Trelaina

Anatomy of a Photograph

2005-10-02T12:20:50Z

Anatomy of a Photograph

If you're intersted in my opinion of this, check out my post on Jo's Cafe.

trellie @ 2005-09-01T21:38:00

2005-09-02T01:39:24Z

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-02T01:19:26Z

I haven't posted in a bit -- haven't felt the desire to do so lately. However, I did want to throw in a link to an internet-wide appeal for donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Here's a site detailing many worthy charities you can donate to:

Truth Laid Bear Katrina Relief

It really doesn't matter which charity, so long as it's legit and doing good work. I won't bother to mention who I chose, although you can search the logs and find out if that's something you really feel the need to know. Thanks...

Golden Rule of computer problems

2005-08-25T10:08:19Z

We got a new laptop this week. It initially hooked up to our wireless network beautifully, but then suddenly decided it didn't like us anymore and just stopped. It could see the network, but refused to connect.

I fought the damn thing for days. I shut it off & back on again more times than I can count -- because I've learned that the golden rule for anything computer-related is "when it doubt, turn it off & back on again".

Once I'd tried everything I could, I called the computer company. The guy started off telling me to shut down the wireless network. Um, but why? It's working just fine, and the other computer is connected. I had to boot Donald off his game (he did not shoot me for it, thankfully), but I did it.

BAM! Laptop connects, instantly, as soon as the network comes back up.

:::smacks head::: When in doubt, shut it ALL off!!!

trellie @ 2005-07-30T07:20:00

2005-07-30T11:20:20Z

Interesting....picked up from Jo's Cafe

You are blue. You are somewhat innocent, in the fact that your genius only extends to the physical world. You have a false sense of contentness. You are usually the quiet one, the genius. Everyone can count on you to help when they have problems, but you only fall short of being able to solve your own.

What inner color are you?

Quiz by Shirono

Dr Phil

2005-07-29T09:52:48Z

I do not watch Dr Phil. While I support everyone's right to their opinion (even strong opinions, strongly expressed), I don't care much for the philosophy of verbally beating someone into submission. I also don't believe that what is right for some celebrity doctor should, by default, be what is right for me.

As many of you know, I am an advocate of breastfeeding. I am currently very active in a Yahoo breastfeeding group and at some point plan to do some volunteer work in support of breastfeeding and breastfeeding moms. So, this little tidbit from Dr Phil's website was not a welcome sight.

So Dr Phil, the ultimate authority on all things, does not care for a debate on nursing in public. He simply wants to invite moms onto his show so that he can bring in their embarrassed friends and family members and hold a little intervention! What a guy! I'm sure he also believes babies are just short, bald adults who should be given chores and responsibilities immediately after birth.

Now here's a picture

2005-07-23T10:52:24Z

From what I understand, there were some initial comments after the announcement of John Roberts as the Supreme Court nominee that he & President Bush had some strange looks on their faces at times during the announcement (I didn't notice, but then I was listening more than watching).

In case no one has heard about it....this is the cause of their expressions (this is my first time trying a cut, hope it works!)

I am so impressed by those parents. I mean, they are on national TV! They can't just grab him, and they can't say anything when they are that close to the microphones. Even knowing that, I cannot say that I could keep my cool as well as they are.

I suppose President Bush has had stranger interruptions to his speeches :)

Fun with headlines

2005-07-19T09:53:37Z

Found on OpinionJournal's "Best of the Web Today":

We Get So Mad When This Happens
"Anger Management Tour Bus Crashes, 11 Injured" -- azcentral.com headline, July 14, 2005

trellie @ 2005-07-15T20:54:00

2005-07-16T00:55:22Z

Which Sci-Fi Character Are You?

