I just signed us up for a service that will eliminate 80-95% of our junk mail. The average person receives 41 pounds of junk mail every year (thus the name). I can state with fair certainty that Mr Moo and I are way above average on this one. We get mountains of it. We'd be happy with just a 50% reduction. If they can hit the 80% mark, we'll be ecstatic. Before everyone gets too excited about this site, be aware there is a fee for this service. It costs $41 to subscribe, which may seem a little bit steep. However, half of the money goes to non-profit organizations, which is a good thing. In the end, you'll be doing a part to help save the environment, donating to charity and getting rid of annoying junk mail. That's well worth $41 in my book. |
"NAME THAT MOVIE" CONTEST - 083 Come on, peeps! Someone has to know which movie this is. |
We had a beautiful sunset tonight. |
Just before 2300 last night, Mr Moo and I heard a police siren nearby. We could see the flashing lights just up the road a bit. We both immediately thought it was strange that an officer would leave his siren going in a residential neighborhood that late at night if it was just a traffic stop and assumed something more serious was going on. We kept watch for a few more minutes and, sure enough, two more police cars showed up and started roaming up and down the streets. At one point, we saw them all go zooming off in the same direction at high speed. Whoever they were looking for must have been sighted. We didn't see anything else after that and went to bed. Today, I checked all the local news websites to see if I could find out what happened and there was nothing. Just for kicks, I called the police department's general switchboard. I figured if there was some psychotic murderer roaming our neighborhood, I just might want to know about it. I asked the very pleasant woman who answered if police reports were public information and if I could find out what happened last night. She answered with a most definitive "Possibly. It depends." and a chuckle. I gave her all the information I had and she looked up the report. She was able to tell me quite a bit. In a nutshell, it was a suspicious person complaint. A guy went to a nearby house and asked for someone who did not live there. After he was told such and left, he went back to the house repeatedly, asking for a different person every time. When the police showed up and tried to question him, he took off and they went after him. I asked if they caught him and she didn't know. She said the report she was reading didn't say one way or the other. So, there still is a possibility of a lunatic roaming about my neighborhood after all. What a way to start the week. |
Yesterday was "Get A Project Done Day" here in the Moo House. About a million years ago, we bought these: |
From the 2002 Moo's World Thanksgiving Gala and Jamboree |
Dear Lingering Hacking Cough, Please, PLEASE, go away. Yeah, right now. Go on. Away with thee. Thanks, |
Rock on, dude! |
A few more photos from my friend J's wedding in November. |
I finally got around to scanning in a photo from the wedding I was in back in November. |
I went out to run some errands this afternoon, including a stop at the clinic for a blood draw. The entire time I was out, I ran into nothing but green lights, minimal traffic, smiling faces and short lines. I didn't even have to wait more than a minute to be called in at the clinic and was out of there in less than five. ((looks around nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop)) |
"NAME THAT MOVIE" CONTEST - 083 Round 083 is still open! |
I tried to put some spare change into my piggy bank today, but couldn't because it was full. I emptied it out so Mr Moo can take it to the bank and deposit it tomorrow. EDIT: Grand total pictured - $46.51 |
Today was the first day I've woken up without hacking like a two pack a day smoker. Yay! I'm still coughing a little and probably will be for several more days yet, but I've definitely turned the corner on this chest cold. Finally! I got my client's veil made yesterday. I had a problem with my serger and ended up being unable to put the rolled hem on the edge of the veil like she wanted. It would work fine for about 6-8 inches, then a stitch would skip or something and it would go all wonky. I tried several different things, including changing the needle, but could not get it to work properly. Methinks it's time to take it in for some service. On today's agenda: more work, both sewing and on the computer. Oh, yay. I also have a new client consultation (bride, wedding is in May) at 1800 this evening. |
While I'm feeling loads better and feel like I'm just about over this cold nonsense, I still have a lingering nagging cough. Since it's caused by the remaining crud in my lungs and not a sore throat, it's exacerbated when I lie down to go to sleep. Needless to say, I'm not sleeping well at the moment because of it. Even though I went to bed relatively early last night, I could not get to sleep for anything. I finally cried myself to sleep (ie. fell unconscious due to exhaustion) around 0600 this morning. It was a rough night and going to make for a rough day today. On the agenda for today: a whole lotta football watching and making a bridal veil. Quite the combination, eh? My Patriots are one game away from playing in the Superbowl again, so I gotta be watching that. I also have work that needs doing. Oh, the fun never stops in the Moo House. |
I'm feeling hella better today. Granted, I still feel like crap and I'm still coughing up loads of disgusting stuff that I won't describe here, but at least I'm not lying in bed wishing I was dead anymore like I did all day yesterday. I'm hoping a hot shower and some clean clothes will help me feel human enough to actually get a bit of work done today. Throw in a cute kitty photo, too, and I should be all set. Oh, look. Here's one of Josie. |
Time... is irrelevant... here in the Seventh Circle of Hell. A place where even despair dies. -- Frasier Crane, Frasier |
If anyone needs me today, I'll be the one in the other room hacking up a lung. |
I cannot believe I am coming down with a cold again. My tonsils felt weird all day yesterday. Today, they're the size of eggplants, my chest is full of yuck and my throat is on fire. Great. And, once again, it's all Captain Immune Carrier's fault. He mentioned the other day that his chest felt a little tight and, as far as I know, that was the end of it for him. I hate him for that. It's probably something he picked up on one of his flights home from Israel on Friday. Airplanes are great for that. They're just giant tin cans o' germs. Fortunately, my 6:00 consultation for this evening called and rescheduled her appointment because her steep driveway is an ice skating rink right now and she can't leave her house. I'm thinking it might be high time to curl up on the sofa with the TiVo remote and a couple warm blankies for the remainder of the day. I'd add "with a large glass of orange juice" to that sentence except I just polished off the last of it. Argh! I don't know if I will survive until Mr Moo comes home tonight with some more. |
