Work, Work, Work

Work has been busy lately. This weekend we moved from building 6 to 5 and on Monday it felt a little bit like the first day of school. People were talking in the hallway, things were in a state of being between packed and unpacked, the halls were littered with the stuff people didn't want anymore. People keep walking by and looking in each others' offices both to find people and just to be nosey. This week I have started work on a file migration project that consumes all of my day. I like it, though, even if at times it's somewhat tedious. It has to be done and I am the one to do it.



I have really liked the cold weather lately. (Thank goodness there hasn't been much rain, especially during the week.) I noticed this morning at the park and ride that there was frost and ice on the sidewalk and grass even! Mom said that Wisconsin has already had some snow. I am not down with that.



Tomorrow night a bunch of us girls are getting together for a "girls night out." Everyone is dressing formally and we're having a potluck at one girl's house followed by dessert out somewhere. I plan on wearing my velvet skirt (haven't worn it since RENT) but I don't have a good shirt to go with it. Keely has one that is viable, but I really would like to wear the skirt more often, thus, I need a shirt that is more easily available to me. Although I would like a formal, I don't think I will have occassion to wear one so it would be a pretty decadent purchase.



Tomorrow I have a phone screen for a producer position here at Microsoft. I am pretty excited! Think good thoughts for me!

Nikki on 10.30.02 @ 01:56 PM PST [link]

Slacker

So, it appears I have slacked on updating the blog this week. Sorry about that. There hasn't been a whole lot going on really, plus I've been working on the new project that Wendy and I are trying to launch. Plus, work has been busy and fraught with problems. Wednesday I think every tool and server that was important for me to use broke or was painfully slow. If I would have had a hammer at my disposal, there would have been some shattered computers. Yesterday I only worked half a day because it was moving day and there was an MSDN all hands on deck meeting. They provided a really nice lunch, though, which made up for the somewhat boring meeting. I say boring because it didn't seem to have much to do with my little corner of MSDN. A lot of people left early or didn't appear at all. But I got paid for it, so oh well.



I spent a lot of money on Mika yesterday. I bought her some of the hideous canned soft cat food that I abhor. Then I bought a spray that is supposed to deter cats from scratching furniture. I am wary of its promises, though. And I bought these wipes that simulate a bath. These seemed to work. She is super soft now. I bought nail clippers because she keeps getting caught on things. Oh, and some ear drops because she scratches at her ears a lot. All this tallied $35. Good lord.



I came into work today so I could set up my office. I must have an organized workspace. I wanted to arrange the room a little differently than what I had to settle for. I hate it when someone walks by or walks in to directly see your monitor. But my blueprint wasn't conducive to two people sharing such a small space, so I am stuck with what was here. However, I think that it's okay. When people walk in or by, they see the side of my computer. Can't be letting people see all the illegal porn on my work computer. :) Just kidding of course.



I did write a poem yesterday, the rough draft at least. I will work on it some more before I post anything.

Nikki on 10.26.02 @ 02:16 PM PST [link]

Walk, Walk, Walk

So even though I had forgotten my workout tennis shoes yesterday, I went to work out anyway. I was wearing regular tennies. I tried to run on the treadmill but that wasn't very comfortable so I did the bike instead. After doing a few weights, I left, hoping to catch the bus. However, after consulting the schedule I picked up in the foyer at work, I realized that I could walk faster than if I waited for the bus. So I walked back up to Microsoft building 40 and called for a shuttle. I think that this walk was roughly two miles. I clocked it once while I drove to the YMCA. I guess I didn't need to run on the treadmill after all. Fortunately, it was a nice evening. Unfortunately, I didn't get home until nearly eight pm.



I am drinking a lot of water. Good thing the bathroom is across the hall from my office. :)



All night Mika chased her invisible foe on the bed. Sometimes she mistook my bodily extremities as the foe and attacked. Sometimes I grabbed her and tried to cuddle but she wanted nothing to do with that. She purred the whole time but strained for freedom. She's a beast. :)

Nikki on 10.22.02 @ 12:17 PM PST [link]

Saturday's Party

On Saturday, the softball team had a party at the GM of the PIRS group's house. Oh my lord. You should see this house. Amazing. The house had every technological thing possible. It had rooms that I am not even sure what to call (is it a bedroom or a playroom?) It had a guesthouse. It's on Lake Washington. It had a sports court. And best of all, it had the cutest little girl named Livia. I spent a lot of time with her during the party (I always tend to hang out with kids more than adults in that type of setting). It's too bad that weather was so gloomy, but all in all it was a fabulous day, for several reasons.