Checking in

2005-07-16T00:51:00Z

Here we go with a few of my random spoutings:

I wish my life was such that I could keep up with this journal and/or turn it into a decent blog. I'm currently living vicariously through Jo's Cafe. Thanks Jo...and I hope all my visits to your site don't cause our employer to block it!
Our house is slowly getting organized...and at the same time slowly driving me crazy. The huge summer rains/tropical storms have AGAIN washed away the dirt under our driveway apron. Sigh.
I find a nice glass of wine (or two...) very calming. Of course, I don't drink the sort of wine many would call "good", but hey, I like it. My current two favorites are white merlot (from the same folks who brought you white zinfandel....it's got considerably more flavor than most WZs) and white sangria.
Target now sells white sangria in a box. I nearly bought a "four-bottle" box today, but managed to regain my sanity before the box made it to my shopping cart.
Thomas is a big fan of Tom & Jerry. I figure shows like that didn't warp our brains TOO badly :) And hey, it's far better than Teletubbies! At least with Tom & Jerry I can sit down with Thomas and explain it. I'd like to meet the person who can successfully explain anything about four fat colored things living in a dirt hut eating smiley face toast and pink custard.
Then again, if you think that's bad....try watching Boobah. I suppose it makes sense if you are two....or have indulged in a significant amount of intoxicating substances. Given that I am an expensive drunk and too goody-two-shoes to have managed any other intoxicating substances, I figure I'd have to be two steps from death to understand it....
Sunday is my 10-year anniversary with my employer (a southern financial institution which shall remain unpronounceable). My manager chose to observe the occasion in our team meeting on Wednesday, by simply announcing it and handing over a box containing my certificate and "pick a thank you gift" brochure. I found it rather underwhelming. One would think that in this age where people switch jobs at the drop of a hat, a 10-year anniversary (not just with the same company, but in support of the same department) would be worth something. On top of that, my 10-year certificate in its little plastic black sleeve looks sad next to my 5-year certificate, which is mounted under glass on a wood frame. Unfortunately, I expected exactly what I got. On the bright side, the gift brochure is not bad.
WEEKEND!!!

Cindy

2005-07-08T09:59:43Z

We live in central North Carolina. One of the benefits of living here is that we are far enough inland that hurricanes threaten, but rarely actually get to us. On the negative side, they're typically very annoying storms when they DO get here.

Case in point: Cindy, who decided central North Carolina would be a good place to hang out last night. Once the rain stopped (or rather, the first big wave of rain stopped) we checked things out. The water & mud washed away the support under our driveway apron, and we're seeing a little water in the basement. Most fun? We now have a sinkhole around our septic tank! Donald says it's about a foot deep.

Luckily the builder is going to fix it....

trellie @ 2005-07-05T05:41:00

2005-07-05T09:45:47Z

We went to see a very nice fireworks display last night. On the lake, not too crowded...and a 15-minute show, which was perfect for Thomas. It's very boring to see a 30+ minute show where they shoot one lonely firework at a time, trying to drag things out. At this show they shot off two or three at a time, and it was great.

Plus, we got out of there in no time! I'm definately going to shows that require you to park and walk rather than sit in your car. By the time we got back to the car, the idiots ("I MUST LEAVE FIRST!!!!!") had left. We made a quick right turn out of the parking lot, hit the highway and were out of the busiest traffic. Nice.

You Are 81% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges. Tough and independent, you think big. You love everything about the US, wrong or right. And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

Independence Day

2005-07-04T13:28:00Z

I'm betting that as I wander through websites during the day that I will find a lot of links that speak to how great our country is....so I will hopefully be updating this during the day as I find them.

The Eternal Meaning of Independence Day

Day By Day

trellie @ 2005-06-30T05:45:00

2005-06-30T09:49:45Z

With all the yelling about President Bush's speech the other night (which I thought was good, if a little boring since it's stuff he's said before), I found this interesting:

That Was Then

One would think that a requirement for being a politician (of any party) would be the ability to remember the important things you did and said so that you are consistent when it counts. Then again, perhaps these guys DO remember....

Day by Day

2005-06-28T09:54:43Z

The other day I linked to a Day by Day cartoon....just checked it and realized I somehow linked to the wrong one. Here's the one I intended to show:
http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/cartoons/06-19-2005.gif

trellie @ 2005-06-27T06:09:00

2005-06-27T10:12:52Z

On a lighter note, I found in one of our boxes my old Nintendo game system.

