My Desk

Here are the pictures of my desk. You can see what I had, the damage they did, and my new desk that got delivered today.

Not a bad upgrade, especially since I didn't have to pay for it...

Ideas on keeping in touch - The Coffee Date

My Best Friend and I have known each other for, gosh, 12 years now. We have only really lived in the same geographical location for about a year. We were both in high school, at a time where we "could" communicate by email, but we didn't. We preferred to write letters. As we got older, and she went away for college, we started conversing by phone more (thank you cell phone plans with unlimited long distance). After she had children, it became increasingly hard to communicate by phone, with the boys (who I love and get to be their "honorary" auntie) wanting more and more of their mom's attention, no matter who called whom... We switched to email, but wanted to keep the verbal communcation that we had had for so long. At one point, it looked like we would both be moving into the same general geographical location (where we both met and grew up) when she graduated from vet school and I had decided that I had enough of "village life." We were looking forward to getting to spend "adult" time with each other, going out to restaurants, just the 2 of us, or out for coffee on a Saturday... Sadly, just before she made the move "back home," A got a job that took us away again... Pooh...

We decided that with our increasingly busy lives, we would have to schedule time to talk to each other, outside of email. So the invention of the "Coffee Date" was born. The rules of the coffee date are to be distraction free (no husbands, kids, pets, etc) and one of us would call the other at a set time on a set date while we both were sitting down to coffee in a coffee shop so we could fill each other in on our lives. If one of us needs to talk to the other, and email will not do, she will email the other to suggest a "coffee date soon," at which point, discussions of when happen. We usually do this when there is a lot to fill in, or we just miss each other's voice. The coffee dates saved my sanity while I was in exile (on Oahu...).

Of course, if something happens and we MUST speak to the other, we do pick up the phone and call the other. We know each other so well now, and our general conversation schedule, that if this happens, it is for a reason and the other person will drop what they are doing. We are very good friends.

With us both blogging now, it is much easier to keep up with eachother's lives. But, we still need our coffee dates. We are also planning on (sometime soon) taking a weekend trip together somewhere. We're hoping to make it a yearly thing if we can. I think (and correct me if I'm wrong, cause you know I'm a ditz) that we are planning the first "meet up" in Seattle. It's pretty much the middle ground for the both of us. So much has changed in our lives since we first discussed it, I'm not sure when it will acutally happen, we'll just have to see.

Friends are very special to me, and I find it hard to keep in contact with them. I always feel like I'm interrupting someone else's life by calling them, especially if they have children. I even do this to family. I know people want to talk to me, but I always feel like I'm intruding... So any way I can find to communicate with those I love best and stay in contact, I'll do it.

So here's a shout out to my BFF - you fat pig... you water-retaining sea cow!

Day 6 of the Roof Reconstruction

Day 6 ended with my ceiling all one color and some of my walls covered in overspray. It didn't matter to me. The engineer met with me this afternoon to have me sign the closing documents and asked me what I wanted them to do about it. He said "we can match the paint on the walls and come back in on Monday and touch it up." My reply was, "Why do that when we are going to re-paint the walls a "color" in a few months? It doesn't make sense for you guys to do all that extra work just for us to "un-do" it later." So that was the end of that.

They also told me today that they broke my desk in my office... I wasn't TERRIBLY upset, mainly because they just broke one of the shelves on the top of my desk, but it was the shelf that my "little" computer usually sits, so I can't use it at this point. They are going to replace it for me. I have to go out tomorrow and scour the stores (there aren't many here) to see if someone has a desk I like and then I'll call them up and they'll go buy it and deliver it to my house. He gave me a range of approx $200 for a new desk, which I can totally do. I was thinking like $100, but that's only because I'm cheap. I'll see what I can find. I'm being pretty reasonable about the whole thing because they didn't break any of my electronics (boy am I glad I moved everything off my desk and into my dining room last weekend) and I wasn't really attached to that desk anyway. It was a crappy garage sale find when I moved here and I was planning on replacing later anyway.

The living room is in a new configuration. Aaron gets home in a little over an hour and a half, so he'll get to weigh in on how it looks. If he doesn't like it, we'll change it back, but I hope he likes it well enough to keep it. The room is a lot more open. If it stays the way it is now, I'll take a picture and post it.

