Happy Halloween!

No big plans for the holiday- we don't have many (or possibly any) kids in the neighborhood so we don't get trick-or-treaters. But I can't let an opportunity to dress the kids up pass me by. :) Enjoy the pics of Izzie in her pumpkin costume and Georgie in his hippie costume.

Presidential Debate: Democrats

Some political commentary. I've been wanting to do this forever. And yes, I will comment on both sides- no worries, I've got issues with all the candidates. :) But tonight we'll start with the Democrats, since I was able to catch the debates. I have to admit that this is the first presidential election where I have watched any of the debates leading up to the nominations. A lot of the questions seem geared to "catch" the candidate or trap them in some way. It's all just a big game.

First of all, I sometimes wonder how Tim Russert got the gig of hosting Meet the Press with the hollow questions he was asking. He asked each candidate whether they would pledge that Iran would not get nuclear weapons if they were President. It was such a stupid question and it was obvious that the panel thought so too. Each candidate had to think of a way to answer without actually pledging since the pledge was an impossible promise to make to the public. And the worst part: he solicited answers from the entire panel of candidates and wasted even more time.

I was disappointed by Clinton's flip-flopping towards the end of the debate. First she said giving illegals a drivers license would be a good idea, then said it wouldn't be a good idea. I think Dodd made a better argument, saying that a license is a privilege and should be reserved for those here legally. Guess he changed her mind because suddenly she agreed with him.

I also think some of her choices have been a little suspect. For instance, she said that voting to look further into Iran was an act of diplomacy. In normal circumstances, I would agree with her. However, she failed to take into account that this is the same pattern Bush/Cheney took when plotting the Iraq war. Senators should not vote as if they are dealing with a reasonable administration. They should vote intelligently and realize that Bush/Cheney are doing the same thing they did before invading Iraq. Making a mistake is acceptable; it's the people who don't learn from their mistakes that scare me. To be clear, I'm not anti-Clinton. I might even vote for her. I just wasn't impressed at this debate. Not that she had it easy with every other candidate attacking her.

Obama said that we need to make math and science jobs more attractive. I thought this completely missed the point, which is that our educational system is seriously lacking in these areas. Kids aren't avoiding math and science because the jobs aren't lucrative; they don't have enough knowledge in those areas to be able to pursue the associated professions and compete with students that have been taught overseas. Edwards, on the other hand, talked about having a national university to recruit the best and brightest teachers and then deploy them across the country. He seemed to be more on track with a plan that might actually work.

All we hear about in the media is Clinton because she's a woman and Obama because he's black. Is that the extent of our intelligence- to only be able to consider people based on gender and race? And are people really going to choose the leader of their country this way? Unfortunately, I think I know the answer. I'm consistently disappointed by a population that can't think past these surface level traits to the bigger issues affecting our country and our world. The focus on gender and race is causing people to overlook the other candidates who actually have some good things to say. Biden and Dodd make good points but no one even considers them as valid candidates because we've been told to focus on Obama and Clinton. Based on the debates tonight, I'm most impressed with Edwards.

Warranty Troubles

It's hard for me to even talk about this. I had a long talk with the warranty company today regarding our washer/dryer and it did not end well. I was shaking for at least 20 minutes after the call and I can't recall a time I've been so angry.

The warranty company has continued to give me the run around and is basically just pushing paper around between departments now. Really annoying. So I demanded to speak with a supervisor (I say demanded because I had to ask about 10 times before they finally transferred the call). The supervisor was one of the rudest people I've ever spoken too. He told me that I have a choice between a washer/dryer that doesn't fit in the condo or $700. Well, $700 won't even come close to replacing the washer/dryer so I told him I want it replaced, but obviously with a washer/dryer that actually fits. He told me he had given me an option for a new washer/dryer. I told him it's not an option if I can't actually choose it. He told me he was sorry I felt that way. That really pissed me off. I told him it's not a feeling, it's a reality. The conversation just went downhill from there. He actually threatened to terminate the call because of my demeanor and I can state very confidently that I did nothing to provoke this. There was no swearing or threatening or anything. I just told him to stop telling me about my "feelings" and to speak to the reality of the situation. Apparently, common sense and reality are not things that warranty companies embrace.