It's a "hand-me-down" (or UP perhaps) from my brothers, who each had one and gave me their old stuff when they moved up to bigger and better things. As I can't play many of the better games, I stuck with this one. I had the system, a wealth of controllers, and about 15 games.

This system hasn't been in a climate-controlled environment since the late 90s. It was in storage for a year and a half, and before that it was in our attic. I didn't hold out much hope for it, but figured if it worked even in part, Thomas would enjoy it.

I snuck it upstairs (didn't want Thomas to see it if it didn't work) and hooked it up.

It WORKED! I was completely stunned. But, Thomas had fun watching me play a few games (he'll try his hand eventually). It should be a fun distraction.

trellie @ 2005-06-27T06:01:00

2005-06-27T10:07:43Z

Yesterday, I:

Made pancakes for breakfast
Did two loads of laundry (would have done more but the dryer isn't heating up...)
Did two dishwasher loads
Rearranged our bedroom closet
Removed all boxes from our bedroom
Completely organized Thomas' bedroom
Pulled a few boxes from the garage/basement and dealt with them
Moved winter clothes boxes to the basement (where they should have been put in the first place)
Cooked dinner (spaghetti and italian sausage)
Made sugar cookies (from scratch, at Thomas' request. Gotta figure out why my scratch cookies never turn out right....)

Saturday we went to the apartment...got the last of the stuff organized (and as much of it in the car as possible) and got everything clean.

When is my day off?

trellie @ 2005-06-25T08:52:00

2005-06-25T12:52:59Z

http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/Default.aspx?CartoonDate=6/24/2005

trellie @ 2005-06-25T07:23:00

2005-06-25T11:42:58Z

From Friday's Feast, via Jo's Cafe:

Appetizer
What time do you usually wake up each day? If you could choose your wake-up time, when would it be?

On a workday, I get up at 5:15am (and may have to move that earlier due to my longer drive). I rarely "sleep in"...once the sun is up I'm usually getting up. I'm typically up by 7:30am at the latest.

Soup
When was the last time you bought groceries? What store did you go to? Name 3 things you purchased.

We just went to the store last night (Harris Teeter):

Pepsi
ABCs & 123s with meatballs (Thomas' favorite)
White Sangria (for me :D)

Salad
How many books have you read so far this year? Which was your favorite and why?

My life lately has not been very "sit down and read a book" friendly, so I've probably only managed 2-3 books this year. I hope to make up for lost time very soon!

Main Course
What is something you consider to be very elegant? In particular, what about that item/place/person conjures up the feeling of elegance?

One person I consider to be very elegant is Laura Bush. She is quiet, reserved and professional, especially when the situation calls for it, but I just bet she's willing to speak her mind and do what needs to be done behind the scenes. She carries herself with pride and grace, and in doing so portrays a strength I wish I had.
Not to say this is the only way to be elegant...just that I see it in her and am impressed by it.

Dessert
Who taught you how to drive?

Hm...got the usual basics from driver's ed, more from my dad. Learned to drive a straight-drive by signing up for school bus driver training! I never did get to be a school bus driver (not that I particularly understand why I WANTED to be). Maybe someday I'll get that Class B license and drive a band bus!

We are IN!

2005-06-17T01:34:44Z

Hooray! It's not perfect, it was very stressful, and we have a lot of work left to do (including more moving, as we didn't get everything out of the apartment), but we are IN our new house.

I took a picture of the sunset from our front porch, but I can't upload it yet -- will do that as soon as I can.

trellie @ 2005-06-14T21:27:00

2005-06-15T01:38:18Z

I truly dislike packing.

It seems that while you are busily putting things away, other things sneak off to the corners and hide, and sometimes multiply. By the time you think you're done with an area, you open a door and find a ton of things you still haven't packed up.