Day 5 of the Roof Reconstruction

They did a lot today. They draped a bunch of plastic all over everything. It was rolled up about half-way so I can still live in my house, which is nice. They patched the peak and textured it. They are supposed to paint tomorrow and be done and out of my hair by 5:30. Noni and I will be pleased!

It's hard to believe that I've found enough stuff to talk about to make up 100 posts!

Thanks to everyone who reads this!

Day 4 of the Roof Reconstruction

There is nothing really new about the roof project today, other than there was a lot more garbage in my yard that wasn't there this morning, and there are staples in my ceiling where it looks like they tacked up some plastic or something... The staples could have been there yesterday, but I didn't notice, so I'm call them the progress for today.

Heroes

Did anyone else catch Heroes last night!!! I am so glad the show is back on!!! I could hardly stand it!!!

Do you really think that Sylar is Peter and Nathan's brother?

The Ever-Changing, Topsy-Turvy World of a Commercial Pilot

Well... I can't say as I'm surprised at this... A hasn't been really happy about his decision to work for this company out of Anchorage. Initially, they told him he could work a 2 week on/2 week off schedule, with housing provided in Anchorage. Because it was less than he was getting here in Juneau, we really only could afford to take that job if they provided housing. There is no way we can afford 2 households.

Today, he got the final word on the housing situation (we've been going back and forth about it) and he is not able to stay in the company housing as Anchorage is "his base" and the housing is for the pilots stuck in Anchorage from their base...

He can do a 2 week on/2 week off schedule, at a reduced pay...

He won't be flying the plane for 1-2 years (he'll be the flight engineer)...

All these things considered, he hasn't been happy with the decision. Then came a discussion with the chief pilot of another airline, one that happened to employ 2 other pilots from A's failed company. He wants A to fly PIC in a Cessna Caravan and Piper Chieftain (both of which he has massive amounts of hours in), working 2 weeks on/2 weeks off, housing provided in Bethel, AK. Bethel is kind of a crap hole, but this is looking better and better to us. Most of this company's pilots commute to work on this kind of schedule, so they are used to it.

So he accepted this position today. It means getting on a plane to Anchorage (he has been in Kenai for the last week and a half) to start ground school TOMORROW. Things are moving pretty fast. He has been talking with his company for a few days now, and they told him that if he were to leave, that they would prefer he did it before his Engineer checkride. So he told his now-old boss, but I don't know what was said yet. A called me afterwards, but he was getting on the plane to Anchorage so he didn't have time to talk. He wanted me to make the arrangements for a hotel for his stay there. Which is now done... Whew!

I know he'll be MUCH happier doing this new job than he ever would have been for the other. So it's a win/win situation for us all. :)

Day 3 of the Roof Reconstruction

When I came home today, I found that they started inside my house. They laid down some paper in the entrance so they don't track stuff all over. They also laid down some plastic on the stairs, which is great considering it's been muddier than heck outside and I have cream colored carpets.

The final picture is the work they did on the peak, which is why they had to come inside in the first place. They needed to access the beam that runs the peak from both inside and outside to see if there is any rot present in the wood. I didn't get a chance to ask the contractors if they did find rot today, so I'll try to catch him tomorrow before I go to work.

I think this is just a patch to keep my house from getting too cold.

Day 2 of the Roof Reconstruction!!!

I came home today to find the "bubble" up and inflated. I'm glad they are doing this, as it rains, A LOT here, especially in the fall. We probably won't get a good snow until mid-late November.

This is a picture of the crap they left in my yard. They removed it after I took the picture. Not because I took a picture of their mess, but because I got home before they were done for the day and they hadn't gotten to it yet.

This is a picture of my "dining/living room/office".

This is a picture of my office, as cleared-out as it's gonna get... Although, now looking at the pictures, I should probably find some place to put the stuff on the top of my bookcase...

This is the "living room" as seen from the second floor, all cleared out. I took the boxes in the upper-left to the dumpster, so it's cleaner now than it was when I took the picture. You can see Noni in "her chair" looking out the window so she can growl at the roof-workers.

I'll post more as they progress... My ceiling will probably be open tomorrow when I get home from work. Now I'm off to remove the family pictures from the front entrance and take the stuff down from the top of my bookcase.

