Raya doin' the worm

She's officially started crawling as of yesterday, but this video was taken this past weekend when she started doing the worm.

Cracks me up!

Overheard by husband say to Rae Rae,

"You probably shouldn't be eating that shoe."

You think?

Why is it...

...that mom traveling = sick kids? I swear, the minute I get on a plane, my children come down with random ailments that require doctors' visits and daddy daycare. The illnesses du jour include croup (Petra) and a stomach bug (Rae Rae) that mysteriously manifested themselves yesterday morning...just as I left for PA.

The good news is that both will be feeling much better by the time I return and will be well over their respective illnesses. At least I hope so. In the meantime, I have to call my husband every other hour to talk him off the ledge.

I see whiny people

And I really don't like them. PAs too. All I know is this: if you're upset, don't go whine to your boss and have him send me an email. Call me directly.

Isn't there so old axiom about bees and honey???

Southwest's New Boarding Policy Redux

I'm not that fond of it, now that I think about it.

Yesterday morning, I got up and on my computer at the crack of dawn so that I could retrieve my boarding pass from Southwest and get a good letter/number combo. I hit the button at EXACTLY 6:35, 24-hours before my flight and.... still got A-21. Now you can't tell me that 20 people hit the site at the exact same time and all of them received better positions than I did. And even still, the guy DIRECTLY behind me, with A-22 didn't hit the site until 9am. How does that work? And why doesn't the Southwest system like me?

I think I preferred the old system of just showing up early and sitting down at the gate with all of my stuff, claiming a precious first-in-line position (or at least close to it). Because this new system...I just can't figure out how to break the top 20. And yes, this makes me a complete dweeb, but not getting the RIGHT seat on the plane gives me intense agita.

Quick update

1. Yes, I *technically* failed Blog 365. BUT, just because I missed two days doesn't mean I won't still TRY. So there.
2. Went out and bought the Bare Escentuals starter kit to replace my Arbonne mineral makeup. I'm excited to try it (even as I sit here bare-faced without any makeup on)
3. Still don't fit into my pants and I can't seem to get out and run either. Two children who don't sleep do that to you.

Ok. That's all for now. Look at my new Flickr photostream on the right.

It's too bad...

...I can't blog in my sleep. I come up with the best blog posts (or at least what I think are the best) during that half-asleep, half-awake period just before my alarm goes off. I write almost the entire post in my head and think, if only I were connected to my laptop right now...

In any case, this morning's thought-post was something about how much Eric Mabius (from Ugly Betty) and the guy from Moonlight (Josef, played by Jason Dohring) look alike. Of course, when you put their pictures up side-by-side, you'll see they look nothing alike, but every time I see Jason D., I think, "there's the poor man's Eric Mabius." But I'll let you decide.

So why was I even thinking about Eric Mabius? I started watching Resident Evil last night (no, have never seen it) and he's in it. Interestingly enough, Resident Evil is much like a poor man's 28 Days Later....or vice versa. I swear, if I had $10 for every zombie movie in which the world's population gets infected with some sort of viral/biological warfare agent, I'd have at least $100.

Blah blah blah

I have been on conference calls all day. I've gotten up to pee (twice) and grab something quick for lunch. That's it. Otherwise, I have been glued to my seat listening to and participating in calls.

Which isn't so bad except that it's hard to get work done when you're actually on calls. The calls are useful because you talk about what needs to get done, but rarely do you accomplish anything on a call. And that means I've gotten very little done today.

Brit

Britney Crazy is much more interesting and apparently newsworthy, I hate to say, than Britney Normal. The woman seriously can't get her act together nor does she seem to want to. And the paparazzi are eating it (her?) up. TMZ has been streaming live all day from the court where Brit was supposed to request therapeutic visitation rights with her children. Did she get it? No, because she didn't even go into the courtroom.

And how about that Adnan guy, huh? That's one sleazy, gold-diggin' motherf#$Y%#, yes?

What's really sad is how the Brit story can top other noteworthy entertainment news like the death of Heath Ledger. Although, it's not such a strange segue from her to him, is it? Apparently police found a suspiciously rolled-up $20 bill and some powdery substance near that bill in Ledger's apartment. It's all on TMZ.

Hilarious!

This is perfect for those of us who spend our days cursing Lotus Notes.

I mean, seriously, Notes has to be THE worst corporate email platform on the planet. And yet, once you have it, you can't get rid of it. It becomes too costly and I'm sure a huge resource drain to make the switch to something easy and intuitive like, you know, OUTLOOK.