Yesterday I went to the Triple J and tried to write. I have a lot of ideas right now but am having trouble getting anything down. I haven't been very dedicated to writing every day and it is definitely showing. There is just not enough time in the day. There are all these things that I want to do: work out, write, read, crochet, work on the Web site, write letters, hang out with friends...and I can't find the time. Especially now that it takes so long to get anywhere again. Grr.



New goals for the week: drink more water and stop emailing people so often. I've become high maintenance I think.

Nikki on 10.21.02 @ 01:17 PM PST [link]

TGIF

Yesterday I received a letter from the DMV; my administrative interview will be November 4th. It seems like a long time to wait. I wonder how long I will have to wait for an answer afterwards?



Mika likes to sleep next to my computer. My desk has a compartment for the CPU and in the extra room on the shelf I keep my completed writing journals. She has pushed the journals off the shelf. This morning I found her burrowed/nestled there. I suspect that she likes it there because it's warm. However, I am warm! She can cuddle with me!



Boy did I get a workout last night. I walked to the bus stop. I walked from where the bus dropped me off to the YMCA. I worked out for 35 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike. When I emerged from the YMCA, I saw my intended bus pulling away. Since I didn't want to wait another half hour for the next one (Friends was only an hour away) I started walking. I walked all the way to building 114, which I estimate to be at least a mile. I caught a shuttle to the park and ride and then walked home. I was sore last night. I took a hot shower, though. I'm a little sore now, but not so bad. I think I will skip working out tonight. :)



Tomorrow is the softball team party. That should be interesting...

Nikki on 10.18.02 @ 12:50 PM PST [link]

Kitty Scratches

Mika is definitely getting used to the place. I let her roam the place at will all day yesterday, worrying all day that she might be tearing the place apart or perhaps urinating all over. It doesn't seem that either happened. Keely picked me up from work since we planned on going to see Tuck Everlasting and we went home first so I could check on her. She surprised me by coming out of my room into the living room where Keely and I were. She of course didn't let either of us catch her, but the fact that she even ventured out is improvement. I felt a smidge bad about going out when I had been gone all day. But when I got home, she allowed me to catch her easily and as soon as I did started to purr loudly. We cuddled on the couch for awhile before I flea combed her (only 1 flea found in four days!). We cuddled on the bed for a little while and then I went to bed. She is now getting up on the bed and proceeded all night to run and scramble and chase some imaginary, I think, nemesis. She did so with such voraciousness that I woke up several times. Good thing was that she didn't whine and cry. I think my cat is starting to like me.



The movie was very good. I think Alexis Bledel is so pretty and Jonathon Jackson is not too bad to look at either. Of course there were differences between text and film but that is inevitable. Now, I really should finish A Prayer for Owen Meaney since it has been shelved for so long (sorry, Tim!).



I've also had an idea for a poem. I won't discuss it yet because I haven't even started on it yet. But I think it's a clear indication that I think too much about weird things. :)

Nikki on 10.17.02 @ 11:20 AM PST [link]

Someone Stole My Camera!

Okay, not really. I left my camera at Wendy and John's house last Saturday night. When I picked it up on Sunday afternoon, I saw that they had used it to take pictures of Wendy. And no, for those of you readers who want to know if they were naked pictures (you know who you are, too), they were perfectly nice pictures. The lighting was a little weird in the kitchen so I tried to fix it in PhotoDraw, but it's still not great. I love my digital camera. Have I said that enough? Can I say it enough?

Nikki on 10.16.02 @ 02:33 PM PST [link]

Walking Again

So I am back to walking everywhere again. It actually wasn't so bad, but then, then rain hasn't started either.



Here is a picture of Mika that I am sure you all have been clamoring for. She is steadily improving. She eats and drinks regularly. Last night I turned her loose in the apartment and she played a lot. Her favorite pass times are fighting with a shoe lace laced in a chair and gnawing on an empty Kleenex box. Once she felt a little more comfortable with her surroundings she ran all over the place. She still doesn't climb up on things, though, which I guess is a good thing. She did jump up on my bed once, but upon seeing me, promptly hopped down again. She didn't cry as much, though, during the night. Thank goodness! That girl has the loudest meow I have ever heard. And she can keep it up for extended periods of time. Hopefully soon she will let me pick her up without hissing me.

