Lisa's Musings

XIV. Priceless

2010-08-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Papering a friend into his office?

Priceless.

XIII. 101 in 1001 Update

2010-07-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

I apparently fail at posting anything else so I decided a update on my 101 in 1001 status was due. I admit, I forgot about the list for awhile. So, I have a lot of "works in progress" and not a lot of completed goals. But, that's the point of the list right...to serve as a reminder!

32. Make a blanket for S.

I made a rag quilt for my nephew for his 1st birthday. I made the mistake of not washing the fabric prior to sewing the quilt so some of the colors bled but apparently he doesn't mind (and I guess no one but me can tell that the blue is a little more purple than it originated :-)). My sister recently sent some pictures of my nephew with the blanket...how cute is that little guy?!

38. Start a recipe blog.

I've been wanting to have a place I could share my favorite recipes and I finally got around to starting a blog for just that purpose. It's definitely an amateur affair but I've really been enjoying the cooking and photographing.

78. Take a MS certification test. (3/3)

I'm officially a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist; certified in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I suspect that isn't nearly as prestigious as one could hope. But hey, goal accomplished!

101. Visit Grandpa and Grandma M.

In March I headed up to Anchorage, AK, with my parents and youngest sister. It was great to get reacquainted with everyone...it'd been too long since my last visit up north!

XII. 101 in 1001

2010-02-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

That's right, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and started my own Day Zero goal list.

The mission is to complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. A lot of friends have posted their entire list publicly but I'm going a different route. I wanted to allow for more personal goals so my list is private but I thought I'd choose to share some of my goals as I complete them. I started my list last October and I've found it really helpful to have a large list of more long-term goals in an easily accessible place (I have mine in a Google Document). Seeing items completed inspires me and just having the list is a nice reminder. As an additional incentive, a friend and I have shared our lists with one another so we do have someone to help keep us inspired if we slack for too long...it happens all too often!

My list is categorized. And tasks/goals that are in progress are italicized and completed goals are made bold, dated, and I change the font color to make them stand out more. :D

The following are tasks completed since October 2009 (with the original numbering):

3. Reorganize pantry.
4. Reorganize larder.
5. Reorganize dining room cabinet.
7. Reorganize the 3rd bedroom.
8. Finish organizing the office.

I have a lot of organizing left to do. But, progress is being made! I should have put a task that involved purging things because that is the current active goal at home. More details on the 3rd bedroom reorganization here.

21. Label and sort unorganized digital photos.

I admit that since completing number 21 I have gained some unsorted/unlabeled photo files but they are manageable. This was a goal I'd been meaning to accomplish for years. It felt great to get it done!

34. Create an up-to-date contact list/database.

The contact list is a work in progress but it is created which was the purpose of the task on the list. I now have a place to put updated contact information when I receive it!

37. Reformat my computer.
87. Purchase a 4-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicle.

Last December we "upgraded" to two cars. We'd been talking about getting a all-wheel drive for a long time because our families live on the east side of the state and the passes can be pretty bad around the holidays (not to mention we couldn't get to my family's house if the roads were icy). We did a lot of research and ended up with a new Subaru Outback. The convenience has been great but I do miss the extra time with T.J. (and the time to listen to our audio books). A huge thanks to my dad who helped us look around and played negotiator! (Just don't tell me it looks like a minivan...please.)

91. Add my name to the organ donor registry online.

I confirmed I was an organ donor on my driver's license and signed up on the online registry at Donate Life Today.

95. Research (and possibly purchase) a SLR camera.

I've been interested in photography for a long time. Last summer I took a Digital Photography class at Bellevue College and I have been planning to get a SLR ever since. It was a belated Christmas gift from T.J. (he gave me a tripod on the holiday and I got to choose the camera). I purchased a Nikon D5000 a few weeks ago and I am really excited to delve farther into the hobby!

98. Buy a couch or come up with a better-than-current seating arrangement for guests.

We purchased a couch from some friends to provide more seating in our main living area. Previously, we only had our (beloved) 8-foot Love Sac bean bag. It is nice to have extra seating.

XI. It's Too snap Darn snap Hot!

2009-07-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Notice the time. I thought we lived in the northwest!

X. Things I've Done

2009-01-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

Snagged from Ms. Brown.

Things I have done during my lifetime are in bold.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. No, but I went past it on the Statten Island ferry.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitchhiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held an alligator.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. Not as such...but I've been on TV.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check. Not on purpose, of course!
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Been to Canada.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Seen Bon Jovi in concert.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read Gone With The Wind.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own.

IX. Electing a US President

2008-10-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago my company (Wadeware) did a project for Common Craft, a company that creates easy-to-understand videos about "stuff". The videos are really clever and definitely easy to understand.

They have one about the U.S. presidential process that caught my eye. I think now would be a particularly appropriate time to post it! It explains our electoral system quite well. Maybe we all know this...but a refresher is always good!

