Happy Holidays and all that jazz

I'm off work now until after Christmas! Hooray! A real vacation. It's been a while.

My first day off today was pretty good. Hung out with Jake in the morning, until he had to go to work at 11:30am and then I finished my christmas shopping. I just have a couple of things to do tomorrow, including mailing Maggie's Christmas present to her and getting a bigger bag to wrap a gift into. And then, I'm good to go. Super. :)

I'm also going to make the "Dirty Snowball" Candy/Cookies that I made for work a week or two ago and take them with us to GB. They were really really good. Basically, it's a package of oreo's, a package of cream cheese mixed together, formed into balls and coated with chocolate. They are really chocolatey. Just so we have treats, because Betsy did not make cookies. Of course, they have to start to move the day after christmas, so it makes sense that they would not have cookies to take with. :)

Schedule for the next several days:

Friday: Off all day, going to my Aunt and Uncle's house at 6:30
Saturday: Off to GB for the weekend
Monday (during the day): time not solid yet, but driving home to MKE again and possibly going to my Aunt and Uncle's business to see them and my cousin, his wife and their two kids. Depends on what time we leave and when we get back. Not sure what we are doing the rest of the night...
Tuesday: Christmas! I assume that we will be over at my parents for the day
Wednesday: Back to work... :(

I don't know that I look forward to all the running around, but at least we don't have to drive 800 miles in three days like 2005.

Currently watching Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America -- NOT the American version. I love this show. I LOVE Gordon Ramsay. He's so sweet.

SNOW'D!

View from the back deck.

It snowed all day. I got to leave work at 3pm, and I was glad that I did, because when I flipped on the TV at four, after I was done shoveling, there had been a three car accident on 45 south at Silver Spring, which is right on the way home, so that would have added extra crap to the already shitty drive.

But, I totally force my car up a snowy hill and it was completely awesome. My steering wheel was all over, my tires were burning and it was totally sweet. I just stayed calm and kept the car moving.

I'm glad it wasn't ice. The little cat is doing something, but what I don't know. I hear movement. Oh...she was finished eating her food and was trying to cover it up. Without success.

My dad was stuck in New York City this morning -- I think that he might be home now, but that really sucks for him. Sitting at La Guardia waiting to fly to Milwaukee.

In other news:


This was Merry Christmas for Jake and I. Now, I can run whenever I want to and I will probably have a much easier time training up until Jan. 12th. So, I'm pretty excited.

I'm currently watching the X-Files. Looks like Season 1. I used to know better, but I have lost my touch. There's dead chickens and it looks very early 90's. Gosh, I used to love this show. The 18 year old in me still does probably. Mulder (Duchovny...whatever) totally was just driving up to a house in the show and totally jumped the curb. Sweet.

Anyway, I suppose that I should go do something constructive...maybe. Wait. Now Chickens are pecking an old lady to death. Sweet.

I suppose that I could post more on here...but I'm soooo lazy.

I find that I just don't have much to say. But, since I'm here, I might as well waste the bandwidth.

Since I posted last...hmmmm.....

We got a Christmas tree, which was nice. It's by the bay window. The lazy-boy moved upstairs. The dining room table moved over where the chair was. It has worked out nicely. The tree likes to drop needles a lot, but it's still drinking water, so it's okay with me. Just get out the vacuum and all. I finished decorating the house and I made a few christmas cookies too.

Jake had a cold last week, so that kind of sucked. I didn't get sick, but it's not fun having someone in the house that was sick. It's just a bummer.

I think that I'm going to change my color scheme here when I'm done with this. A little more Chritmasy, I think.

