More Dog Pictures

Today's Dog Walk

Tig is doing well ...

Wow, we're about five days in at this stage and everything is going very well with all the dogs and especially with Tig. He seems very happy and well adjusted here, I have not noticed any anxiety or fear from him at all. Tig has been sleeping in the bed with Lola (older Pug) and me and has been wonderful, except he sure does like to take up a lot of real estate! I think that he finally figured out sometime last night that he didn't have to get up and come with me to the bathroom during the night, at least not every time. He still seems to want to keep an eye on me though.

Today was my first day back to work since adopting him, so I was really curious to see how it would go. I've decided that I'm going to return the ginormous crate that I bought and so I took a chance and gated him in the kitchen (using the ridiculously short, pug-sized gate that he could have stepped over at any time). Today was an unfortunate day too, one where I had six(!) meetings and plenty of work and thus no time to run home during the day or even to come home a little early. But when I finally made it home he was still in the kitchen, nothing was chewed, nothing had been pulled off the counter tops, no accidents, nothing. Just a happy, excited Boxer who was over the Moon to see me. So, I'm thinking that maybe a crate won't be needed for him after all, which is especially nice for him, considering how much he has been crated so far in his young life, I am happy that he can probably say goodbye to that now.

This morning I took all three dogs for a walk before I left for work (probably a little over a mile or so) and then for another walk after work (about two miles) all dogs walking nicely beside or behind me -- I continue to be: Master of the Dogs -- heh. I think it will be best for all involved if I can continue this routine.

So anyway, Tig continues to be a truly wonderful dog. I am really glad that I decided to give the rescue thing a try, it was definitely worth all the hoops I had to jump through and the months of waiting.

Some Tig Pictures

they're not all that great, hopefully I can get some better ones soon ...

As you can see, wherever Tig is, Fitz is always somewhere close by!

"Tigger" Update

Well, I brought him home! He really is a wonderful & sweet dog. He already is quite affectionate and attached to me, not reserved at all. His story is a bit of a strange one, his former family got him out of a shelter last October, he was only a couple of months old at the time! Just so odd to think that a purebred dog like that was in the pound that young, no one seems to know how that happened. Anyway, the former family basically kept him crated day & night and finally gave him up to rescue a short time ago when they faced the fact that they were never going to be able to give him more than that. He's amazingly happy and outgoing for a dog that hasn't been offered a lot of socialization or affection up until a few weeks ago.

I have to say that I am just so happy & excited about this dog! Tig (not crazy about the name "Tigger", so I've been calling him "Tig") is wonderful. I was slightly concerned at first about how Fitz and he were going to get along because Fitz was a little overwhelmed by him at the rescue house this morning. He wasn't fearful or cowering, but he wasn't up to his usual play & exuberance standards. But once we got home and everyone settled in, it's been great! Both dogs have been playing so well together. Fitz is all over Tig, continuously engaging him in play and in total Heaven because Tig is happy to chase him around the yard. Once Tig catches him, Fitz will stop and roll and then bounce right up again and start all over again. To Tig's credit, when he catches Fitz, he bumps his nose into him almost like he's tagged him, but doesn't pounce hard on him or anything (I was worried how a lively bigger dog would be with a lively smaller one -- I wasn't too worried about aggression, but was worried maybe things could get out of hand with play). With Lola on the other hand, Tig has been completely respectful. He's interested in her, but hasn't bothered her too much. Lola seems happy because more of Fitz's attention seems focused on the new dog, so she is no longer bearing the brunt of Fitz's attention.

Anyway, Fitz is completely enamoured by him, it's almost like he has a big brother to look up to, he's been following Tig everywhere. Tig, on the other hand has been following me everywhere. I took him for a nice, long walk, just the two of us, to start to get to know him a bit, to help acclimate him to our neighborhood and to drain energy also. Anyway, he's an absolute dream on the lead. Loose leash the entire walk, he stayed right beside my side the whole time barely distracted by people and other dogs and squirrels and such. We passed this woman with a fluffy white dog twice (walking the opposite direction of the loop) and the second time she, almost in an embarrassed way, laughed about how her dog was making her do what he wants -- I honestly think she was impressed by how Tig was walking so nicely with me, especially compared to her dog. I wish I could take the credit for it, but it was pretty much all him. So anyway, so far, so good. It seems like a pretty good match!

Dog Adoption Update

I received an email from the President of the Boxer rescue group about a dog that she has been fostering that she feels may be a good fit. "Tigger" is about a year old (about the same age as Fitz) and just sounds like a wonderful dog -- I had the opportunity to have a long conversation with the rescue woman about him on Wednesday night and came away from it very excited to meet this guy. He's a small-ish (on the shorter side, 45 lbs, but very muscular) brindle Boxer who is energetic, but enthusiastic, loving, listens, likes to learn, loves to play and is great with other dogs. He's also completely housebroken and crate trained. So, I'm packing up my dogs and driving down to Bellingham, MA tomorrow morning to meet him. If all the dogs get along and it looks like a good match, I'll most likely be bringing him home with us tomorrow! I will post an update here over the weekend either way.

Crazy

Do you ever get the feeling that you're so crazy busy and going in so many different directions that you're actually getting nothing at all done? Thus has been my life at work lately. It's great, but ... it's nutz.

Email trapped in the SPAM folder since Tuesday morning (sheesh!)

"Congratulations! You have completed all the steps in our adoption process and you are now approved to adopt one of our dogs. We recommend that you become pro-active in this matching process, and work with us to match the right dog to your specific circumstances. Please continue to review our available dogs and contact us when a dog that you believe to be a good match for you and your family is available. Be sure to read that particular dog’s information to ensure you can offer what he/she needs (another dog, a fenced yard, someone home more often than not, etc.) and remember that the goal is to find the best match for you regardless of age, gender, color, etc.

THANK YOU! "

YAY! I'm officially approved! I guess I'm an acceptable adopter, imagine that?

