Disappointed with my lack of blog posts? Me too. I'm uninspired lately. I've got alot of topics swirling around to chat about, they just somehow forget to make it to the blog.
However, I have been very decoratively inspired lately and took care of a few projects around the house. Nothing like sending out 43 invitiations for a bridal shower at your house in three weeks to get the blood pumping. I always promise pictures, but maybe after I clean the house tomorrow.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Spiral Diner
I forgot to post about my first vegan experience. A few girlfriends were getting together for dinner at Spiral Diner in Ft Worth and I agreed before the location was determined. Being the ever adventurous gal, I decided to play nice and see what the whole vegan thing was about. If a vegan restaurant can stay in business in the heart of Cowtown they must be doing something worth eating. I always wondered if there's enough varieties of food in this Earth to keep a vegan full longer than a week. What is there besides vegetables that does not include dairy or meat? Soy appears to be the overwhelming answer to that question. Soy everything. Oh, and alot of rice, beans and grains.
Although the restaurant was good, I wasn't brave enough to stray far from vegetables. Can you blame me for being skeptical of dishes with "taco meat", "sour cream", "bacun" or "cheez" in them? My hot hummus wrap was satisfying enough. I even made it the rest of the night without a snack. And let me tell you, soy ice cream, yum. I mean, it's no Blue Bell but for a healthy guilt-free indulgence, a Spiral brownie with scoops of ice cream on top belongs in my diet. I just don't believe I can trick this southern girl brain into a veggie burger. I do think I could handle an occasional Spiral Diner dinner, but I love steak and cheese too much to let go. Everything in moderation right...even vegan food.
Although the restaurant was good, I wasn't brave enough to stray far from vegetables. Can you blame me for being skeptical of dishes with "taco meat", "sour cream", "bacun" or "cheez" in them? My hot hummus wrap was satisfying enough. I even made it the rest of the night without a snack. And let me tell you, soy ice cream, yum. I mean, it's no Blue Bell but for a healthy guilt-free indulgence, a Spiral brownie with scoops of ice cream on top belongs in my diet. I just don't believe I can trick this southern girl brain into a veggie burger. I do think I could handle an occasional Spiral Diner dinner, but I love steak and cheese too much to let go. Everything in moderation right...even vegan food.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
City of "Winds Not Blowing My Way" Chicago.
I've been spoiled flying into teeny airports lately...no crowds, no lines, semi-pleasant gate agents, less than full flights... Although Casper, WY, Fayetteville, AR, Richmond, VA, and Tallahassee, FL aren't the most exciting sites to travel to, it was easy. I like easy. So much vehicle and passenger congestion in Chicago. Full flights, grumpy agents, shuttles to the rental cars... And the worst tollroad system I have ever been through. Coin only, unmanned toll stations. All the dollars in the world won't help you. I now own the Illinois toll system $1.10 in missed tolls. Thankyouverymuchforthefrustration!!
Monday, August 1, 2011
May We Always Have This Much Love
Today was defeating. I try to not use the blog as an outlet for complaining, but today got me. Amidst work woes, I had to jog up to Chicago for the evening to catch a morning meeting. Just before, I found out some scumbag went to town on our checking account and had a shopping spree through New Jersey. I swear, if I knew who you were...
So, dealt with that and an overcrowded flight to ORD, overcrowded airport, and overcrowded freeways trying to get to my hotel near Midway. One and a half hours to go 35 miles. Gaahhh!
Chicago let me down in a big way. Stupid city. But besides all that, today is my two year anniversary to a good man. Who had to spend the day and night home without me. I remember this day bringing me much more happiness two years ago and now I let frustration creep in. With just 25 minutes left in my day, I'll use it to think about the last two years and how wonderful they have been to be spent with someone who loves me. I hope there's a lifetime more of them and certainly can't imagine what this time next year will hold. I love you Bo!
So, dealt with that and an overcrowded flight to ORD, overcrowded airport, and overcrowded freeways trying to get to my hotel near Midway. One and a half hours to go 35 miles. Gaahhh!
Chicago let me down in a big way. Stupid city. But besides all that, today is my two year anniversary to a good man. Who had to spend the day and night home without me. I remember this day bringing me much more happiness two years ago and now I let frustration creep in. With just 25 minutes left in my day, I'll use it to think about the last two years and how wonderful they have been to be spent with someone who loves me. I hope there's a lifetime more of them and certainly can't imagine what this time next year will hold. I love you Bo!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Political Mayhem
I absolutely believe no one gets involved in politics until they feel personally imposed upon. The "that won't really affect me" opinion reigns in this country. If you can't see through my computer, I'm raising my hand at that last statement. Yes, it was me. I usually glaze over at the bickering splashed across the TV with the opinion that nothing really changes anyways.
I've cheated myself out of my rights as an American to not pay attention. Now it's real. A debt ceiling in limbo and even closer to my front door, lack of the FAA Reauthorization, means my job is struggling. Over half our regional staff is on furlough, more and more as the days drag on. I went to work each day this week knowing the FAA funding will not be resolved until the debit crisis is resolved. So now it becomes survival of the financial fittest. Who can survive without a paycheck the longest until their job recovers? Luckily, my position buys itself some time and I don't have to realize the yuck of an unpaid vacation just yet.
