geo-side tracked

Here's my deal: I have a lot of stuff do do between now and next Sunday, one of which is just a general straightening of the entire household. I thought I'd try this speed cleaning exercise, which I had planned down to the minute from room to room, task to task. I usually blow any pre-planning off track as soon as I get home because of the amount of time it takes me to shift from work mode to home mode.

Today was no different. Instead of jumping right into my speed cleaning fun, we jumped right into the car, got a "first to find" and then two others in the lower 9th Ward.

Not the best photos, but I'm still just using my iPhone 3 for some reason.


The Steamboat House

View from the Levee

when the Europeans come to town

I haven't mentioned in this forum before, but I work for a company based and founded in New Orleans, Louisiana, however the workforce and resources span across the globe.

This week is our Global Sales Meeting. There are sales reps in from every part of the US and every part of the world. It's amazing to see our campus buzzing with the influx of visitors.

Well, when the visitors come, so do the treats. I'm a huge fan of the stroopwafles.


I am not a fan of the kiss greeting. Yes, I'm from New Orleans and yes, I went to Catholic school... I still don't care for it. I didn't realize that I might be insulting someone or several someones because I extend a hand to shake instead of a cheek to kiss. Or guess I could just be a stupid American.

Really, I'm just not that affectionate and it kinda freaks me out a little. I've even had a friend call me out on it recently during one of our Southern Goodbyes. He said, "You don't like the hugging thing, do you?" I said no and now we exchange the fist bump and I'm totally ok with that.

Maybe that's why none of those gifts are directly mine.

never ending work day

Today I had my longest work day since 1999 when I worked at the skating rink. I did 10-12p (early morning children's parties), 1-4pm (open skate session and 7 parties), 4:30-6:30pm (more open skate and more parties), 7-11pm (open skate on a Saturday night.. packed) and an unexpected private party showed up at 11pm anxiously awaiting the start of their 80's skate party that started at midnight until 2:30ish in the am.

That's a total of 16+ hours and I loved every minute of it.

Although today only lasted from 7am to 8ish pm (and I still managed to enjoy every minute), I am much older than 17 these days and that kind of time frame takes concentration and dedication. I did actually wind up missing a practice tonight, which I'm a little sad about. I'm almost afraid that I won't make attendance to skate in the next bout.

I guess I'll have to figure out how to make that one up sooner than later.

I'm wiped and even though this blog comes much earlier than usual, I think I'm still going to go straight to bed.

tangent

There's a reason that my house will never be clean. I am incredibly easily distracted.

As I was sorting through the endless number of things that need sorting through, I found some rubber stamps that I had borrowed a while back. Needless to say, they were never used for their original borrowing purposes. I finally out them in the pile of not-my-stuff, which just so happens to currently be the purple chair that landed in the kitchen. Until recently it was my office chair, but my back couldn't take it anymore.

This chair came to be mine at a rummage shop that I bought something else I actually was looking for (a mirror to go in the downstairs bathroom). I even haggled the guy down to five bucks. I had every intention of painting this chair some kind of way, but I still haven't figured out how. I had done this once as a high school art project and have always since then been looking for another chair like it. For the time, I had just spray painted it purple.

While sorting in a completely different part of the house, I came across the gold ink pad. I really like to stamp things with this gold ink pad. I hate gold, except in the form of ink accompanied by rubber stamps.



Anyway, unnecessarily long story short, I stamped the chair with the borrowed stamp and now I can say I actually held on to it for all this time for a reason.



I can't make any promises, but I also will find a better camera than my iphone that I can instantly upload pics. The procrastinator in me needs the instant feature.

onomatopeia

After four years of bull runs as a rollerbull for San Fermin in Neuva Orleans, my favorite moment remains the same.

It happens in steps, but very quick steps.

I raise my bat, take aim and swing. There is an immediate thwonk followed by a jump up and a quick waaahh or ouch or damn it that actually hurt. This process happens quickly and repeatedly for blocks on end. This is really explained better visually, but words will have to do for now.

I usually look for the ones who aren't paying attention, walking, or pushing some large ice chest and unable to get away quickly. I hit the gals as hard as I hit the guys, the old as hard as I hit the young and when you complain about how much it hurt, I tell you to get on the sidewalk if you don't like it.