What a Ditz

I don't know whether I'm losing my mind or what, but I swear I had an 8 AM meeting today. I got up early, rushed through my morning routine, got to work by about 7:15 AM so that I could enjoy a cup of coffee and read some email without having to rush around to be ready for the meeting to start ... Well, I just realized that I haven't seen a reminder yet so I checked my calendar and ... no 8 AM meeting! WTF? Did it disappear? Did I imagine it? Did I get the days mixed up? Am I just going insane? Well, at least it's nice and quiet here for a little while, so I can enjoy that before the craziness starts. But still ... SHEESH! It's going to be a loooooong day.

Dog Interview Update

So I had my home visit with the rescue group last night and it went very well. The woman they sent seemed to really like my home and was also impressed with my dogs (who behaved very well, I might add) and said that I obviously love them and care for them well. She brought her 12 week-old Boxer puppy with her to see how my dogs interacted with him and I was just ready to swoon over with love for this cutie! What a face! 12 weeks old and he & Fitz were about evenly matched in height, although Fitz has a lot more girth on him. Anyway, it was fun to watch them romping in the yard and there was obviously no problem with any of the dogs getting along, so no flags there for the group. So, I believe I've passed all the hurdles at this point. As she was leaving she said that she would file her report right away (that night) and that the next step is that the rescue group directors would be in touch with me about dog placement! So ... YAY!

Is it possible to LOVE an appliance?

Because, if it is, I think I truly love my new vacuum. I've come late to the Dyson craze of course. I know many people who have one or another version of this vacuum (I purchased "The Animal") and all have been singing its praises for years. I knew that it was just a matter of time before I caved and got one. There have been a lot of things on my financial plate, however (buying a car, buying a house, buying stuff for the house, or improvements, etc. thousands of $$$ in dental work, and so on) so a new vacuum had been pretty low on the priority list. That is until I broke my old vacuum by sucking up something it wasn't suppose to suck. Then the question is, to cheap out and buy a lesser vacuum to make do with and someday upgrade to the Dyson? Or just bite the bullet and go for it. I went for it. Well, let me tell you, this thing is incredible! I'm almost embarrassed to explain how much dog hair it sucked up. And then today after using it, I realized that I needed to empty the cannister. I was dreading this exercise with the bag-less unit expecting it to be a messy & complicated ordeal, but I was incredibly impressed with how easy it was! I had brought both vacuum and trash can out on the deck, anticipating the big mess when really all that was involved was clicking the cannister off the machine, holding it above the trash and pulling a trigger. The bottom flipped open and all dust and hair, etc. slid easily out and into the can. It couldn't have been easier. So yes, anything that makes my life easier and a dreaded chore a pleasure is worth at least a blog post in my book.

Work is Lovely

I have to say that I've really been loving my job lately. I've been extremely engaged and busy and involved in an ever increasing variety of stuff, all of it at the same time both interesting and overwhelming. I have so much to learn, but I feel continuously grateful for the opportunity to do so.

So Excited

I am a step closer to adopting a rescue Boxer dog. The rescue group with whom I filled out an application contacted me about a month or so ago for an in-depth phone interview and they followed up by contacting my personal & vet references. Well, I must have passed all that because I received an email yesterday from a woman with the group who wants to set up a home visit. After a little back and forth it looks like we're targeting for Monday evening! I had really hoped for a weekend because I would presumably have a chance to wear out my dogs (especially Fitz) a bit in preparation for the meeting, and especially as she plans to bring her male Boxer along to see how my dogs interact, but hopefully everything will still be alright. If all goes well, there may very well be a Boxer out there that will be a great fit for my little canine family.

Seen at Work Today

A woman dressed head-to-toe in plum velour long-sleeved top and matching pants. In August. Didn't anyone tell her it's like 80-something degrees outside?

and now I'm getting sick!

Sore throat, keep sneezing, etc. This is just fantastic news.

(oh yeah and my iron count was too low to donate blood today)

People are so freaking inconsiderate!

So, I get to work this morning and all is pretty quiet except ... some asshat two cubes up who is on an early morning conference call on her freaking speaker phone!!! WTF???!!! Oh don't worry hon, the World truly does revolve around you. Sheesh!

Okay, someone just shoot me!

I have 5 meetings tomorrow. FIVE!!!

Dental Horrors

So, I had to have oral surgery on Tuesday. In consulting with the oral surgeon and his nurse in the weeks leading up to the procedure, I was assured that it was going to be no big deal and that I was going to be surprised at how easy it was going to be and how quickly I was going to bounce back and feel great. Well, not so much. I went in at 1:30 on Tuesday for what I thought was going to be an hour appointment, I ended up leaving three hours later in severe pain and completely traumatized. It was horrible. They had to extract this back molar and apparently the tooth that had been under the bridge was so decayed that there was nothing for him to grab on to. He ended up having to hack it into pieces and crack the tooth out of the bone, piece by piece. My every limb was shaking like a leaf and the novacaine was wearing off by the time I left the office. I then had to make a detour to get my prescriptions filled, by the time I was finally driving home, I was in so much pain and in such a state of panic that I was literally freaking out. Looking back at it a few days later, I am completely relieved that it is over but still somewhat traumatized by the experience. My lower jaw is also still pretty sore and swollen too, but at least have some Vicadin that I can take at night. I am not having a good week at all.

Singing Pug

This cracked me up so much that I had to post it.

It's been so long ...

Oh MAN it’s been a long-ass time since I’ve written! Bad blogger!. Maybe you can blame it on my new life in New Hampshire. Used to be while living in NYC, I spent pages ranting or complaining about all the annoyances of daily life there. Here I honestly find very little to complain about.

Here are just a few quick notes about what’s been going on with me over the past few months:

Travel. In late May I traveled to Las Vegas for a conference for work. The conference was pretty good and it was also good to see a few former colleagues from Old Company. Vegas though, I don’t think is really for me. Maybe I would feel differently if I was there with friends and just hanging out, but I don’t know. Everything is so … fake. And, yes, you KNOW it’s fake going in, it’s not like they’re trying to pull something over on you or anything, but I guess I just wasn’t expecting myself to find it so cheesy. I also found it surprisingly expensive, but I didn’t have much time to go wandering around looking for deals either. So, bottom line, I guess if given the opportunity to go another time with friends I would give it another chance, but I’m not going to be going out of my way looking for trips out there either.