Follow-up to Wednesday's Dinner

I did have plenty Red Beans and Rice from Wednesday, so brought the leftovers to work for me to eat off of for lunch. The leftovers have a bit of "re-fried beans" texture, so I didn't truely enjoy eating the my lunch last week, but I did eat it as we don't have the money for me to go out every day for lunch. Today, I decided that the texture of the rice would be really good with Tortilla Chips, used as a hearty dip. So that's what I'm having for lunch today. It's really not bad :)

Busy Day

Since the roof contractors will be in/out of my house over the next week, I'm taking today to clean/move things around. We purchased a couple of brand-new leather couches when we move here and (even though they told me it wasn't necessary) I moved them under the protection of the second floor. We have a loft upstairs, and part of my livingroom is open to the roof. They told me they would have protection draped over the couch, but I'm not taking any chances. It's not like I can go out and buy another couch if something happens to either one.

I brought one of my 2 computers downstairs, to make a makeshift office in my dining room. This way I don't have to worry about them knocking over my monitor, etc. I can do what I need to do on my spare computer and have my main one back next week.

You may be asking youself, why does she have 2 computers? Well, one of my hubby's hobbies is building computers. He built me a tower like his when I decided that my laptop wasn't cutting it any more. He built the second one more as a second computer for him, since he is really picky about his system and wanted one for games and one for everything else. That way he wouldn't get a virus on his game system (or something like that). I pretty much claimed it for me. I had intentions of either starting a business at home or working from home for someone else. I wanted to keep my personal computer (and all our financials) seperate from a "work" computer. But now, it is a storage/server for me to put all of our stuff on (copies of pictures, bills, etc...) And because it is smaller (and MUCH lighter) than my tower, it was easier to move downstairs.

Anyway, now I am moving things around to make it easier on the contractors (and easier on my so they won't be breaking a bunch of stuff...) today. I'll post some pictures once I'm done.

About the Pacer

I changed the header to my blog to a picture of the Pacer my husband owned when I first met him. I chose that picture purely for aesthetics. It goes better with my green background than my Tri-Pacer did.

We had numerous adventures in the Pacer. At one point, we used it to go between Salt Lake City and Abilene, Texas to visit family. I remember our longest leg being between Salt Lake City and Cortez, Colorado. The airport in Cortez is really quaint. There used to be a truck stop a couple of miles away that we would get buffalo burgers from. Then it was a quick hop to Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of my favorite airports, but I remember thinking "man, they are proud of their gas here!" The gas prices was $3.00/gallon for av-gas... It's double that here at the Juneau Airport now... We also landed in Lubbock, TX. My first taste of Texas. It was a quick stop as we quickly went from there to Abilene, where we promptly fell asleep because we were so tired. I think we left Salt Lake just before dawn, and we landed mid-late afternoon. I think it was a solid 8 hour flight. The same trip by car is about 24 hours driving time.

We also got to take the Pacer to the Southwest Short-Wing Piper Convention that was being held in Durango, Colorado the year we got married. Since I was so sick at the time we got married, we used this trip as our honeymoon. The weather could have been better. We couldn't make it as far as Durango, but we did make it to Cortez, where one of the members lived. We all drove to Durango together. That was a great trip, one that we want to do again. We rode on the Durango/Silverton train and flew out to the Anasazi ruins (yes, we flew there, landed on the road with all the other members, and took some great pictures). It was a fantastic trip and we made some great friends there.

The Pacer is still in the family, as my father-in-law now possesses it. It'll be good to see her again when we take our vacation next summer.

Learning new things...

Thanks to my SIL giving me some pointers and websites to consult, I was able to learn how to change the look of my blog! Yay! I'm so excited. It will probably change a lot over this weekend while I settle on a look I like, now that I know what I can do with it.

Day One of the Roof Reconstruction

OK, it's really, like day 3, as they started putting up the scaffolding on Tuesday, but I didn't get any pictures until today.

They started power-washing my roof this morning, at 7 AM... Yeah, they were my favorite people today. I had a meeting with the engineer and the contractor this evening, to go over what to expect, what needs to move where, and to give them a spare key. They told me that the roof was really bad. Our building is really the only one that is surrounded by these huge trees. I could look out the window of my home office (which overlooks the roof to the boiler room for the building) and there were trees growing on the roof. Anyway, long story short, Noni was freaked out by all the noise, so she came to work with me today. She had fun barking at our executive director. I'm not sure what her problem was, but I'm hoping she doesn't keep doing it. I noticed that she ran upstairs (after me and my supervisor got her all riled up) to look for her toy and was really excited and barked... I felt bad... I think she scared our director. If it becomes a habit, I'll have to shut us both into my office, which I don't really want to have to do, so she better behave.

