Hmmm

I got an odd compliment today. I was at the shoe store and there was a woman sitting on a stool watching her daughter try on shoes in my aisle. After I browsed the selection and tried on several styles, I decided on a pair of wedges. As I walked to the register, I passed the woman on the stool and she said to me; "wow, all the pairs you tried on looked really good on you." Huh? I didn't really know what to say other than "thank you."

I mean, I understand telling someone an outfit looks good on them...but shoes? I shop for shoes that are comfortable, or cute, or go with an outfit. I don't think of shoes as looking good on me. Wow, these sandals really make my toes look thin. I MUST buy them! or Gee, these boots sure make my calves look toned. They MUST be mine!

I just thought it was an odd compliment. Very nice, but odd. Though now that I think about it, my new wedges ARE cute and DO look good on me!

They Bloomed!

My Last Day

Well, I'm just finishing up my last day at Stagedhomes.com (SHC as we all call it). It started at 7am and is just now finishing around 11pm. It's been a long, but wonderful day. It actually feels more like the end of the school year, than the end of a job; I didn't do a stitch of work, I got lots of sentimental well wishes and we had a pizza party! After work, several of us went to La Piñata for margaritas and appetizers. It's our usual place to gather every time someone leaves SHC. At this point, of the 7 of us there tonight, only 3 are current employees. The ex's are the majority. I think it's a testament to the friendships we've made. I still get together with people I worked with in Chico 7 years ago and I hope I can say the same about these girls 7 years from now.

A few days ago, Tonia reminded me that just before I left our station in Fresno in 2003, I told her "it's easier to leave than to be left." I still believe it to be true. Julie was especially teary this evening. But while I AM going to miss everyone, I concentrate more on looking forward to learning new things, having new experiences and meeting new people. I have so much more to look forward to, that I don't focus on being sad about what I'm leaving behind.

I remember so clearly on my last day at KCRA when two different guys said to me; "well, have a nice life!" At the time, I thought it was the oddest comment. I thought it was harsh and so final. Now, I think; yep, that's about right. I'll never see them again and they knew it, so that's the perfect send off. Someone said that to me again today. It's still hard to hear but I know for some, it's the truth.

So, as I close this chapter and begin another, I thought I'd go through my pictures and pull out a few of my co-workers taken during the times in and out of work that we spent together. These are just a few of the cast of characters I've worked with day in and day out for nearly 3 years.

The original marketing department: Me, Ann Marie, Lateisha, Shell, Hilary and Julie - company Christmas party 2005

All that's left of the marketing department; Julie, Hilary, Me and Ann Marie - Hilary's daughter's Quinceanera 11/07

Priscilla and Alison - the original accounting dept. and faithful La Piñata revelers - Christmas party 2005

Top: Shell, Me, Julie, Alison Bottom: Darcy (receptionist), Shauna (part time help) Felicia (tech dept.) at our company convention 5/06


Me and Julie dressed for the Black and White Ball at our convention - 5/06

Julie, "Captain" Kirk (owner), Me

Barb (owner)

Me and Alison (aka: my golf buddy and ongoing partner-in-crime)

Julie, Me, Gina (office director)

BJ (Seattle office) babysitting Barb's dog Roxie

Me and Julie on our Segways, working Las Vegas Blvd. during the National Association of Realtors Convention - 11/07

Top: Kirk, Jane Ann (trainer), Mark (trainer), Dan (Chicago office), Me, Bob (Chicago office) Bottom: Bette (trainer), Jeannie (trainer), Gina, Barb, Julie after dinner at the Venetian during NAR Convention

More Flowers!

All the trainers got together and sent me these flowers today:

The girls in the office joked that all the flowers are starting to make my going away feel like a funeral. I'm starting to think I'm actually going to be missed. Who'da thunk it??

Good Luck Flowers

Check out the flowers I got at work on Monday:

It even has a lime! Can you see it? Even before I read the card, I thought; margarita flowers?? Now THIS person knows me...and they are awesome! They were from Jane Ann, one of the trainers I work with. She sent them to wish me good luck in my new job and to thank me for all my help over the past couple years.

I love Jane Ann and ALL my trainers. They live around the country, but once or twice a month they fly to wherever we hold our classes. We've had trainers come and go over the years and they've all been great to work with. Currently, we have our Southern Belles; Jane Ann from Mobile, Bette from Birmingham and Judy from Houston. Our California Girls; Jennie and Jeannie in Sacramento. Our Mountain Mama; Trish from Denver. Our Midwestern Man; Mark from Columbus. I hardly ever see them, but I talk to them everyday and will miss them as much as I'll miss the girls I work with in the office. Here are a few pictures we've taken during the rare times we've actually seen each other over the years.

