Burly grrl

I used a power tool last night. Now, I'm not a complete power tool virgin. I've used electric drills to tighten screws before. But last night I used a power sander. In fact, I believe it was random orbital sander for those of you who know your stuff. It was kind of fun! My hand was vibrating for about a half hour after using it, but it felt good to know how to use it. The wood shelves we were sanding look great.

We decided to go with Cherry wood (did I already say that in a previous post?). And the grain is very nice. We also stained the shelves last night (around 10:30 pm, and david put the polyurethane on one side of them this morning. We've got this very tight plan that revolves around very close timing. Today, David will go home for lunch, and to walk maggie, and will put a coat of polyurethane on the other side. Then at 5pm, we'll lightly sand and re-coat one side and then at 10pm we'll re-coat the other side. Then by friday they'll be ready. Just thinking of all this makes me tired. It is not especially hard work, but just taxing in a weird sort of way.

Walking fool

David and I recently bought these cool pedometers that measure not only steps, but also aerobic steps (taken at a fast pace or for longer than 10 minutes). They are so cool. I'm wearing mine today and I've already logged 3721 steps. It is more than a third of the way to my goal! I've also walked about a mile and a half already today. It really is motivating. When I think, should I take the bus or walk? It is easier to say "walk" when I've got my pedometer on, because I want to rack up the steps.

bragging rights

My colleague just came to my office and told me good news. In April I went to a conference in Las Vegas and presented a paper on the career outcomes of science and engineering graduates. There were 3 other presenters in the session I was in. Audience members filled out short surveys which asked about the presentations of each person. My colleague, who had to analyze the data from the surveys, said that my session was the most highly rated session in the whole conference (people liked it best) and that I had the highest ratings within the session. That makes me feel awesome! I knew when I presented the paper that I did well, but it is always good to get external feedback on a presentation. Who's da bomb?--Liz is!

spring cleaning

Today David finished cutting out our shelves. They look fabulous. We may get them planed and then we'll have to do finish sanding and stain and/or polyurethane. We decided to go with Cherry. I think they will look great.

While David was cutting out the shelves, I started to wash down our walls. When we did the sanding of the mud on the wall project, the dust got everywhere. So, before Jodi come s to visit this next weekend, I thought I better clean things up a bit. So here is what I want to know. I remember hearing about spring cleaning from my grandparents, and hearing about actually washing down walls (I think Dad has stories about this). Has this just become extinct as a rule? I don't remember washing down any walls at home as a kid. Maybe because it is such hard work. I know my right arm is going to be tired tomorrow. But there is something kind of cathartic about it...having a clean place to live always makes me feel better. I'm not sure I'll ever do it again just as a spring cleaning thing, but if we make a mess with another home improvement project, I'll probably take up the sponge and bucket again. But I think next time, I'll enlist some help.

cars cars cars (and wagons)

I think I'm getting old. I'm actually looking at wagons as a possibility for our next car. Sure, they aren't your granny's wagon with the paneling on the side, and they are compact (some are considered 5 door cars (like my old white sentra with the hatchback). But still, they are a wagon. Weird.

Of course, being the crazy organizer that I am, I have created an excel spreadsheet with 3 pieces of vital information for different makes and models. Price, city mpg, and highway mpg are the 3 main things I'm looking for right now. Given, we are looking for a used car, but I figured that by looking at the prices of new cars, it would give me sense of the cost. Doing so allowed me to rule out many of the options. Here are the cheapest ones... but still not in the KIA category. NOTE: I've included american made cars as well...I'm trying not to be a car snob.

Make/Model city mpg hwy mpg price (starting msrp)
Chevy Aveo Wagon 27 35 9455
Toyota Echo 33 39 10455
Saturn Ion 26 35 11430
Nissan Sentra 28 34 12900
Toyota Corolla 30 38 13780
Ford Focus 26 35 13860
Toyota Matrix 28 33 14860

Since we'll be doing mostly city driving, the top 5 for city mpg are (in order):
toyota echo, toyota corolla, pontiac vibe, toyota matrix, nissan sentra.

We will of course want to do more research, and David is a picky one about cars.. If he doesn't like their design then he excludes them from consideration. But, I figure we need to keep the cost around this amount since you can easily add another 5K on in taxes etc. We'll keep looking. I'm liking the echo right now (good price, great mileage)...it will feel like we are driving back in italy in a tiny compact car. I'll make sure I check out consumer reports before we make any decisions.

Well, gotta go catch my bus home. My boss told me to go home early. YEA!!