I love me my Fake Steve.

Must. Sleep.

So the baby was healthy for all of ONE day. She is once again blowing some serious snot bubbles and I know this because Petra alerts us with the cry, "Mommy, we have a boogie emergency!" (I kid you not).

Needless to say, I haven't slept in two days. I'm exhausted and having trouble functioning (although remarkably, I was able to write two emails and a session proposal, both of which were decent).

As a result, Natche and I will go back on shifts. He'll take the 10pm - 2am slot and I'll take 2-6. It's not ideal, but it's really the only way to guarantee that we each get a solid 4-5 hours of sleep.

And yes, we have a humidifier and yes, we're using those Glade plug-in things (Vicks vapor plug-ins, but I like to call them Glade because it pisses off Natche). There really isn't much more we can do, except perhaps stick a tube in her nose for continuous suctioning of boogie material.

Um, does something like that exist?

Sigh

We didn't win the SuperBowl lottery.

On the plus side, at least we don't have to fund a trip to Arizona.

Wait, let me take that back. There is no plus side.

In my head

I have this song called Under the Sea stuck in my head. It's from the movie The Little Mermaid, which I have seen at least ten times (no lie) thanks to my four-year old. There is one line of the song in particular that seems to be stuck in auto-replay mode:

"Under the sea. Under the sea.

Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us in fricassee."

I'm really thinking this is a sign. Indicating what, I'm not sure. But it must be a sign, yes?

Holy Crap!

We're going back to The Game. Today's rather cold win over the Chargers secured our fourth visit in the last seven years!

And to answer the question I know is on your mind: yes, if we win the lottery, one or both of us will go to the Super Bowl. Now, it's HIGHLY unlikely we'll get the option, but you just never know.

I am so happy right now - freezing cold - but happy.

GO PATS!

I'm *so* ready

Tomorrow's game is going to be another ice bowl, according to the forecasters. Temps are expected to drop to 20 degrees with the windchill in the single digits.
But it's the AFC Championship and therefore I must brave the elements. So in the past 24 hours, I've purchased:
- a long (ankle-length) down coat
- a pair of Sorel winter boots with thinsulate lining
- a pair of Combi gloves with thinsulate lining
-3 packs of handwarmers and 3 packs of footwarmers

I also have silk long underwear, a wool hat and Smart Wool socks. People, I am prepared! And yes, I fully expect to be freezing and complaining about it by halftime.

Go Pats!

I hate the world.

I really do at this moment. I am so aggravated and sick of the WORLD right now, all I want to do is throw my laptop out the window. (Not that I will because I'm not sure work would appreciate it all that much...and that reminds me, I really should've purchased that Slam Man when I had the chance).

No, my friends, I've had a very long and stressful week and on top of it all, I had to get up with Rae Rae at 5am this morning.

Which reminds me: did I tell you my husband thinks I was out partying all week at the sales meeting? Having a good time while he was here at home toiling away? You know, because I didn't really work SIXTEEN hour days. That's just what I told everyone. No, instead I kicked back, hit the beach and took it easy the entire week.

Wish it were so, my friends. Wish it were so.

I swear, I need a vacation. A real one. To Bora Bora. Without work or kids or husbands or annoying, fake people who use smiley faces in their emails after smacking you down with a back-handed compliment.

So just let me have my Howard Dean moment, BLEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

OMG

You have to watch this. Just don't DRINK ANYTHING while watching it.

So now it gets beautiful

I've been in Florida since Sunday and it's been cold, rainy or both. The day I leave - to head back home to a snowstorm, mind you - it turns sunny and 70-degrees.

That damn Murphy and his stupid law.

Social Media Day here at P&R

Thoughts on Facebook:
I like Facebook; I really do. Until someone starts prodding me to take a quiz, sign a petition or write on his/her wall. It's fine to do it once or twice, but all of the time? It's. Annoying.

Update on Twitter:
FSJ joined the ranks and I shall follow. I can't wait to see what/how he micro-blogs and if it lasts. (Note to Al: I haven't read the blog since I've been traveling so if it is a test or part of a joke, it's not that I don't get it. ;-)

Question about Plaxo:
Do people really use it? I get invites all of the time...and while I'm registered, I find it very similar to LinkedIn. I want to maintain one profile in one place and not have to re-register, build a network and then reach out to everyone I know from the various sites to which I belong. Note to providers: need porting capabilities.

