Bullet Points

- About 6 years ago (maybe less), I was listening to NPR on the topic of a messaging system that gave updates to family and friends but was limited to about 140 characters. I immediately thought, "Why would anyone want to use that?"

Twitter, HA!

Now, I get to do status updates for work on Twitter. for WORK. How odd, huh? If you want to follow tpt go here. (I won't be offended if you don't or have no clue as to what I'm talking about. I'm a late adopter.)

- I tried on my wedding dress a few weeks ago. No reason, really. But, should I be worried that 1) it's still dirty from that day. No I never dry-cleaned it - should I? and 2)it fits. I know, I was shocked too. Either I was chubby 9 years ago or I've somehow lost all the married and baby weight I put on.

- I have a new office mate. And while he's nice, he's extremely opinionated. OPINIONATED! He thinks I'm in idiot for using a PC. Hey, buddy, I've got me one of them fancy itouch things so lay off me!

I've also been banished to the woman's dressing room to pump. Actually, it's pretty sweet. I have a private bathroom and I catch up on my two tv shows. (Parks and Rec - Hilarious! and Office) It's a nice break during the day. But still annoying.

- We're heading over to London in May. WITH.THE.BABY.NINE.HOUR.FLIGHT.OH.HELP.ME! I'm a little worried. The kid has flown as recently as January and did great. But now, he's getting more like, "hey, you, hold me!" "No, wait! I want to look at you upside down." "Put me down over there!" "WHY'D you put me down!!"

Ya, that should be fun on a plane. But his passport is so cute! (my preshus bayyy-beeee has a passport!)

- and speaking of Jules (I'll keep it short, I promise), he totally understands me! For example:
(Scene: Baby in my moms arms at the table, playing with her necklace. Me sitting next to them.)

Me: Jew-uls, eh, eh. Don't pull

Jules: (blank stare at me - then back to pulling)

Me: Jew-uls, don't pull

Jules:

Me:

Jules: (yanks hard)

Me: JULES! Eh, eh! Don't pull.

Jules: (pouty face emerges and begins a FAKE CRY, people)

Me: Oh, Jules, you're fine, don't pull.

Jules: :)

Saved

On March 14th, we had baby Jules baptized in the Lutheran Church. He said, "I love baths!" Then proceeded to pull his socks off.





Justin with his look a-like, Jake and me with my look a-like, Heather - Jules' sponsors.



Our friends and family. Baby Jules is loved!



Iz saved! M'kay BAI!

Giant-ness

LOOK! A giant marshmallow!



Bigger than baby Jules' nom nom nom-able body (in a picture!)



I could only eat half of it. Hey look, a glimpse of my desk, two days in a row. I must be really busy at work.

Leftovers

What's wrong with this photo? (not the "photo" but what I'm photo-ing)



I very rarely make my way to the lunch room to hit up the vending machine, but today I really wanted a treat. Something to tide me over until I go home for the day. So I scoured the machine to see all of my options. Normally, I'd get a bag of peanut M&M's but I wasn't feeling it. While looking I noticed these "fit" stickers next to some items.

Oh, right! That's our tpt fit! program. Sweet, they made it easy for me! (The program has been around since August of last year. See, I don't hit the vending machine up often.)

Pretzels. YES! Ooh, with CHEESE! Even better!

Do you see it? Guessed what's wrong yet?

I opened my bag and immediately thought my pretzels were BROKEN! Seriously!? A bag of broken pretzels! ALL OF THEM! What crummy luck.

But then I looked at the bag closlier and read "Pretzel Pieces" and it all clicked.

Oh, Snyder's, you are GENIUS! For reals, you just made up a whole new line of pretzels without doing anything different! By using the majority of broken pretzels, tossing them in fake cheese, I imagine you've reduced how much leftovers you throw away.

Which leads me to think of ways I can use leftovers. Sure, I made burritos with leftover pulled pork last night (way to re-heat, Jessi!) but what about other things that aren't usually part of meal? Say, the last bit of milk in your cereal bowl? What to do with that? And the peels of carrots or cucumbers? Someone's gotta have an idea?

Help a girl out. What do you do with any/all leftovers? (doesn't have to be food related either. Hello - paper towel rolls - I'm SURE they can be re-purposed into something.

Nine Months

Baby Jules, you are. Well, what can I say? The best baby? Yes. The funniest? Yep. The cuddliest? uh-huh. You are my favorite little boy.

This has been a very, very busy month, developmentally for you!

