I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter...

That is from a Madelaine Payroux song that I have...

I haven't had a chance to sit down and post, but I am installing Windows XP on a computer, so I have some time (19 minutes to be exact).

It has been crazy around here. We received our tax refunds, so we have been shopping.

We purchased the baby items that we still need. I purchased a bigger flat screen monitor for my design work and a new digital camera that is Professional grade. It has detachable lenses, a separate flash and can take pictures in RAW format.

Most consumers have never heard of a RAW format. Well, let me tell you it is nice. It literally holds all the information that the camera has about that picture. From the aperture, to the ISO setting used, to the Exposure, everything. And it keeps the Red, Green and Blue channels (what make up a color photo) separate, so that in editing the photo, I am able to do a lot more.

Basically, when I open one of these formats in my photoshop, this little menu comes up that lets me change the exposure, aperture, etc. And save those changes, without actually changing the file. Then I can open it up with those changes and save it as something else, yet still keep the original file untouched.

Very handy for all the stuff I do. See the picture above, I even feel more artisitc in my photographing now!

We also purchased an Airport Express. It is a little router, that connects to my wireless internet and allows me to play music over the network to my surround sound, and it lets me hook up a printer to it so that I can use the printer without it having to be connected to a computer.

Amy received a laptop, so that she can be more mobile with her volunteering. It really helps now that she is on a strict bedrest.

Oh, I should mention that...

Well, it turns out that Riley was breech last week, so we needed him to turn. Well he did, but he kept going and now he is sideways.

On top of that, since he is sideways his is pushing her pelvic bones apart, and that is where she was having problems before, due to her fall when she was pregnant with Courtney. She wasn't able to barely walk, and now he is putting even more pressure on it, she says it feels like she is being ripped in two.

So the doctors said she MUST stay in bed or sit in a reclined position. So she has to stay that way for two weeks and hope that he turns the correct way, or else they will schedule her for a cesarean.

I am now officially done volunteering as the Secretary for the Board of Directors for my Community. I am now just the Communications/Marketing Chairperson. So I still have a lot of projects to do (Handbooks, policies, forms, website, flyers, etc.) but it is more fun and more relaxed than being the secretary. I HAD to have the minutes done before the next meeting. Most of the items I do now, just have a due date of SOON.

I am also still working with Best Buy. But not as much. I do have to go in their offices to do some work for a few days, I think next week. So I don't know how we are getting the kids to school.

Not much else is going on. We are just taking it easy until Riley is born. I am a little nervous. It has been so long since we had Mikayla (5 years!)

Til next time,

Big Daddy

"Where has all the Drama Gone..." Dit doo doo, dit doo doo...

Okay, if you can't tell, that is my version of the "Where have all the Cowboy's Gone" by that one chick singer.

So, update!

The board meeting went pretty okay on Sunday. Some people that I was really pissed at, actually held some decorum, and smoothed out the wrinkles that I had with them.

So we are okay now. There are still some things I am not too happy about, but I am happy enough that I don't have to be Secretary anymore. I can concentrate on the projects that I have to do for the community.

Oh, our refund money is here!!!!! I am going SHOPPING!...No wait, BUYING!!!

as my world turns

i sit here not knowing where to begin...

i am writing in all lowercase because i feel so small in this world that likes to deal me shitty cards. i love my job and i love the company i work with. but i wish i had more control over my destiny.

i found out that the assignment i am on is terminating one of the full time positions. there are only two of us at night and my coworker has been there longer so she got to decided if she wanted the position or not. she did, so i am pretty much out. they are creating a pool of people they can call when they get major swamped. i am in it, but not for long. my agency is finding me a new gig.

i am amazed at how fast they may have something lined up for me. its third shift, lower pay, but at least amy will have the van all day and all night and i will be home (awake) when the kids get home from school and be here for them when they really need me. i will just have to get used to sleeping all day.

but at least my benefits will stay steady and so will the hours. i just wish the pay was closer to what i am making now. but i can't have everything.