This year there was a gauntlet of rollerbulls about 50 girls deep. Late comers would get through one section and just as they thought they were done, run into my group. Some stopped and prepped for a fast charge. Others walked, pranced, skipped... a handful enjoyed the beating just a little too much.

Well, that's all the bull I have left for today.

Until next year.

seeing red

When I finally finish my journey for the night, I'll go nuzzle myself into the bullpen and anxiously await the sound of my alarm at 5:30 am.

Why am I waking up so incredibly stupid early on a Saturday? The correct response: ¿Por qué no? I even bought a shiny new "fat bat" for the occasion.

So, when I started tonight, I had a fluffy used scarf, some scissors and an episode of Stargate Atlantis that needed watching.


la bufanda

I cut it in half width wise, twice. I managed to some how or another sew the two pieces together using that fancy box stitch. Then I sewed it up lengthwise and, voila! I mean... voilà?



I guess I need to get better at the step by step thing, but seriously... it was that easy. The only thing that threw me off was my pedal coming slightly unplugged and me not figuring that out for 10 minutes. I even very haphazardly added some elastic so the damn things stay up after I take my knee pads off tomorrow morning.



Red fluffy fanciness.

For now, bull go night-night. I need my strength to hit some white shirtnpants, red scarf wearing pansies at 8am sharp.

cure for pain

I have a friend back in town from Las Vegas this week so I raced home after practice, changed clothes and met the girls at Cure on Freret. It's not a bad little place. I didn't know before I got there that they served food, so I was sneaking the leftovers that the girls brought be from dinner in the booth.



We got a round of strawberry mojitos with a heavy pour. Believe me, I'm not complaining. Now that I'm home one drink later and with an incredible thirst for an ice cold water, I think I'm just gonna go to bed.

missed target

I had every intention of doing my very first true-to-blog-name, before and after post tonight about making some legwarmers out of a scarf that I got from Red White and Blue. Instead we breathed some new life into the ongoing gigantor back room project. The door frames are five ninths (5/9ths) of the way installed.

By finishing the door frames, I realized I have to add some more things to my to-do list. Now I have to paint the damn doors.

Maybe tonight I'll name my to-do list. Trish? Dixie? I've been naming a lot of things after female characters lately.

I think I'll go with Meredith, in honor of Dr. Rodney McKay from Stargate Atlantis. He's a pretty-annoying-yet-can't-do-without character.


Well Mer, maybe we should see about putting you on a diet.

supermarket social

It took every ounce of mental being for me to get up off the couch, make a grocery list and go to the store. So much that I needed the help of very loud 80's music to stay focused on the road.

Upon my walk in, I ran into Sally (that girl) and had a quick catch up conversation. Right before we parted ways, I saw another familiar face that recognized me first.

I was still on a little bit of a delay, trying to restore mental power exerted earlier in this episode. Ah-ha! Monique's brother.

Later I saw Tom of the Jaws picking out rotisserie chicken. By the time I processed him, he turned away from me. At that point I was on a mission to get out of there as quickly as possible, even with my entry delay. I guess we'll say I supermarket stalked Tom since I didn't get to say hello.

Check out was interesting. I found a not so long line and hesitantly started loading my goods onto the belt. This guy (a kid really) couldn't have been older than 17. It was almost as though he just got promoted from bagger to checker-outer and I was his guinea pig.



He did, however, immediately begin to geek out once he saw the shirt I was wearing. I was being asked about Mario games I've never heard of and he said he used to watch his DAD play the original Mario when he was a kid. Sigh... Sorry kid, but I'm pretty sure I was playing original Super Mario Bros. before you were a twinkle in your father's eye. I wonder if he would have even recognized my space invaders tee.

Finally I saw "camera two" from our wedding, who called me out on facebook for walking right by him. He actually admitted he's never seen me in anything other than a wedding dress or derby gear so the civilian attire threw him off.

Ahhh... living the life of my altar ego.

all chewed up

My four day stay-cation is quickly coming to a close and although I'm sure I accomplished a lot for the average bear, I just don't have the sense of completion as I had hoped for this weekend.

1. Finish small black and white catering ad
   
2. Meet with, discuss & finish jeweler business card
   
3. Clean out some clutter & start some organizing
4. Go to Green Project for fun things: bed frame, privacy screen, back yard treats
   

Ok, so I guess I technically finished close to 90% of my list. I only halfway started cleaning out the massive amount of clutter that still lingers, and of that I only started organizing half of it.