Nikki on 10.16.02 @ 10:48 AM PST [link]

New Addition to the Family

Yesterday I finally brought home my kitten. She spent most of the day and night hiding in various places around the house before I pulled her our from under a bookshelf and took her into my room. Most of the night she cried. I feel bad for her but there's nothing I can do. This is normal. Everytime I pick her up, she hisses at me. It's pretty funny actually. I don't think she has ate or drank yet, but the lady who had her before me said that is normal. She is currently in my room (I've kept the door shut) and I hope that she is okay. Hopefully tonight she will come out a little more. I am thinking of naming her Mika (pronounced Meekah), which is short for "Amica" which I think is Italian or French or something for "friend." I may change this name. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. I don't like names like "Snoball" or "Fluffy" nor do I like human-like names. I have one picture of her, crouching under my bed, and will post it later.



The weekend was pretty eventful. Friday night Tim and I went to see White Oleander. It was very well done. It ended differently (won't give it away if you haven't seen/read it and plan to) but I don't think that it affected the overall ending. In any movie made from a book there are changes and I like sitting there, watching, calculating every change and it's impact. To me it a great example of editing; even if the movie chops and mangles the book, it's still a great example, just an example of poor editing. This week Keely I plan to see Tuck Everlasting. So Saturday I had 2 bbqs to attend. First I went to Wendy and John's. They have the sweetest little house ever. I am so jealous. Seeing it made me want to move to Seattle even more. Maybe when my lease is up...After that I went to Renton to Cicele's pre-birthday bbq. By the time I got there she was...uh...having a good time and had been having a good time for quite awhile. :) Sunday of course was Kitty Day. So, all in all, a full weekend. I was glad to be busy since after Wednesday, my social life will dramatically suck...again.

Countdown to being grounded...2

Nikki on 10.14.02 @ 01:11 PM PST [link]

Taylor and Me

So I finally got to see my cousin, Taylor, on this last trip home. She is almost six months old. She is so cute. She is, I think, the happiest baby I have ever seen. When Mom and I arrived at my uncle's house, she was asleep on the couch. With all our noise, she woke up but she didn't cry at all. I walked over there and scooped her up and she smiled. Most babies cry when a stranger picks them up, but she didn't. Maybe it's the cousin vibe. :-) My uncle, his wife, and Taylor took me back to the airport at the end of the trip. When I got in she was fussing a little but I guess all she needed was someone to talk to because about ten minutes down the road she was asleep. When we arrived at the airport, I leaned over and kissed her temple; she sat up and gave me the biggest smile ever and then immediately fell back to sleep. That was a great bon voyage!

Nikki on 10.10.02 @ 01:44 PM PST [link]

Blah Blah Blah

I couldn't think of anything else to name this entry, so there it is.



Countdown to not driving again unless some kind of miracle happens: 6



Lately, I have not felt the urge to date. I have a few theories as to why. It's not that I don't want to date at all; if someone asked I would certainly accept. But, I don't feel like looking. One theory I have is the weather. All of a sudden, the chilly, rainy nights seem perfect for building a fire, putting on flannel jammies, and crocheting, reading, or watching a movie. Maybe I've taken my pining tendencies to an all new level. Maybe my escapades a couple weeks ago was enough to satiate me for awhile. Maybe I have so many guy friends that the need to have male company is already fulfilled. Luke seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. I guess that's okay. I liked him...but not like others. Soon it will be just me and my cat. I am well on my way to being a spinster surrounded by cats. :-)



I finally found Tuck Everlasting yesterday. I read most of it while I worked out on the bike, finished the rest before going to sleep. It was a pretty good book. I hope the movie is, too. It seems I am caught up with my book-before-movie marathon. Well, except for the dreaded Lord of the Rings books. I just can't seem to get into them. Maybe I should try again now that I will most likely be stuck at home the majority of the time and won't be tempted by the nice weather, abandoning the book because it is too thick to cart around.

Nikki on 10.10.02 @ 01:37 PM PST [link]

Blah Blah Blah

I couldn't think of anything else to name this entry, so there it is.