Sh*t Happens. Coming home from Vegas late after about 12 hours of travel, I somehow managed to back into this low-slung cement pylon at the Manchester Airport. $1,300 worth of damage – lovely. My wonderful, wonderful car! Of course I got it fixed, insurance paid, but I still had to shell out $500 for my deductible.

Home. Around that same time I discovered that the air-conditioning set up here did not work at all. I had deluded myself into believing that I could struggle through this Summer with what was here (two completely antiquated wall-installed units). After getting a couple of quotes I found that these 20 year old units are not salvageable and are not even a standard size, so the cost of replacing them would end up costing as much or more than the solution I finally went with, since they would have to resize the wall cut-outs. It just didn’t make any sense to spend that kind of money on something that wasn’t even an efficient or adequate cooling method. Because I have radiant, electric heat, I don’t have ductwork in the house, so installing central a/c wasn’t a viable or affordable option (I could probably have gone into debt for about $20,000 and had ductwork run and central installed and hoped that my heating network didn’t end up being damaged in the process, but I didn’t want the debt or the risk). So, I finally ended up having a “ductless central a/c system” installed. It basically works very similar to traditional central air, only instead of ductwork, there is a unit on the wall that distributes the air, it works with a condenser that sits outside (like central air) and eliminates the humidity too, etc. Anyway, it wasn’t cheap, but it was the best option that I could pay for with cash, so that’s the way I went. There are plenty of days here where I don’t need a/c (like tonight), but on the days that get up there, and/or are very humid, I’ve been pretty happy with the results. It’s also nice and quiet, so I hardly even realize it’s running sometimes. Anyway, so that was a chunk of change.

Dental. After my root canal and other dental work I had a few months ago, I had a consultation with the oral surgeon about the work I have to have done on the adjacent tooth. I actually have to have the tooth extracted, they will then do a bone graft and let it heal for about five months and then I get a dental implant. The cost for all of this is $6,000 – yikes!

Money. So, with all the outlaying of cash I’ve been doing over the past few months, most of my home improvement projects have been on hold for a while. I’m determined to live without debt (other than my mortgage) so the stuff I want to do in the house will have to wait until I have some free cash. Luckily with the dental work, at least, I get to pay for it as each piece of the work is done. This means that I only have to pay about $1,800 this month and the balance won’t have to be paid until the rest of the work is done, about five months from now.

Anyway, so I’ve had some financial things come up. I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t been able to do anything more with the house at this stage, but I figure that I don’t have to be in a rush either, so I’m not really stressing out too much about it. I really would have liked to get some wicker furniture for my screened porch though, but maybe I’ll be able to find something on sale next month. If not, it can wait until next year.

Friends. My friends Luminita & Paul are moving to New Hampshire! Luminita had contacted me months ago because she was interested in looking into opportunities at New Company. At the time I asked my manager for help in finding an area where I could target her resume. Well, Manager liked her resume and kept a hold of it, hoping that maybe something would open up (he actually had hoped to create something). Well, that never happened, but then a great position opened up in the group (our internal customer) where I’ve been working and so, we forwarded her resume to our contacts there. They interviewed her, they liked her and offered her the job! So, they move up here next week. It will be great to have some local friends and they’re also very excited about their new lives here, especially now they will now be able to afford a house.

Work. I got a raise! And had an “Exceeds Expectations” rating for my review. I was almost more excited to hear my rating than I was for the extra money. I still continue to struggle with confidence issues and concerns that I could be doing a better job, so it is very nice and a relief to get such positive feedback. I love my group at New Company.

Dogs. My dogs are the greatest, I just love coming home to their funny, happy faces every day. That little Fitz is not so little anymore, he’s kinda huge, almost as big as Lola at this stage (I’ll have to post some updated pictures soon). He is a total sweetie too, as well as a little naughty boy (as dogs his age tend to be). I have also filled out an application with a New England Boxer rescue group. They followed up with a lengthy phone interview, they’ve checked my personal and vet references and now I’m waiting for a home interview to be scheduled. If I make it over that hurdle, I will be cleared to adopt a Boxer sometime in the future, when an appropriate dog for my situation and canine dynamic becomes available. I know some people think I’m crazy for wanting to have a bunch of dogs, but I don’t care, it’s always been my dream to have a few and it’s something I was never able to have while living in a city apartment. Anyway, with all that said, I think three should be enough for awhile. Someday I may live in a place with more space and a bigger yard or whatever and may consider having more, but I think three should do it for now.

Exercise. I’ve been trying lately to walk more, taking my dogs on 2-mile loops around an adjacent neighborhood. And I joined a gym in town this week. It’s amazing how inexpensive it is! $20 a month and I can also go to any other location they have (it’s a Gold’s Gym). I figure for $20 a month, even if I’m not going every day, it’s worth it. They have a pretty big facility and they have Spinning! In NYC, a similar membership would cost close to $100/month.

Health. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning with a new doctor (primary care recommended by my GYN). I’m nervous as I really hate going to doctors and I get especially freaked out when I’m scheduled to see a new one. I’ll be a lot happier when the appointment is over.

Female Problems. Nah, I’m not going to go there. Consider yourself spared.

The Definition of Irony

There is not a staple or a stapler to be found anywhere on this floor at work. I did, however, find a large cache of staple removers.

You Know You're Not Fully Awake ...

... When leaving the house in the morning, instead of giving the dog her morning doggy treat, you try to hand her the cell phone instead. You know, in case she wants to make a phone call during the day or something. Sheesh.

Spring is about change

What is it about Spring that makes you want to get organized, clean up, get rid of clutter? Why do I start feeling restless this time of year, tired of being cooped up inside, sick of TV? I guess it's the opening up of windows and the fresh air -- still fresh even if it's raining outside.

I woke up on Saturday morning and felt invigorated to unpack some more boxes, go through papers, throw a lot of crap out. Last week during our impromptu, unseasonable "Summer" weekend, I very much enjoyed sitting out on the deck reading and listening to music. I've been taking the dogs for walks around the neighborhood after work and Fitzie and I are on week 3 of obedience training at the Nashua Petsmart. It's great to get out of the house on a weekend, but it's especially been a hoot just to go there every week and socialize with all the dogs and let all the people we encounter admire and fawn over him. Anyway, more and more as Spring burgeons I'm enjoying cleaning up and getting out more. During the Winter it was lovely to be cozy inside with the dogs piled on top of me with a fire going and the latest Netflix delivery, or "Grey's Anatomy" installment playing. Not that I don't enjoy these things during this time of year too, but I also feel motivated to clean up and get some fresh air.