The guy was clearly getting enjoyment out of the conversation and the whole thing was just a big game for him. I can't stand that. I can deal with them telling me that all they can do is offer me $700, even though that totally sucks since the w/d is going to cost about twice that. But fine, I can deal. What I cannot deal with is them pretending that they are offering to replace the w/d when they are clearly not offering that. Offering a w/d that does not fit in the space is NOT an option.

Georgie Whisperer

Georgie has been getting progressively more aggressive towards other dogs over the last year. When he sees another dog, his entire body gets over-excited and the hair on his back stands up. He barks and if he gets close enough, he'll do a faux-bite. I call it that because he doesn't try to hurt other dogs so much as tell them to get away with his "bite". But it's scary to watch and is obviously a behavior that has to stop.

Today we took him to meet with a doggy behavioral specialist. The guy taught us some techniques to keep him more calm when meeting other dogs, specifically that he needs to be constantly paying attention to whoever is walking him instead of the other dog. So even though Georgie is good on a leash, we are now teaching him "heel" and to walk directly beside us. He's a really smart dog so he's already picked it up and within the 2 hours we spent with the trainer, he was already acting better around other dogs. Go Georgie!

A funny note about Georgie- he is a little prissy and doesn't like to put his butt down on anything but carpet. Like he won't sit if it's on tile- he'll scoot over to the carpet and then sit. It's funny. I didn't think he would sit for us while on walks (which is part of the training) but he did and I think he's happy to be taking direction from us. He's such a good boy.

Eastern Market

My mom was in town today and we took a trip to Eastern Market. It's an area in DC that has local arts and crafts, as well as a farmers market. The main building was burned down last year sometime and it was a pretty big deal for DC, since this market has been around since 1873. I've only been once, about 2 years ago, with my friend Toby.

We braved the metro (still a big event for my mom) to get to Eastern Market. We spent a lot of time walking around and shopping at the vendors tables. I got a cute little purse (most of you would probably think it's horribly ugly) but I tend to like the occasional really ugly accessory. You know how sometimes an ugly accessory can actually be really cute? Yeah, I'm going with the "it's so ugly it's cute" theory. We shopped until the vendors packed up and we had no choice but to leave. My mom is a professional shopper.

New Wheels, Literally

I took my car in for an oil change about a week ago and they told me my tires are bald, but only after I asked them to look at them. I think that's kinda crazy since Toyota tries to upsell me every single time I take my car in for service. And yet I've managed to drive around on bald tires for the last month or more without a word from them. Sigh.

So today I got new tires. It was quite an ordeal. I found some really nice tires but then found out they were backordered everywhere. I was going to have to settle for some tires that had a lower mileage warranty, were not as nice (in terms of comfort ride and quietness), and were more expensive! It was bothering me so I kept calling local places and finally found a set of the tires I wanted. I think they were the last set not backordered- I called a LOT of places.

But I got them and it's like I have a brand new ride. My car is a new beast. I forgot what it was like to drive on tires that actually grip the road, tires where I don't have to compensate to keep them from locking up, tires that actually drive through water instead of gliding over the top of it. Crazy. ;)

Comments on my Blog

Ok, I've heard from many of you that you would comment on my blog but since you don't have gmail, you can't. The real solution here is that you should all get gmail. But since some of you are stubborn, I've changed the settings to allow anyone to comment. So start commenting! If I start getting random comments from people I don't know, I may shut it back off. But until then, no more excuses! :)

Go Redskins!

We went to the Redskins vs. Cardinals game today. Good game. It ended up being pretty close- 21 to 19, Redskins. Since I didn't care all that much about who won (don't really follow pro-football) I preferred the close game cause it adds to the excitement.

The weather has been up and down lately. When we left the house it was chilly so I wore jeans and a tank top, bringing a fleece. Yeah, it ended up being 80 degrees and we roasted. Our seats were practically touching the sun and Michael and I both came home burnt.

Pampered Chef

I went to a pampered chef party at Stephanie's house tonight. Before going, I think Michael and my mom were more excited for me to go than me. I cook but I'm not someone that typically gets excited about kitchen gadgets. I was surprised to find that they have a lot of super efficient kitchen gadgets. I'm a HUGE fan of efficient gadgets. :) So I ended up buying a few little things, like a measuring spoon that adjusts so you just have one spoon instead of the ring of 6, etc. I was also surprised that the things weren't overpriced. So now I'm waiting on my cool new kitchen gadgets to arrive so I can play.

