The Lab

So I heard that the lab that I used to work in will soon be replaced with a lab on another floor of the same building. I am not sure why they need a new lab, although more space for cubicles would be good. I wonder what will become of the old lab. Although it often sucked being essentially locked down in a windowless room, it actually was a lot of fun. It was probably the gig that I had the most fun on, because of the guys that I worked with, despite the work not being all that challenging. It was also the most drama filled, at times at least. When I worked there, I had a dream that I delivered my own baby in the vault section of the lab, except in the dream the vault had orange shag carpeting. I never figured that one out. I would never want to go back to work there...for several reasons. But there are times when I have wished that I could just bring some of the people around with me to the new jobs. Maybe then I could play Halo more often.

Today is Mardi Gras. That means tomorrow, scads of people start giving things up for Lent. I've never even attempted to give something up. I wasn't raised Catholic, and to me that's more of a Catholic thing. But maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe I should give up soda. But then again, maybe I should choose something that I have a chance in hell of actually succeeding with!

Tonight I get my taxes done.

Nikki on 02.28.06 @ 05:39 PM PST [link]

The Weekend

On Saturday I got my hair colored because the root growth was driving me crazy. I decided to be a little crazy, a little wild, and I strayed a little from my normal blonde. I went a shade darker, with blonde, chunkier highlights. Everyone, except one person, has noticed right away and the new do seems to be getting approval. I'm still getting used to it...but in a way it seems more natural than the blond. I've always been blond - naturally and from a bottle. Going a little darker suits me, too, though.

I've noticed lately that I've been moodier than usual. I don't know what it is. Maybe I am going through some kind of phase. For instance, the other night out with some friends...at one point I was super irritated because they were talking about this controversial spirital topic and all I could think of was, "Can't we just have a good time without debating this?" Someone else got flowers and what had been a really good mood immediately shifted to sadness. And, I totally yelled at another friend the other night because she kind of gave me grief about something, in a joking way, but it hurt my feelings and I told her that she was rude and I refused to continue on with that particular conversation anymore because of it. Argh. I used to be a lot better at hiding things like that.

Considering that this has been a short month, in a lot of ways it's seemed really long.

Ate at an Afghani/Persian restaurant on Friday night and really enjoyed it. The bread appetizer that Judy and I ordered came out and we thought it was a dessert! It looked like cake, melty ice cream, shaved chocolate, and cinnamon. However, it was actually bread, a dill yogurt sauce, carmalized onion, and paprika. I thought that the entrees might be spicy, but they weren't at all. Definitely would go there again.

Nikki on 02.27.06 @ 05:16 PM PST [link]

Stuff

I don't really have much to blog about, although you'd think that I would since it's been over a week since the last entry. I've written more comments on the blog, than actual entries lately, thanks to Eri...I mean ET.

Spent the weekend whipping the house into shape. There's still some to do, of course. And I need to think about paint because I don't want to keep the place all the same color, as it is now. I think I will start with the office/guestroom (I'm not calling it a library anymore because my books are spread throughout the house now...technically it isn't a guestroom until I get a bed in there, I suppose.). No reason in particular except maybe that fewer people actually go in that room, so it will be a good practice room for me. I have no idea what color to go with except I was thinking about some shade of purple. More like lavendar. I will have to go to Home Depot.

Next week I resume work on the novel again, I have decided.

I made a yummy new recipe on Monday: cinnamon poached chicken and rice. I guess it's Lebanese. I wouldn't have ever thought to use cinnamon in a non-dessert dish, but it turned out pretty good. The bad thing is, it's pretty bland looking: chicken, white rice, sauteed onions. I'll have to think of something to make it look a little more interesting. Maybe carrots or broccoli.

The Jars of Clay concert on Saturday was fun. They didn't sing a few of the songs that I wanted them to, but all in all it was good. A guy proposed to his girlfriend, onstage, so that was cute. While something like that would probably mortify me, it was sweet just the same.

Finished a book this weekend, as well, so the February count is up to three. Wahoo!



Nikki on 02.23.06 @ 04:45 PM PST [link]

Irritated

Okay, now I am irritated. I wanted to do something tonight and even made arrangements, that were less than what I really wanted to do, and now they've been cancelled because this person is having a "bad day." Argh.

Sorry to put you on blast. But I am really annoyed. Of all days.

Nikki on 02.14.06 @ 05:17 PM PST [link]

Weird Weather

Last night, there was thunder and lightening, someone told me. Then, while I drove from Bellevue to Redmond, I drove through sleet and then snow. By the time I made it to Redmond, there was only a little bit of rain. Now today it's sunny, but pretty cold out. What a weird day.

Two nights in a row now that I've slept on the living room floor. No reason. Just fell asleep there. The nice thing about that is, now that Mika is for some reason boycotting the living room, I don't get greeted by her pawing at my face or meowing into my ear that she's ready to eat.

