A rare occurance

It's Friday and I feel a little lost.

• I don't have my freelance project to work on.
• My projects at work are either complete, in someone else's hands for review, or in the analysis phase.
• My team is moving to a new building so my desk is all packed. There are no pictures on the walls, no personal items anywhere... it is just an empty space.
• I am on vacation next week, so I am not worrying about deadlines.

I feel in limbo.

Tuesday J-man is having surgery to remove the hardware from his legs, so Sunday I will be getting us packed (we check him in the hospital on Monday), worrying about the surgery, making sure we have everything we need. I'll feel some stress and pressure then.

But in the mean time, I really don't have anything going on.

It feels weird.

And I am LOVING IT!

If any of you play Pirates of the Caribbean online, I'll be on it all weekend! Let me know your pirate's name and we'll work on some quests together. LOL

Cut. It. Out!

See this darling, sweet, precious little kitty?



I am going to KILL her.

The past week or so, she has started coming into our room in the middle of the night and meowing at the TOP of her lungs. This doesn't last for a minute or two. Oh no! Not Lily the Over Acheiver. She does this for well over an hour.

Even after Carl and I chase her out of the room (she comes back)... throw a shoe at her (she gets under the bench and continues)... or pick her up to love on her (she wants more).

She has everything she needs - food, water, clean litter.

SHUT IT, Lily!

The other night I got up while she was in the throes of her cries and found one of J-man's rubber snakes at her feet. I thought she was bringing me a gift and asking for approval so I thanked her, loved her up and put her back down on the floor.

She was calm for a minute or two, then she jumped on the bed with a muffled mew. I looked and she had the rubber snake in her mouth and had brought it up with her. I am so glad I knew it was fake.

I can understand her doing it on weekends when we sleep in. She is a creature of habit and waiting until 7 when she is used to getting attention at 5 is a big deal for her. She starts around 6:30 trying to wake us up with the cries and the head butting. But this? Every night?

What could be wrong? How can we get her to stop!?! Don't say shoot her... trust me, Carl has threatened that. (He wouldn't do it)

Dunn

My project is complete. It has been sent to the client for a look-see and I'm not sure if I'll get it back for more revisions.
If I do, I can handle it. If I don't... well... good!

Of course I am doubting myself. What if she doesn't like it? What if it wasn't what she wants? What if it just plain, all out, sucks? What if she calls my friend - who gave me the job - and says that I suck and she doesn't ever want me to do a job for her again? I hate thoughts like that.

All I know is I put in a LOT of time on this project and I have my fingers crossed that she'll like it. What can I do about it now? Nothing.

This has been a tough couple of months and I don't know if I could do it again. It took time away from vacations and weekends, my kids, my online games... my sanity.

But we needed the money, and in the end, it was worth it. (I hope)

Now I can sit back and breathe and become myself again.

B-day

Happy birthday to one of the funniest, sweetest, most huggable little girls in the world!

Bug is 11 today! When did I get old enough for my baby to be ELEVEN?

Stop time.

Now.

Love you, Bug-a-boo. I hope your day is as special as you are.

And speaking of babies... how cute are these guys??? This made me giggle...

Is that a light I see?

It has been crazy at Pug Manor.

My project is coming to an end. I'm in the throes of wrapping things up, but still extremely stressed that I won't get it all done. I won't bore you with details but writing objectives, creating test questions, creating activities, and determining timeframes is AWFUL. Gah... why do I do it?

Carl has been a true blessing. I taught him how to make screenshots and icons and he has been doing that on his days off. It takes him a few hours, but hey, it saves me time and he feels like a superstar! Win-win!

Bug's birthday is this week and we still haven't purchased her presents. I think Carl and I will get them tomorrow while she is playing with her friends and sneak them in the house.

All I know is this weekend the files will be in the hands of my client and I can relax for the first time in two months. I'm looking forward to that, but in the mean time it is going to be an insane week.

Guess you could say I'm in the groove!


see more dog and puppy pictures

Boys being boys

I worked from home yesterday so the kids were running in and out of the house all day long. I kept hearing the kids in the garage and thought they were getting their bikes or cooling off in the shade.

At one point I got up to get something to drink and noticed movement in the back yard. I looked out the back door and saw this:

J-man and his two buddies were working HARD at putting a tent up in the back corner of our yard. Both dogs were keeping them company - it was a regular testosterone fest. I grabbed my cellphone and went in the backyard to see what was up.

They were so proud. I asked them if they were enjoying themselves, and of course they all said yes. You can see it on their sweet faces just how good it felt to do this!

About an hour after they put up the tent J-man came in the house and asked if they could sleep out there. I told him that was fine and the joy that spread across the kid's face was amazing. He was THRILLED! He ran upstairs and got a pillow, comforter, DVD player (he roughs it I tell ya) and a few DVDs. I said "son... you don't have a battery powered player." He said, "I know... we have an extension cord!"

Carl and I planned on buying the boys pizza for dinner, but right before we left to pick it up the big brother of J-man's friends came by. He needed to take the smaller of the two, C, home for dinner. His parents thought he was too young to stay with us over night... which is understandable.

What would happen if he got scared in the middle of the night? Would he try to go home? Even though they only live one street over, it worried his parents that he would bail in the dark without letting anyone know.

So we picked up pizza, fed the boys, and settled in. Then the phone rang. The oldest brother called and asked if they could come to their house for the campout; they had a tent, too, and could put it up for all of them. J-man asked me if they could move our tent to their house and I agreed.

I think C raised such a fuss about not being able to camp out, his parents relented and said he could do it if the boys came to their house.

At this point I haven't heard from J-man to see how it went, but I'm sure he had a blast.

It is so funny to watch him grow up and do all of these "boy" things.

Noooooo!

I have been a huge fan of John Sandford and his "Prey" series for a long time. I haven't read one in quite a while, but his detective - Lucas Davenport - has stuck in my mind since I was first introduced to him.

I've always imagined him as a Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, or Samuel L. Jackson kinda guy... rough, rugged, scarred... built like a MAN... growly...

Scrolling through the TV today I noticed that his book Mind Prey was on as a movie! I was so stoked!

Then I saw who was playing Lucas...

Eriq La Salle

15 October 2007 © WireImage.com - Image courtesy WireImage.com

NOOOOOOOOOOO! That is NOT Lucas!

He's a good-lookin' enough guy, but not for Lucas. He isn't rough enough... or growly... or raw like Lucas is described in the book.

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am.