They told me they aren't actually going to be doing any more work until Monday, but I'll take pictures throughout the process. A is out of town and he wants me to keep him updated. I figure this is probably the easiest way.

Wednesday Night Dinner (for one)

I love to cook, but I hate cooking for myself. I grew up in a pretty good sized family, with 3 brothers who ate like horses. I usually cook too much and I don't really like leftovers, so it doesn't seem like it's worth it to cook something for myself. When A's gone, I usually resort to a bowl of cereal or go to McDonalds...

So, tonight, I decided to try something new. I don't really like beans, but I will eat them on occasion. There is a restaurant in Utah that we used to eat at all the time at my work there that has a really good rice/beans dish. It was like coconut rice with red beans, chicken and broccoli. I pretty much got it every time we ate there. So I decided to try Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice, just for s&g's. It was relatively easy to make, all in one pot. I added some canned chicken (which I usually have stocked in my pantry because I inevitably forget to take chicken out of the freezer for dinner, but it tastes like canned chicken, so I don't use it a lot), drained, to the mix while it was coming to a boil. When it was done, the chicken had seasoned well and I didn't need to add anything else to season the rice. It was really good. I'll keep the left overs for tomorrow night, to see if I like this dish the next day. If not, I'll relegate this meal for when A is home so he can eat the left overs (he makes a really good fridge cleaner for this picky eater). This dish would probably pair really nicely with a salad or some other veggies. It's not as spicy as Zatarain's Jambalaya, which we eat a lot of, but it does have a little bit of spice.

Lack of Information...

Am I the only one who is frustrated by the lack of information for the Paralympics? I mean, when the Olympics is going on, it's on every channel, on every news webpage, in every newspaper... But when the paralympics is going on, there is very little, even when you do a search on the paralympics... I remember when I was living in Salt Lake during the winter games, I don't remember anything for the paralympics... Isn't this a little weird? I mean, the only way I even knew that the paralympics were going on right now is that a local Juneau man who is on the national wheelchair rugby team won a gold medal and they put the picture on the front page of our local paper. No article about it, just the picture...

Correct me if I'm wrong on this. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places, or I don't have all the "sports" channels on my cable that would show these games...

Maybe these games just aren't as popular as the Olympics, but it almost seems like the able-bodied public don't really care about those people who overcome adversity to compete athletically on a world level... Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems weird to me...

Lots of Activity

I got an email this morning from the engineer on our roof project. They are finally getting to my unit. They wanted to set up a meeting for Thursday to inspect the inside, etc... Yay!

However, when I got home, they had already started stacking wood in front of my house to set up the framework for the roof stuff. OK, not a problem. They left me room to park still, especially since they've been blocking my garage for 2 months now, so that was cool. The problem is, that A didn't do one of his chores for when he's home, and that is dog-doo pick-up. I get that it has been raining A LOT and that it's soggy and hard to scoop, but for crying out loud... I came home to the construction workers shoveling the piles out of my front yard. I was planning on doing it when I got home, but they beat me too it. I had to (shamefully) admit that I do, in fact, have a dog - They all thought all the neighborhood dogs used our front yard for a bathroom... Sadly (and embarassingly), no... When he's gone, I usually pick it up every couple of days... But it wouldn't have been so bad if, 1 - It hasn't been so darn wet, and 2 - If he took the dog away from the house like I asked him to after the last clean up so it wouldn't be bad for the construction guys. I mean, they'll be in my house next week... Like I really want dog doo all over my cream-colored carpet...

So, now that hubby is away, and it's pretty much all cleared out, Noni gets to go for a little walk, away from people to the field where I don't have to worry about pickup in the rain. I'm tired of fighting with A about crap (literally)...

Early Morning Post...