Flick:
I think it will become the only place I house pictures. It's much easier and more convenient than Kodak Gallery, and I've managed to import my pics into a slideshow you can see on the right.

New Sites:
I am really interested in social media - both from a personal and business perspective - so if you know any sites I should take a look at, please send them my way.

Great magician

So one of my jobs for this conference was to scout out and manage our external speakers and entertainment.

So for last night's festivities, I hired a magician-David Harris-to perform. He. Was. Fantastic. Out-of-this-world.

I encourage anyone looking for entertainment for any sort of event to take a look at David. He can be reached here.

Fyi, keep your eyes on your watch!

An Important Skill

I need to hold a presentation skills class. Seriously. I watch people who are experts in their field completely blow their credibility because they cannot speak in public.

Never ceases to amaze me.

Oy!

So, I'm at my sales meeting and stupidly I agreed to go running with a group tomorrow morning.

Um. They're running at 5:30am. In the pitch black.

AND, they're running five miles, something I haven't done in eons.

AND, they're running at 5:30. A.M.

It's a bad idea, yes? Not only will I be humiliated by these skinny-bodied runners, but also I'll be cold, tired and trailing their non-asses.

Note to self: stop saying YES to everything!

Raya - learning to growl

Take a look at the most active baby in the world. Isn't she ADORABLE!

Blogging from the BB

I am blogging from the BlackBerry this morning because I'm too lazy to boot up the laptop (and I'm too busy watching Dragon Tales with the Pet).

I also wanted to test it out since I'm heading to a sales mtg tomorrow and won't have much access...and what with the "post a day" thing I signed up for...

On another note, I'm headed to the Pats game tonight. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate so we're excited...and it should be a good game.

Well, that's all. I'm rather boring today and my thumbs already hurt from typing on the BB - it's really not all that good for blogging, but oh well.

Oh, Lord. I'm on YouTube.

Note to self: Don't offer to give an interview unless the interviewer has a professional video camera. Certain angles are BAD.

http://www.ttmmedia.com/?p=13#more-13

The dog and the baby

Nikita is seriously eyeing Raya's Zwieback toast. She is sitting just close enough so if the toast she can claim rights. It's cute but also conniving, know what I mean? Meanwhile the baby is chomping away, oblivious to the fact that Nikita is just precious moments away from swallowing that snack whole.

Also, notice how I'm talking about the baby and the dogs and it's middle of the workday? That would be because I'm HOME. The baby is STILL sick and is having some breathing difficulties. Nothing quite as horrid as Petra's early illnesses but enough to increase the albuterol doseage and adjust the antibiotic...not to mention just worry a mother.

Wait. The dog just moved in for a closer look at the toast. Must. Intervene.

______________
UPDATE: The baby pooped. The Zwieback toast went on the table so the baby could be changed. The dog made her move.
Nikita - 1, Raya - 0.

So the media and pollsters were wrong!

In case you didn't hear--and I can't imagine how you wouldn't have heard--McCain and CLINTON got the nods in New Hampshire. Despite media reports and early exit polls reporting a landslide by Obama, Clinton won the state by appealing to both women and independents.

I'm not sure if her emotional moment had anything to do with her win, but I expect the people of NH saw a softer side of Hillary this past weekend. I think people appreciated the time and energy she put into NH and walked away feeling like she had the experience and know-how to be president from day one.

______________
I'm sure you're tired of me talking politics and Dem politics in particular so I'll share some other news: Rae Rae said DADDY yesterday! Can you believe it? My almost-eight-month-old child has started talking. I mean, she's been saying momma for months, but yesterday she realized that she could say, Daddy, and upon my reaction (Oh my goodness! You can speak! You're a MENSA candidate!), she kept saying it! Love that child. She's a complete crack-up.

Holy crap!

See the white circle on the photo below?

That's. My. Hair!

I did my civic duty

...and VOTED today. I'm sure it will come as no surprise to anyone: I voted for Hillary. I'll write more later, but didn't want to leave anyone in suspense (not that I have a huge following, but I know at least a few folks who were curious).

And for my friends in NH: Go do the right thing and hit the polls!

__________________

EDITED to add:

Wow! Take a look at the chart illustrating NH demographics below. I didn't know NH was so...white. 96% of New Hampshire residents are caucasian. And apparently we don't go to college either. 28%? (Of course, I went to college and graduate school, so I must be in the minority)

But it's a better way to spend...