At nine months you:

- recently mastered picking up cheerios/baby puffs and shoving them in your mouth. Pincher skills! (a big improvement from a few weeks ago when most ended up on the floor!)
- Drink from a sippy cup (but need help with the tilting part).
- Talk a lot!
- blow bubbles, loudly.
- sprouted that TOOTH, finally! And have another one on the way.
- super crabby because of new teeth.
- roll, roll, roll everywhere. BUT, you've finally figured out how to get on all fours. I think crawling will be in the near future.
- get all excited when you're naked and ready for a bath.
- at least 20lbs. We'll get the full scoop this Friday at your check-up. (and your car seat is HEAVY!)
- a rock star sitter-upper.



You still take about 3 naps during the day and sleep all night. But taking naps are hard for you. Lately, you fight to stay awake, worried you might miss something. But really, you're a much happier baby if you nap. So just go to sleep.

You love to eat especially if we're eating. And Scully loves when you eat too since some of it ends up on the floor.



You babble but mostly you say mamamama - thank you! (although, I'm fully aware that it doesn't mean "mama")

I love going in your room after a nap, singing, "bay-beee Jew-uls, bay-beee Jew-uls, it's time to play." With your face all red from sleeping on it, you just smile and giggle. Obviously, ready to play.

Happy nine (9!!!!) months, Jules!

The PROCESS

Why am I showing you my cluttered counter?



Just keeping it real, people.

I hate clutter. But I have it. The mail area in our kitchen is the worst for clutter. THE.WORST. Many times I've cleaned it but never really found what the problem was to begin with. So, I decided to use the PROCESS to deal with this area once and for all.

My Plan: Ask myself, "What do I want this area to be?" I found coupons (expired!), bills, tax forms, instructions to various things, vitamins, magazines, and a sudoku cube. None of these things belonged here! I wanted this area to be the bill paying area and that was all. Not a drop place for random coupons, mail, toys, etc. The plan also meant that I just didn't move things to a new location. They had to have a home. Old bills down to the shredder or filing cabinet, games to the game closet, vitamins with all the other meds, etc.

I Removed everything from the space including cleaning out the container and put like with like.

I Organized into piles. The garbage and recycling bin were close by so whatever I didn't have a home for were tossed/recycled. I was ruthless with the purging too. While I might like to have used a coupon, the reality of it was I probably wouldn't, so I tossed it. Once the space was cleaned and piles were made, I found homes for everything that wasn't tossed/recycled.

My Container works when it's just bills. Anything else and it's just a mess. I keep pens (that work), a notepad, checkbook, calculator, checks that need to be deposited, stamps and anything else that relates to bills and bill paying. My container also has a small section that's perfect for gift cards. I like to keep all gift cards in one area and this makes sense for us.

After a week of this new organized system, I've Evaluated to see if 1) the area was still organized and 2) being used as its real intention. It was a relief knowing that it was still organized and nothing else was being thrown in there that isn't a bill, check or gift card. It works for me!

Right now, I don't need to Solve or simplify anything that I see.

Wanna see what it looks like now?

Come back tonight and I'll show you!

Update! Shazaam! Here's the finished space! Now, I can Sit back and enjoy the clean, organized space.



ETA...again: I'm entering this in the 28-day Organizing Challenge. Here are my 5 answers:

1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it? Seriously, just doing it. I would look at that pile after the rest of my kitchen was clean and just feel defeated. Turn off the lights, walk out of the room.

Sorting and purging, that's the easy part! Also, who wants to give up a snuggle moment with their little one to do something like this? So, I did it when he went to bed and I didn't have anything on tap for the night. Starting was the hardest part.

2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order? The rule is deal with the mail as it comes into the house, not weeks (and piles) later. So simple, but it's working.

3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space? If it was a paid bill, I took it to the office to either shred it or file it. Games went to the game closet, etc. I didn't just move it to another space. That was the rule I made with myself. Everything had a home and needed to be there, not moved to another pile.

4. What creative storage solutions were you able to introduce in order to create additional space as well as establish some limits and boundaries? I already had the little storage container (yes, from Ikea Tony!) and it really is perfect for the mail role. And I thought if I put a cute photo of my little one and my pup, I'd be more inclined to keep it organized.

5. Why do you think you should win this challenge? Oh boy, doesn't everyone have this problem with the mail? While this was a small area, I could definitely use help with bigger areas, including simple organizational tools for my life. I want to be that organized spouse/mom/employee!

Dull Jules

All shopping at Menards and no play, makes Jules a dull boy.