I got a small kick in the pants from my dad last week about running, but I just can't get it going. I'm planning on doing a couple of miles on their treadmill today, when we go over for the game today, and hopefully, that will be the spark that gets me going. I had a plan written out for just getting miles in, in the last month before the race. I figure if I can get 10-12 miles a week in before we leave, I should be good. It's just a matter of not working 45 hours a week and then trying to stop somewhere to run before I go home. Most of the time, I just want to GO HOME! :)

I'll put down what I'm planning here

Sunday (9): 2 -3 miles
Monday (10): rest day
Tuesday (11): 2 miles
Wednesday (12): 2 miles
Thursday (13): 2 miles
Friday (14): rest day
Saturday (15): 3-4 miles

This basic schedule I am planning to repeat until we leave for Florida. The Race is on a Saturday, so it works out pretty well, I think. Rest on Friday while we're down there. and that schedule gives me between 11 and 13 miles a week. I think it looks good. I've really been lacking in the training area, but I've still been losing weight too, so that's good. I'm down 15 pounds since July. That's okay with me. I'm almost back to where I was the summer after we got married (which is when I started to gain all this weight to begin with). Go me! :)

I have not done a lick of Christmas shopping either. Not good. Oh well. I'll get to it eventually. Maybe.

Christmas Countdown begins...I guess.

I'm really going to need to explain why 28 is the second perfect number. I'm already 28, so I'm there. Explain.


Thanksgiving was okay. It's hard to have just a day off and then back at it. I wish that I lived in a life where I did not have to work to survive. Now, if I could work because I wanted to work, that would be different. But, I've never liked to be forced to do things, so I like to push against that. Don't work. Work sucks. Do something that you can do, just because you want to. Not because you'll lose your house and your life if you don't have the work.

I didn't have a very good weekend. I was crabby and touchy and flew off the handle at everything and snippy and tired and grrrr.....

Both days. Not fun. But, we did put up Christmas decorations and lights and things, so that was something. We also got my parents' "old" HDTV. My dad bought a bigger new one, so they very nicely traded us the old one for a different TV to put in their rec room.

We are also going to start our own rec room in the basement. We figure that we can get a 18 by 10 room down stairs -- good for TV and hanging out, I think. Hopefully, it will be warm enough when we are done. I think that it will be a good project for us this winter. Something to up the resale value as well. It will start right as you walk downstairs -- essentially creating what looks like a partially finished basement, but really is just a room built in the basement -- and there is a difference. If I showed you, you would understand. But, I'm looking forward to that after the New Year/Disney.

Disney -- there's another thing that weighs down on me. I haven't been running very much or well or anything. I'm not really sure how I'm going to finish the training for the running. I just have to drag myself out on the weekends, I think. I don't have time during the week anymore. But, another weekend went away here. I think that this will just be like the Discovery Run -- I will train right before I leave and just cross my fingers that I will finish. I did pretty well with 15k and the half marathon is only another 3.8 miles past that run. When you've done 9.3, 3.8 doesn't seem that much longer. I will prevail.

Well, I should go to sleep before I am up until midnight and I'm super crabby ass for work tomorrow...again...like Friday.

300! Just in time for Turkey...

The HeyerSouth (aka Team Heyerbrau) plans for Turkey Day are as follows:

Going up to GB (not sure where we are staying, J&K's or parents) tomorrow night, spending the night and most of Thursday eating and watching football -- GO PACKERS! -- and then back home. We have to work on Friday. And this is the very reason that teachers should not complain. ha ha.

Of course, I have 3 days off around Chritmas, so I am looking forward to that very much.

I haven't been running too much lately. Not on purpose, just have trouble getting out with working so much and it getting to be night very early now. I will probably have to start going out hardcore on the weekends and crossing my fingers during the week. I would probably go out when I get home, but it's been raining a lot.

I'm waiting for pie to get done cooking. Then I can go to bed. I guess we're coming home with a bunch of stuff for the house, from Jake's parents. Chest freezer is what I am most excited about. I would also like their treadmill too. That would make running easier in the winter too. :)

Anyway, that's about it. Too bad it's not more exciting for my 300th post. oh well. This is my blog not yours! :)

Weekend Round-up

So! It was an eventful weekend. Friday night was mostly sitting around. The Hertel's drove down, but by the time they were done with visiting family, we were too tired to go out...