I know for most of my readers that you all have been up for hours and are well into your day by now. For me, it is still before 7 AM and I too have been up for hours. A ended up not having to leave yesterday for work, but he does have to get out this morning. I got up at 5 am, he got up before that. We got ready and loaded the car and went and got some Red Bull (for him, not me... I can't stand the stuff), only to find the airport socked in, flights last night cancelled, and the lobby full and flights over booked for the morning. Great.... He has to be in Kenai today to start his flight training tomorrow... That means that now we HAVE to buy a ticket instead of him jumpseating like we were planning and he has to shift his schedule around so he can still get to Kenai (he has a connecting flight in Anchorage that we've had to change already).

That's one thing that sucks about only one airline servicing your home town. Alaska Airlines is cutting back flights in/out of Juneau, so they are pretty well full up on any flight out of here (except maybe the "milk run" as I don't usually check the status of those flights due to the fact that I don't want to make 5 stops between here and Anchorage or here and Seattle.) The weather can turn here in a matter of minutes, so flights are constantly getting cancelled. It's frustrating. It's also one of the reasons that we own our own airplane, but he can't fly it right now because it's down for maintenance. So we are at the mercy of Alaska Airlines...

I will be taking him back to the airport in about an hour or so, and then making my way off to work. I hope he gets out today. He has to fly tomorrow...

An Ode To My Friend

My friend has inspired me to write a poem. I haven't written a poem since high school (and even then, under duress), so the rhymes are not very good, but I wanted to share it with her.

Ode To My Friend

To my good friend
Through thick and thin
I would tell our story,
Where should I begin?

I'll start with the first,
Both painfully shy
Breaking out of our shells
Just to say, Hi!

We did things together,
Were rarely apart,
You taught me, I taught you,
Who knew what we'd start.

When I moved away,
I feared the worst.
But you wouldn't let me go,
Our fragile friendship you nursed.

You found your mate first,
Then I found mine.
We both went on seperate paths,
And we both were fine.

With children for you,
And travel for me
We've lived our lives,
Seperately.

But still together,
In mind and heart.
Always there for each other
Though miles apart.

I know I'll have a shoulder
Or an ear to bend
Just as you know the same
is here on this end.

Neither of us blessed
With a sister in blood,
We took it upon ourselves
And picked the perfect one.

I want my friend to know how much I love an appreciate everything she's done for me. Who knows where I would be in this world without her.

A good day for a hair cut...

A and I have been really busy today getting him packed up for his departure tomorrow. We've also been doing a pretty good cleaning on the house, in preparations for the construction guys to come in. I figure that if it's clean to start out with, it'll be easier to clean when they are done.

I also decided that Noni needed a haircut, to decrease the amount of dog hair that accumulates all over the house. Here are the before and after pictures...

Before:

After:

It'll probably be a work in progress, mainly because she wouldn't sit for any longer, so the back end of her and her back feet didn't get trimmed that well. I left a tuft of the tail in tact, mainly because it makes her look funny. She already feels a lot better and is running around the house with glee (at least that's what it looks like... she could just be freaking out...)

Afterthought: A decided that the before and after pictures would be better if they were in one frame, so here is the "head shot" of Noni.

All the places I get dragged to...

I was just sitting here thinking about all the places that my husband drags me to just because he can. This is a BIG difference between the two of us. If there is somewhere he wants to go that I really don't, I'll usually go just because he does and I love him and want to spend time with him. If there is somewhere I want to go that he doesn't, I either go alone or I don't go at all.

I've been to several air shows that have been enjoyable. We learned that I need to have earplugs if I want to have fun (can you say Thunderbird-Afterburner-Over-My-Head? What? Did you say something?). I get taken out to back-country airstrips, either to go camping or just spend the day. Sometimes that can be fun. Although, if there is camping involved, I make him take the air-mattress, tent, and cooking gear, and he can only go to "back-country" airstrips that have facilities (most of the ones in Idaho do). I'm not sleeping in the plane, he can forget that...

He's been making noise about making me go to Katzehin Flats. He says there's a cabin we can stay in there, but I'll believe it when I see it...

He's been making more noise for years about going to Oshkosh AND Reno every year. Every year he says "We're gonna go next year for sure!" We never have...

Although, I'm sure one of these years he'll follow through with his threat and I'll be at either one or both at some time.

Now, do you think with all the places I go with him, and all the stuff I have to put up with doing it, that I could get him to take me to a ballroom dancing class or to the theatre (not movies) etc...? Exactly....