In addition, I also managed to:

1. Start a filing system for 3 at home LLC's
2. Start my HTML(4)/CSS learning spree
3. Listed stuff to sell online
4. Completed 3+ episodes of Stargate SG1 and Atlantis
5. Finished all the backyard planting and mulching

I did not, in four days, make it to the grocery. I'll just have to take care of that one tomorrow during the day.


Small victories. I conquered the back yard this weekend. Unfortunately the boots were not enough to combat the mosquitoes.


The troops (Indy was around there somewhere).

easy like Sunday, all day

Spoiler alert: productivity did not happen today.

The morning began around 10am by order of the pups. Shortly after was a quick stop in at Molly's where a full game of cards did not even happen. We wound up having blueberry brunch and booze in Midcity where I proceeded to scald my right hand with hot syrup. I realized that ice was the only comfort and finished my breakfast with my left hand and fingers. It was then that I decided that today was going to be a wash.

Fast forward one episode of Stargate SG1 and a Superbowl replay later.

I managed to squeeze in a three hour nap and got a sudden craving for a hot dog. We ate dinner at Rallys since the fridge has posted a "space for rent" sign. We then crawled up the stairs and onto the balcony to watch the fireworks.

Not a bad view at all.



I did at least manage to read the first few pages of my new book, Head First: HTML with CSS & XHTML. As for now, maybe I'll try helping hubby clean up some so I feel just a little bit useful.

big fat sharpie

This past week I managed to actually scratch a handful of things off of my list and I got all excited. I changed my g-chat status to big fat sharpie. There is nothing more satisfying than the physical motion of scratching something off of a hand written to-do list, which I usually write in smaller sharpie and scratch out in bigger sharpie.

My co-worker saw this without knowing the context IMed me this message:

c c ro: I don't know what your status means, but I think it would make either a great: A) band name, B) blog name, or C) bar name
c c ro: sharpies would be provided at the latter and customers would be allowed to write on all surfaces

When I first created this blog, I had this grand idea of every post being some huge before and after reveal of the multitude of tasks and projects I try to tackle. Coincidentally, the initials of the blog name are *a.d.d., so of course it wasn't before long when I thought I could handle two blogs AND I already had a name for it.

For now I'll stick with the one and forgo my original format idea. Soon I'm sure I'll be wrapping up some of these long time projects and the befores and afters will be aplenty... or something. Until then you get to listen to me consistently complain about how much stuff I have to do.

*Edit: I've since changed from "Already Done Different" to Big Fat Sharpie. Like you care.

creole eats

Among the variety of new things I was introduced to in the year that I started my current job was the Creole Tomato and Vidalia Onion "Festival."

This was the gathering of the corporate and the creative to feast on locally grown delectable treats. I was hesitant at first, but immediately after my first bite I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the power point/clip art fliers announcing the arrival of the next one.

This is the time of year that the tomatoes are oh-so-red and juicy while the onions are nice, white, and sweet. Mash that with four kinds of homemade mayo, strawberry short cake, blueberry salsa and an infinite selection of breads (White (Bunny!), wheat, french, multigrain..) and cheeses (pepper jack, colby jack, cheddar, American, Parmesan, Swiss..) and you've got yourself an office festival! You could very easily manage to never have the same sandwich twice. There was also an unofficial competition to see who could eat the most sandwiches. The record still stands at six, acquired by a mild mannered, small framed, female ex-copywriter.

The last two years have been difficult. We had some layoffs including the home made mayo makers and the clip art flier makers. This hasn't stopped me from indulging at home. Tonight, since the fridge is near bare in preparation for the holiday weekend, I let the hubby have the left overs and I hit up the produce. I added a Pimms cup in honor of the holiday weekend.

Can freedom get here faster?

I've scheduled myself a nice 4-day stay-cation starting at 4pm and am already fine tuning my to-do list. For starters, I want to go to The Green Project. Or, I guess I should want to finish up some lingering projects.

1. Finish small black and white catering ad
2. Meet with, discuss & finish jeweler business card
3. Clean out some clutter & start some organizing

Which should finally lead me to... go to The Green Project!

I'll be looking for pieces/parts for a variety of projects: privacy screen for washer/dryer area, headboard for the master bedroom, something fun to accessorize the new backyard. I'll be doing some research and spending some quality time with my google reader.

See how it could use some accessorizing?