And spend some time checking out other videos by Common Craft like RSS in Plain English, Twitter in Plain English, and Social Bookmarking in Plain English.

VIII. Unremarkable

2008-09-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

The last couple of months have been very busy and yet remarkably, well, remarkably unremarkable. Or at least is seems that way right now as I wrack my brain for interesting tidbits. :)

I posted awhile back on Martin Miscellany about T.J.'s game. It has been fun to hear him talk about the game from conception and see it come together into a soon-to-be-published game. I've played versions along the way but I'm eager to play the completed version!

Last week marked one of the more successful meetings of Pemberley Library, a book group I started earlier this year. This was really exciting because our numbers had dramatically fallen over the summer and I was beginning to wonder if the group wasn't going to work out. We've been reading all of Jane Austen's books in order of publication and our October gathering will be our last Jane Austen discussion. I'm looking forward to choosing new books and to accomplishing my personal goal of reading all of Jane Austen's books this year. Thank you everyone for making our September gathering a success!

I've been playing more World of Warcraft with T.J. lately and my second character finally reached the level cap! This is very exciting because Blizzard just announced the release date of the next WoW expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, so now I can feel prepared. (Ha! That last statement is sort of WoW humorous on its own. You'd have to watch the cinematic intro for the last WoW expansion, Burning Crusade, to understand.) For me, WoW is a social event. I very rarely play on my own. It is a way for T.J. and I to keep in touch with friends that we wouldn't otherwise get to frequently hang out with (Hannah!) and we've met some pretty cool people online too. Playing WoW has netted a number of online friends and a few have even turned into real life friends (it also got us a very memorable private tour of the USS Nebraska, a Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine). You hear a lot of negative feedback about World of Warcraft and that does make sense in some respects. People overdo it. And WoW does have an addictive element. But, in our situation it has just led to a lot of fun. We're not neglecting kids or spouse so it works for us!

Last Friday I took half the day off (well, kinda, unfortunately I still put in more than 40 hours last week) to hang out with a friend on her birthday. We've both been so busy that we hadn't hung out in awhile so it was great to get together and talk and go to a movie and just spend some time together. Happy birthday again Tressa!

I've been looking for something to challenge me and restart my creative talents. In an effort to kick start this I've signed up for a couple of night classes at BCC this fall. I'll be taking a class on using Adobe Photoshop (yay! photo editing!) and a class on "Composition and Typography" (this class has a delicious list of required supplies...I love an excuse to buy office supplies). I'm taking the latter class with my friend Laura so it'll be a great way to spend some time with her--don't get to see her enough since she and her husband and baby moved out-of-town! I'm also planning to attend a writer's retreat with the wifes of two of my cousins. I'm hoping it'll inspire me to get back into creative writing.

I really need to find my SD card reader. Or just go buy a new one. Posts without pictures aren't nearly as fun as posts with pictures!

P.S. My sister, Kimberly, has started her own blog! Hooray!

VII. Dr. Horrible - Watch now!

2008-07-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is a bit of a travesty that I haven't posted about this yet.

THIS WEEK ONLY!...you can watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog free of charge at www.drhorrible.com. I posted the trailer previously and have been excited for months about the release of this internet musical written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Jed's fiancée, Maurissa Tancharoen. It stars Nathan Fillion (yay! for Mal Reynolds), Felicia Day (three cheers for The Guild) and new-to-me Neil Patrick Harris (of How I Met Your Mother fame). They're amazing...check them out!

(Note: Act I and II are out right now and Act III should be available late tonight.)

VI. Weekend in Review

2008-07-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm a little behind...still haven't found the box that has my SD card reader.

On my drive over to Leavenworth on Friday evening my car hit a new mileage landmark. I guess I've covered a lot of ground in the last three years! Yikes.

I went with Hannah, Lars, and Hannah's parents, to see "The Sound of Music" as presented by the Leavenworth Summer Theater. The setting was beautiful, the vocals were really good, but some of the acting was a little disappointing. Of course, it was the first performance of the season! Hannah's brother was playing percussion (well done) and I discovered the son of family friends was playing the part of Kurt (SO cute). We were asked to not take pictures of the performance but no one said anything about taking pictures of the audience.

My youngest sister, Arita, is in Drivers Ed and recently got her permit so I let her drive us around. Don't they just grow up so fast? *sniffle*

My parents picked up two kittens recently to be outside cats and keep the mice away from the home front. Meet Robin and Guy (named for Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne). The pictures really don't do them justice. Totally adorable!

V. Memories

2008-07-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how many people have actually picked up on the blog move but, let's give it a try...

1. Leave one memory that you and I had together, as a comment on my blog. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

IV. Happy 4th Everyone!

2008-07-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the 4th of July. Family, friends, food, fireworks, flags, music, warm weather...and all without the planning and stress that can be part of the Christmas holiday. Plus, I grew up in a very conservative and extremely patriotic family--I still tear up when I hear the national anthem--so celebrating Independence day just makes me happy.