Real conversation:

Natche: Dems just like to spend money and raise taxes in the process.

Me: Hello? The Republicans seem to spend quite a bit of money, in case you hadn't noticed.

Natche: Yeah, but it's for the war and cool defense stuff.

Me: And we're trusting you to help pick the next President?

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Natche's comment was tongue-in-cheek--we hope--so please don't egg his house... remember, I live there too.)

Doin' the camera happy dance

My new Sony DSC-W80 arrived today and I am doing the happy dance. This thing is remarkable. I'm surprised that it can't make coffee or type for me because those are about the only things it can't do.

Um, Natche? If we do find the other (new) camera, you can have it. I'm not giving this one up for anything. You hear me?

I'm pretty sure

It's Hillary I'm voting for. Pretty. sure. I've spent a lot of time talking with folks about the issues and I seem to know so much more about Hillary's stance on the important issues. So does better knowledge of the candidate mean she's the better candidate? Probably not. But it's all I have.

That said, I can be swayed easily and I'm sure you'll see a post from me later with a completely different point of view and choice for the nomination.

And as promised, here are two photos from the event.

Also,

Great use of the word, demagoguery, by Clinton. How many people in the crowd knew what she meant when she said it, I wonder.

The rally cry of the Clintons!

Ay ay ay! I am so torn. I was so convinced after yesterday's rally that Obama was the man, but then I saw Hillary. I twittered at this rally too, so if you're interested head on over and start following moi.

So, here in a nutshell is what I thought of today's rally. I'll post some pics (yes, I brought my camera phone this time!) tomorrow.

• Hillary is working hard to be both engaging and likeable. She spoke for a short spell, but spent the majority of the time answering audience questions. She also stayed an extra half hour over the the time given.
• Hillary, unlike Obama, was very specific during her speech about her plans for America once in office. She was convincing and authoritative and came across as incredibly intelligent and aware of the changes needed. Not that Obama was bad, in fact, he was incredibly inspiring. They just approached their rallies in different ways.
• Hillary supporters are passionate (read: fanatical). I met a woman, Pat, who came from New York just to tell NH residents that if they vote for Obama, they are just plain stupid and she has absolutely no respect for them.
• Chelsea is very cute. Good for her. Also, as Al put it, she has "perfected the look of bursting with pride to the point of tears."

So now the question you ask is, do I know for whom I'm voting. The answer is, not quite. But Edwards is at Martha's Exchange tonight...

Campaign '08

This morning I attended the Barack Obama rally in Nashua, NH. It was an amazing (and very crowded) experience. Obama is quite charismatic and a tremendous public speaker and today, I got to see him live and in person. He didn't look the least bit tired and seemed energized by the large crowd, which apparently exceeded expectation, so much so they had to use another gym for the overflow.

I took my Blackberry and Twittered while there, so if you want to see the transcript, click here and search for MichelleBB. My favorite quote is this: "...they knew Dick Cheney, my cousin, would not be on the ballot (for '08)....usually when they do these genealogical searches, they find you're related to someone cool."

Tomorrow I head to the Hillary Clinton rally; I want to make an informed decision before Tuesday's primary and as of yet, I still don't know for whom I will vote. But as Obama said during the rally, "In three days, we have a chance to say to America, we can do something that hasn't been done before." And I feel it's my duty (since this is a privilege) to do my due diligence here.

EDITED TO ADD: Yes, I stupidly forgot my camera. I plan to bring it to tomorrow's rally and yes, I will post the pictures. Not sure we'll get as close as we did for the Donny shot (Al!), but we'll get something.

Words you don't expect to hear...

... as an adult:

"Pay attention, Michelle!"

Yes, someone actually said that to me. To *ME*. In a real business conversation. With lots of other folks listening on. Grrrr....

What am I, five?

Craptastic!

An employee of mine (and friend) is leaving the company. I hired her two years ago and while she's moved on to work for other folks, we've grown close. But she quit. And I hate her for it.

No, not really.

But I am upset. I mean, how can she just up-and-leave me? Whose top coat am I going to borrow when my nails go dull? Who's going to fix my travel when I screw it up? And most importantly, who am I going to gossip with at lunch?

Sigh. I'm happy for her, really. She was offered a nice job, close to home with a bump in salary. Who could blame her?

