You are currently browsing the monthly archive for November, 2007.
As part of his job, my dad would drive a big truck to salt various parking lots in the city when there was snow/slippery conditions. He retired earlier this year. It’s snowing here this morning.Texts between my dad and I this morning…
Me: No more salting!
Dad: Yea baby!
Me: Ha! Good for you!
Him: Let it snow.
Me: Amen.
When you call to leave me a message, give me an idea why you’re calling. Please do not say, “Give me a call when you get a chance.” It irritates me. I like to be prepared when I call you back.
One of my co-workers was the kind who would call and say, Just call me back. One time I called him back and said, Since you didn’t tell me what you needed I can’t offer you any information. You will have to call me back. I think he got the hint because he’s done better since then.
E and I put up our Christmas tree on Friday. I was feeling festive and he was hooking up a surround sound system, so we both had our projects to work on.
E can be little bit Grinch-y, so a couple of years ago (before my moving in and our engagement) his mom bought him a tree and decorations, and set it up for him one day while he was at work. It was, I think, the only way he would have had a tree.
It’s not my ideal tree. The colors and ornaments are not really my style, but it’s ok. It looks nice when it’s all set up. Maybe one of these years I’ll hit the after-Christmas sales for some new decorations.
I wanted to post pictures of our Christmas tree today, but I forgot the cord for my camera…so maybe tomorrow.
I’ll talk about Christmas songs instead. Of course they’ve been playing on radio stations for a couple of weeks (at least) now, and I’m not sick of them yet. For your pleasure, a few from my iPod:
* O Holy Night - Martina McBride. This song is probably my favorite Christmas song. It usually brings me to tears. So beautiful.
* I Saw Three Ships and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies. Traditional songs with a funky makeover.
* Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby. Is Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas to you. It’s a cute song, and mele kalikimaka is fun to say.
* Donde Esta Santa Clause - Guster. Makes me want to go back to Mexico for Christmas. Oh, Cabo, I’ll be back some day.
* Must Be Santa - Mitch Miller and the Gang. My brothers and I LOVED this album when we were kids, and especially this song. Must be Santa is such an upbeat song - perfect for kids. Of all ages.
* All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey. I am so not a Mariah Carey fan. Never was. But I like this song. A lot. Also, it’s good to sing to in the car. Loudly.
* Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt. Dear Santa, please leave everything under the tree. Love, Me.
* Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton. I like Dolly. There, I said it.
* Jingle Bells - Frank Sinatra. Nobody does it quite like Frank. And it shows in this version.
* Twelve Days of Christmas - John Denver and The Muppets. The BEST version of this song. Ever. How can you not love Beaker, and Miss Piggy and her 5 Gold Rings?
* We Need a Little Christmas - Percy Faith and his Orchestra. Sometimes I feel like we need a little Christmas in June. Or March. Or when I watch the news and it’s all horrible. Where’s the love, the peace, the giving, the family?
So, there you have an idea of my likes. A good way to kill time while on this boring conference call.
My birthday is mid-December. When I was little, my mom would wait until after my birthday to put up the Christmas tree because she didn’t want it to interfere with my birthday.
My youngest brother’s birthday is five days after Christmas, so the tree would come down directly after Christmas so as not to interfere with his birthday.
E’s birthday is a week before mine. His mom used to do the same thing for him!
How great is that? Moms are the best.
However, December birthdays? Kinda suck. Maybe a post about that another day.
I’m sitting at the cluttered dining table in the quiet of morning with a hot cup of coffee. The refrigerator is humming. There is snow on the ground. I am anticipating delicious food and precious time with family. I am thinking of all the small, big, good, great, and/or wonderful things and people in my life and I could not be more thankful. Could not.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m back from Las Vegas. Everything went well at the airport and on the flight home yesterday.E didn’t do so well in his racing. And he was in an accident. Right in front of me. I think my heart stopped. And even though I could see he was ok, there were a few tears (maybe of relief). He damaged some stuff on the kart and I tried to help fix it. I also helped with lifting the kart on and off the stand, and with push starting him. I’m so grateful to all the guys who helped with that. The kart is HEAVY. So lifting it empty, and especially pushing it with E in it is hard. The racing overall was good, though. Very competitive field, lots of drivers from around the country and from other countries.
We saw as much as we could in the non-racing time. Went through most of the main hotels on the strip. Went downtown to check out Fremont Street. Watched the fountains at Bellagio. Saw Phantom at The Venetian. Saw Hoover Dam. Ate some nice dinners. People-watched. Oh, the people-watching. Just kind of soaked it all in.
Here’s a little tidbit about me: I cry. I’m an emotional person. I cry at happy and sad. I also cry when I’m very tired, and often when I’m tired and hungry and something is stressing me out. So, Monday afternoon - my seventh day in Vegas - I was getting a little stressed out. I was tired, and hungry, and really wanted some ice cream and a nap. E and I were on Fremont Street, and I had a minor breakdown. Just turned towards the wall and sobbed. I needed to get it out. Usually after something like this happens, I’m fine. Just let me go for a minute and I’ll recover ok. Unfortunately it freaks E out a little, even though I tell him to not worry.