Short-lived

The warranty company called this week and said that they couldn't find the part for the washer/dryer and so they're replacing the unit! I was very excited that they're actually going to do something. Until today.........

They ordered a washer/dryer that is too big for our space. Stupidity....... So now I'm waiting to hear back on what they're going to do for us. Here's the scoop on our washer/dryer- we have a small closet with a stackable unit. Well, the builders weren't thinking when they made this place, as I keep discovering, and now no normal vendor makes ANY units that will fit the space. Great. So now it's looking like either one of the combo washer/dryers in one units which I'm not too excited about or we found one "stackable" (really a separate washer and dryer but they stack) but it's a little more pricey than the others so who knows if they'll pay for it.

Waiting on the warranty people and trying to remember what it feels like to shower with a clean towel...............

Ellen

Anyone see the story about Ellen? Apparently this is important enough to be on CNN cause I don't watch her show. I won't get into the sadness of this being on CNN......

So Ellen got a dog from an adoption agency, decided not to keep it, and gave it away. The adoption agency took the dog back because their policy states that Ellen should have returned the dog to them; she does not have the right to give it to someone else. And she went on her show and cried instead of doing her opening bit. So there's the story; now I have to comment.

I am sure she signed something when she purchased the dog saying that if she couldn't keep it, she would return it. I had to sign that when I got Georgie and Izzie. And I know that if I ever couldn't keep them (yeah, right), I would have to give them back to Lost Dog Rescue. I signed and agreed to that. These rules are in place for a reason. We all like to believe the best in people but unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this world who take animals for granted. That's WHY there are so many lost dogs! People get puppies thinking it will be so much fun and then they realize it's actually work and get bored with it. People end up trying to pawn their dogs off on anyone who will take them or just let them run off. The rule is in place to prevent the dogs from being lost again. And while Ellen may have found a good family for her dog, others aren't so good about placing their pets in good homes.

The thing is, I'm sure that if she had just called the adoption agency and told them the situation, she could have "returned" the dog to the adoption agency and they would have immediately allowed the new family to adopt it. The adoption agencies are not evil places trying to keep people from their dogs. But if they don't follow procedures for one person, then they can no longer enforce them on anyone else. They are good people, trying hard to get these pups into good homes and I'd be willing to bet that Ellen's friends would have been able to adopt the dog had they just called the agency.

Instead, after crying on her show, supporters called in death threats to the adoption agency. Death threats? Seriously? There are people in this country so enthralled with celebrities that they are willing to make death threats on their behalf over a dog? Are you kidding me? People have really lost their hold on reality.

I'm glad the company didn't back down because if they did, it would only be because she's a celebrity. I am sick and tired of celebrities getting special treatment. She should go through the same process as every other person. And if the dog really meant so much to her, maybe she shouldn't have given it away.

INTJ

I, along with all of the other management people at work, took the Myers-Briggs personality test and had a day-long seminar on the results today. I am an INTJ. Here's how it breaks down.........

Extrovert vs. Introvert- I'm an Introvert (I). No surprise there. This means that I re-energize by reflecting on things as opposed to being out interacting with lots of people. It explains how I prefer to have a few close friends instead of a bunch of acquaintances and why I like my me-time so much.

Sensing vs. Intuition- I'm Intuition (N). This means that I like interrelationships, theories, and future possibilities, as opposed to facts, details, and present realities. Also very true of me. I think this is the scholar/engineer in me. While I like the details, I love the theory. And I typically see the big picture and need to see the big picture before I can be interested in the details. And I can usually figure out a way to make just about anything a reality for the future if I really want to.

Thinking vs. Feeling- I'm Thinking (T). This means that I make decisions using logical, objective analysis, as opposed to trying to create harmony. Damn straight. I have little desire to make my decisions any other way. Not saying I don't consider people's feelings, but I certainly don't sacrifice making the right decision to create harmony. Isn't that a wussy trait??? Yeah, there's the engineer.

Judging vs. Perceiving- I'm Judging (J) but I sort of cross over into the P too. Judging is being organized and orderly, making decisions quickly. I'm the first two, not so much the last. I believe Dan and Toby can attest to that. Perceiving is being flexible and keeping options open as long as possible.