On Saturday, we hung out in the morning and then Josh and Maria came over and we hung out a bit. Then, Jim Gornick stopped by, sans Loni, because she was busy with a musical, and we all hung out. We drove to Highland Memorial Park, to visit Branden, first. Jim has been several times, but neither the Hertel's nor us had been, so it was nice to go visit. His marker is a very nice one, and he is buried right by a nice tree. It was very nice to go there and just see where he is. Something happened while we were all there that was funny, but it was sort of dumb, and we were all laughing and Jim said "Sorry Branden, but we know that you would be laughing too." OH! I remember -- we were trying to figure out which way he was buried in ground, because it didn't seem like there was enough room, and Jim said "Somebody lay down and see how long it is." It was pretty funny. If you are down in the area, definitely stop by and visit him -- well, now you should wait until Spring, unless you can stop by before it snows -- but it is very nice and peaceful.

After that, we went to Lakefront Brewery and went on the tour -- which was very cool and you get a free pub glass out of it and four free beers (or two free root beers) for $5. Then we went over to Mongolian BBQ just north of Bluemound on Hwy 100. After that, we were ridiculously full and tired, so we all went back to our house and just hung out and played board games -- and we all discovered that "Urban Myth" is probably not the best game ever. We played some Cranium and then played what seemed to be the longest game of Trivial Pursuit Star Wars DVD edition EVER! But, we did have a good time. Then, we all crashed and it was time for bed.

Today, we drove up to the Aswegan's in Port Washington and watched the Packer game -- the Hertel's were there and so was G.Nate. They have a BEAUTIFUL house. I really would love their house, but it would need to be down here in the area. Oh well. The game was fun, they have a cool dog, and they made great chili.

Makes me wish that we would meet with everyone a little more often that we do. Oh well. We'll probably have kids soon and then it will all be moot. :)

Anyway, it is probably close to dinner time for me. Later!

Even after all these years...

I still love these guys.

This should probably go on the other blog, but...whatev.

So, what I have not written about in the beginning of my 29th year of life (now remember, we base our age on the past and not the future, so keep up with me here), was the fact that I did a 15k race on Saturday. Which was HARD. V. hard.

I thought that I was the very last runner/walker, but I found out at mile 8.5 that there were three people behind me.

I started out pretty good, considering that I had no energy or inclination to run that day at all...I did the first 4 miles in 56 minutes -- pretty good. I made it to 6 miles in an hour and a half, still pretty good. By the time that I got to 7.5 miles, my hip joints were hurting, my feet hurt and my back did not want to keep my body up right anymore.

But, I powered through and finished. 2 hours and 22 minutes of constant motion -- some of it running. I kept a pace of between 14 and 15 minutes/mile, which is perfect. I'm not trying to win the half marathon in January, just to finish. At that pace, I would have been done in 3 hours 15 minutes, I think. So, that's probably my goal. I think...hang on.

Okay, they had, until recently, points that you had to make it by a certain point in time -- like the first 3.5 miles in 1 hour and 12 minutes or something like that...now, it's 16min/mile or we'll pick you up whereever. Yikes. So, I guess that I need to finish in 3'15", just to be safe. Okay, good to know.

The thing that really slowed me down was the feet. I could have powered through the hip joints and the back if my feet hadn't been so painful. So, I'm going to get real insoles for my running shoes. So, hopefully, that will really help. I'm going to test it on Saturday, probably by going out for a long mileage and testing them. We'll see what happens.

4 hours later...

Well, I was going to go out and get the insoles, but then I didn't.

So, does anyone who reads this remember Mystery Science Theater 3000? Mike Nelson has a website called Rifftrax.com -- which is him and guests (usually other guys from MST3K, like Kevin Murphy and the second Crow...I can't remember his name), making fun of regular movies. They record the audio only file, and then you pay for that (it's like a couple of bucks) and use your own copy of the movie and play them together. It's fucking amazing! So hilarious! Highly recommended. Seriously.