There have been some recent changes at work as well. There was a big personnel change on the project where I am assigned. Basically, all the major business project managers and sponsors have left the group or moved into different roles. This has been stressing me out quite a bit over the past couple of weeks just with the uncertainty with everything and what this was going to mean for me. But I finally had some information about who I was going to be working with and had a meeting first with the head of the tech group I'll be aligned with and then with the entire group later in the week. They all seemed great, very open and with good communication and I really feel like I will be integrated with the daily workings of the business and with the end users like I never had the opportunity to be before. So, I came away from last week encouraged and excited about these new changes and the opportunities they represent.

I just posted this picture again because I really like it. I'm also amazed ... Fitzie was a fraction of his current size when it was taken.

Matt Lauer

I had a dream this weekend that I was tooling around with Matt Lauer in a Mini Cooper. Now, that was a fun dream. heh.

This is what is happening in my yard RIGHT NOW

(You can't really see it falling all that well in the pictures, but trust me, is is!) Crazy snow on April 15th. Woo!

It's April 12th

Can someone tell me why there is about 3" or so of fresh snow in my yard? This is some crazy shit. Seriously.

ARGH!

It's been a bit of a crazy week at work. I have my usual project work going on, there have also been some new-customer-related meetings and activity to supplement my regular work. Plus, they are going through a major personnel upheaval in the group with my current project. So because of all of these changes, I have the added tasks this week to create process flow documents for a bunch of the reports I've worked on over the past year. So, this is pretty time consuming and a bit stressful because of the time crunch outside of my other work, so I thought I'd get a jump on some of it for today by working on one of the bigger flow charts last night from home. Okay, so I finally finish it at 11 PM, come into the office this morning and go to drop it into the document this morning and I can't open it! Turns out that the version of Visio I have on this machine is incompatible with the version of Visio I have on my home machine. ARGH! I mean, it's not the end of the World, I'll just complete it from home a little later, but still ... ARGH! Sheesh.

Work. Is. Good.

So I had a short meeting with one of people I'm writing a series of reports for the other day. I know that this part of this project is particularly high-profile. It's not anything that looks so impressive on the surface to the lay person, just a bunch of columns of numbers. But there is a lot that is going on under the surface to pull all of this data together. Many different data sources are involved, lots of pulling of bits apart and lots of putting bits together, lots of analysis and various other moving parts to put everything together into one, seamless-looking output. Anyway, the professional portfolio managers know the value of what they're looking at and the portfolio manager that I spoke to the other day just gushed on & on to me about what a fantastic application this is for them. He actually said, "this is revolutionizing how we manage and invest these (big magilla company) plans" (big magilla company being my words, of course). He also said that the data has been going directly to the Senior VP, head of this entire trading division. Wow. I was blown away (and a little impressed with myself, to be honest). It's especially nice because too often you don't hear much unless something goes wrong. It's truly deeply satisfying to know that people are getting lots of immediate benefit out of something that I actually created. Woo!

Shelton Kang

Shelton & Linda in November, 2002

I've wanted to write something about the passing of Shelton Kang before now, but I don't really know how much I can add to what Julia wrote, she spoke about him so perfectly and beautifully. I will say that Shelton was a genuinely nice person who always saw the best in people. I never heard an unkind word come out of his mouth. He was a man who, despite his limitations, really knew how to get the most out of life. After losing his wife Linda suddenly and being diagnosed with congestive heart failure himself, he could very easily have just stayed home and used it as an excuse to give up and wallow in misery, but not Shelton. He reinvented himself and started a walking program, ultimately walking four marathons and countless half-marathons and other races of varying distances all over the country. Everywhere he went he made friends and spread actual joy. How many people do you meet in life who spread actual joy? He was just a sweet, sweet man who enjoyed life & people. And he was a total dog lover, which always makes someone pretty great in my book.

The news of his passing struck me particularly hard for some reason and I'm not even that sure why. I knew Shelton, I probably saw him about once or twice a year in a group setting. In fact, I had just seen him a couple of months earlier in Boston. But I didn't see or talk to him often enough to really consider him one of my closest friends. Maybe it was just that buoyant spirit of his, it seemed like he would always be around. Or maybe it was just that he always should be around.

Finally: my completed living room bookcases

Spring Snow April 5th, 2007

Oh and

On an unrelated note ... I'm finally finished with the antibiotics (feel like I've been on them constantly since January). I think I'll have a beer. At last.

Weird Freaking Dog

So, very recently Fitzie (who is being neutered tomorrow, btw) has taken to peeing in Lola's food bowl. He doesn't pee in his own bowl, nor the water bowl, always just her bowl. Bizarre. I guess he's trying to tell her something. Poor Loly-girl. I made him eat of of the pee bowl tonight (I washed it first, of course).

Tax Woes

I am really annoyed. I had an appointment scheduled with a CPA for late this afternoon to help me with my tax preparation since my financial picture for 2006 is pretty complicated (between moving from NY to NH, relocation benefits, selling property in NYC, buying property in NH, higher salary, bonus, rolling over IRAs, etc.) Anyway, I was looking for CPAs in my town and had found her name somehow and sent her an email inquiry to possibly set up an appointment. In the email I briefly sketched my situation and she wrote back, “I don’t do NY tax returns”. Okaaaaay. So I wrote back and said, well I was really only living in NYC for 2 weeks in 2006, but could she perhaps recommend someone else? She writes back, “Well, I guess I can help you”. Gee thanks, don’t knock yourself out or anything (it’s not like I was insisting that she help me or anything, I just asked for a local recommendation). All of this tax stuff is stressful enough, do I really want to deal with someone who is so lukewarm about working with me? Anyway, not knowing who else to contact, I made the appointment.