A little bit of a discount is a dangerous thing. So The Big Cheese gives us a 35% discount (10% for movies and video games). So I've spent a fairly decent amount of money buying things now. For other people. As if this might all go away soon. (I'm still struggling with the concept of not being a contractor anymore.) It's kinda fun, though, being able to get things for people. I pre-ordered a movie for Judy to give to her mom, for instance. Yesterday, I almost ordered a bunch of personalized t-shirts for people and then I stopped. I don't even have anything for myself, except the t-shirt I bought at the real company store, which is super tight (despite being a much larger size than I buy) and super thin. But I did buy Jeremiah the cutest little rain slicker with matching galoshes. SO CUTE!

Nikki on 02.14.06 @ 04:53 PM PST [link]

Right on Track

You know the day is slow when all that I've accomplished is finishing the book I started to read on Monday and have hit the refresh button on the blog waiting for a comment from the mysterious "ET," who unfortunately, hasn't commented.

The book was very good...the ending a bit cliche, but then, I am pretty adept at figuring out twist endings. The only problem I had with the story is at one point near the end, her lawyer has a grand mal seizure and then goes on not that much later to finish his closing statement and have meaningful conversations...as well as drive. It's been my experience, both from first-hand experience and being with someone immediately after their seizure, that this is really unrealistic. It disappoints me that the author so heavily researched every other aspect of the book and then glossed over this. I mean, the seizure, or the fact that the lawyer has them, is a big deal throughout the book. She should have researched it better. I understand that for the plot, he had to have one, and at a dramatic point, and it wouldn't have made sense for him to be incapacitated until the next day, blah blah blah. I'm just saying that it's not realistic. The brain doesn't recover that quickly from a grand mal seizure.

Now I have to find another book. But, at least I am on track with my two book per month minimum goal I set every year for myself.

I think tonight, after a Target run with Tim, I will go home, throw a log in the fireplace, and watch ER while curled up on the couch. It sounds so nice.

Nikki on 02.09.06 @ 09:43 PM PST [link]

Bagel Wednesday

One of the perks for working for The Big Cheese is that on Wednesday they bring in a butt ton of bagels and about 20 varieties of cream cheese. I am not even exaggerating there...I counted. One half I scraped on some apple cinnamon and the other half was vegi...see, it was well balanced that way! I was a pretty good girl...I didn't slather it on. I also discovered that in that upstairs breakroom they have Diet Cherry Coke and...the bad thing...a vending machine that just happens to have caramel Hershy bars and those new cansdy coated mini Kisses. Sigh. I need to hit the delete button on that knowledge.

Going to a hockey game tonight...haven't been to one for about three years and this is only my second one. I hope there are a lot of fights. That's why people go to hockey games, right?

Started reading a new book the other day that has an interesting premise. The protagonist is the youngest (13) of three kids. She was conceived because she is an exact blood/tissue donor for her older sister who has a rare form of leukemia. So, all her life she has had to go to the hospital whenever her sister did, to give blood or bone marrow, etc. When she learns that her sister will need a new kidney and it is assumed that she will be the donor, she retains a lawyer because she's tired of it all, even though she knows that she is essentially killing her sister. I'm not too far into it yet, but it's a timely topic that generates some thought about what it ethical and right. I also like how each chapter is from a different family member or the lawyer's perspective. On some characters, a different font is even used...which is interesting. If anyone's interested, it's My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. And no, it's not chicklit. I generally don't read chicklit unless I get it sent to me for free from HarperCollins for reader review. I find chicklit to be one step above the Harlequin romances that my mom consumes like M&Ms. Call me a book snob.

My mom told me a funny story the other day about myself as a kid. I guess at one point my crib was close to her bookshelf, so when I got to be about 18 months, I started reaching for the books and bringing them into my crib. So, she didn't like that, so she moved them out of my reach a bit. Not to be so easily foiled, I reached into the closet, which was on the other side of my crib, pulled out a hanger, and then began to snag the books off the shelf with the hanger. That's problem solving at its finest! :)

Nikki on 02.08.06 @ 03:59 PM PST [link]

Be the Ball

I watched a show the other night that talked about you should speak about something that you want to change about yourself as though it already exists. The example given was a woman who wanted to quit smoking. So, as kind of a mantra, she bagan to say to herself, "I don't like smoking." Even as she puffed away on cigarettes, she repeated this to herself. Eventually, supposedly, the cigarettes began to taste more and more bitter until eventually she felt no desire to smoke at all. So, what the hell, maybe this will work for me. I have started telling myself that I don't like the taste of soda, specifically Mountain Dew. Yesterday and today I did have one can of root beer, but it takes me all day to drink it. That's a lot of improvement. But why stop there? Why not have a bunch of mantras that I can repeat to myself all day long?

