Category Archives: gratitude

Cleaning the Office…Finally

Okay, Now I Have Something To Say

So I registered for BlogHer a while back. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the agenda and have been checking every couple of days. I’ve also anxiously been awaiting some activity on the room-share board. Well, turns out we’re now all fucked.

The BlogHer room deal is already sold out. Now all that can be found through Starwood are $350+ rooms. That’s a per night fee! For three nights! Three hundred and fifty fucking dollars a night!!!! Um, legitimate business expense or not, I won’t be staying there.

This sucks for a few reasons, first of which, I’m really not a fan of San Francisco (I know, I know, I’m just not a city kind of gal and well, that place just freaks me out!). And it kind of sucks that since I’ll be going alone I won’t be staying where all the action is. I want to be part of the cool kids crowd *wahhhh*

Okay, no worries. The husband remembered the last boutique hotel we stayed at while in SF. Turns out it’s right across the street from the St. Francis. And it’s $150 less a night than the St. Francis (and includes the internet fees and tea time). So I’ll be staying there instead and will still be close enough to be part of the cool kids crowd. Since they were sold out of doubles already I just said fuck it and got a room of my own.

I’m thankful that’s all done. All I have left to do now is book my flight. I’ll wait until things get closer to do that though. Heck, we have other flights and rooms to book still in late May and early June. July just seems so far off still.

Help! I Need a Tortellini Salad Recipe ASAP

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Well, maybe it’s not that big of a deal that I need to be all ASAP, but you I do need a recipe. I’ve got book club tomorrow in Santa Monica – no I didn’t read the book, but I did mean to – and I’ve decided to bring pasta salad. I have the cheese tortellini and can pick up anything else I might need, but really, I’m at a loss here.

Normally, I just use tri-colored pasta, add in some chunked veggies, some cheese, maybe some chicken or ham, and toss it all with some dressing or another by our good friend, Paul Newman. But this time around, I’m kind of stuck. I’m thinking that maybe something with a more creamy than vinegary dressing would be nice. But then what veggies? And no cheese because the pasta already has cheese, right?

Obviously, I’m going to flunk pasta salad making 101, so please, feel free to add any suggestions or ideas. Maybe I am a little desperate after all (it’s not like I can change my mind and bake something…we’ve got a forecast of low 90’s today and that means no oven!). So please, help a gal out…I’ll be your new best friend (she says in a sing song voice!) and I’ll be very, very grateful 😉

We Have My Wedding Ring!!

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Not that I was hoping for a new one or anything (heck, I barely wear this one), but was a part of me thinking an upgrade would be nice. Shameless, I know. But really, the landlord just laughed and said it happens. I just needed to clarify that while I did actually throw it down the sink, I wasn’t intending for it to go down into the pipes.

I was actually trying to put it someplace safe (ha!) and threw it over the glass doors knowing it would land in the sink. Too bad I forgot until a couple of hours later that we don’t have our drain covered! So yep, down the drain and into the elbow it went. I’m sure if I wasn’t so sick and therefore halfway out of it, I’d probably have been fuming, cursing mad. But hey, it happens. The hubs misplaced his a while back too (when he dad was in the hospital with cancer) so now we’re even. So to speak.

And yes, I’m sick. Again. I was so proud of myself for not getting my husband sick those four weeks I had the sinus infection. Of course, he can back from SXSW with a cold. And of course, my body said “what fun!” and turned it into yet another sinus infection. Joy of joys!

We’re trying a different antibiotic this round since it had only been a week and a half since my last two and a half weeks worth of meds. Here’s hoping this round kicks it out ASAP. ‘Cuz let me tell you, I’m sick of being sick dammit! And tonight I have a LWL meeting that I’m really hoping I’ll feel better for. Until then, it’s nap time!

Starting Over

Ahhhh…Relaxin’

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Well, Christmas is officially over. The hubby loves his camera gifties, the nieces loved their luggage. So now we’re all here, snuggling on the couch in my new cozy PJs and fuzzy slippers (thanks J!) drinking the hubby’s white elephant winnings of Jack & Coke while watching bad movies on TV.

Ahhh…things are just so peaceful and calm after the holidays. What more could you be grateful for, right.

Hope your day was both merry and bright!

I’m Admitting Defeat

Thanks!

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Is it too much trouble these days for people to say thank you? Instead of fighting with the guy next to you during a lane merge, you let him in. Does he give a little wave or say thanks? Uh, no. You notice the gal behind you at the check out line has only two items and an infant so you let her go ahead of you in line. Does she say thanks? No, but that doesn’t stop her from taking you up on your offer. You hold the door open so that guy or gal can step through it as well. Do they give you a smile or thanks? Nope, they just breeze on by.

Now maybe it’s just the stress and frazzle dazzle of the holiday season. But I don’t think so. I have noticed that less and less people seem to appreciate when someone does a kindness. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they do indeed notice, but they sure as hell don’t seem to show their appreciation.

Why is that? Are we so busy? Have we become so entitled? I don’t know the answer and to be honest, I really don’t care. I’d much rather someone smile or say thanks than give me 1001 reasons why they can’t. It’s such a small thing, I know.