Having a type gives me a little sigh of relief. People always get on my case about going out more but I'm perfectly happy being at home with my guy and my pups. Too much going out stresses me. I think that's why this fall was so stressful for me. Even though much of it was fun, like going to Purdue, it was all stressful because I had no downtime between activities. I need time to recooperate!

Taking the test was also interesting because I had no surprises which makes me feel like I do know myself pretty well. The good and the bad. :) I think it's good to be able to recognize areas for improvement within ourselves. Most of the suggestions given for ways to better interact with people (for my personality type) were things that I already recognize in myself and work on regularly anyway.

Anyone else taken this?

Toby's Got a New Name

She went through with it! Just kidding. There was no question about her going through with it. It is a little strange to think of Toby married though. The wedding was in Albany, NY. Michael and I flew up Saturday and went to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding was on Sunday. I had to be up at 5:30am to go get ready with the girls. Yeah, it about killed me. I don't understand the concept of getting up before 7am, ever. And if it were up to me, I would never get up before 9am. :)

The wedding was really nice. The ceremony was outside and then the reception was at a country club. I won't describe much more- it had all the typical wedding schtuff. We had to fly out that night after the wedding so I could get back for work on Monday. That's the only thing I wish I could change from the weekend. I was really tired all day from getting up so early (even had my very first cup of coffee EVER) and then only had a couple hours of sleep that night before work the next day. Sleeeeeeepy.........

Everything is Breaking

I got my front car windshield replaced today. A rock hit it awhile ago and the little tiny break turned into a huge break all the way across and then down the center of my windshield. I finally gave in to getting it replaced. Who knew a window cost so much? It took the guy about 20 mins to replace the entire windshield- $480. What the ??? I need to start making that kinda cash for my time! Insurance paid for part of it, but still. It was neat watching the process though. They basically just glue it on. There's a little more involved, but yeah, glue it on.

On top of the windshield, I spoke too soon on the washer/dryer. The washer is awesome but I only made it through about 2 loads of laundry til the dryer broke again. Damn.

Laundry: How do I love thee?

Our washer/dryer broke about a month and a half ago. We have a home owner's warranty so we called them but it took forever to get someone out here. Then they had to order parts, etc, etc. Michael has been spending days at friends houses doing all of our laundry. The guys finally came out to fix it today and I am happy as a clam doing laundry now. They're running like brand new machines. I'm kind of glad they broke now because I didn't realize just how badly they were running before. I heart laundry. (never thought I'd say that!)

Happy Birthday Izzie!

Today is Izzie's first birthday!!! Happy Birthday Izzie! I can't believe my little girl is one! For her birthday, Izzie had her first spa day. Ok, not really, but she was in need of a haircut so she took her first trip to the groomer and got a bath, haircut, and her nails trimmed. And she came home with a pink bandana. I'd call that a spa day for a pup. :) And she looks so cute!

It's actually both the pups birthdays, we just only know Izzie's birthday for sure. But Georgie turns 3 around this time of year too.

Toby's Bachelorette Party

It's finally time! I've been planning this bachelorette party forever! I haven't been in many weddings so this was my first time planning a party like this. The other bridesmaids were from out of town so I was mostly on my own. I think I did good but I was nervous to see how everything would turn out.

We met in the morning to spend a day at the vineyards. There were four of us for this part of the day and it was so much fun. There is a bus tour that leaves from Arlington and visits 3 different vineyards over about 7 hours. We went to La Grange, Chrysalis, and some other vineyard that we've all managed to block out because it wasn't so great. We did tastings at each vineyard and also had time to just hang out and talk. The scenery of course was gorgeous. We had wine and cheese and crackers throughout the day. I don't think I've eaten that much cheese all year. I think we did pretty good at the beginning of the day with pacing ourselves but by the third vineyard, I think we were just ready to get our drink on. We had a bottle of wine at the vineyard (after the tasting session) and then got another bottle to drink on the bus. Things got a little more fun after that. ;) I will refrain from embarrassing you here Toby- you better be grateful! Here's a pic of Alexis, me, Toby, and Alison at the vineyards.

After that, we headed to dinner at a little Italian place in Arlington called Tutto Bene. We had a separate room just for our party. It was nice not to have to worry about being too loud. The restaurant was great- good food, and they didn't hurry us out. We actually didn't even get the check until we asked for it at 11pm and they were closing! Toby opened gifts and we had cake. Check out the cake topper. Heehee.