Countdown to not driving again unless some kind of miracle happens: 6



Lately, I have not felt the urge to date. I have a few theories as to why. It's not that I don't want to date at all; if someone asked I would certainly accept. But, I don't feel like looking. One theory I have is the weather. All of a sudden, the chilly, rainy nights seem perfect for building a fire, putting on flannel jammies, and crocheting, reading, or watching a movie. Maybe I've taken my pining tendencies to an all new level. Maybe my escapades a couple weeks ago was enough to satiate me for awhile. Maybe I have so many guy friends that the need to have male company is already fulfilled. Luke seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. I guess that's okay. I liked him...but not like others. Soon it will be just me and my cat. I am well on my way to being a spinster surrounded by cats. :-)



I finally found Tuck Everlasting yesterday. I read most of it while I worked out on the bike, finished the rest before going to sleep. It was a pretty good book. I hope the movie is, too. It seems I am caught up with my book-before-movie marathon. Well, except for the dreaded Lord of the Rings books. I just can't seem to get into them. Maybe I should try again now that I will most likely be stuck at home the majority of the time and won't be tempted by the nice weather, abandoning the book because it is too thick to cart around.

Nikki on 10.10.02 @ 01:23 PM PST [link]

Reunion

I know I know. I have had these for how long? Things take time. :-) Now, this won't be complete for awhile so if you are reading this as I do it, check back later tonight. By then, hopefully, I will be done. This is a delicate process.

• Here is the "Friends Forever Club" (as the popular girls called us) at our Baccalaureate ceremony in 1992. Order: Ronda, Tina, Marie, Nikki



• Here is the Club at the ten year reunion. If you want to compare, click on both pictures. They will stack on top of one another so simply move one over and you can see both.



• Two more friends: Jenny and Emily.



• Marie and I



• Those that showed up. Only about 30 people from the class made an appearance. There were plenty missing that I wanted to see, too.



• Marie and Andy.Good thing I got the picture taken before I started vomitting all over myself...just kidding. I think they thoroughly enjoyed their night without the kids. :-)



• Allen, Rod. Allen Sahlin is on the left. Look for him to be a big movie star; he is an actor now. I was in high school drama and he never once performed so this fact baffles me, but others seem to know that he's had this aspiration for a long time. Rod Peterson is on the right. I didn't really like him in high school. He was mean.



• Heather Allbaugh, Tom Oates, John Basarich. (the guy on the far left is Heather's husband and the guy on the far right is the brother of a classmate). I was so happy to see Tom Oates there. He went to school with us until the end of freshmen year when he moved to Georgetown so his dad could be dean (or something) there. When I saw him that night, I thought, "He looks just like what I would think the grown up version of the fourteen year old boy that I remember, looks like. John is the only doctor of the class that I know of. Heather just had a baby and is a teacher.



• Jenny and Marie talking



• Sonia Pauls



• Abby Chadwick

Nikki on 10.08.02 @ 12:16 PM PST [link]

The Weekend and a New Kitten

The weekend was pretty laid back. Friday night I went over to Tim's and we chatted and had a late dinner. We went to this Italian place, because it appeared to be the only non-bar place open in Wallingford on 45th. We felt a tad guilty coming in a half hour before they closed but tried to order "easy" things: salad and cheese bread. The salad was enormous, despite the fact we ordered the "half salad." We had a nice chat about my reunion and family experience at home this last time I traveled to Wisconsin as well as a nice walk down and up 45th since the weather was not so bad and we both needed the fresh air.



Saturday, I barely left the apartment. I think I only left to get the mail and drop off the rent check. I read most of the day, White Oleander. Did some laundry. Watched tv. Tried to persuade a friend to get together, but he was "too tired."



Sunday was a little more ambitious. I went to Redmond Town Center and since it was so sunny out, sat on a bench next to the fountain and finished reading White Oleander. Now I am ready to see the movie. I looked at Borders for Tuck Everlasting, but it became the second bookstore I've been to where the book has alluded me. I feel my reading list has become all about trying to keep up with movie releases. But, since I hadn't finished a book since July, it felt good even though it was another book off that Oprah list. I've read way too many books from that list, most inadvertantly. Back to yesterday...Talked to my mom on the cell phone. Shopped a little but amazingly didn't buy anything. Keely called and came over later and we chatted about everything.



Tonight I am going to a woman's house in West Seattle to pick out a kitten. I have no supplies bought. I should have done that when we went to Fred Meyer last night. Didn't even think about it. Will have to do that tonight after I work out, before I go over there. I am excited. :)

Nikki on 10.07.02 @ 10:27 AM PST [link]

Drive!