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Speaking of saying thank you, when did it get to the point that merely saying “thank you” just wasn’t enough? When did folks become so used to people saying thanks or showing appreciation that they now demand more (see above – I’m my own contradiction, I know. In my defense, I’m speaking more like the random acts of kindness and every day niceties above).

I work with people that volunteer their time to help me and I appreciate it so much – especially how it often helps to save my sanity – that I do my best to say “thank you” every chance I get (and I don’t doubt that it’s still not often enough). But to have someone (or sometwenty) talk about being used or unappreciated is tough to hear (this was something that happened over the last year or so ago). I mean how many times can you say the words “thanks” or “thank you” to someone for it to finally become thanks enough? How many personal emails, cards, gifties or tokens of appreciation does it take nowadays? When did a mere “thank you” stop being thanks enough?

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Which of course reminds me of all the small things in my life that I’m thankful for…

the internetz – oh lordy how I’ve missed you so!
modems – can’t access that world wide web without you
hot water – I don’t care how drying it is for your skin, nothing beats a scalding hot shower when it’s cold
chocolate – ’nuff said
nail polish – who doesn’t feel pretty and happy with bright, shiny toe nails?
Boots’ Olive, Almond & Sage Wonderbalm – where have you been all my chapped-handed life?
a cup of hot tea – I may loves me the lattes, but nothing works for me like a hot cup of tea!
fresh baked bread with butter – yummy!
Bare Escentuals’ Lip Savor – I feel in love with this lip balm 10 or so years ago. A couple of years back, BE stopped making it. Now it’s back and I’m lovin’ the hell out of it. Best.lip.balm.E.V.E.R. (and only $5!)
Netflix – what else was I to do while I was without the internet? Why, how about I watch some Veronica Mars?!?!
Library – I’m saving a small fortune in books thanks to the library. I’m loving it so much I’m going to look into volunteering at my local branch. So worth it to give back like that.
the wonderful ladies from Ladies Who Launch that found my plea for more information and took the time to share their own personal experiences with me. I can’t wait until January!
Blogs – blogging is fun. What did I ever do before blogging the minutia that is my life?
My new blogging friends – I’ve met some pretty cool people through this online world of blogging (even if I have been way too busy to catch up or comment).
and of course, my friends, my hubby and my boys *sigh* such love!

So to everyone out there who reads this post, to you I say “thank you.” My hope is that you will take a moment to thank someone (or something) in your life today. What a way to start a weekend!

Holy Close Call Batman!!

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I just now got back from dropping my clothes at the laundromat. While they were going through the wash cycle, I ran errands – the dry cleaner, the grocery store, etc. I pulled up to the curb, gathered my bags and clothes and realized that the front door was open! Not wide open, but let’s just open wide enough with plenty of room for a kitkat and a pupster to escape and search for their mama!

I call out to the pupster and there he is, snuggled in on the pile of coats that we sometimes use as a chair. I ask him where the kitkat man is (and yes, I do talk to my boys!) and there he was on his tower just looking out the window like he was waiting for me to return. Talk about lucky!

Mind you, I’m sure they both went outside and did a little exploring. I was gone for nearly an hour. But I’m so thankful to know that they’re right at home as if they’re the bestest, most well behaved boys in the world. They must’ve been speaking with Santa recently! 😉

Today is a Peppermint Mocha Kind of Day

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I certainly didn’t know that it was going to be a rainy day here in Sunny SoCal when I made plans to meet a friend for lunch. Not that it held either of us back, mind you. I just made sure I drove slower going over the hill (we get rain so infrequently that the roads get quite slick during the first rains) and packed an umbrella.

Let me just say, while lunch itself was just okay, the company and conversation was just what I needed. We talked about upcoming business opportunities, friends, gift ideas and how to deal with some of the (what might seem to be) drama that goes on with my site. But yeah, a great lunch and I even got a little shopping – mind you it was mostly for me, but well, ’tis the season and all that.
On the way home, going over the hill, I decided to stop on Mulholland to take a picture of the city and the Hollywood sign. Sadly, both came out pretty crappy (as you can see below). The sign was behind so much fog that even after five minutes of waiting, I still couldn’t get enough of anything to focus on (guess that’s an arguemet for hauling out the D70). The view of the city was so foggy that you couldn’t even see the downtown buildings.

In the end, it just reminded me that today is absolutely perfect for heading on over to the Bean and treating myself to a hot anf frothy peppermint mocha (non-fat, no sugar added thankyouverymuch). Starbuck’s seems to do a tastier pep mocha, at least for the hot ones, but man, those folks at the Bean sure know how to make an iced coffee drink. But if ever there was a day just made for a hot coffee, today was that day.

But man, thanks to the rain, my car looks awesome!! Which is a good thing since it was a horrible, horrible mess from sitting outside, unwashed for so long. Glad I didn’t drop it off at the car wash this past week or I’d be bumming.

And for a little bit of gratitude…I’m so very thankful for the many folks that are in my life that I can call a friend. And for peppermint mochas, of course!

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Life & Ramblings of an LA Blogger Gal