We did have one strange incident with an Italian man who decided to come in to say hello and proceeded to give us a 10 minute lecture on the leaning tower of Pisa and the remodeling effort to keep it from sinking into the ground. It was really funny- we were all looking around at each other wondering when he would leave. One of the waiters had to pull him out, calling him their village idiot.

After dinner, Toby, Alison, and I went back to my house and we had a little slumber party. Even after the long day and all that wine, we managed to stay up until about 3am talking. I think the party turned out really well. I had so much fun and I think I can say the same for Toby. Now it's time for the wedding!

Stomach Bug

No idea how I got it, but I got a stomach bug while at Purdue. Thankfully, it was after the career fair but Tuesday night was fairly miserable. I was up all night getting sick. My coworker didn't get it so I knew it wasn't food poisoning. I made it home and to the doctor and apparently I picked up a bug. It took an entire week to go away and I had consistent stomach pains while I waited for it to end. Not so fun. I would name my bug except I don't think mean things get names, not nice ones anyway.

Purdue

I went back to Purdue for the first time since graduation to help with recruiting for my company. It was a little weird to be back. It really hasn't been that long since graduation and yet it seemed different in many ways. First of all, everyone looks so young! Did I look like that? I know I must have, but wow- they're babies!

Most of the major things were the same- the main bars like Jake's and Harry's, the bell tower, and the engineering fountain. But Pizza King is gone, replaced by Hot Box Pizza. What the hell is that? The Memorial Union is being remodelled. The lower level had all of the food places and they were all fairly unique, not chains. The design of the seating areas was made to look like the inside of a train. It's all been ripped out. I think that was the saddest part to me- I don't necessarily think that making things more modern is a good thing and I can only assume they will rebuild with a more modern look. To me, it seems more like losing a piece of the school's history. The I.E. (Industrial Engineering) school has also changed. Two of my favorite professors aren't there anymore- one retired which I already knew about (Solberg) and one is just gone and I'm not sure where she went (Stuart).

There were a couple of changes that made me happy. I was very involved with I.E. when I was at school and it was good to see that Alpha Pi Mu is still active. When I (and all my I.E. buddies) were members/officers in APM, we started a student commons where I.E. students can go to study, have access to computers, etc. Well, I'm happy to report that the room has been updated with new furniture and looks really nice now. Also, Dan and I spent a fair amount of time creating a "Top Ten Reasons to be an IE" t-shirt. The APM team had updated the reasons and it's better than ever.

I travelled with a coworker. John and I spent Tuesday at the Industrial Roundtable (career fair), looking for students that might be good for internships or full time roles at Platinum Solutions. We met a lot of great candidates but I think we were passed over by some because we're such a small company that many students haven't heard of us. I could see the looks on some of the kids faces, like they were too good to work for such a small company. I have to laugh a little at that since I was once one of those kids. As a student, I went to the Accenture booth and other big name companies. It's not until you start working at those big companies that you realize that sometimes you can get a lot more from the small companies. I've grown so much more at smaller companies because I'm able to get involved in so many more aspects of the business. But I guess each person has to experience that for themselves to see what's right for them.

We had two evenings at Purdue and managed to eat at Bruno's Pizza both nights. It was my favorite pizza place near campus and John even liked it enough to go back the second night. I also managed to find a Steak n' Shake to get a milkshake. Best milkshakes anywhere and we don't have them here in DC.

I was able to meet up with my old college buddy, Melanie, on Wednesday for lunch before heading home. I haven't seen her in 2 years since our friend, Andy's, wedding. It was great to catch up. I wish I was able to see my college friends more- I miss you guys!

I stocked up on Boilermaker gear while I was there too. :) Go Boilers!!!

Do I have to?

The fall semester has officially begun. You know, I used to get excited about school. Yes, I was the biggest school geek as an undergrad. I loved it. But now that I'm working, it's very different. I'm learning interesting things and the classes are good. But some of it seems silly now. Some things are so theoretical that I can't apply it to my work, so it seems kind of useless since I'm not planning to be a professor or change career paths after I receive my degree. I'm ready to graduate already! And I'm only about halfway through. :(

I decided to take an elective this fall which should be a little less work than the other classes I've taken. I've got a lot going on this fall so hopefully a lighter load of schoolwork will help with the stress levels. Fingers crossed.