I feel, because perhaps a no-driving order may be issued soon, that I should quickly drive everywhere that I can. I keep envisioning driving everywhere, as though I will never be allowed to drive again. Which is silly and a little too melodramatic, even for me. And then I go through phases where I think, oh it won't be so bad. It'll be rainy and nice to sit on the couch, build a fire in the fireplace, crochet, write, and read. This oh-so-romantic vision is quickly swapped out and replaced with that of me lugging groceries from Safeway in the drizzle, including logs for the fire and kitty litter should I ever finally get around to getting the kitten that I keep telling people I am going to get. This is not a pleasant image. I keep counting the months, trying to figure out if it's January or February that I would get the okay to drive again. I am still unsure. And then a new worry has crept in: when the prison sentence is over, does that mean that I have to take the license test over again? And if I do, does that mean I have to take the actual driving test over again? Ye-gads! The very thought of parallel parking under pressure once again... I know I am worrying too much. I do this all the time.



I have been successful this week with two, actually three, goals: limited soda drinking, working out every day, and eating more healthfully. Today is the only day this week that I drank more than one can of soda. And I worked out every day for at least 45 minutes. And during these workouts, 30 minutes was on the dreaded treadmill that I despise. And of that 30 minutes, 10 was actually spent jogging. It's a refreshing change to my nine hours of sitting, hunched over the keyboard. A few days ago I went to Larry's Market and bought a bunch of fresh vegetables and fruit because I think they have a better selection than Safeway. Safeway, of course, is more affordable. I bought some non-fresh items at Larry's though that I know would've been cheaper at Safeway but was not in the mood to go over there. I will find a balance. I am also trying to get a mental picture of what one serving of everything looks like. One major discovery: one serving of pasta is considered 1/3 cup. That is, like, nothing! But, it makes more room on the plate for salad. :)



I know, I know. Still no reunion stories or pictures. I will try this weekend. I promise to try. :)

Nikki on 10.04.02 @ 01:38 PM PST [link]

Updated Freaking Out

So someone else at the DMV called me back this afternoon. It seems that the person I initially talked to on September 5th jumped the gun a little. That all the information hadn't made its way back to the database. Now, if I want to, for lack of a better term, appeal the suspension of my license, I have to have a phone interview with someone, presenting my case and will probably have to fax more informtion from my neurologist to this person. I am totally scared. I try and tell myself that at the worst it will be February. But it's not really working. Patrick seems to have "a feeling" that this is going to all work out. But I am not so sure. I am hoping that I can use to my favor the facts that I didn't drive until I was told that I was "cleared to drive" and that I essentially turned myself in. Had I not done this, they wouldn't have ever known. This is frustrating.

Nikki on 10.03.02 @ 04:09 PM PST [link]

Freaking Out

I'm a little bit freaking out right now. Last night when I got the mail I saw a letter from the Department of Motor Vehicles. I'd smiled to myself, presuming this was finally the letter, a month later, stating that I was cleared to drive. I thought about not opening it, because I knew what it contained, but for fun I did open it. Much to my surprise and chagrin, it was a letter stating that as of October 16 my driver's license will be cancelled due to my seizure disorder. They acted as though we didn't go through all this over a month ago, that I hadn't faxed them the certificate of physical examination, that I hadn't been cleared to drive. I couldn't even eat last night because all I could do was envision myself on the bus again, this time walking in the rain.



My one glimmer of hope was a sentence on the form that said, "To be considered for reinstatement...you must submit a certificate showing your condition to be controlled and within acceptable licensing standards." Didn't I already do this? I called the DMV bright and early this morning and the nice lady that I talked to couldn't figure out from her database why I got this letter since everything had happened so recently. She told me to refax my certificate to the medical department and claimed that she was going to call them to tell them and have someone call me back. I have a bad feeling. I have a feeling that I am going to be back to walking and riding the bus again. After a month of driving again, this is unfathomable. Stuck at home. Riding the shuttle. Restricted traveling. I already want to curl up in a ball and sleep until January. I am trying to not think about it, to relax. It's really out of my hands at this point. But that goes against my nature: to worry. Incessantly.



I know that everyone is waiting for reunion news. As soon as I deal with the pictures, I'll regale you with stories. Actually, there aren't too many stories, but I have some fun pictures. :)

Nikki on 10.03.02 @ 08:52 AM PST [link]