Anyway, I'm off to finish out my night....by sitting on my butt. :)

"You can't be 28, I'm only 35"

Said by my father at work yesterday.


Send me presents. ha ha ha.


No, seriously.

*hangs head in hand*

I wish that I could give better advice to people

I wish that I were not so empathetic

I wish I could go into more detail here or anywhere

I wish life were simpler...or less complicated

I wish...I wish...I wish...

And they shall remain wishes.

I am done in.



I have tomorrow off, for the 28th anniversary of my birthing (as Josh Lee would say). I miss people. We need another sweet wedding to be held, so we can all get together again. I almost wish that I hadn't met so many amazing people in college, because then I wouldn't miss everyone so much now.

Anyway, I'm having a down moment right now. I'll go entertain myself another way and hopefully, I'll feel better.

Go to hell HandBrake

I had TWO movies that I was ripping to iPod format overnight, because it takes so GD long to rip -- my lappy takes anywhere from 5 to 6 hours to rip a 2 hour movie and Jake's lappy takes real time to rip, so 2 hours for 2 hour movie. You following this? Good.

Now, at the end of the ripping, it has to finish encoding. Apparently, if you look at the lappys the wrong way, they won't finish encoding properly. Jake's laptop: The movie played on the actual lappy, but wouldn't go on my iPod, because it "wasn't formatted properly". From my lappy: The movie just ended up a document that Quicktime couldn't open -- IT DIDN'T EVEN WORK RIGHT AT ALL!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
alksjdflaksjdflkajsdf

And now my computer is really slow. I think I'll shut down and restart.

I did select the correct format for the movies, but sometimes it just doesn't want to happen.

I made treats for my birthday(tomorrow) for today at work since I AM OFF TOMORROW! YES! I guess I'll rip movies tomorrow. asldjfalsjdflkjsflkjs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I have to finish getting ready to go to work and grab my glasses from upstairs. I just wanted to vent. Stupid HandBrake.

Forge ahead

Nothing much to report that's new.
Have to feed Mom and Dad's cat (Bear) while they are in Arizona for a wedding. Jake is at work today.

I went for a long run/walk out this morning, which I needed to do. The Lakefront Discovery Run is next Saturday -- 9.3 miles. We'll see.

Jake put my new stereo, featuring front ipod plug, in my car on Thursday, which is totally sweet. It's basically the same stereo that he has, but a newer model. Well, and the plug in teh front instead of coming out the backside.

And we're going out to dinner with my folks at the Melting Pot on Saturday too! Sweet! I'm rul excited about that part.

I also finally finished the upstairs -- and by finished, I mean ran out of paint, so I have to wait until I get more to paint the final coats on things, but it looks pretty good. Just have to clean up the basement now, and I think that we'll be good to go.
But, I can work on stuff (like sewing) again, which I am happy about. I have many many projects that are all half finished and I really need to complete them...mostly so I can start new stuff. :)

Okay, I'm off to fix my hair and eat lunch.

..............................

Dear Branden,

I miss you. I still can't believe that you are gone. However, I think that you would get a kick out of the fact that there are people who "might be attending" the event on facebook that is to celebrate your life, which really isn't an event. It's just a stop -and-think-wherever-you-are event. I know that you would have laughed and made fun of them.

I know that you are making Heaven a sweeter place to be and probably hanging out with lots of cool people all the time. We continue on, in a world that is much darker without you in it.

Listen to me, what the crap? Now I know that you are laughing at me.

I wish that you were still here with us, but that is life. I will just look forward to when I can see you again at the end of all things. I heart you, and I will always have the great memories of things that we shared. I would get shitty drunk for you on your birthday today, just like your 21st, but, I really have to work tomorrow. So, I'll just remember the 21st birthday and reflect. Now, I'm going to eat this artichoke dip.

Love

Angie

Some changes

Different colors...another year older for me, some different colors are called for. Besides, I was tired of that Miami color scheme...or whatever it was.