Argghhhhhh.....

Migrane..... 'nuff said.....

If you have a problem, talk to Lou Ann! Call Now!

I was going to do a post about a weird planetary alignment causing irritation and disorientation in just about everyone I came in contact with today. No one was "themselves" and I have been unusually "short" with people today. So I was looking up my horoscope online to see if there was anything going on. I consulted with several websites, looking at both Scorpio and Libra horoscopes (I was born on the cusp, so it depends on which website I'm on as to which one I am). Only one of the Libra ones talked about a weird planetary alignment, but I did find another that at the bottom of it said "If you have a problem, talk to Lou Ann! Call Now!"...


OK, I laughed.... A lot.... I know it was a link to an online psychic or something, but I have an aunt by that name, and I am very close to her...


So, of course, I had to "call now"... I talked to my grandma who lives with my aunt and uncle and told her what the website said, and she laughed... and laughed... and laughed some more, then told me that my aunt was not home.... So we laughed some more....


I guess my problem was not as important as the great internet thinks it is, because if it were, she would have been home, but at least it made me laugh and got rid of my weird/bad mood I was in.

Uninspiring day...

I don't know about y'all (yes, I said y'all) but I had a pretty uninspiring day today. It all started with the builders who are replacing the roof on our condo building (there are 4 units to a building, townhouse style). The roof replacement is pretty controversial, at least to us. Had we known that they were going to attach $27,000 per unit to cover the roof replacement before we bought the house, we wouldn't have bought it. But, what's done is done. Of course, the builders start work PROMPTLY at 7 AM (I usually don't get out of bed until around 8 - one of the benefits of not having any kids at this point), so that's pretty early for me. They haven't gotten to my unit yet, but they are onto the one next to us and they have been traipsing around our roof today... so that irritated me.

Then I had to buy gas. I hope I'm not the only one who thinks it's wrong to have to pay $47 to top off a stupid little Ford Focus. I'm not sure where everyone else's gas prices are, but here in Juneau, we are still at $4.33/gallon.

I had a pretty busy day at work. People need to stop getting hurt at the police academy. I think I have, like, 10 claims just from the academy, all within the last 3 weeks or so...

I know, I'm complaining a lot today... It's just been one of those days.

The Answers!

Finally, Monday has arrived! You cannot believe how badly I wanted to "spill the beans" on Saturday...

Just a refresher, I put a challenge out there to pick the "False" answer from 3 stories I told. In third place, with no votes, is the story involving Harrison Ford. In second place, is the Halloween story and the one you all think is the FALSE story is the Naked Mooning Experience...

I made this pretty tricky... All of these stories have a basis in fact, but one of them has an aspect to it that is incorrect.

The Halloween experience is in fact, true. We were living in Iliamna, AK at the time and we had only been there a short time (like about a month). We were still relatively new to the community, so we hadn't met everyone and they didn't know us. Well, that year (and probably every year), it was like 17 degrees outside, which is why no one was wearing costumes (at least that were visable, they could have had costumes on under their winter garb). I guess that with the vast majority of the population being related to each other, they were used to just going into peoples houses. So, there we were, sitting on our couch watching a movie on the satellite, trying not to eat all our Halloween candy, when here comes 6 kids into our small house! You can imagine my surprise! We didn't lock the door, mainly because we didn't expect that. We were both raised that you knock on the door first! We locked it after that, turned off the lights, and pretended to be asleep so they would leave us alone.

The most popular "false" story is also in fact true. The area in question is an area where "those who wish to be unencumbered by their clothing" go, known simply as "The Beach." Having been there numerous times (it's a great place to fly to, long open expanses to land, fun to go camping there), we knew that if there was anyone there, they were probably nude. We saw other airplanes on the ground and decided to "buzz" the airfield where they all were. Imagine our surprise when we got over the ridge to where everyone was that there were about 8-10 people lined up, bent over! I only wish I had a camera at the time! Good times...

The Harrison Ford story is false, but only in the aspect of us having met him. We did experience engine problems and we did divert to and airfield in Southern Idaho and Harrison Ford was there, but like a day or 2 before we were. His picture is on the wall at the maintenance shop there and the owners (who are VERY nice people, by the way) were extremely chatty about the experience.