So, since I have the appointment for late this afternoon, I go to the trouble to make sure that I get to work early so that I can work a full day before having to leave to make it to her office on time (which is conveniently located around the corner from work). But what happens? I get an email from her around 8 AM stating that she has to cancel because she’s not feeling well. WTF??? So, obviously she doesn’t really want my business. Frustrated, I vent about this to a co-worker and he suggests that I contact my realty office and see if they can recommend someone. So I do. It ends up being a good idea because they recommend a CPA firm (raving about them in the process) who I call and who goes out of their way to accommodate me (scheduling me in on a Saturday) and who also, when I mention the NY aspect of my situation, says, “No problem! We can deal with any state”.

I sent an email to the first CPA chick that says, “I’ll just make other arrangements then. Thanks for your help.” I haven’t heard back from her. I’ve got to wonder how someone like that is able to run a successful business. So unprofessional. She could have just said, “I’m sorry, I’m not very comfortable with the NYS stuff, but perhaps I can recommend someone else for you”. How hard would that have been? SHEESH.

toe

This is what my toe looked like when I took off my sock tonight. Gross.

Yet Another Pug Picture

It Never Freaking Ends

So, I went to the dentist on Monday and apparently I have a number of problems going on in my mouth. In addition to the needed root canal and abscess, I apparently have some major decay around the tooth adjacent where I had a root canal about two years ago. They're not even sure if they're going to be able to save this second tooth. All of these problems stem from this ill-advised bridge my former dentist talked me into getting years ago and I am finding myself quite bitter about it right now.

Anyway, the root canal doctor managed to get me in this afternoon which really ended up being a good thing because once she opened up my tooth, she said that the decay and infection was more extensive than it had appeared on the x-ray. She seemed to think if I had waited much longer, I could have lost that tooth too. So, I had the root canal today, but am still finding myself in pain which I hope is not an indication of the problems with the other tooth. I have to go back to the first dentist in a week or two to have him finish the work on the RC tooth and to evaluate what we're going to do about this other one. I am so ... I don't know, depressed, overwhelmed, stressed about all of this. And of course my out-of-pocket costs for all of this work is going to be in the 1,000s. TG for insurance (at least they'll be paying for some of this) and TG that I'm debt free! If this had happened two years ago I would be screaming and crying and completely freaking out & panicking -- at least I can pay for this. I'm not happy about it and some of my home improvement plans will have to be put on hold this year, but at least I don't have to go into debt to do this. At least it's not going to completely wipe me out.

To add insult to injury, tonight my cell phone was ringing. I could hear it and I realized that it was still in my jacket pocket. So, instead of just letting it ring, I jumped up and ran for it, vaulting over something on the floor and catching my toe on the corner of a chair in the process. Now I'm afraid I've broken my toe! Oh and that phone call was my father. I have no doubt he was calling about having me send him more money out of our trust account, I've already had to do that twice in the past week and that seems to be the only reason he ever calls me lately.

But I'm not bitter, no, not at all.

It's Always Something

Spent the weekend in pain as it seems that I have another abscess in the area where I need a root canal. I've been putting it off and I guess I've just put it off too long. I called the root canal dentist and the soonest they can get me in is April 6th. ACK! In the meantime, I've made an appointment for this afternoon with another local dentist as I really don't feel comfortable going back to the "Super Cuts-esque" place that I went to the last time. I'm hoping this new dentist will maybe be able to get me in someplace sooner, or at the very least will have some good drugs to prescribe. UGH!

I'm SUCH a worrier

Seriously. I wish I could just stop. I go through these periods of intense anxiety sometimes that I just can't seem to shake off. It seems to get worse as I get older. A number of things contribute to this, lack of confidence/self-esteem issues, growing up with a mother who worried about everything, probably having too much time on my hands. Worry, worry, worry. I. Just. Can't. Stop. Sheesh.

Signs You're Getting Old

It must be a sign that I'm getting old when I actually prefer Mondays to Fridays. Used to be, Friday was my favorite day. Usually the weekend would start on Thursday with Happy Hour and then on Friday it was out directly after work until all hours, Mondays were to be dreaded. Nowadays, by Friday I'm tired and running down on energy, yet Mondays are fun! I'm well-rested, re-invigorated with energy and enthusiasm for the work at hand. I always seem to get a lot done on a Monday and the day just flies by. Preferring a Monday to Friday ... what's up with that?

The Puppy is getting so big!

Sleep

It seems like sleep or rather, the lack of, has been in the media quite a bit recently. The Today show has been doing a segment about it this week and the subject keeps popping up from various other sources too. “They” are saying now that sleep is not just as important, but that it’s even more important, to one’s health and well-being than diet and exercise. More important to your health than diet and exercise. I don’t think I know even one person who consistently gets 8 hours a night. I know that I don’t (and for no good reason either). I heard a blurb somewhere, I think it might have been on Oprah or something, that said, “you can not be the person you were meant to be unless you’re getting eight hours of sleep a night”. I kind of like that, it sums it up neatly for me. And it kind of makes sense, if you think about it. You’re not as sharp or as intelligent. You don’t have as much energy or passion or enthusiasm or whatever as you would have if your body was getting enough sleep. Anyway, I don’t have children, I have a ridiculously short commute, and I am generally a pretty good sleeper. Or I am, once I finally turn the lights out. I have no excuse not to be getting my 8 hours. No excuse except that I just stay up too late at night. I watch TV, I am on the computer (I mean, at least two nights this week I was still logged into work at 11 PM – I just got a bug in my brain about something I’m working on). I finally go upstairs and get into bed and that’s when the reading starts. Half the time, I’m turning the lights off at 1, 1:30 AM. And getting up around 6:30 AM. Not acceptable. Last night I think I managed to turn the lights off at 11, and it’s amazing how much better I feel. No wonder all I want to do on a weekend is laze around and relax. I’m exhausted from lack of sleep. This is probably the most easily fixed thing in my life, so I really need to be conscious of it and really work on getting that consistent sleep. Like, starting NOW.

These are the kind of dogs I have:

Most dogs, you let them out the back door, they're like "woohoo! outside" run, run, run, sniff, sniff, sniff, pee, pee, pee. Mine? I let them out the back door and they just sit there, peering back at me through the glass.