I don't want this to be the required post as we cross over the two year mark, but still...I can't believe that it's been two years. Like everyone, I'm sure it seems like no time and all the time in the world. If I could take off tomorrow, I would have, but I couldn't. I really do have it in my mind to go visit his grave, since we essentially now live down the road from the cemetary. Maybe at some point, we'll get there. But, of course, I remember and will never forget.


I also went for a run tonight, and it was the best that I have felt in a while after going out -- Jake convinced me to run a bit slower and it has really helped. I even ran a whole 1/2 mile without stopping, which was a big achievement for me. I'm really feeling more optimistic about the long race at the end of the month.

I guess that's all for tonight. Just wanted to celebrate the new colors.

I got you these glasses...

They are missing an eye pad. Or whatever they are called. I got new ones, so now they are my back up pair. I have a stronger prescription in one eye than before.

I wish I had some chocolate. I wish I had more time to participate in SAI here in Milwaukee, but I don't. I wish that I could run away to Edwardsville, but I can't.


I had a LONG day today. I had to run my mom to the doctor because she needed to go and Jake had her car, because he's getting a new transmission in the Jeep. So, I had to leave work at 1 and then I didn't get back to work to clean up my stuff until 4:30. I'm not sure that my boss even knows how long I was gone for, or if she even cares how I make the time up. I know that I have to, but I'm drained.

My new glasses are sweet shit. They are a light purple/silvery color and they make me not so dark in the face region. Or the eye region. And I have fucking amazing insurance, so I got them for a song. A sweet song.

I don't know if I ever said this, but we got a baby gate to put on the stairs to stop the car coming up -- it works awesome. I sleep like a rock! Yesssss....

Unfortunately, that means that most of the time, when I wake up, I can't figure out why I am awake. And that sux. big floppy donkey dick.

Anyway, I think that I off to bed. I'm frickin' tired.

EDIT!!!!!: That should be CAT and not CAR. Those r's and t's being right next to each other are tricky. Especially when you're exhausted.

No, I don't have the patience

I'm done with school. Probably forever. I just don't want to do it anymore. I'm old and tired. I can't be out of the house 3 nights a week. One is enough. I miss free time and sitting and doing crafts and stuff.

Jake's parents are moving to the Washington, D.C. area by the beginning of next year. Crazy. It'll be nice to have some place new to visit. I've only been out there once and it was in high school and we were there for like, 6 hours or something ridiculously short. It'll be nice to have the time and inclination to be there for longer. It'll be pretty sweet I think.

Man, I wish that I could move. But, of course, I'd run away to Edwardsville if I were going anywhere. Le sigh.

The job is okay -- I'm content with it. I'm more content with life right now.

I got a sweet "official" pink Favre jersey from Betsy and Jack today. It's the most amazing shirt I've ever gotten. EVER. I love birthday presents. Yessssss....

Do I have the patience for this?

I'm starting to question whether or not I have the energy/committment/patience to work full time and go to school. See, what I liked about St. Mary's was that I could take one class at a time. I didn't have to take two for 16 weeks -- one was 6 and the other was 8...or something like that.

I'm so exhausted by the end of the week and of course, the class that I am really needing to pay attention in and get a good grade and UNDERSTAND everything in is the one that I have no more energy to sit through. Plus, the way that she teaches and has us do the homework, etc., is the exact opposite of how I learn. So, it's like extra frustrating for me. Maybe I'm just having a bad week. I'm on track with my other class, so I'm just thinking that I just need to sit and study more over this weekend -- I didn't get to do anything on Saturday/Sunday/Monday this weekend, because we were out of town.

Le sigh. It's not a good start.

But, I think that I'm just having a bad week. I think that once I get past the makeup work that I have to do and sit and study up the basic chapters from the first month of class, things will be a little smoother for me. But, I do have a test next week, plus homework due, so it's never ending. Blah.

I have decided to start getting out at noon time and walk around the lake at work -- it's good for me. To walk and to get out of the office for a half hour.