(crappy quality courtesy of my camera phone. You're welcome.)

8 Months

This is babyhood as people know it.

At eight months, Jules rolls to get places, but also stretches super hard to reach something. He's doing the rocking thing but doesn't get up on all fours yet. He sits very, very well and has gone from sitting to tummy trying to reach something. It looks deliberate so he must really want the toy.

Not only do we think he's the cutest, but he's hilarious too! If his shade is down and we're changing him, he'll reach for it to see outside. He smiles and laughs at the light that comes in. Or maybe he's just laughing because I'm telling him "no". He's already ripped off the "warning" label. Speaking of labels, he loves tags on toys. He studies them and shoves them in his mouth. He gets all screamy when I come home from work, we show him a favorite toy, or when he just gets excited - which seems to be all the time!



He's between sizes right now. But really, some of his clothes are 3-6 month and they still fit, so who knows. It seems like every 2 weeks I have to pack up more of his clothes. So I've just kept the storage bucket in his room since I have to fill it all the time.

He's eating more and more, but still likes to nurse. He eats sweet potatoes, cereal, peas, carrots, bananas, and we just started prunes. We also started giving him a sippy cup for him to hold. Hes interested in it, but not enough yet. He's been so spoiled with bottles during the day so I might be a hard transition. We'll keep working on it.

He's got a little nubbin of a tooth coming in. It seems to be taking its time. But Jules doesn't seem too phased by it.

We're also teaching him to clap and wave and we'll start a few baby signs soon.

He reaches for people when he wants to be held. And his stranger anxiety (the little bit that was there) is almost gone.



There have been some major changes with sleep. Last month, not sure if it was because I was home for two weeks, growth spurt or what, but his sleep habits were crappy. He's gotten back on track but now sleeps a bit more. He's put in bed around 7pm, he talks for about 20 minutes and then falls asleep. Wakes up between 5:30 and 6:30 then will either doze for another hour or will be up for about 2 hours. Then Justin takes over. He takes about two 1 1/2 naps then a quick one late in the day. Which can make or break bedtime. So we drop it sometimes which helps his naps and sleep at night.

I know people stop swaddling their little ones around 4 or 5 months, but we were still swaddling him until about a week ago. While it did seem pointless every time we did it (he would bust out the second we walked away), he somehow knew that being swaddled meant it was time to go to sleep. The times we didn't swaddle him, he'd talk and play in bed for over an hour, but the second we'd swaddle him, he'd be out.

So now he's in a sleep sac. He's used it before but now we're trying to use it all the time. And he's cut down on the length of time he talks before falling asleep. It's usually about 20 minutes now.



When I get home from work, he wants me to hold him until he goes to bed. While I would love to do this, I do have a few things that I need to get done. So I decided he's big enough to carry on my back leaving me with my hands free. And he loves this!



We're still using cloth diapers. No rashes, no blow-outs, no leaks (unless he's left in it too long). It was a great investment. But now we've got the stinkies! It happens. And really, the only way I can get rid of them is to line dry. Ha! Can't do that until about April, maybe May. So until then, I have to just keep cleaning them in small amounts, altering the water hardness with the softener, try different detergents - basically a science experiment. But I still highly recommend cloth diapers!



Happy 8 month birthday baby Jules!

Passive Aggressive

After Jules was born, I decided to drive to work. Taking the bus would be about an hour commute and driving was about 15-20 minutes less. I want all the time I can get with him, so I drive now. And since I was giving up my super cheap bus pass for a parking pass, I wanted to park in my building. Which happens to be the most expensive in downtown St. Paul (lame, Lowertown!) In my mind, this situation is temporary and I'll start taking the bus again - so I could splurge on the parking fee.

The garage is nice with lots of spaces if you get here early enough. Lately, I haven't and I just go straight for the lower levels where there is always plenty of spots.

One day, I got to work late and had to park on the bottom level. While waiting for the one working elevator (the other was out), the number of people waiting grew - this never happens, the elevators are FAST. Just when we all started to look at each other, it arrived. Phew! I didn't want to walk up SIX flights of stairs!

We filed in and hit Skyway (P7) and away we went. P1 lit up, P2 lit up, P...and the one working elevator stopped. STOPPED between floors! Someone hit the closest floor to get it going and it went up, then dropped some and got stuck again. Another person pushed all the buttons - like that was gonna help - while on the other side of the elevator, a woman used the "call help" phone (or really, the "get me the HELL outta here" phone). She started talking to the operator and the elevator dropped again and the doors opened at P2. Everyone fled and started walking towards the stairs.