I think it's worse this time because I have hired movers. I've never done that before....have always either moved myself or had help from family. You can pack much less formally when you know family is handling the boxes.

Sigh

trellie @ 2005-06-13T12:12:00

2005-06-13T16:38:32Z

The walkthrough went great. The builder & realtor complimented me a couple of times on my color choices, which fascinates me as I am not good at that sort of thing and pretty much agonized over the simplest of choices. At one point, I was standing in the upstairs bathroom (blue tile, blue/grey grout) and the builder says "nice coordination of the tile with the carpet". I looked, and sure enough the dark grey carpet looks great alongside the bathroom tile. Um....sure, I did that, yeah! Planned it all out just like that :)
We did find out that the shower stall in the master bath doesn't have a door...and it's not a standard thing. Weird...I knew I had to buy a fridge and a mailbox....but a shower door?
Oh, if anyone wants to see: Our House
Two days to the follow-up walkthrough (Wednesday noon, to verify that the nitpicky cleanup stuff is done). Two days & two hours to the closing (Wednesday 2pm). Three days to the move!
I had a horrible sense of dread for most of yesterday that I'd forgotten something important. Still can't figure out what it was, but I'm not feeling it today. Oh well!

trellie @ 2005-06-11T07:05:00

2005-06-11T11:23:20Z

No schedule changes yesterday. No news about owing more money to someone. Can't ask for much more than that....except that it stays that way for a bit!
Recalc: 9 hours to the walk-through (4pm Saturday), 4 days to closing (2pm Wednesday), 5 days to the move. 6 days (hopefully) until I get to drop the apartment keys at the office and never see this hellhole again.
The worst thing about taking significant time off work, admittedly, is the day you come back and have to catch up. However, coming in a close second is the day before you start...when you must get everything to a good stopping point, find people to handle things in your absence, and make sure your voice mail and email reflects the fact that you will be unreachable. I always leave on that last day convinced I forgot something. Yesterday I left at 5:15pm, 45 minutes late.....and forgot to set the out of office message on my email. Now I have to get back there sometime this weekend. Sigh.
No, I don't have the ability to check email from home. My company allows it if you have remote access, and it permits remote access with management approval. My department manager has always agreed that I should have remote access given my position...in fact, he is of the opinion that anyone who wants remote access should have it. However, my direct manager refuses to allow it, for various reasons I won't describe as I like my blood pressure right where it is, thank you.
I got an ID card for Thomas from his daycare. They bring a group in to photograph, weigh and measure your child and produce a laminated card you can carry for just-in-case. Thomas' stats came back as 45 inches tall, 38 pounds. He is 4 years old. I checked the CDC growth charts and he blows the scale for height. Hm... I found a BMI calculator out of curiosity...and used the height of 42 inches that we got at home. His BMI is somewhere around 14, which puts him below the 5th percentile. Yep, he's gonna be a beanpole like his dad was.

trellie @ 2005-06-10T05:08:00

2005-06-10T09:14:57Z

Closing is WEDNESDAY at 2pm. This nearly eliminates my time off next week which was supposed to be used for unpacking. Sigh.
If you're going to post a "what kind of coffee are you" quiz, shouldn't you be able to spell cappuccino?

You're a Cappicinno!

What Kind of Coffee are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

House Update

2005-06-09T00:46:27Z

Well, the Friday closing is off. Builder is not ready, can't commit to it, postponed the walkthrough today too.

Turns out, it's only a few minor issues....a small patch of carpet, some paint, and cleanup. I guess I should consider it a positive that the builder has enough pride in his work to push back a closing two days prior, over minor issues. It's very frustrating though.

So, I spent the day talking to everyone...lawyer's office, loan processor, realtor, parents, movers. I'm worn out, and we still don't have a new date. So far, it's looking like Monday, which is not too bad. Then again, it really messes with the plans. With a Friday close & Saturday move, my mom was going to keep Thomas overnight on Friday. I'm not sure she can do that on a Monday night...she would have to take the day off on Tuesday.

Sigh.