So as I’m recovering (using the last of my tissues) a guy on a bike rolls up to us and shoves a piece of paper advertising whatever into E’s hand. He says something along the lines of Are you guys interested in such and such? I grabbed the paper from E’s hand and shoved it back at the guy and said, No we’re not! The guy looks at me and says, Well, that was rude. I said, Maybe what was rude was you shoving paper in our face. He left after that.
I used to be so bad about comebacks. I would think of them, but think it so rude to say them. Now I try not to be so rude, but also try not to hold back what’s on my mind.
So anyway, I think 7 days is a bit much for Vegas - especially with another event on top of that. I would definitely go back. Find a hotel with a nice pool for some R&R during the day and scope out some nightlife later. Maybe a spa visit next time, too.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Sitting at the airport in Vegas waiting for boarding to begin. I’m so tired. What didn’t we do here? Good time. And ready to be home.
Leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow. For this:
http://www.superkartsusa.com/eleven/
And as much of Las Vegas I can stomach in 7 days and nights.
I just found out that the local Starbucks is no longer serving my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. The injustice!
Please excuse me while I cry softly into my Mocha.
Have a great weekend.
E and I are going to Italy for our honeymoon. We’re working out the details - what cities we want to visit for sure, what we might want to do, how long, etc. I’m very much looking forward to it.
I think I will head over to Barnes & Noble today to see what kind of $$ I can spend on learning some Italian. I know a few basics: Per favore and Grazie (always important), buongiorno, scusi, arrivederci. Also helpful, Parlate inglese? Or Non parlo italiano. And I think bagno is bathroom.
So, Vegas this month, Italy next spring, and then I want a vacation with my girls. Maybe a shopping trip to NYC. Or a spa vacation. Ahhh… Or a cruise. I’ll have to get my people on it.
My blog title…Mainly Clear Skies…it’s how I see/approach/react to the world. I’m mostly optimistic with a little bit of realism. Maybe a lot of realism. And, occasionally, downright pessimism.
Some days I’m annoyingly cheerful, and happy to be alive. Other days, well, not so much. But the problem (or maybe the good thing) is that my moods never seem to last long. If I’m feeling down in the dumps…I try to think about all the good things in my life - and there are a LOT of them - and I usually start to feel better. Good food, good friends, a long walk, and a good hug help, too. Or I could be feeling pretty alright one minute and then suddenly I’m a total bitch to be around. Damn hormones anyway.
My name is Melissa. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I’m 5′4″ and a healthy weight. Though, like most women, I’d like to be 5-10 pounds lighter. I work out regularly because it helps keep my weight down, but more importantly, it makes me feel better - less stressed, calmer, and happier. I try to be nice to my body because it is healthy, and it gets me around from Point A to Point B really well. Hard not to appreciate it.
I am engaged to be married. Next May. May 5, to be exact. Yes, a Monday. The pre-wedding party is the weekend before. The wedding will be with only family and close friends, and dinner following the ceremony. My guy is wonderful (one of those good things in my life) and I love him very much.
My parents are divorced, and I have 3 brothers. Two of them are married, and one might as well be (they live together). I have two nephews from one brother and sister-in-law, and a nephew and niece from another brother and sister-in-law. I love them all very much.
I have few good friends, but those I have are very very good friends. I love them very much. The others are casual friends or acquaintances. I get along with most people pretty well. I can appreciate people’s differences, and as long as you aren’t being a stupid jackass, I have no trouble with you.
I work to live, look forward to vacations and paydays, and like the people I work with. I am not a ladder-climber, but here more money = more time working. More money would be nice, but I like my free time better.
I think lack of respect will be the downfall of everything. Lack of respect for oneself, lack of respect for others, and lack of respect for others’ possessions. I think Please and Thank You are sorely underused. I think no one should walk around thinking someone owes them something (except maybe a please or thank you).
I think that’s enough for now.
I see a lot of people dressed badly. I think, Do they look at themselves before they leave the house and think, Yeah baby, I look good! Or do they not even care?
I like to think I dress well. Clothes fit and are appropriate for the situation. I have had items tailored to fit properly. I buy the best quality I can for my budget. Etc.
So, without further ado, some style tips I live by:
Do wear clothes that fit properly (no matter the size). Not too tight, not too baggy, just right.
Make sure the pant length matches the shoe height. I hate pants that drag, or look too short because the heels are high.
No socks with sandals. Gah!
No panty lines. Forgivable, but also avoidable.
No bra straps showing. Please.
Don’t overload on the accessories. It’s not necessary to wear every piece of jewelry you own all at the same time.
Black might be acceptable with everything, but it’s not always the best choice. I’m talking about the ladies who only carry a black handbag because “it goes with everything”.
Jeans aren’t appropriate for every occasion. Yes, you can dress them up or down, but sometimes they just don’t cut it. Wear a dress! Who doesn’t love a good reason to dress up?
Extras:
I can’t do black with navy or dark brown. Altho other shades of blue and brown can work with black.
Gray is a great neutral.
Be tasteful.
Spoiler alert!
Does anyone else watch this show? I love it.
I was so glad last night when Ari and Staella were eliminated. I don’t like when the teams have to do something to another team to get ahead (ie. stealing a taxi). And they were mean to that poor little donkey. Even Ari said, Karma came back and bit us in the butt. HA!
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season unfolds.
