three months. Then imagine being able to hear the person 3 feet away, not the person 10 feet away, but conversations 30 feet away. Imagine when you are on the phone with a client and they yell at their counterpart for being so loud but it's your construction that's loud. Imagine how the client can't hear you over the aforementioned sounds. Imagine that for months. And the dust, though the air is filtered better than most homes and probably hospitals. But I think the best day of all of that was when they were installing the flooring in the executive area. Bamboo floors - BAM! (pause) BAM, BAM, BAM (pause) for about 5 hours.

After all of that imagining, imagine with me one more time... a cool looking open area where there are no cubicles. There is a cafe and a gym. Not many companies have that. I suppose it was worth the pain. My ears have adjusted to the sounds of my co-workers 30 feet away and there is no longer construction. It is brightly colored. Though we can't hang any pictures, we do have plants and $350 bean bags (about 10 of them). I have worked in much worse places.

More about work...

Boy, oh boy! Company X has been a busy little place in the last 6 months.

• We have a gym and cafe (yes, I mentioned this before, but it's pretty impressive if you think about it)


• Several people got promotions which really surprised me, some deserved it, several didn't


• Several new hires in my department which means work should get easier


• Two guys just had babies this week (not together, and it was their wives actually who did the birthing) and two more are due this year (that we know of so far)


• Three couples got engaged, one more married


• Company X landed some big deals


• I had my review and am still employed

I am still in the same place, doing the same thing like I did last year. Like I did the year before that and the year before that. Not exciting at all. No babies, no promotions, no big clients (or deals). In fact, today (as I think I am a little PMS-y) I am in a really bad mood when it comes to things work related. I am really happy about most of the aforementioned things. But I have issues. I am not really liking me a whole lot right now, especially where work is concerned. I wonder if this place is the place for me. CA is waaaay too expensive (and damn hot). But is B-town the right place? With the economy sucking as much as it does, I am really glad to have a job. I do like my job and the people I work with, most of the time. I think that I will forever be tainted because of the problems I had two years ago and last year with the big clients I worked on. I don't know how I can get people (and myself really) to look past that crap and see that I am a capable and intelligent person who can be more than what my job says. Will I ever have a chance to evolve in my job? I believe Company X prefers the pro-active approach to everything. If you want to do something or get something done here, do it. Then sit back and see where the chips fall. They might fall in a good place, who knows? I have seen several people create their own jobs at this company. Maybe that's what I need to do.

Next time, "All About My Mother" and the May trip to California.

Highlights since Europe...

So here are highlights of what's been happening since my trip last summer. I really hope I can blog more.

Late summer 2007:

• I got written up at work for several things including a bad attitude (which was absolutely true.) That (and weight) has caused my blood pressure to go up and I am now on meds. My attitude has improved as well as the other issues. More on recent job things later.
  
• In Europe I tore my miniscus (the things that hold the knee in place) from being unfit and walking alot on cobblestone. I went to physical therapy which helped tremendously.
• We had a long, very snowy winter. Though I still really hate icey days, I still love the snow.
  
• Game nights with friends
• Lots of work
• Company X moved into a new building (pictures and more details coming soon) which was across the street from our old location.
  
• Thanksgiving and Christmas in Vermont - I was really busy with projects and couldn't make it out to California or anywhere else for the holidays. It was a big bummer because of what was to come in January
• January 2008 - my mom passed away. I thankfully was able to be there to say good-bye. More on that too.
• Febuary 2008 - Oscar party at the Shearaton hotel. I had about a dozen people show up and I had a great time
• March - April - Work, work, work. I did go to Maine with Stephanie for a baby shower for her friend Amanda.
  
• May (so far) - I got tickets to go to see Dave Matthews Band in CT in June, only I can't find anybody to go with me. I posted them on craig's list so I could offload them and not lose money. I am going in the summer to see Elton John, the biggest music act to play in Vermont EVER. Carrie waited 2 hours in line to get tickets. I am going back to California to not only see my family, but the new Indiana Jones movie.
  

So much for Europe...

I am giving up on posting the rest of my trip to Europe. In the 10 months since the trip (that's right, 10!) I have hardly blogged. There has been lots that has gone on since then. I expect I will eventually post some of the pictures or go to shutterfly or some place like that to post them for everybody to see.

Eastern Europe 2007 - Berlin - Hitler and Soviets

More sights from Berlin -

This is on the block where Hitler's bunker stood.
Now it is mostly rubble and a few brick walls.

This is Checkpoint Charlie, the main security line between the American side and Soviet side of Berlin during the Soviet occupation. The guide told us that this isn't the original spot, which is really a few meters away. There is a resistance museum right by there where we learned about the Soviet occupation and some of the ways people tried or did escape.

Just a sliver of East Berlin bland architecture.

The massive reconstruction needs money and buildings get sponsorships like this one.

Eastern Europe 2007 - Berlin - museums and hospitals

We spent a large part of one of our Berlin days doing museum touring. Here's Dad in front of one of the great cathedrals in the main part of the city.
The Pergamon Museum... wow. A tremendous display of ancient Greek and Byzantine art and architecture. The Pergamon was a temple in ancient Greece. Read more about it here. The museum houses many pieces from the alter.

Replica of the alter ^

Goddess killing Mother Nature's son with
Mother Nature pleading on lower right. ^

Hunky Apollo ^

Bunch of gods killing their way up the staircase to the alter. ^

Just so the Byzantines don't feel left out...