1. My novel is finished.
2. I am thin.
3. I don't bite my nails.
4. I never procrastinate.

I thought I would start with this small list and work from there. :)

Isn't it nice to see the sun on a more consistant basis? I know that I like it!

Nikki on 02.07.06 @ 06:10 PM PST [link]

The Wedding Singer

It's playing at The 5th Avenue Theatre!

Nikki on 02.06.06 @ 10:21 PM PST [link]

Back to the Future

Thanks to Tim, I have re-entered the 21st century and have Internet again. My wireless aparati have been in condo office purgatory for several weeks now since it's nearly impossible for me to get home before 5 pm, and then I was gone for a few days, and then they weren't open on the weekends. But I caught someone in the office on Saturday and rescued the package. Of course, I couldn't figure out how to hook it up...or rather, I probably could have but didn't have the patience for it, so I lured Tim over with the promise of pizza. While he was there, he also was able to fix the intricate system of wires that is my entertainment system. Pretty soon, I should just let him have the place because he keeps doing stuff for me. :)

The wind storm this weekend was interesting. I was in Target when the lights went out for a few seconds on Saturday - just long enough for everything to have to reset and have to rescan all the merchandise. But finally I found an end table for the living room. And a lamp. Which needs a lampshade. I should buy some stock in Target. I spend a lot of money there. While we waited for everything to come back online, there was some manager-type person running around assuring everyone that the store would stay open and reminding the cashiers to engage us in conversation, as though there was widespread panic. He seemed to be the only on in panic. The rest of us just stood there.

I worked diligently on the house, since I ended up not having plans on Saturday afterall. I'm 99% out of boxes and am down to small piles of miscellaneous stuff that just needs to be put away. It's still crazy in the house...but I like to think that it's much better.

While I was putting things away, I found an old travel journal that I took with me when I went to Mexico for Spanish club right after graduation. I wish that I had written the entire trip; it turns out that I stopped writing once we got to Taxco. But it was still amusing to read. Quote, "Or tour guide is HOT!!"

I worked out at the Y a couple blocks away. Pretty nice. In a way, it seemed more like the Pro Club than a YMCA! The hot tub and sauna was in the locker room, which is huge. I went to a step aerobics III class. That was a mistake, I think. I know that I haven't been to a class in several months and so I am out of shape...but this was a crazy class. There was one whole section of choreography that I just never got! I felt like such a dork. So, I think that I will stick to step II and lower. There's a belly dancing class on Thursdays that I am excited to try, though. And, they offer pilates for free, too.

I've also decided that I have to get back on the wagon for healthier eating, too. I finally took the plunge and got on the scale this weekend and gasped. I think things will be easier without the soda available that I like. Now I just need to buy some groceries and actually cook and eat breakfast. Get back into the routine and it will all be good. I knew when I hit that phase where all I wanted to wear was yoga pants and t-shirts that I had a problem. :)

Also on the agenda, while I am at it, is getting back to work on the novel. Sigh. Why aren't there more hours in the day. I should bring it to work and work on it. God knows I don't have anything to do right now!

Nikki on 02.06.06 @ 08:44 PM PST [link]

A Window!

I realized this morning that my cubicle has a window. I opened the shade and realized that I could see into another building. So much for a cube with a view. Later, from a different spot in my cube, I realized that it wasn't a different building...it was still my building. There's a U shape in the structure and I sit on one leg of it while looking into the other leg. Basically, I can keep tabs on people in the kitchen. Make sure they don't drink too much Coke. Blech.

This weekend will be another major push towards getting the house finished. I did fairly well last weekend...got some more things on the wall and such. Now that I have the chair, I can get an end table or two and arrange the living room the way that I want it. I need some wood. I've only had 1.5 fires in that fireplace.



Nikki on 02.02.06 @ 09:29 PM PST [link]

A Little Ultraviolet Light

My trip to Burbank was successful and there were no accidental trips to Compton. The Hilton that I stayed at was across the street from Universal Studios and City Walk, which is kind of like an outdoor mallish kind of place. I had directions typed out for every place that I needed to go, and then back again, so if I had been lost, then I 'd have to blame myself. Touring the Disney lot was fun; however, I didn't see any celebrities. As I drove around Burbank and North Hollywood the bit that I did, I began to think it wouldn't be so bad living in L.A. I would do what I did in Seattle: start small and slowly expand my querencia. I am used to bad traffic. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that unseasonal ultraviolet light exposure was deluding me. The sun was nice, though. I miss the sun.

It's weird starting a new job. In a new company. At least at the old place, even when I switched groups, there was a certain amount of sameness involved.

Nikki on 02.01.06 @ 07:55 PM PST [link]