Okay, I have to register for a run and then it's back to work. I just needed to vent a bit. I feel better.

Better is Peace

Last night, Jake and I played in a concert with the Menomonee Falls SO and the St. Seb's and Milwaukee Archdioese choirs. We performed "The Armed Man" by Karl Jenkins. DESPITE most of it being a Marcone/Yo-yo Ma rip off (like, worse than John Williams), it was a pretty good work. I had fun. My playing is better. Maybe I'll start to work on horn a little more.

Today, I had an eye doc appt and I had to get dilated. I'm still all fucked up. And my eyes hurt. But, I can get sweet new glasses. Too bad that I didn't like any of the ones at the doctor's office -- I'll have to go somewhere else now.

More class tomorrow night. I don't know if I'm looking forward to it or not. I have to buy my book finally tomorrow and I have to (probably) do battle to get my money back from the seller at half.com. Guh.

I also have to do the remedial accounting work for my Thursday class. That will be okay -- but I should have just said that I would do it right away and never minded the test from last week. Oh well. I hope that class moves faster (both of them!) this week. We got through just ONE chapter in both classes (one each). Too slow...

Anyway, going to EC this weekend. It should be good. Oktoberfest and all that stuff. And I have Monday off, so I can just take most of the day to chill out. Finally. I haven't had a real day off in a very long time -- most of the time I am off, we are going somewhere else.

Well, off to finish my laundry -- sorry that I'm not more interesting. :)

Some kind of week

It has truly been a crazy week. Maybe not a crazy as some had this week, but it was more than enough to be going on with.

4 day week at work, which meant that Tuesday was super busy. Not fun. Some days I don't mind the grind and others...yuck.

Started classes at UWM this week -- which was okay, except for the fact that my book for one of them didn't come yet. another yuck.

Combined with other miscellaneous bad news from the week and I'm just...

Well, to say the very least about it, tonight has basically been random bouts of tears and general sadness.

I'm just trying to not think about things and stay cool...oh, and do wash.

It'll be okay.

I'm making it official

I'm under the big number. And I did it by the end of August. Basically. When you are busy doing other things, like having hobbies or reading or sewing or fixing your upstairs, you don't eat things. And then you lose the 40 pounds you gained in the past 5 years. But, I should say that I've only lost 10 pounds(ish) so far. 30 to go. But, that's just numbers. How I feel is more important. I've definitely had more energy since the 10 lbs have gone.


Hooray!


G.Nate is around (and by around, I mean that he is sleeping here for the weekend in a basic sense), but I haven't seen him since 9:15 this morning. So, hopefully, he found a place to live and is still alive.

Jake should be home from work pretty soon.

I have been working on my upstairs today, since it is essentially my room. It needs to be re-insulated rather badly, because I can feel the heat POURING in from above. It's yucky. I painted a bit more and I should probably paint more, because I basically just want to be done with the upstairs, so I can finish moving boxes around already and then actually start sewing things again -- I have many projects that I have started and I would like to finish them. And then start new ones. :)

I got my refund from UWM yesterday in the mail. I deposited it in the bank and UWM draws from US Bank, so my funds were immediately available to me. It is the only semester that I plan on taking my total amount that I am offered. But, it is good -- pays off all the cards and pays for Florida in January. I know that I have to pay it back when I am done with school (and I think that this will be it), but, at least the interest rates are not ridiculous. I'm also hanging on to some of the amount, in case school all of a sudden comes back at me and says, you weren't supposed to get that much, BUT, it DID disperse, so I think that I'm okay.

I really should study for my first Thursday class. I guess we have a comprehension test on the first day, which actually counts toward the grade. It's basically stuff that we should know already by heart, but it never hurts to review. It can take a while to get back in the swing of things.

The rest of my year is going to be very busy...I have rehearsals for the MFSO on mondays, and class wednesdays and thursdays. And, that's okay.

Well, off to do other stuff and wonder where Jake is.