Most dogs, you come into the house, they're right there at the door to greet you (if they're not barking on the other side of the door as you approach). Mine? I come in, no dog, walk through the downstairs, mill around in the hallway sorting the mail? No dog. Finally walk upstairs and there is Lola, all curled up on the bed and looking up at me like, "what?". Sheesh.

Most dogs, you pick up the leash and they get all excited, "woohoo! goin' for a walk! goin' for a walk!" Fitz, I pick up his harness & leash and he cowers and runs in the other direction (even if I'm bribing him with food).

These are my freaks, they are not normal.

How Many Times ...

Do you have to tell a person, "no sugar" for them to figure out that you don't want ANY sugar in your damn coffee???? Once or twice a week I treat myself to a Dunkin Donuts "Turbo" coffee, which comes with a shot of espresso and is delish and also gives that sometimes much-needed extra morning kick, but when they don't get the order right, it completely spoils the experience. This is the second time this has happened with my coffee with them. Very disappointing.

Wake Up, It's Monday Morning

Nothing like almost waltzing into the Men's Room to realize that I am not really fully awake this Monday morning. Sheesh!

Home Improvement Continues

One of the things that I've really wanted to do in my new house is have some bookshelves and an incorporated TV-stand/entertainment unit built into my living room. A couple of weeks ago I interviewed a few carpenters and last week finally decided which one to hire. Today I signed the proposal and gave him my deposit and the work is meant to start at the end of this week. It's pretty exciting to see something I've envisioned actually start to happen. In the past I've never really had the resources to have anything significant done in my home, it's almost a weird feeling to realize that I actually can do this kind of thing now. I'll be very happy to finally get these shelves installed. I can unpack all of my books, hang some pictures and finally have a completely finished room! Well, it won't be completely finished until I replace the carpeting and get some window treatments, but it'll be close enough to satisfy me.

Rant of the Day

When you sit in a cubicle, in an open-air, cube-farm style office, using a speaker phone is really not the most considerate choice. But then, it is all about you after all, isn't it? Sheesh.

Lots o' Snow

sick, sick, sick

So, as I posted previously, on Thursday I started getting that sick-y feeling like I was coming down with something. By Thursday night I had a fever and chills and by Friday I had that strange chest rattle-wheezing thing I also posted about. I felt pretty miserable for most of the weekend and then Sunday afternoon I felt worse, with my fever spiking over 102*. I managed to speak to a nurse over the phone through an after-hours nurse service through a local hospital who advised me that I should probably go to the emergency room, just to be safe. So I drove myself to the closest one, up the road in Manchester. This was the ultimate example of how living here differs from NYC. No one in the waiting room, they took me right away. I think I was having a chest x-ray within 20 minutes of having checked in and I was out within an hour or so. Anyway, the bottom line is, I have bronchitis. The doctor says that I *can't* go to work for three days and I'm on antibiotics. Ugh, I am never this sick! It's so frustrating! The doctor also lectured me for not having a local doctor yet. Sheesh. So, I'm sick, sick, sick and will most likely be whining and complaining about it for a couple of days.

This is so weird

I don't know if it's because I'm sick, but I seem to have developed the strangest affliction. I am making this weird noise, deep in my lungs, with each breath I take. At least, I hope it's my lungs and not my heart -- ACK! Anyway, with each breath I make this wheezy-whistle-y noise, kind of a cross between a stomach growl and that noise your nose can make when it needs a good blowing. This noise actually kept me up for half the night. Even the dog could hear it! She sat there on my bed looking at me completely perplexed. I don't usually freak out over health stuff, but this is rather strange, so I'm a little concerned. Maybe I'll call my cousin (he's a local Dr.)

UGH

I have tomorrow off (and long weekends planned for the next couple of weeks in order to use up vacation time from 2006) and now I feel like I'm getting sick! It's that scratchy-frog-in-the-throat-sneezy-coughy-general-funky feeling. It just figures. And I really can't lay around nursing myself either as Painter Guy will be there all day. I plan to use the day to do errands, get a facial and get some of the stuff done that I always say I'm going to do on weekends and hardly ever end up doing (browse a furniture store, shop for linens, get a facial, go to Trader Joe's and/Costco, go get more paint chips, etc.) Damn.

New Shoes

I have the worst time finding shoes that are comfortable on my feet. Where most women swoon over shoe shopping and love to have new shoes, I personally hate it. And when I do find shoes that are relatively comfortable in the store, after wearing them for a couple of hours, they inevitably have me in serious pain. The exception, of course being running shoes, Merrell mocs and Teva (or similar) sandals. That is until this past Summer when I discovered Rockports. Now, Rockport shoes are not the most fashionable shoes out there, they are a little doofy, but they are pretty comfortable and look more professional in the office than my Merrells, so my Rockport driving mocs are what I usually wear to work. But then, a few days ago I was browsing the zappos.com site and happened upon these shoes:




So I bought them. They're not fashionable in the pointy-toe, sling-back, kitten, spiky heel sense, but I kind of like them anyway. I feel so much more stylish in my red suede with croc trim shoes!

I just thought I'd share ...

Reason #5,654 why I love living in New Hampshire

The smell of woodsmoke every time I step outside of my house (because pretty much everyone has a fire going in their fireplace).

Wacky Pugs

Little Fitzie is trying to teaching himself how to lift his leg. I've been cracking up watching him, it's really very entertaining. About once every three or so times he goes out to pee he'll give it a shot and lift his leg so high that he'll end up standing there all wobbly and falling over. It makes me laugh until I cry. So freaking funny.

Good News on the Painting Front

Turns out the Painting Guy will have time to do the kitchen right after he finishes the living room after all. I am so happy! Now at least my downstairs will mostly be done (except the dreaded hallway and the powder room). Got to find someone for those bookshelves though ...

Oh, and

I have to say, I just LOVE that it snows here! It is snowing here as I write this. I'm like a kid that way, I still get excited when it snows.

Yes, It's been a very long time

I just don't know why I'm having such a hard time posting on a regular basis. I think of something to write almost every day, but by the time I have a chance to log in and post, I've either forgotten what I was going to write about, or I just don't feel like it.

Anyway, there really hasn't been anything too interesting to write about, I've just been working and trying to settle into my house and cleaning up dog pee & poop (Fitz knows that he he's not supposed to "go" in the house, he just doesn't know enough to ask yet).