But to quote Gus from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Leonor, "why you won leave me?"
____________
P.S. Yes, Al and Natche. I understand this is what happens when you socialize at work. You make friends, they leave or get promoted (or you leave and get promoted) and then, guess what, you're not friends anymore. So why bother, yes?

Raya, don't follow in your sister's footsteps!

I took Raya to the doctor's office this morning because she appears to be going through puberty. At eight months. No, but seriously, she has ten or so pimply-like lesions on her face and the rash needed to be addressed.

We were seen quickly by our favorite NP, MaryAnn, who informed me quickly that Raya has impetigo, a contagious rash that requires antibiotics. How did she get it? The evil sickness. From Web MD: "Children may get impetigo after they have had a cold or allergies that have made the skin under the nose raw." Um, yeah. That would be it.

But that's not all, friends! After listening to Raya's chest and looking into her ears, MaryAnn also diagnosed Raya with bronchiolitis and an ear infection (Petra's most common ailments). Because, you know, we're the worst parents on the planet and had no idea she had anything more than a nasty-looking rash.

I swear, parenting is tough. And as my friend Al put it, if the child isn't struggling to breathe, we tend not to call the doctor. And to be clear, there was and is no wheezing with Rae Rae.

So instead of working today, I am at home with a sick child watching 10 Years Younger.

The Biggest Loser is BACK!

The Biggest Loser - Couples Edition started last night and I couldn't be happier. It is one of my very favorite shows, a complete indulgence, and has been since it first aired. Here are some of my initial thoughts:

• Yay, Jillian is back for good and the other trainer (Kim?) is gone. Really, really didn't like Kim. She was a Jillian wanna-be and not a very good one.
• Why didn't more people want to be on Bob's team? His training style is pretty tough in my book, just as tough as Jillian's. Although, now that I think about it, if I were given the choicee...
• Go Pink Team! Bette-Sue is proving to be an early favorite and I'm hoping she and her daughter do well.
• Lynn...Lynn...Lynn....you got this far - dude, you were chosen for the show! - and you (pretty much) quit? What in the hell is up with that?
• Brittany - not a surprise Bernie lost all that weight. HE THREW UP ALL WEEK. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to know that no food + working out = some sort of weight loss, even if it isn't the right way to do it.
• Paul - um, asshole move. You had to tell everyone that your ex-wife is a quitter? No wonder she divorced you. Those thoughts...the ones in your head....keep 'em there.

Yep, waaay to into the show already, but I can't help it. This is real drama at its finest. And the best part about it is the reminder: if these folks can lose half their body weight, I can lose that last ten pounds.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Me: Petra, we just received a call from a man who wants to be President of the United States. If he calls again, what do you think we should tell him to do as President of the United States?

P: Bring our United States home!

He really called!

I just got a call from Dennis Kucinich! No, it wasn't live or in person mind you, but it was a taped recording telling me, yes me, to go out there and vote for him in the upcoming NH primary.

Wasn't that sweet?

Don't throw away! Recycle!

I have just discovered the wonders of Freecycle.org, a network of groups with more than 4.3 million registered members that is dedicated to helping people give (and get) stuff for free.

Thanks to Freecycle, I don't have to worry about how to get rid of a perfectly good mattress set nor do I have to look any longer at that second fridge that had taken up permanent residence in our basement.

Instead I have been connected with people who *need* what I have. And it appears, many have use for a queen mattress set and a GE Hotpoint refrigerator.

See, 2008 is off to a very good start.

Did the ball *actually* drop?

Because I'm not convinced.

Last night, we went with our good friends, Seth and Katie, and their two children, Will and Ryan to the RainForest Cafe for their annual New Year's Eve party (5:00-7:30pm, woo hoo!). There was face painting, balloons and more chocolate milk than any child needs. It was noisy and dark and the children were insane, but we all had a good time.

Needless to say, everyone came home and passed out on the couch. I woke up at 11:57 psyched that I'd woken up in time to watch the ball drop. I changed the channel to NBC (my preferred network) And then poof! I looked at the clock again and it was 12:09. Seriously - it went from 11:57pm, Monday, December 31, 2007, to 12:09am Tuesday, January 1, 2008, in the blink of an eye. It's as if 12 minutes completely disappeared. I mean, I was awake and looking forward to the countdown and ball drop and before I knew it, NBC was already onto their post New Year's activities.

So I ask you, did the ball actually drop? Or did we all lose 12 minutes?