Pictures from yesterday morning. The sky spat flakes off and on for the rest of the day and we ended up with a bit more accumulation than what's in these photos. |
For anyone who is interested, I finally got my new Panasonic pan and tilt wireless (WOOT!) webcam, which Mr Moo bought me for Christmas, up and running the other day. |
"NAME THAT MOVIE" CONTEST - 082 Round 082 is still open! |
Mr Moo brought home a few coins from Israel. |
Allow me to say how thrilled I am that Mr Moo is home again. I feel so much safer and more peaceful when he's home. The random bang I keep hearing downstairs is suddenly much less scary (I really need to figure out what's causing that) and I can now wash my hair in the shower safe in the knowledge that, when I open my eyes again, the only person I will find in the bathroom with me is the strange man I married and not some stranger come to rape and kill me. I don't recall exactly when Mr Moo walked through the door yesterday arvo, but it was sometime right around 1300. He actually managed to stay awake the rest of the day - we even went out and ran some errands in the evening. He started fading quickly after about 2000 (I told him not to lie down on the couch) and, not long after 2130, finally admitted defeat and went to bed. Get this now. Mr Moo, who normally only gets about five hours of sleep per night, slept for over THIRTEEN hours last night. Think someone was a wee bit jet lagged? |
Mr Moo called a few minutes ago while I was in the shower. He left a message saying he was heading out into the vast barren wasteland (otherwise known as airport long term parking) to get his truck and head home. Woot! |
I didn't receive any "Missed my connection in Germany. I'm stuck here until next week." emails, so it would appear Mr Moo is jetting his way back to the US as I type. His plane will be landing in approximately 7.5 hours. I should probably get some sleep before too long so I don't end up more of a cranky pants than he will be with his jet lag. Two extremely overtired people do not a happy Moo House make. |
If all is going as scheduled (and I haven't heard anything to make me think otherwise), Mr Moo has started his long journey home from Israel. The first of his two flights took off approximately 50 minutes ago. It's a 4.5 hour flight to Germany, where he'll have an incredibly short layover (only 45 minutes - Eeep!) followed by a nightmarish 11 hour non-stop flight to Portland. He IM'ed me from the Tel Aviv airport a few hours ago to let me know he made it there okay and was just waiting for his flight to board. I assume if his flight was delayed, he would have sent me another message or an email to let me know. No news is good news at this point. |
According to the last weather report I read, it was supposed to have started snowing by midnight and we're supposed to get 1-3" of the white stuff in my neck of the woods. It's after midnight now and there isn't a flake to be found. Guess I'll head to bed soon and see what awaits me in the morning. EDIT: Nothing. I got up at about 0900 this morning to see if there was any snow and, at that time, it looked like we might have gotten a light dusting. Now (just after noon), the sun is shining and the few flakes that were out there have melted. |
Today, I am going to the fabric store unsupervised and with gift cards from Christmas in hand. For your own safety, I advise you to stand back and stay behind the yellow line. |
I chatted with Mr Moo (who is in Israel on a business trip, for those of you not paying attention) on the computer tonight. While I understand the concept of time zones, it still seems weird to me that I am getting ready to go to bed and he's just getting his day started. He seems to be doing well. The jet lag was killing him when he got to his hotel last night, but he's feeling better now. He and his co-workers went out for breakfast and have just now arrived at work for a long day of meetings. I asked what he had for brekkie. He said it was "eggs, local fruits, some cheese, and a few other things I was unsure of". Eeep! I wonder what strange things he's been eating. |
"NAME THAT MOVIE" CONTEST - 082 It's been a while, eh? I've been so busy with the holidays and work, I just haven't had time to do the movie contest. Hopefully, things will be back on track now. Good luck! |
If everything is going according to schedule, Mr Moo is currently seated on an airplane on his way to Israel via Germany for a business trip. Given the amount of time it takes to get there and back, he's only going to be on site for three days. I don't know why they made the trip so short. It seems like such a waste of time and money to me. However, it's not up to me and I gave up trying to understand these executive decisions a long time ago. To say I'm worried about him being there would be an understatement. Traveling anywhere in the world as an American these days is risky business, but you couldn't pick a more dangerous area than the Middle East. Mr Moo has been very blase about it, trying to assure me that he'll be in a safe part of the country. I, on the other hand, along with pretty much everyone we know, don't feel there are any places that can be considered truly safe in that part of the world right now. I'll feel better when I have him home again later this week. Those people don't put one piece of equipment on my lawn. If they have a problem with that, they can take it up with my husband. He'll be HOME... on FRIDAY! EDIT: I received an email from Mr Moo. He made it safely to his hotel. Let's hope and pray this week goes by quickly and his journey home is just as uneventful. |
A few more photos from Christmas Day. I swear this is the last of them. Mr Moo helping the kitties open their Christmas pressies. They got several new catnip toys, a pouch of tuna and a container of some new treats called "Aquari-Yums". |
A good friend, who also happens to be a client of mine, M, came over earlier today for a visit and to take me to lunch as a thank you for the website work I do for her. It's amazing how good a little appreciation for the work you do can make you feel. After lunch (which was incredibly yummy - thanks again, M!), I spent a couple hours working with her on things for the site and teaching her how to do a few things in PhotoShop. |
Pictures from Christmas. The dining table and tree in the front room. |
Don't you love it when one of the cats throws up about half an inch inside the door to your office so you can't not step in it when you come into the room? Yeah, it's my favorite thing in the whole wide world, too. NOT. |
From this year's Chick-fil-A calendar, The Good, The Bad and The Hairy (click to see full size): |