(UPDATE: I never did take this assignment, they cancelled it. But, a year later, it came by again and I did take it.)

i am currently reimporting all my music cds into my laptop so that i can reorganize before i put them on my server. i moved my music around so much that i wanted to make sure i had the best quality. and now that i have sooo much space, i can keep all the albums and not just the songs i like.

once all that is done, i move onto importing old LPs and then onto scanning old documents.

currently in my ipod/playlist:

• Queen Latifah... Dana Owens Project
• Madaleine Peyroux... dream land
• sean paul... dutty rock
• and a mix of early 90s music

i also can't believe we blew right through all our tax money. but we had things we really needed. so i guess it is okay. i just wish we had a ton of money. i love my new home, but i really want to be living in our dome home right now. all that space and stuff. it be like living in an amusement park.

i am visiting with my old coworker/best friend from alpha on saturday. i am gonna help her get her nephews xbox set up on her network. i am also buying her drawing tablet from her, so that i can draw/paint digitally. i used to love to watercolor, but it takes space and is messy, but not for long.

amy bought me wonder woman season 1 and 2. i am happy about that.

i just wish my life was going better right now. a ton of money and lots of happiness. i just feel so helpless and lost and no control over my own life. i feel like a drone, just doing what the queen bee tells me to (no not amy)

not much else right now.

New toys

I love tax time. Have I mentioned that? I love shopping... no, I take that back, not shopping. I don't call it shopping. I call it BUYING!

I got my new laptop. Really nice!

I can have up to 2 monitors connected so I can use 3 monitors worth of desktop space. Which for a designer is great. I can have 3 seperate programs going at once. (UPDATE: I was so wrong, I cannot use both of the monitor ports in the back at the same time in conjuction with my laptop screen. Dammit.)

I bought a ten-key for it (A numeric pad). Number crunching on that little line at the top of your keyboard is hard to do when your used to a 10-key. I got my tiny little webcam. No audio which sucks. But since I am bluetooth enabled I can get one of those wireless headphones! Got a bluetooth mouse and a light/fan USB thingy.

We also got me new glasses. My new ones are square. And my vision actually improved. We bought a mini freezer and pantry. More storage space. Got some new clothes.

We were looking at new washer and dryers but decided to hold off on that for a while. We want something that is a front loading set, but is water efficient and can do hand wash stuff. We also purchased a new phone system with expandable handsets. Really nice. I like em.

All in all everything is going okay for now. Still have to get the car fixed, and get a shed this summer. But all the credit cards are paid off!

Blog ya later!

the art of mobility & valentines day

Well, my laptop is in the final boxing stage as I write this. It just has to go to the shipping stage and its on its way!

I am so excited. I am breaking away from "The Desk" and becoming more mobile. I will be able to design without getting out of bed!

I am also excited, my best friend is selling me her really nice Wacom Intuos Graphic Drawing Tablet for really cheap! So now I can draw and paint like I used too, without the mess or an easel and paints taking up room! I can even sit on the couch and do it!

Life is just going okay so far (I know, after reading the above, I should be smacked). This year started out rocky, but I think it could be smoothing itself out (knock on plastic!). I was amazed at how much my tax refund was this year. I didn't think I would get that much. Thank goodness I have a really good tax person (thanks dad!).

I think Amy is gonna get the Roomba! The little robotic vacuum. That way we can keep our floors and stuff clean all the time and only REALLY vacuum once or twice a month! I can't wait! (UPDATE: we had to get her one when she was on bedrest while pregnant with Riley!)

I hope life is going good for you! I hope it continues to go well for me. Now that I will be mobile, I hope to contribute to my blog more and possibly the forum!

Happy Valentine's Day! I love you Amy, Courtney, Dominic, Mikayla, Mom, Sissy, Dad, Da Boyz and all!

Spending Money!

Well, Tax time again...

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR! I get to spend money. I just purchased a new Dell Inspirion 9200 with a bunch of cool stuff! I can't wait until it comes (two weeks--I won't last that long!)

But at the same times it's depressing. My benefits were just cancelled due to lack of hours at work. Ick! Hopefully my agent can find me a new assignment asap. I can't afford $90 for my allergy meds.

So if you can spare the mojo and prayers and love, it would be appreciated!