I'm not sure if you all are aware of this, but Harrison is very active in aviation, and is the spokesman for EAA's YOUNG EAGLE program. The program is geared towards introducing the youth to flight. That's how A got involved in flying, and his father is involved in the Young Eagle program for the EAA Chapter that he belongs to.

I found this picture of Harrison Ford and his Beaver when I did a Google search, and much to my surprise, the picture was taken in front of the maintenance hanger in question from my story! (It is also the same hanger that I wrote about in a previous post about my first long cross-country solo trip.) I'm not sure if it was from the same trip in question, or if Harrison frequents this stop, but I just had to add it to this post!

Hi.... My name is Tripacerchick... and I am addicted to Diet Coke...(your response - "Hi Tripacerchick!")

In reference to my earlier "Diet Coke Fairy" post, I found this on YouTube last night. I found it hilarious and I must share. It depects what happens to this woman (let's face it, to us all who have a Diet Coke Addiction) when she runs out of Diet Coke. Enjoy...



In the words of my doctor "Diet Coke is the Devil!" After she said this to me, I actually gave it up for about 2 weeks. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, and I am now back to one super large size a day, at least when I'm at work, hence the need for a Diet Coke Fairy. If I don't have time to pick one up on my way to work, I have to wait until lunch time to go get one. That's 3 1/2 hours without one... My co-workers can probably attest to the fact that my behavior is very similar to the woman in the movie when I'm craving one... As well as my behavior once I get one... (In retrospect, that's pretty sad... hmmmm....)

In all honesty, this is my one vice. I don't smoke, I drink on occasion (like if we go out to a nice restaurant for dinner or I make something special at home), and I don't do drugs. If I wasn't addicted to Diet Coke, I'd probably be darn near perfect and boring to boot.

Finally got to see Tropic Thunder

OK, so it's been almost a month since my initial post regarding Tropic Thunder and all the crap they were getting for the "controversial" things in the movie. Now that I'm not sick, we went and saw it this afternoon. I can say, without a doubt, it was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. Some of the funniest movies are satires and this one doesn't disappoint. (I leave an exception to the satiracle movies like "Scary Movie" and the like, those ones are just plain stupid. Funny the first time I see them, but stupid every time afterwards).

I will advise that it is not a movie you want to see if you are averse to swearing. There is a lot of it. But, I do have to say (not being a traditional Tom Cruise fan) that there is one of the best F-Word rants in the movie, done by Tom Cruise. I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard.

I will probably buy this movie on DVD when it comes out. It can reside next to my "Team America" DVD (the extremely raunchy "unrated" version) and it will get watched when ever I need a good laugh.

Robert Downey Jr is so freaking funny in this movie. When he isn't "in character", his eyes are just freaking weird (like an un-godly blue).

Weird Dreams Last Night...

It's early for me on a Saturday (couldn't sleep past nine, go figure). I remember I was experiencing some pretty strange dreams. The only aspect I remember vividly is I was putting on mascara, and having a really hard time with it. I kept putting it on and putting it on and it wasn't going where I wanted it to. Finally, I got it right. Then I remember my eyes watering in my dream (can't remember if it was because I was crying or because I had allergy-runny eyes). I remember thinking in my dream "Did I use the Waterproof Mascara?" and then rubbing my eye and seeing black on my finger.... Then I woke up.

This dream is a little weird for me because, in "real life" I very rarely wear makeup at all. I have it (spent lots of money on it), but for some reason, I don't like wearing it. Especially the eye makeup. I have lots of allergies (mostly to fragrances, which most makeup has in some form, no matter how lightly it is fragranced, I usually will start sneezing) and my eyes are teary a lot. I blow my nose a lot, which removes any foundation/lip stuff below my nose. I am always afraid that I will look like a freak or something. I always feel like I have to wash my face and start over everytime something like this happens. Which is why I usually only wear makeup when my hubby and I go out at night, to a nice restaurant or something (just to the store or the McDonalds doesn't count).

Maybe I had the weird dream because I was playing around with my Meez last night, where there are several "eye" options for mascara. I didn't find any that I liked, so I didn't use any on my Meez. Or maybe some part of me is repressed. Who knows...