I've finally started the painting process at the house. Painter Guy started today with my living room. I'm painting it Benjamin Moore "Shaker Beige" (HC - 45) with a crisp, white trim. It's a nice neutral sandy beige, a bit warmer and richer than your typical beige. Anyway, I hope I like it once it's done. The kitchen I think I'm going to go with the color I painted my kitchen in Queens last Fall "Straw" (Ben Moore, of course). The rest of it, I'm not sure about. I think I want the hallways just a little darker beige or taupe color to compliment the living room and for the bedrooms (at least the guest rooms) I am thinking of "Philadelphia Cream". At the moment I only have a commitment from Painter Guy for the living room, he's got other jobs to work around -- I guess it's probably a good thing he's so popular, hopefully that means he's good! Anyway, I'm not sure when the other rooms are going to get done, but I feel great that the process has started at least. I still have to find someone to build me some bookcases in the living room though, I haven't had any luck there. I will be so glad when the bulk of this work is done, I think I'll continue to feel a little disoriented until it is.

My one-year anniversary at New Company came and went last week. It's sort of a bizarre feeling, I feel both like I just got here a week ago and that I've been here for forever (how is it possible to feel both simultaneously?) I worked at Old Company for almost seventeen years, so long that it was almost a part of me. Moving to New Hampshire and working for New Company has been such a mental adjustment for me that it really has felt very new for the full twelve months. I'm feeling a little more comfortable now though and hopefully I can relax a bit and start spreading my wings at work some. I spent so much of the past year in total fear that I was going to be fired at any moment, I really need to take a deep breath and get myself out of adjustment mode and to start to assertively move forward.

2006 was a big year of adjustment for me, I really feel like it was mostly all transitional. Now I need to start focusing on the things that have fallen to the wayside while I settled into the new job and the new area. Most notably fitness stuff. I am right now so out shape and so out of balance that I feel overwhelmed with the task of changing that, but I'm never happier than when some semblance of a fitness program is a part of my life.

So, these are the things that I've decided I need to focus on for 2007:

1) Work: Strive to learn, grow, take on more stuff. Full-fill my potential.
2) Physical: Make fitness a part of my life (once I'm working out regularly, try to make running a part of my life again).
3) Home: Get the rooms painted and figure out and schedule other work needed to improve my home.
4) Social: Develop a social network here in New Hampshire.
5) Money: Get out of debt. Wait, I did that last year! heh. (well, I do still have a mortgage). Okay, build a solid emergency fund (well, I do have a savings, but I'll feel more comfortable with more, plus I need some of it for the home improvements). Start investing (in addition to retirement accounts).
6) Dogs: get Fitzie house-trained and somewhat obedient (yeah, right).
7) Recreation: Plan a real vacation (one where I actually go away somewhere and stay in a hotel or something) this year. I think I kind of need one.

That should be enough to worry about for now, sheesh.

My Little Fitzie ...

... went to the vet tonight for his final puppy shots where he weighed in at a whopping 9.5 lbs! He was barely 3 lbs when I got him! He's growing so fast.

How Not To Start Off The New Year

* Have crappy sleep the night before the first business day of the year.
* Wake up late and run around the house like a maniac.
* Leave dirty dishes in the sink and an unmade bed (hate coming home to a mess).
* Leave for work late and realize you need gas.
* Stop and get gas, pull too far away from pump and stand down wind of nozzle on a windy day.
* Pull spraying, drippy nozzle out of car and spew gas all over the legs of your pants.
* Continue to spew gas all over yourself as you try to maneuver over to the upwind side of the nozzle.
* Continue on to work (you're running late after all) with car windows rolled down so as not to pass out from the fumes in transit.
* Sit in your open cubicle and stink up the joint.

I hope this is not an indication of how the year is going to go ...

So, here I sit at the start of a lovely long weekend sipping a nice strong glass of egg nog with a fire going in the fireplace of my very own house, as two pugs scamper from room to room. Life is good.

Merry Christmas

I know, I know, I haven't written since Thanksgiving, what's up with that??? Well, there are no excuses, I've been pretty busy with work and settling into the new house and it always seems the longer it gets since I've written a blog post, the harder it is to start a new one. It's just a bit overwhelming to think about having to catch up, so I guess I'm not even going to try.

I do want to mention, however, how much I'm really loving living in my new house. It is completely, blissfully quiet here, I hear no noise from other people at all. And it's equally great to be able to stomp around, allow the dogs to tear through, or watch loud movies late at night without worrying about disturbing anyone. This is almost a weird concept for me after so many years of apartment living. Anyway, I'm loving it. I have yet to do much in the way of home improvements, I'm still trying to decide what color to paint my living room to start. The color samples I brought home from the paint store I think are going to end up being darker than I want, so I'm going to go back there next week and pick up some new ones. I did find an unfinished furniture place nearby however, so I think I'm going to be able to buy some bookcases there and have them installed in my living room, in lieu of having them custom built. So, I think I'm going to do that, hopefully the store will be able to recommend someone to install them for me.

My father and his wife came up for a visit a couple of weeks ago. They luckily stayed at a local hotel as I (conveniently) do not have guest room furniture yet. It was a nice enough visit, but geez Lorie (the wife) exhausts me. She likes to constantly ask these probing questions, half the time I feel like I'm on some kind of interview or something. And the most disturbing questions are the ones about my childhood, my family and my mother. I frankly don't think most of this stuff is any of her business, but it's hard to blow her off without being rude. Anyway, my father was kind enough to do some odds & ends around my house for me. Replaced some light fixtures, a towel rack, put up a coat hook, etc. When we went to Lowe's on the Saturday morning he insisted on paying for the odds & ends as my Christmas present. He said he'd rather do that since it was easier for him and he then wouldn't have to shop. I was upset as a bunch of hardware odds & ends isn't a very exciting Christmas gift (not to mention what it says about his lack of interest in putting any thought into a gift for me), but he wasn't going to give in, so I just caved. Merry-freaking-Christmas to me. Oh well, at least I don't have to be in New Jersey this year to watch Lorie's daughter open the shower of gifts bestowed on to her. I've always found that particularly depressing.