Here is the update on the wall that I know everyone has been waiting for. The mudding and sanding is done...we've painted our finish coats of paint, nailed up the trim and touched up the paint on the trim. Last night david made some prototype shelves out of cardboard to make sure that the ones we make out of wood will work. The two bottom ones are just one piece of cardboard, but the top one gives you a better sense of how thick the piece of wood will actually be. There will be one more shelf above the one you see there, but since we wanted to make sure the thickness of the wood would be okay, we used the top one and fused it with another one to make a thicker shelf. We'll go buy the wood tomorrow and work on the shelves this weekend. We are getting there!

I feel hopeful

This morning I saw a new physical therapist. The last time I saw a physical therapist for my back was over a year ago, and my new primary care doctor suggested I go again, but to a different one. This physical therapist seemed to be very good. That is, he gave me confidence in what he was saying. He seemed to really know what he was doing too. Actually, he suggested that the pain I am feeling down my leg is probably due more to scar tissue from the herniation blocking the nerve from coming out of my spine than from an actual bulging disc. I thought, wow! that is something I haven't heard before. He also said that most people with sciatica pain find sitting to be very uncomfortable, and standing is much better. However, I am the opposite...sitting is more comfortable and standing starts to really hurt after about 5 minutes.

Apparently there is a ligament on the back of my spine that is also causing some pain. Oh yea, and I have osteo- arthritis in my spine as well. Basically, when I bend forward, the disc bulges out and causes pain..when I bend backward the ligament obstructs the nerve and causes pain. I"m in a catch 22. And then there is also this scar tissue which is constricting the sciatic nerve.

However, he seemed to think that in a couple of months he could have me where I was able to bend over without pain. I have 3 exercises to do..one of them I am supposed to do every hour! I also found out that I'm pretty strong, other than my abdominal muscles. So, the other two exercises are for my abdominals.

I see him again in about 2 weeks. Hopefully by then I'll show some improvement! But I have to be diligent about these exercises.

The Fremont Solstice parade was this past weekend on saturday. It is an all human powered parade--no cars or motors anywhere to be found. Often they have some really neat costumes that have been made specifically for the parade. Here are some robots that David thought were really cool. To the left is one of the "first aid women" who were giving the parade walkers some water and treats.

The following pictures are of a few of the "nekkid" bicyclists. Many of them use body paint to cover up although some were just stark nude. Hopefully you'll be able to tell who she is painted as. She was my favorite by far. Wonder woman! I always wanted to be wonder woman when I was a kid.

Leopard bicyclists. This was one of our favorite designs from the parade. I like the allover painting.

Another photo from the Fremont Solstice Parade. People did some amazing body painting.

Foggy

I feel like I am in a fog today. I think part of the problem is that my home is currently in chaos and whenever that happens, my mind becomes chaos as well. We worked all weekend on the wall project and I'll try and post some pictures tonight. But that also means that the house is a mess, and my desk is a mess and I can't seem to keep things together in my head. I need a master list with everything I need to remember or think of so that I can stop stressing about it. I've written a few lists already, but they deal with such disparate topics, that putting them into a master list seems like it wouldn't work.

One thing david and I did alot of talking about this weekend was getting a new car. Of course, this would be a new "used" car...but still. We have some favorite car manufacturers, but we need to do our research. It has to be in our price range for a fairly recent model that has fairly low mileage. And then, we'll do our consumer reports research on just a couple of the final models to make sure that the year we buy isn't a specifically bad year for that make and model. I think we have decided to go ahead and get this new car this summer before we drive the GMC Jimmy into the ground. It would be much better to be able to make a decision without the pressure of not having a car, and having to pay for a rental car. And, all told, the Jimmy probably isn't worth more than a couple hundred bucks, once all the repairs that are needed to it are taken into account. We might be able to get more for it from a scrap yard. :-)

Here are the requirements: good gas mileage, can carry 2x4's (inside or on roof rack) or skis, low mileage (20K - 40k), dependable, easy for maggie to get in and out.

Any ideas?

Nothin' but blue skies

Beautiful day out here in Seattle. Blue skies, occassional fluffy white clouds, and temperatures that feel like 75 degrees. Today is a day I want to leave work and go for a long walk by the lake taking in the beauty around me. Alas, my paycheck won't come if I don't put in my time. Anyone want to come visit Seattle? The summer is great time to do it!

So, I have a kind of yucky, kind of funny story about Maggie that David told me last night. When he got home from work, I was already there. This is sort of how the conversation went (with a little embellishment).

D: If I were you I wouldn't get to close to Maggie's mouth
L: Other than slime, what is wrong with her mouth? (Liz gets a little scared that maggie has rabies or something)
D: Oh, just that Maggie had a nice little snack on our walk at lunch today
L: Huh, what kind of snack?
D: Well, she ate a pile of shit!
L: What?
D: Yes, she went to go sniff a pile of poo, like she usually does, and before I realized it, she had put it in her mouth. I told her no, and to drop it, but she had already devoured it.
L: Oh my gosh. That is disgusting (Laughing)
D: It was as big as a softball--a lot of shit!
L: Really that big?
D: Yep, I got so mad that she ate it that I took her home after that. (Feeling disgusted that our dog apparently eats shit)
L: Well, hopefully she hasn't ruined her appetite for dinner!