One of A's Hobbies

We decided to invest in a new digital camera several months ago (and by "we" I mean, A decided that the pixel count of his old one just wasn't up to snuff anymore). It's a pretty cool camera and A has been experimenting with different settings and what-not with it to see what it can do. He was messing around with the different "night" settings and came up with a few that he liked well enough to want me to post them on my blog.

Of course, because it was finally dark at a reasonable hour (look up "land of the midnight sun") and NOT raining (it's been a REALLY REALLY rainy summer here) and about the time that planes are still arriving and departing from the airport (which is relatively close to where we live), we just had to go the airport. All of these photos were taken just as twilight was going into full dark. The exposures on these are pretty cool. The first one is of the street outside our house. The second one is of a small airplane (I think it was a Cessna) coming in to land at the airport. The last one is of an Alaska Airlines jet taking off. The small twin engine plane on the right hand side of the picture is our Piper Apache.

What would the world be like if...

...there was a Diet Coke Fairy?

Well, I would be able to sit at my desk and continue to work while someone else brings me a fresh, cold, fountain Diet Coke. It's not the same if it's in a can or bottle. There's too much carbination in those containers. I know, I'm picky. And Lazy. But darn it, I'm thirsty and can't really break away to go get one until lunch time.

I think I make a pretty cute Diet Coke Fairy, at least in cyber-space, don't you?

Therapy Dogs

I was doing a little research tonight about what kind of training would be involved if I wanted Noni to become a therapy dog. I came across a website that made me sit back in awe. http://www.4pawsforability.org/

My 3 little nephews have all been diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. 4 Paws for Ability trains service dogs, and they have dogs that are specially trained to help those with autism. I linked to several videos on YouTube spotlighting some of the ones that have these special dogs and it brought a tear to my eye. I love dogs and think that they can brighten anyone's life and to think of them having the ability to help the ones like my nephews, it is inspiring.

I'm hoping that one day, Noni can help others. I stand up and cheer for the people that care enough about both the dog and the person to do this kind of work.

I'll be speaking to Noni's vet next month when I take her in for her yearly visit to see if there are any programs here in Alaska that do therapy dog training. I'll keep you updated as things progress.

Lots of love to the little ones!

2 Truths and a Lie

I was inspired to do my own little post based on this "getting to know you" scenario. It thought it would be funny.

I'll tell 3 stories. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to determine which one of the 3 stories is FALSE. Post a comment with your guess. In a few days, I'll do another post with the answer. Ready?

A) One time, when we were flying back from a camping trip, we had engine trouble and diverted to an airstrip in Southern Idaho. While we were there, we met Harrison Ford, who flew there in his Beaver.

B) My husband flew me out to an area off the Great Salt Lake known as "The Beach" where we were mooned by several people who didn't have to drop their pants to do it (psst... they were already nude)

C) One Halloween, the neighborhood kids barged into our house to get their candy, and none of them had costumes on.

Good Luck! Have fun! Keep watching for the answers!

Wednesday Night

I realize I haven't been very good about making a new recipe for Wednesday Night Dinner, let alone blogging about it. I kind of got out of the habit when A left for ground school. Now that he's home, and the fridge is stocked, I did make dinner, but it wasn't one I hadn't had before. A hadn't had it. I got one of those crock-pot freezer things and put it together when I came home for lunch. I also got some frozen roll dough so I could make fresh rolls when I want. I didn't know that you have to take them out of the freezer hours before you want to make them inorder for them to proof. So I arranged those at lunch too. We had a really good meal of Beef Stew. A liked it, and it was easy for me to make.

What is really news these days?

Apparently, it's the fact that Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant. Oh, and that Jamie Spears has sent her a gift. Oh, and that her Boyfriend will be attending the Republican Convention with the family.

I can't belive that this is news worthy. Yes, her daughter is pregnant. Does that affect her ability to do her job? No... Does that make her a failure as a mother? No. Is it really any of our business? No!

I really could care less that her daughter is pregnant, or that she has 5 kids. What I care about is her ability to do the job (be it Governor of Alaska or VP of the US). I care about what she will do for the people in the position she's been elected to.

There... I've said my piece.

I finally did it...

It's been about a year and a half (give or take) since I have had a hair-cut. I finally got off my duff and got my hair cut. I think we cut about 8 inches off. Sorry... I didn't take a "before" picture. It was kind of spur of the moment.