But my forced involvement in the FAA Reauthorization tumbled me into following the debt crisis...which I would have rather been uneducated to. But now that I'm following, this circus is messed up. If the House can't agree, we'll never get past step one. Nevermind the goliath Senate waiting to turn down anything the House ever manages to agree on. I wish I was hopeful. It really will affect me...and you...and our kids.
"A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have...."
I've cheated myself out of my rights as an American to not pay attention. Now it's real. A debt ceiling in limbo and even closer to my front door, lack of the FAA Reauthorization, means my job is struggling. Over half our regional staff is on furlough, more and more as the days drag on. I went to work each day this week knowing the FAA funding will not be resolved until the debit crisis is resolved. So now it becomes survival of the financial fittest. Who can survive without a paycheck the longest until their job recovers? Luckily, my position buys itself some time and I don't have to realize the yuck of an unpaid vacation just yet.
But my forced involvement in the FAA Reauthorization tumbled me into following the debt crisis...which I would have rather been uneducated to. But now that I'm following, this circus is messed up. If the House can't agree, we'll never get past step one. Nevermind the goliath Senate waiting to turn down anything the House ever manages to agree on. I wish I was hopeful. It really will affect me...and you...and our kids.
"A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have...."
The Waiting Game
US Air Program Shutdown Costs 70,000 Jobs-Contractors
WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - A partial shutdown of federal aviation programs has put roughly 70,000 workers in construction and related fields out of work, the Associated General Contractors of America said on Wednesday.
A temporary authorization for aviation spending ended Friday night, cutting off $2.5 billion worth of construction projects at airports across the country. The Federal Aviation Administration has also furloughed nearly 4,000 employees.
According to an analysis the association commissioned from George Washington University, 24,000 construction workers and 11,000 service and supply workers are now unemployed because of the partial shutdown.
As many as 35,000 jobs "will be undermined in the broader economy, from the lunch wagon near the job site to the truck dealership across town," the analysis found.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week passed an extension of the temporary authorization that cut $12.5 million from rural airports and reduced subsidies for a handful of underserved airports. The bill met a dead end in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats seeking a straightforward extension with no cuts.
Without an authorization, the federal government cannot collect $200 million a week in taxes that it uses to fund airport capital works projects. Air traffic control and most operations are not affected.
The Obama administration has said nearly 90,000 people stood to lose their jobs during the shuttering.
Those workers, though, will not show up in key government indicators for a while. Even if they filed for unemployment insurance benefits on Monday, those employees would not be counted in the jobless claims report the federal government will release on Thursday.
The contractors' association and labor unions are concerned about the effects of a prolonged shutdown on their sector, which is still suffering from the burst of the housing bubble three years ago. The industry unemployment rate was 15.6 percent in June, according to the association's chief economist, Ken Simonson.
The Laborers' International Union of North America puts job losses due to the shutdown at more than 80,000.
"Congress needs to pass a quick, clean extension that gets these projects going and puts people back to work," the union's General President Terry O'Sullivan said in a statement.
Few in Congress, though, expect an extension to pass before the current fight about the debt ceiling ends, which means that construction workers could be unemployed for weeks.
WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - A partial shutdown of federal aviation programs has put roughly 70,000 workers in construction and related fields out of work, the Associated General Contractors of America said on Wednesday.
A temporary authorization for aviation spending ended Friday night, cutting off $2.5 billion worth of construction projects at airports across the country. The Federal Aviation Administration has also furloughed nearly 4,000 employees.
According to an analysis the association commissioned from George Washington University, 24,000 construction workers and 11,000 service and supply workers are now unemployed because of the partial shutdown.
As many as 35,000 jobs "will be undermined in the broader economy, from the lunch wagon near the job site to the truck dealership across town," the analysis found.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week passed an extension of the temporary authorization that cut $12.5 million from rural airports and reduced subsidies for a handful of underserved airports. The bill met a dead end in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats seeking a straightforward extension with no cuts.
Without an authorization, the federal government cannot collect $200 million a week in taxes that it uses to fund airport capital works projects. Air traffic control and most operations are not affected.
The Obama administration has said nearly 90,000 people stood to lose their jobs during the shuttering.
Those workers, though, will not show up in key government indicators for a while. Even if they filed for unemployment insurance benefits on Monday, those employees would not be counted in the jobless claims report the federal government will release on Thursday.
The contractors' association and labor unions are concerned about the effects of a prolonged shutdown on their sector, which is still suffering from the burst of the housing bubble three years ago. The industry unemployment rate was 15.6 percent in June, according to the association's chief economist, Ken Simonson.
The Laborers' International Union of North America puts job losses due to the shutdown at more than 80,000.
"Congress needs to pass a quick, clean extension that gets these projects going and puts people back to work," the union's General President Terry O'Sullivan said in a statement.
Few in Congress, though, expect an extension to pass before the current fight about the debt ceiling ends, which means that construction workers could be unemployed for weeks.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Attacking My To-Do List
Let's see...today I...
*Planted some plants
*Changed all of our burned out lightbulbs
*Went grocery shopping
*Put the final coat on my end table project
*Found a lamp for said end table
Oh, and painted the ENTIRE guest bathroom!
Not bad for a Sunday.
*Planted some plants
*Changed all of our burned out lightbulbs
*Went grocery shopping
*Put the final coat on my end table project
*Found a lamp for said end table
Oh, and painted the ENTIRE guest bathroom!
Not bad for a Sunday.
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