Crap. 6 flights of stairs at 8am. Too early. For reals. I'm so outta shape. I'm carrying 2 bags because that's what people who work in either downtown St. Paul or Minneapolis carry. Heavy winter coat. This sucks!

I made it. Barely. (This coming from a former casual runner. Yes, I know, I suck.)

I had hopped that was just a fluke and I wouldn't have to do it again. But I was also glad to know where the stairs were just in case.

Good thing I now know where the stairs are because later that day, an email went out to all employees. "Elevators are out for undetermined amount of time."

Nothing to do now but use the stairs. And you know what? When I get here early, I still park at P1 and walk up the six flights of stairs. I like a challenge. Apparently, others do not.

Minnesotans are notoriously passive aggressive. My husband said he learned from the best, his mother. (btw, I think he enjoys this trait especially now that he's amongst his own people.)

And since the elevators have been out for about three weeks now, people aren't happy anymore and it's showing:



Maybe they have to order a part? Maybe it's being shipped and nothing can be done until it gets here? Maybe they need to replace something and only one person in town can do it and he's on vacation? I'm not passive aggressive; I look for other explanations or assume something.

So I'm assuming this person only has to walk up three levels. What a bitch.

You Are NOT Entertaining!

While I tend to get the daily news in "scouring the web" format, last night I watched the local news, that led directly into Entertainment Tonight. Not news at all. But here's what I saw and now, want to know why it's even a story.

Sarah Palin's grandson spends the day with his dad.

Only ET has the first video of new father Levi Johnston at home in Alaska with Sarah Palin's grandson, baby Tripp, doing everything from changing his clothes and playing to diaper duty!

Did anyone else see this? The crew followed Levi from picking up the baby (but no footage of baby mama), driving him home, changing a diaper, playing with the sound guy's boom, and I gave up and walked out by then. (I was waiting to hear how fat Kirstie Alley is.)

Ok, lets break this down. A Governor who quits (btw, the people of Alaska should be PISSED that she quit. They voted her in and she turns around and say's "see ya" - she knows she's got leverage after the failed Vice Presidential run to make money selling her image, and being Governor of Alaska isn't glamorous. But look!

(photo courtesy Awkward Family Photos)

How can she not get anymore glamorous than this?!

Ok, back to breaking it down. Governor, Alaska, quit. Ok, who's daughter has a baby at the tender age of whatever.WAY.too.young.and.not.married (possibly ruining super conservative Governor's image), and now the baby and baby daddy are in the spotlight wasting their one and only day away during the week to host Entertainment Tonight. Yes, it's sad that they both only get one day a week to spend with each other, but why is this the "entertainment" part of Entertainment Tonight?

This isn't the pairs first visit. This happens every Saturday. Just a dad spending time with his kid. What I want to see is (if I HAVE to see something regarding this ridiculous family) Levi, Baby Mama and Sarah on Maury. Levi, if you're gonna exploit yourself and, sadly, your son, do it where the rest of America does it.



Now that's entertainment!

(disclaimer: Stuff like this happens all the time. And I do find Maury entertaining, but honestly, I'm sad for the little ones who are caught in the middle of custody battles, being exploited on t.v., not knowing who their dads are, moms that sleep around. It's really, REALLY sad. And for that, I wouldn't wish on any kid and I can only hope they are loved and feel loved no matter what.)

Well, That Was January

January, you came and went, and for most people, it sucked. Why is that? You shouldn't be any different than any other month, right? (Ok, I give you weather. Weather in the frozen tundra pretty much sucks this time of year. Meh, I'm over it.)

- The holiday's are over and there isn't anything to celebrate - except birthdays!
- My niece turned 1(!) (who's parents requested no gifts, not sure why, but I think it's because she just received a pile of toys and clothes for Christmas, but still! BIRTH DAY, Hello!)
- I turned 32 on a Monday (which blows because I got crap sleep the night before. I forgot my pump so I ended up going home early anyway to work. And I had to hide from a baby who wanted me to hold him, but NOOOO, I had to work.). Surprisingly it's a good age, but for some reason, I never really remembered I was 31 to begin with so I feel like I lost a year.
- Jules helped me celebrate my birthday with a quick trip to Cheesecake Factory where he immediately started screaming. We ate half our meals and got cheesecake to go. It's the new norm now.
- But natural disasters like crappy snow storms and an earthquake that has killed hundreds of THOUSANDS of people is a big downer, January
- Apparently, January 24th is the most depressing day of the year. Another downer.
- The Vikings lost. Poor Justin.