The museum was really incredible. I would have loved to spend more time in there, but with Dad not feeling up to snuff, we needed to go back to the hotel or take him to the hospital. We did manage to have a nice lunch at the museum cafe. They raviolis were excellent. While we waited for Maggie to go with us to the hospital, I had the fortune of speaking with a French tourist. He didn't speak English but with my really bad French I was able to talk with him about the weather and Eva Longoria's wedding. It was really nice to communicate (albeit poorly) in another language. It made me want to take French when I returned to Burlington.

Dad being stubborn, didn't want to believe he had a problem with his foot, but we finally got him to the hospital. Maggie was a blessing and a help. The wait wasn't very long and they bandadged him up and gave him some pain medications. He was fit enough to continue with us on our excursions, albeit needing to take it a little slower than the kids in the group.

Eastern Europe 2007 - Berlin - sights and dad

After a really splendid breakfast, the group set out to go explore. However, dad had fallen in the shower and hurt his ankle, so we left him at the hotel to rest. With our guide Maggie at the helm, we bussed and walked and bussed and walked around Berlin to see some major historical sites.




One of the first places we stopped at was the Brandenburg Gate. It had been under revamping but fortunately for us we were able to see it in all of it's splendor. It's a very impressive piece. One of those pieces of architecture you read about in school and so amazing to see in person. Created in the early 1800s, many German rulers and occupiers have used it as a symbol for their reign, especially the Nazis.



The Reisenstaad - Built in the late 1800s, it became a notable icon in the rise of the Nazo party in the early 1930s.

It's now a parliment building as well as a very popular tourist attraction. We waited about 45 minutes to gain entrance to the rooftop where there is a glass and mirror dome that rotates with the direction of the sun so that there is always light within. We had another spectacular view of the city from the rooftop here, and I marveled at the reconstruction of the Gothic, Greek and Roman architecture. From what our guide told us, about 80% of Berlin was destroyed in WW2 and it is a city always under construction. The Reisenstaad was an impressive place to visit.

Back on Potsdamer Straße, we spent time on our own exploring shops and other historical sites like Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church. It was built in the late 1800s and was bombed and burned during World War II. It was left standing as a reminder of the devistation and destruction of war. The building on the left is a memorial. This was practically across the street from the film museum I went to the day before.

I think in order to get through the whole vacation, I will spare the stories for the most part and post pictures. I have lots of pictures. There are deffinately some stories to share, but this far from the trip, do you really care? I don't, though I do want to post pics.

Eastern Europe 2007 - Berlin

The first part of our journey was in Berlin, Germany. After Maggie took me to the hotel and showed me main bus routes on the map, I decided to have my own little adventure since I had about 6 hours to kill and I wasn't about to spend the entire time in my hotel room. I took a two-deck bus and went to the German Film History museum on Potsdamer Straße, one of the main streets in what I would call downtown tourist Berlin. Next door to the museum was a Dunkin' Donuts cyber cafe.
Next door to the museum was a Dunkin' Donuts cyber cafe. Gross.

I explored the museum with an English language audio tour. It was a pretty small museum, but they had some really good things. There were lots of things about pre-WW2 German film makers like Lubistch, von Stroheim, Murnau. There were sections for post-WW2 directors like Wyler, Wilder and more. One of the most exciting sections for me was the part about Fritz Lang, who directed Metropolis. There was a large section dedicated to Marlene Dietrich, which included costumes and love letters from her various Hollywood romances. It was a great way for me to pass the time. I know I wouldn't have been able to do that with the tour group.


Before heading back to the hotel, I explored the courtyard behind the museum and ate lunch. The courtyard was filled with different kinds of shops and a movie theater. I was excited to see that Harry Potter was opening there though I doubted I would be able to see it.


Then I popped back on the bus and met up with our group at the hotel. It was sure great to see Dad and Bob. I had seen Bob in February, but not Dad since the fall of 2006. We went out to dinner at a classic German restaurant. My friend Michelle's husband had taken the same trip with his school and warned me of bland food. He was right. It was great experiencing another culture, but boy the food at the first restaurant with the group was so bland.We still had a great time and I met so many of the group. Asela was my roomate. Her son was one of Bob's students and she was coming as a chaperone. I also met Lindsay and Mindy who taught with Bob and were on the trip as chaperones too. Lindsay had already been in Germany on another trip. There were about 20 kids and a few other chaperones. The students were all at least 18 years old, which meant the chaparones were really more of a formality and to let the parents who didn't go feel secure in knowing there were mature adults around should anything happen. Plus it made it easier on my brother to have a few extra adults as you will soon learn.







On the way back to the hotel, we passed by this sign (<<). Throughout Berlin, we saw similar condom-with-fruit safe sex signs. I really wish we'd do that in the USA! These were great!










One of the tourist trip things we did the first night was to go to the TV tower also known as the Fernsehturm. The tower was built in the mid-to-late 60s in Soviet occupied East Germany. The tower is hundreds of feet above the plaza and the view is 360 degrees. At the top of the tower, there was a bar and what looked like a private room or two. I am not sure if they do dinner there, but it would be a terrific place to dine. The view from the top was so spectacular. We got there just as the sun was finishing it's day. Our hotel was just a few blocks from it. It was an excellent way to start off our trip.

I am back... really I am.

It's been MONTHS. I realize that. I am on a straight track to not let this blog stop. I still plan posting pictures from my Europe trip as well as catch you all up on the latest news. There is big and small news. It's been such a long time since I have posted, mainly because my computer at home sucks and work has been busy. However, I have found blogging to be a bit of a release for me and it helps keep me in touch with people.



Check back in a few days. Really. I promise.