I'm back

I think I had my best night of sleep last night since about a week ago. Finally back in my own bed. Even though the hotel I stayed in had fancy Tempur-pedic mattresses, I didn't sleep very well while I was in Portland. Lots of tossing and turning. It was also pretty lonely. My first night alone after David left I just went to the grocery store and bought some food rather than going out to eat by myself. I know...I should be strong enough to eat out by myself. For the most part, I am strong enough. But after you have a full day of eating every other meal by yourself, you really don't feel like eating one more meal in a restaurant, sitting alone. So, I kept the TV company (rather, the TV kept me company).

Today I'm back to the world of routine and work. This is not a bad thing. I like routine. Usually routine makes me feel balanced and steady and stable. I know what is expected of me, and I can deliver. I know that I have to take Maggie out for her walk every morning. I know the bus schedule so I can catch the appropriate bus. I know I've got to figure out what we are going to eat for dinner tonight. These things are good because they remind me that I've got responsibilities and they allow me focus on other things. I know I've got a good 20 minutes on the bus everyday to read my current book, or sit and think, and having that time helps me to maintain some sanity.

standing with microsoft

I'm standing at the Microsoft email checking station. Finally got the opportunity to check my email! thank goodness...I was starting to suffer from withdrawal. But the line is getting longer and longer as I stand here. Starting to make me feel guilty.

David and I had a great time friday and saturday here in Portland. Had a couple of great meals and went into some really cool stores. The quality of construction here in portland, esp. in the pearl district is just so much better than in Seattle. I'm not sure what makes it that way, but you get much more for your money than in Seattle. Still expensive, but just higher quality.

I also had a revelation at the Gelato store...yes we ate gelato! There are two kinds of gelato people...the kind that choose the same flavor each time (fragola, frutti di bosca) and other who like to try something new everytime. I truly love to try new flavors. I can't help but think I"m missing out on a really good flavor because I haven't tried it yet.

Well, the guilt is getting to me. I'm going to finish up and let someone else check their email.

Time for some fun

I'm heading down to Portland today. Can't wait to go. David and I will get some tourist time on saturday and maybe get to do some of the Rose Festival activities. David's list of things he wants to do go in this order: Eat gelato, go to Powell's bookstore.

I may not be quite as active on the blog until I get back to Seattle. I'm not sure what kind of internet access I will have.

Have a great weekend!

Only Everything

Some of you may know that the title of today's post is the name of a band from Cincinnati Ohio. Jim, a good friend from high school, was a huge impetus for this band getting going and staying going. They play regularly in the Cincy area...but here is the big news. They are playing 3 shows with Dave Matthews Band!!! They played two already, one in St. Louis, and another in Chicago. They still have one more on June 15th in Cleveland. They are "Movin' on up"!

You can check out their website at www.onlyeverything.com . I just want to wish Jim and the band the best! I knew from the time he sang a song to me in his bedroom that he was destined for big things! Oh, those were the days. Good memories.

medical establishment

I get so frustrated with the whole medical establishment sometimes. Today is one of those days. Luckily it is not a "frustration with the insurance industry" day. Those days are much worse. No, this is just a simple...why is it that when you need to see someone it almost always takes a month to get an appointment? Sometimes, you have to wait almost a month just to get the referral for the appointment, and then you call for the appointment and they tell you their next available appt. is 3 weeks away. I understand that there are many people who have health issues more important or more time sensitive than mine. I just get frustrated feeling like I'm getting the run-around. But they've got you between a rock and a hard place. They say their next appt. is 3 weeks away, and you can either say okay and accept the delay or you can say no-that is not acceptable, I need to see a doctor sooner and they tell you sorry, can't fit you in.

I recently heard about a relative of a co-worker who has been diagnosed with a fairly lethal form of colon cancer. Apparently this guy only has a 30% chance of not dying from the cancer. In my opinion, I would expect the doctors to jump on this issue and get down to business with treatment options etc. But no, this guy's next appointment to discuss treatment options is...guess when...3 weeks away! How deathly ill do you have to be to get medical attention in a timely manner?

Shameless

A little secret most of you don't know: I love celebrity gossip!

I know, I know it is all just made up stories meant to boost or bring down people's careers. But, there is something about it that makes me love it. I check MSN's gossip page just about everyday, and love to page through trashy magazines in lines at the grocery store.