Ok, so, ya. I guess you did suck again this year. Oh January, I've long given up on you. My birthday month has never been anything special. But don't you think the birth of someone is something to celebrate, no matter what time of year or what age? Why is a birthday in January any less important than a birthday in July, August or September? Holiday's are just holiday's. But birthdays... I get it now. I gave someone a birthday and it should be celebrated! Every year! So while I've given up on my own birthday, I've got someone else to focus on. In June - a sweet little boy who made me a mom (and basically a new person) so I'm moving my "mom" birthday to June! Suck on that January!

Photography

I know some think high priced photographers aren't worth it. Sure, if you can do it yourself, go right ahead. But I can't, so I didn't. I contacted Chrissie Marie here in Minneapolis because I really liked her photos of little ones.

And I REALLY like this little one:



NOM NOM NOM Look at those hands and toes!



If you want to see the whole gallery, go here. Enjoy!

Revisit

This year, I'm going to try to sew more. I had fun making all those goodies for my nieces and nephews that I want to sew more for me as well as others. AND make more bags! I've really missed it. I worked on a bag for a friend (hi Neha!) and while it turned out terrible (supposed to be a fashionable camera bag), I still have hope for it.

So to keep me motivated, I bought a few new patterns:



Lots of variations on the basic t-shirt. This pattern got great reviews and I really like Jalie's instructions.



And this one...well, look at how cute! I love that I can make one for Justin and Jules.

Now to go fabric shopping!

The Screamer

You know when they say "Oh, he's just finding his voice." I thought I knew what that meant, until this:



This is HI-larious until we're out at a restaurant. Or on a plane. Or we're sleeping and he's not.

ETA: Oh, wait, this one REALLY gives you the full experience (minus lighting. I'll never be able to capture him without the flash. Oh well.):

Black Hole

- I heard this song on my way home today and it reminded me of the first time I heard it. On my way to Galveston, Texas for Prom, I actually asked, "Is this some sort of Christian rap song?!" I really didn't listen to much outside Country music and Alternative.

- I'm trying to wear earrings everyday. I have tons of pairs that I never wear. Lets see if I can do something this simple.

- Ok, I signed up for another 5k. Last time I ran one, I was pregnant, but didn't know. I am definitely NOT pregnant this time around.

- I just got back from Houston. Don't ask me how to get anywhere in that city. I have NO clue anymore. It's foreign to me.

- Flying with a baby does have some advantages. On every flight, people were willing to help me (and commented on how cute Jules was). And since I traveled light (stroller, baby, purse), I didn't need help. But it was so nice to know people were willing to help.

- Sometimes, flash sites SUCK.

- Palin and Bachmann...for reals?

- Apparently, I'm really dumb when it comes to buying disposable diapers. I've used cloth for so long that when I had to buy disposable for my Houston trip, I thought I got the right size. I didn't. They leaked. The end.

- SKOL VIKINGS!


WUT? I drool lots now.

7 Months

Oh Jules, I miss you sometimes when I'm at work. And how can I not? You're so cute, funny, sweet, cuddly, smiley, and I love how you love Scully.


This past month, we've really upped the cereal and other solids and after a few weeks, you've finally decided you like food. Now, you eat cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, sweet peas. You're not a fan of green beans. I can't blame you, they are pretty bland and smell like dirt. I just bought you some other flavors, but we'll wait a while before we give you those.


And with food now being part of your diet, your diaper habits have changed. But we won't get into that. Let's just say we've been really lucky. You still wear cloth diapers. Here you're sporting a G-Diaper that I didn't put on right. Don't worry, I fixed it. After I took a few photos. You know, for documentation.

You STILL love that sound stage toy. LOVE!


You celebrated Christmas and had lots to open. People were so generous! And while you were out of your regular routine, you were happy getting back on schedule. I had two weeks off from work so you and I hung out and watched Maury Povich all day in our pj's. (Well not all day, for two hours, then we'd nap. Because the drama on Maury was exhausting!)


With all of the changes and growing, your sleep habits are, well, crappy right now. You first slept through the night around 3 months. And it continued til about 6 months, where you decided you needed to eat 2 times a night. And now, we've got you back down to one time a night. Not bad, but I know you can sleep through. So we're working on that. You still preferred to be swaddled since it helps you fall asleep. If we don't, you just babble to yourself for hours. And you need your sleep!