Now that it is the day of, I'm a little sad I didn't make plans to attend the 4th of July festivities up in Sedro Woolley (that's right, I said Sedro Woolley...utter hic town) at my cousin's place. I just found out that most of my Dad's family is going to be there (5-generation pictures will be taken!). But alas, I have plans to stay home and unpack. Whoopee! Actually, as much as I'll miss the family shindig, I'm sure today will be memorable. Our friends, Hannah and Lars, are coming down from B'Ham to entertain us while we unpack. What sports! Maybe we can find some chicken to grill. Of course, that'll require finding the grill...

Since I probably won't get 4th of July themed pictures this year I'm pulling out some photos from years past! These pictures are from 2005.

Top to Bottom

Marc and Tye. Looks like they'd been playing hard and needed some more cookies.

Ammon, Faith, Rebekah & Savannah having a good time on the trampoline.

Brianna & Rachael.

I love this picture! This is Jacob, one of my cousin Kurt's youngest kids. I think my safety talk took the joy out of his sparkler. Poor kid!

The guys playing some ball: T.J., Bret, Craig, Kurt, Troy, Scot (no, I'm not forgetting those extra "t"s).

Hanging out: Bret, Ann, Natalie, Craig, Tye, Scot, Kurt

III. Lambert

2008-07-03T11:47:00.001-07:00

A coworker of my friend Tressa brought a basket of kittens to work today. Tressa is hooked on a little orange guy and, being a chemist, she likes to name her pets after stuff in the world of chemistry (she currently has cat named Curie after Marie Curie, a pioneer in the field of radioactivity). She mentioned that she thought that Lambert would be a good name for the new little guy she is drooling over. To her, Lambert is is a unit of luminance but to me it is a sheepish lion! Does anyone remember that cartoon? Guess what...it is on YouTube!

May Lambert--the little orange kitten--live a happier life than Quartz, Quartz 2, and Tugtupite (beta fish that Tressa had for short periods of time). One committed suicide by jumping out of his bowl, one died of temperature related issues, and, well, I don't recall why the third checked out). I think Boo should stick with cats.

II. Spreading the Doctor's Love

2008-06-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Being a fan of all things Whedon (Joss Whedon, of course!) I've been really looking forward to Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog ever since I first heard about it on the internets.

Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 40 minute, 3 part musical produced for the internet, telling the story of a low-rent supervillain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to. Written by Joss Whedon and his brothers Zack Whedon, Jed Whedon and Jed's Fiance, Maruissa Tancharoen. The writing team penned the musical during the WGA Writer's Strike. (Wikipedia)

Not only is this a Whedon project but it includes Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day which makes me exquisitely happy. Take a gander at the trailer!

Links:
Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Official Site (just a one sheet)
Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Official Fan Site
Wikipedia Article on Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

So that's, you know, coming along. (Hooray!)

I. Laggin'

2008-06-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Jet lag is for the birds. Friday morning I woke up in Athens, Greece, and apparently my body has decided it was quite happy with Greece time; thank you very much. I've been up since 4 a.m.--although, I must say, the six hours of straight sleep I got last night are better than I've done in the last four days!

My trip to Europe was fabulous! Three weeks and six countries (unless you also count the eight hours I spent in the London Heathrow airport, seeing Liechtenstein from a motor coach, and Greenland from the airplane on the way home). Phew. Fabulous and exhausting would probably be more accurate. As much fun as was had I was extremely excited to head home--I missed T.J. way too much by that third week! I will try to upload some of my, um, 1200 or so pictures soon to create some slide shows for anyone who is interested in seeing pictures. If I'm really lucky I might even find some time to write about the trip.

The day before I left T.J. and I decided we were going to break our lease and move into a condo less than a block away. Our friends Eric & Carrissa were moving out as Eric accepted a job in Poulsbo (*sniffle*). It wasn't cheap to break our lease but we're looking forward to 500 extra square feet (including an extra bedroom), a two-story floor plan, and a smaller monthly rent payment (considering we won't have to pay for storage). We will be moving sometime before the 2nd of July. Considering all this, you may understand how thrilled I was to arrive home to find the following surprise:

T.J. packed while I was gone. Even the kitchen is packed (minus a few essentials for the next week or so). He probably packed about 75% of the apartment. I was THRILLED! Thank you x3 Sweetheart! Now he is trying to convince me that we should hire movers to actually move it--I'm willing to get some cost estimates.

Despite the fact are in the midst of moving (and the fact that I'm still reeling from my recent travels), we are heading to Pennsylvania with a friend on Thursday to attend NEARfest (North East Art Rock Festival). T.J.'s favorite band, Liquid Tension Experiment, is included in the line up. LTE is and instrumental band composed of a number of musicians from other bands so they rarely perform together--making this a great opportunity! This summer is really going to go down in history as amazing.