I suppose it is similar to the reality TV craze. People are by nature curious creatures. We like to see what other people do with their lives...what they eat for dinner, how they discipline their children, etc. Normal everyday people like me don't have cameras interrupting intimate and/or mundane moments of the day. But then here I am posting all this information about myself on the world wide web....do I wish I was a celebrity? Absolutely not. I'm much too much of a control freak to be a celebrity. I think the pressure of being always in the public eye would get to me really quickly.

I have to remind myself that what I know about celebrities from the gossip column is not really what is happening in their real life. But a girl can dream, can't she?

Fair trade?

My boss just came into my office and offered to trade me 2 pieces of Fran's chocolate for a piece of cinnamon gum. I said certainly and gladly gave up the gum. It was perfect timing, as I was craving chocolate after lunch. Sometimes things just work out like that. YEA!

And for all of you who are interested, the court case in Washington state over the governor's election is finally over. A judge has ruled to not overturn the results of the election, which means that Christine Gregoire (D) can stay in office, and Rossi (R) must finally (hopefully!) give up on the governor's seat. I must say I am happy that this is over. Now we can move forward with the business of keeping this state in good shape.

Here is the third design. Similar to the first, but re-done to make construction easier. There was also an alternate for the first design, but I'm not going to post that one. It is very similar to the first one. BTW---David wanted me to post all these ideas.

Here is the second design- alot more traditional...the idea was to get some storage out of the deal with cabinet below. My least favorite.

Here is the first design for the wall. Many of you have already seen this design.

This is a better view of the brackets in the wall. Next steps: Mud, re-mud, and mud again...interspersed with sanding. Then paint wall, cut wood, stain and varnish and attach. Wala..it will be beautiful!

Brackets we cut, filed, drilled holes, sanded. Aren't they beautiful? Such handiwork.

We are ready to mud the wall now. This is a huge improvement over the last picture I posted. David has accomplished alot of work.

Thankfulness

I got back from walking maggie and playing fetch with her and I realized how thankful I was to have such a good dog. On the way back from the park, we saw one dog who would not come when called (one thing maggie is good at), and another dog who apparently likes to pee on concrete. I am thankful that maggie is a "civilized" dog and likes dirt or grass to do her business. She can be exasperating sometimes, but when you see how other people's dogs act, you become thankful for what you have.

It should be like that for everything. Look around you ... there are many people with much less, more difficult situations than the one you are in now. Be thankful for the life you have and the goodness that is in it.

Strawberry Taffy

I can't plead ignorance. I knew when we adopted Maggie that she would become a big part of our lives. I'm glad that she has...she is a sweet, loving dog that I can't imagine living without. However, I am still amazed at how much of our time she takes up. And, how different our lives are now that we have her.

We used to go to the gym on a regular basis (about 5x per week). Since we got maggie we have probably gone all of 5 times total. I find it frustrating because I feel very guilty for not spending time with her after she has had a long day alone, but I also need some time to do things that make me feel better. Yes, I do take her for walks, but that doesn't compensate for the weight lifting or cardio I was doing. I come home, make dinner, take maggie for a walk, and all of a sudden it is 8pm. And that is a good day. If I have to stay at work past five, things get pushed back about an hour.

I've considered waking up at 6am to get some gym time in the morning, but I just can't bring myself to get up that early. Plus David won't go with me if I go that early. Some of the dilemma is a time issue (there isn't enough of it). But that excuse doesn't always work because the gym is open 24 hours. So if i wanted to, I could go work out at 9pm. But I think the majority of it is a guilt issue. I feel guilty for leaving her.

If I am going to get my back better, I am going to have to get to the gym with greater regularity than I am currently going. arghh. I feel pulled in two directions!

faux imposter

Earlier today I was feeling like an imposter. Sitting in my office, working on a grant proposal (which sounds much fancier than it is). I had to call and make a reservation for a rental car for my conference in Portland, and I kept thinking...They are not going to let me book a car with this corporate account. Surely they will realize how young and inexperienced I am and not let me book this car. But they did let me book it, and they even faxed me a confirmation. Wow! I have a fax number that people can fax confirmations to. I feel so grown-up.

And then an undergraduate student came to ask me some statistics questions. These are the moments when I get really nervous, because this is what I am supposed to know and be good at. What if she asks me a question I don't know the answer to? Well, I was able to answer all of her questions and even draw her a pretty picture of what her data probably looked like. It was fun. I'll admit...I did consult a textbook for a quick minute, but hey-if she didn't know the answer, what is wrong with me double checking myself? It was almost like I was a TA for the intro to methods class again. It felt good to use some of this knowledge in my head!

So maybe I am not such an imposter after all. Thank goodness for days like today.