Above is me and Jane Ann and below is me and Bette at our convention in May of 2006.

Me, Bette and Jane Ann on our shoe shopping spree at the National Assoc. of Realtors Convention in Las Vegas in November 2007.

Bette, Jeannie, Jane Ann, Barb, Me, Julie and Gina with our purchases.

When I have more time (and American Idol isn't on) I'll write a blog about the girls I work with in the office. I promise to write about my new job too, but not until I get settled in and everything calms down a bit. Probably in a few weeks.

Carolyn is Famous!

Carolyn (my sister) is in a new commercial for Sterling Albert Winery. She's the one in the black sweater doing all the taste testing, in case you don't recognize her with dark brown hair. Here it is!

I Stand Corrected

I just saw a group of guys "ghost ride the whip" past my window in a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Now THAT surprised me!

Triathlon Pic

They finally posted the pics from our triathlon the other weekend. Here's one that turned out somewhat ok.

My Street

I was driving home today when I saw two shirtless men with ZZ Top-style beards, poking along on a bright red tractor with two huge US flags sticking out off the front. On any other street, I would probably surprised. But since it was my street...I just shook my head.

We live just off one of the main drags in town and my bedroom overlooks the street. The most bizarre stuff happens on this road. The street ITSELF is a total anomaly to me! After nearly 3 years, I still don't get it, but pretty much nothing surprises me anymore.

The street is like a perfect blend of rural country road and major urban freeway. If there can be a perfect blend. At anytime of day, there will be ambulances and firetrucks screaming, cars speeding and motorcyclists roaring by my window. Then, I'll go out for my evening jog and have to stop to let a family of deer cross the road to frolic up the hill. There are neighborhoods with tons of houses, yet acres of open meadows. With the hills, trees, grass, flowers and park, you'd think you were in the country, yet at every intersection there are tire marks from people spinning donuts. You'll have to stop while someone crosses the road on their horse, then pass an 18 wheeler a block later.

Then there's the deer, raccoons, skunks, foxes, snakes, squirrels and birds (including a couple extremely loud owls). I was driving home late at night a few months ago, when this huge, white, monster caught my eye ahead of me. As I stopped, it slowly came out in front of my car and sauntered across the street. OH MY GOD! IT'S A FREAKING WOLF! HE'S GOING TO JUMP ON MY CAR AND TRY TO RIP OUT MY THROAT! Turns out, it wasn't a wolf...but a coyote, which (like a wolf) is not able to tear the door off my car to attack me. It took me awhile to process that. Just like the time I was snorkeling in Hawaii and was almost attacked by a manatee...which turned out to be a sea turtle and just as harmless. Anyway, so all these poor creatures have to maneuver their way across the street, avoiding cars, trucks, 18 wheelers, tractors (apparently), emergency vehicles and hoards of people jogging and biking up and down the hills. I feel so guilty for enjoying my home which was CLEARLY built in their habitat.

Other oddities: Twice I've been sitting downstairs watching TV and a hub cab has come flying off someone's tire, jumped the curb and slammed into the fence outside my open sliding glass door. Scared me half to death. How does that happen in the same spot TWICE?! I always see fast food wrappers on my runs, yet there are no fast food places around. There's a bright orange Scion with the license plate "IWNDSCR" that took me forever to figure out. The white F350 looks like it's been rolled off a cliff a couple times, yet it's still drivable. There's the house with 7 (YES 7!) new and vintage Mercedes parked in front. I watch old men easily ride their beach cruisers up the hills, yet I can't make it up on my mountain bike. Mysterious...or suspicious??

Only on this street.

The Fight

I had an appointment this morning at a very nice building. It's a building where people wear suits and carry laptop bags and look super important. I'm sure I looked out of place, but there I was a little before 8:30, walking up to the front doors. As I crossed the front plaza, this woman was walking about 20 yards in front of me, wearing a suit and carrying a lap top bag. I didn't really pay attention to her because I was looking at the woman standing just inside the front doors, wearing a tattered sweatshirt, jeans and a messy hairdo. She didn't look like she belonged either. She looked like she was lying in wait.

Sure enough, just as the woman in the suit was approaching the glass doors, Jeans Lady BURST out, got right in her face and started screaming at her. I was still a ways behind them, so I could only make out a couple F-YOU's and a HOW DARE YOU?! Suit Lady didn't seem phased at all and gave it right back. Then as I got closer, Jeans Lady started wailing on Suit Lady. She slapped and punched her in the face. Suit Lady did NOTHING! She didn't try to run away or block the punches. I was thinking; well, either you know you did something to deserve that or you're too scared to punch her back, but either way...GET OUT OF THERE! But she didn't.