Scully loves to clean your face and hands after you eat. I don't let her do that, but daddy does. You're gonna be her pal when you're older, dropping food on the floor.



Happy seven months Jules!

Limited Showing

Today's high was five. Last year, since I was new here, it was really shocking when the temp on the bank sign said negative 18. So a high of five is nothing. It's a warm front really. But I don't have to deal with it much longer.

(well, for a weekend at least)

I'm going home to Houston for the first time in probably 3 years. 4 years? Who knows. And right now, they are like "Burrrr, it's 30 degrees. Where's the electric blanket?"

They should really try a mattress warmer. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I'm going to Houston. Alone. With Jules. On a plane. With a layover. He's at the age where he's squirmy, screamy, but still a cutie. I'm hoping the hum of the engines will lull him to sleep or I might owe my seatmates booze.

So, if any of my Houston friends wanna see me or meet Jules, let me know. I'm only there for a weekend.

In the Mail

Now that they've been sent and hopefully opened, here are some of the projects I made for nieces and nephews this year:

Toddler Backpack. This was for a 2-year-old nephew. Really, he had so many other gifts that I don't even think he noticed it until the next morning when I said, "Hey, Reese, you can carry all your new cars with this!" and he proceeded to load it up and carry it around. It was cute.



Fleece Jacket with Hannah Montana accents. My niece LOVES Hannah Montana and LOVES pink. This is my standard fleece jacket pattern (Jalie 2679) that I've made many times. Works out great, but I see that Burda has one in their latest magazine. I might have to make that one to compare.


T-shirt turned backpack. One of my nephews loves Ed Hardy but I wasn't about to spend $100 on a t-shirt that I was gonna cut up. So I found a screen print kit at Joann's, a t-shirt at Saver's, and this pattern, and ended up with this:



I actually made another t-shirt backpack for another nephew. He was getting a guitar for Christmas and I found a t-shirt at Savers with a cool guitar and skull - it was perfect. And he really liked it too.

I've never ventured into doll making, but I decided to try a Wee Wonderful doll for another niece. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it'd be. Lots of hand sewing, but surprisingly, I didn't mind.


Now that all the gift sewing is done and my sewing area is cleaned, it's time to make stuff for me!

Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us

Today, December 23rd is Festivus. Let's celebrate, shall we?

Over in the corner is my aluminum pole (no tinsel or any decorations of course). Average and plain, isn't it?

Ok, be done looking at the pole.

Let's move on to "Airing of Grievances."

Oh boy, do I have some issues this year. And you people are gonna hear about them. In no particular order:
Who cares about the following:
Tiger Woods, Oprah retiring, Jon & Kate, People who do nothing yet are famous somehow.

Car seats that are safe, yet HUGE! I need a new car to fit this thing, and it's only going to get bigger. Thanks safety for making me sit so close to the steering wheel that, while my kid is safe, I'm not! Jerk.

Verizon Wireless. While you work EVERYWHERE else in the world, you don't work in my cul-de-sac. Seriously? What's that all about? Why am I paying x dollars when I can't even use my phone at home. I'd like a refund for the past YEAR, please.

Ok, now it's time for the "Feats of Strength" but I don't want to embarrass anyone, so we'll skip it this year. But, next year, just you wait. Better watch your back.

And finally, "Festivus Miracles!" A friend said she made caramels. I was going to stop by her office to get one. But she stopped by MY office and brought me one. It was a Festivus Miracle!

Goodbye TPT...

Hello TPT!

I got a new job at tpt (I LOVE that they LOVE to hire within!). When I'm done with the Minnesota Video Vault project, I will have watched about 1000 shows.

One THOUSAND shows. Actually, there will be 1100 shows, but I've had some help (Thank G!) My brain is fried, but my knowledge of Minnesota and its history is unbelievable - or I like to think.

Remember when you were a kid and it was summer time and all you wanted to do was watch tv all day? (Maybe you weren't as lazy as I was. But seriously, it was HOT in Texas during the summer, so unless you were swimming, you were watching tv.) And you wished you could get paid to watch tv all day?

Yeah, I did that. (But I did plenty of other things too!) And while the project was really awesome and ahead of the pack in terms of online archiving, sometimes, watching programs all day sucked. But, I'm proud of my work, my knowledge of Minnesota and the opportunity tpt gave me to take charge of the project.

It paid off.

So now, I'm finishing up my list of shows (1100!)and moving onto another project managing various internal websites. MANAGING, kids.