While my father was here, I had my cousins over for cocktails to see my house, see my father and to meet Lorie, who they had not yet met. All seemed to like my house and we had a great time. Fitz was also a big hit, he spent most of the time sitting in my cousin's daughter's lap like a little hobbit. He's so funny.

Well, there is not much more to say. I have so very much to be thankful for this year. Just looking back on this year amazes me, my life is so different. I've been very reflective over the past few weeks and will probably be even more so in this coming week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

So Weird ...

... to think that this time tomorrow I'll be in my new place! There are definitely things that I'm going to miss about this apartment though. First, central air ... uh, hello?! love me some central air. I also love my bedroom here. It is the perfect size and layout. I have room for my bed and dresser, my boudoir-style loveseat and even a low table with a TV, with plenty of room for more stuff, if I was so inclined. It's just a luxury of space that I've never experienced before. I'll miss my lovely walk-in closet. OMG, I don't know how I will live without a walk-in closet now that I've had one. I'll miss the access to the Heritage Trail out back.

But, I'm looking forward to having my own space. No longer having to share walls and floors with people. Having my own little backyard and porch & deck. Taking the dogs out first thing in the morning and late at night will no longer be any kind of a chore. And I look forward to hosting friends for laidback weekends of cocktails and BBQ in my space.

So, I'm looking forward to my move tomorrow, but a part of me will also miss my life here. It's probably the most comfortable apartment I've ever lived in.

A Few Pictures of My New House

The Drama That Was My Un-Closing

So, after all this waiting around, today was finally the day. I had been completely stressed about everything for about a week or so because the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) kept increasing (by like $2,000, at final count!) and I was worried about where that was going to end. I had my approved HUD statement by Wednesday of this week, where my mortgage broker pointed out that the settlement company had not accounted for any credit of closing funds from the relocation company (hello? We're talking over $8,000 here!) Anyway, my relocation contact and my mortgage broker were able to work that out and so I had the revised HUD that afternoon and it was a relief to see that I had plenty of money for closing with reserves, so all my worrying in that regard was for naught.

We had the walk-through scheduled for this morning before the closing. Everything was fine, except that I noticed that they had taken this second, big water heater that had been in place when we did the home inspection. This was obviously one that they had added because they are a family of seven and need the extra capacity, but still the exclusion of the water heater had never been in any document related to the sale at any time. Additionally, the house had been inspected with this in place and with the assumption that this was part of the water heating system. I just felt that it was kind of crappy to not have a notation about it on the contract. I think if you're buying a house, it is assumed that the water heater as part of the core plumbing. Anyway, I think it was a bit shitty. The bottom line is really not such a big deal, having the smaller unit will actually be cheaper for me (since I won't have to constantly pay to heat all that water), but still, I really feel like it should have been noted from the beginning. I was, however, happy that all of their stuff was completely gone. The house also looked a lot bigger without all their crap, but I really could see how the whole place really needs to be painted and the carpeting replaced, and the thought of it all exhausts me. It's not even the expense of it, I would gladly pay for having all of this done, it's just the thought of moving in and trying to deal with this around all my stuff ... I just want to unpack and be done with it all by now, UGH!

Well, okay. Then we had the closing. Oi Vey. First, when the settlement rep was going over the HUD with the seller, there was dead silence. Turns out that the money stated there that he was to receive was far less than he was expecting (by like over $8,000). And it also turns out that he needed every penny of this money to fund the closing on the house he was buying (the closing of which was meant to happen right after our's). It came to light a little later into our meeting that there was a pre-payment penalty with his mortgage. How can you have a mortgage with this clause and not know about that? Anyway, not my problem.

But the bigger problem turned out to be on my end. The settlement company confirmed that there had been no wire of funds for my loan! In other words, the money was not in place. My lender is in California (I got a really great rate) and apparently my loan was not one of the wire transfers they had sent out the night before (even though they knew we were closing in the morning on the East coast). Add that to a three hour time difference and we had a real problem. We had an approved HUD, we had verbal confirmation from the lender, but we didn't have the actual funds. In the meantime the seller's lender blew in to deal with his problems with the other closing. Yet, instead of setting him up in another conference room, he sets up shop at the end of our table! So, not only am I now privy to private info about how the sellers don't have enough money to close on their house, but he felt that it was his place to throw out sarcastic and snide comments from time to time about my lenders and the situation I'm in. I was stressed out enough and this guy really got on my last nerve. When we were leaving the closing, he took out a pile of his business cards and literally threw them at me with some comment about the next time I needed a lender. What a jerk! I just looked at him without comment and didnot take one of his cards.

Finally, after about two and a half hours of this Hell, there was nothing much more we could do and we left the sellers to the conference room to deal with their problems with their other closing. All the paperwork for mine was signed and I gave the settlement rep my check for my downpayment and share of closing costs, it's just not officially completed until my loan funds are physically in place. I had an email from my mortgage broker late this afternoon that he had confirmation that the funds have been wired, so I guess everything is okay, but tonight has not turned out to the celebration of relief that I had hoped it would be. I'm pretty disappointed. Well, it's not tragic, I have the keys, the house is empty. I'm supposed to move first thing on Monday and had hoped to start moving some stuff over myself this weekend, I guess I can still do that, I feel a little weird about it though. On the other hand, it's not like someone will think I'm going to abscond to South America with the house or something, so I'm not really sure what to do, honestly.

Anyway, so that is my story of woe. Nothing is the end of the World, but it adds just another layer of stress to this process that I had not counted on. Luckily I have all of next week off from work to deal with things, so that should help. I'll probably come up to the house tomorrow and will take a few pictures and post them here at some point.

OMG! Fitz is humping his stuffed lobster!

The Landing Strip

GAH!!! I swear I'm suddenly living on a runway ... literally! The airport is directly across the river here and all of a sudden all the jets coming and going are passing directly over my building. I mean, they are actually coming in for a landing over my apartment (just a few feet above), WTF???!!! They must have just changed flight patterns, I've never heard air traffic noise like this here in all the months I've been here. TG I am out of here in less than a week (also TG I didn't ever get seriously interested in that nice condo just down the street).

SHEESH!

and a few more ...

A Few More Pictures of Fitz ...