Jeans Lady started walking away and stupid Suit Lady followed her. So Jeans Lady turned right back around and started wailing on Suit Lady again. By this time, I was about 10 feet away from them, just standing there...staring. I didn't know what to do. I contemplated jumping in and trying to help, but that wasn't really realistic and I didn't want to get my nose broken. I guess I figured I could make Jeans Lady stop if she knew there was someone there watching her. Or at least, she wouldn't murder Suit Lady if there was a witness. Both ladies turned and looked at me and the freaky thing was...Suit Lady was actually smiling! I didn't know if she was embarrassed or actually found humor in her situation, so I asked her; "do you need help?" She asked me to call security, so I went in to the lobby. WHAT SECURITY?? There are 3 elevators and a sofa. There's no security guard. Not even a reception desk or a white courtesy phone. There's an office, but I can see through the window that it's vacant. WHAT SECURITY? There's no one around. It's just me and these two crazies outside!! Do I call the police? WHAT DO I DO??

I turned around and started to go back outside. Jeans Lady was gone and Suit Lady was on the phone. I was about to go out and ask her if she was ok, but considering her creepy smile during the incident, I thought better of it. Since she was calling someone, I figured she was getting her own help. Plus, I've seen enough CNN to know that if Jeans Lady was a disgruntled co-worker, she might be on her way back with a fully loaded rifle and I probably shouldn't just stand there alone in the lobby. So I didn't. I got in the elevator and went up to my appointment.

I didn't see any cops or big blood stains when I came back down, so I figured everything turned out ok. But it was definitely one of the weirdest and most unexpected things I've ever seen and it made me question my reaction. It made me think of that 20/20 segment (or whatever show it is) called "What Would You Do?" They set up crazy scenes and see how unsuspecting witnesses act. So in this situation...did I do the right thing? I didn't really do anything. Could I have? Was I a bad unsuspecting witness?

The Fuzzy Run

I figured I'd share with you the blurry details of the run I took this evening. Since I've been working on some projects at home (mostly in front of the computer) I've been wearing my glasses all weekend. So when it was time for me to put my running shoes on, I figured; why bother putting in my contacts for just 30 minutes? I'll take the route I've taken 8,000 times over the past year. I shouldn't have any problems running without glasses or contacts. It's only 2 miles...what could happen? I'll be fine!

You TOTALLY see where this is going right?? Have I mentioned that I have 20/200 vision?

I wasn't very far in to my run before I realized I had probably NOT had the best idea ever. It started when I began passing people. You know how you'll pass people on your path and some will look at you and smile and say "hi" and others will totally avoid your glance and pretend that they don't see you? Well, when you can't see if someone is smiling or avoiding you, you have no choice but to be uber-nice and smile and say "hi" to everyone, just so you don't appear to be rude to someone who IS smiling. Granted the people who are avoiding you will probably be annoyed, but you won't really know or care because you can't see their looks of disgust anyway.

Then, I tripped several times. Twice on uneven pavement and once when I stepped off a curb wrong. Whatever. I couldn't see if there was anyone around to laugh at me, so I'll assume there wasn't. I also stepped in some questionable and sticky substance, but that rubbed off after awhile.

I did manage to avoid the many broken bottles along the way, because the glass was very reflective and I could make that out. I also had no trouble seeing cars and even made out a squashed squirrel in the bike lane. I didn't see any big brown blobs run in front of me, so I don't think there were any deer which I do often see of my runs.

Finally, toward the end, I started having serious anxiety and deja vu of my reoccurring dreams where everything is fuzzy and I can't see. So, sick of my blurry trip, I ran as fast as I could home. Probably not a wise decision, but then again...those aren't my forte.

Hot Tanning Tip

Ladies...I give you the latest beauty product to be added to my bathroom cabinet:

Try it. You owe it to yourself as summer is quickly approaching. It will save you time, money and dangerous sun/lamp exposure. I've used it twice and I already look like I've spent a nice afternoon on a beach in Maui. No streaks, no orange tint, no funky brown spots. I'm gorgeous....what else is there to say?!?!?!

I'm Over My Credit Card Problems After Seeing This

PIN-number thieves infiltrate debit-card reader at Lunardi's

At least 25 people have had their debit card and personal identification numbers stolen while shopping at Lunardi's Supermarket in Los Gatos, police said Tuesday.

"What we have here is more than one person - they've been able to get in there (Lunardi's) and switch out the ATM card reader," said Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police Sgt. Tam McCarty. "Once they've done that they can read the card and PIN numbers and either make a temporary card or sell the numbers over the phone."

McCarty said the thieves used the debit card information to withdraw money from the victims' bank accounts. Most of the money was withdrawn from ATM machines in Southern California, he said.

JUST ONE MORE REASON TO HATE GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE!