iPod "h - e - double toothpicks"

ARGH.

I made a massive mistake with my iPod 2 months ago, which ended up overwriting thousands of book chapters and songs (I have the 80GB) with the same title.

To manually fix everything, I went iTune-less using Floola.

Hated that, but have put off going back, knowing I'd lose at least a day.

True to my prediction, I've been manually importing my favorite songs (deleting books like mad -- too many chapters to import) since 2pm.

FINALLY, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and "pressed" OK when I was asked to confirm that my iPod library would be overwritten by iTunes. I've been doing that for the last hour, with iTunes freezing each time.

SO. Finally selected the one thing I hoped never to have to use: "restore iPod factory settings."

Please take a moment with me as we honor my iPod library's memory......

....

....

OK, moving on.

So, my iPod is either finishing the restoration process or starting the sync process. Dunno at this point. Kind of tired for it. I hope I didn't lose any of my purchased music, but pretty sure I lost the last album I bought from iTunes, Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese (great memories of a concert, headbanging, a probable concussion, and my smarmy words, "you have to be careful where you bang your head" -- at least Kris will get it).

Yay, it's now officially syncing.

Back to work in the morning!!!

glorious glorious glorious

We need more three day weekends!

I'm lounging in my living room, looking out the triple-sliding glass door, watching birdies with the girlsies. They're doing this in between bouts of deep napping. I've been doing this between bouts of:

• Raking the last of the leaves into a compost pile
• Trying to unclog a sink
• Enjoying cherries (YUM)
  
• Oven frying chicken (not as yum, but oh well, at least I tried)
• Reading an overdue library book (James Patterson's latest -- it was OK)
• Watching Molly stretching in a sunbeam
• Scrubbing down the entire kitchen after walking in early a.m. to feed cats, but finding ants had infiltrated (ARGH, hate them)
  
• Periodically lifting my head, closing my eyes and slowly breathing in the wafting gentle breeze tinged with jasmine, lavender, and other glorious fragrances

Who needs TV or music when you have the entire woods to listen to outside your back door?

Molly has become comatose midstretch in her sunbeam. We can all learn a great deal from out feline friends.

On my patio right now are two blue jays (pigs), one of the squirrels (four total right now, but I think only two live in my tree -- maybe the other two are their neighbors), and a bunch of little hopping light colored birds (wrens? chickadees? "little birdies?"). I should get a bird book -- I'm sure I have representation for most of Northern Calif in my own yard.

I'll get the camera working again this evening to include pix.

Memorial Day weekend is usually my fave, because it's "mine." I was born on the real Memorial Day (not the Federally mandated holiday), so it's nice to celebrate over the course of an entire weekend. 44. Eesh.

So, for my bday, I went bezerk at Barnes and Noble: Sheri Teper's new book, a Charles de Lint collection of short stories, a collection of fairy tales, and several genealogy resource books. I have piles of library books to read, as well. Better get to it then.

Happy Memorial Day!

better today

Thank heavens! I started to think I was poisoned yesterday. Still not quite 100%: still dizzy, weak, etc. But I'm keeping fluids in, which is huge progress. Enjoying the Music Man (original with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones). My obnoxiously loud and thoughtless neighbors left for parts unknown, so I'm getting some desperately needed peace and quiet. The girls are both entranced by critters out in the back yard, so my tum isn't getting pounced upon and kneaded (yay).

Too bad I'm missing out on what looks like a gorgeous weekend!

The avatar says it all

Struggled to wake up this a.m. (finally literally forced myself out of bed at 11am), and spent the next hour in terrible cramping pain with some kind of intestinal virus. At least I hope that's what it is. The 30 minutes in line at Safeway to get 7up, apple juice, tea and TP were quite a struggle -- I kept kind of passing out, and shaking myself back to reality. I've spent the entire day since how one usually gets to spend their time with a GI virus (losing way too much water weight way too much quickly), in between sort of passing out across my bed. Just spent 20 minutes in a steaming hot shower, because my joints and skin hurt so much. No fever. But no fun. At least there's a Heroes marathon on TV to entertain me.

Thanks and kudos to Kris and Rich for doing the diabetes race today!

Over and out.

Dawg Tarred

As my grandpa would say. Here's why:

• Pruned my front walk way jungle.
• Cleaned out (YAY!!) my laundry room.
• Which meant hauling out old bed railings/etc. to the backyard shed (YOU try doing that with two cats who desperately want to go out with you so that they can decimate the neighborhood's bird and squirrel population.
• Major cleaning of the back bedroom in order to clean out the laundry room (needed a place for the Xmas tree!).
• Multiple trips to dump recycling and trash.
• Swept up the back yard and front walk way.
• Broiled chicken/bleu cheese burgers (SO good).
• Broiled some london broil (perfect state of medium rare).
• Roasted a pork loin roast w/garlic, pork rub, and red wine vinegar.
• Got all the laundry done.
• AND folded!!! (that's a miracle for me...)
• Putting it away right now.
• Ironing is next :-(

Whew! Just taking a sitting down break, watching Ace of Cakes, thinking about some motrin.

I got snuggles from my girls for mother's day, and spent a couple of hours on the phone with MY momma, who's doing darn well, considering.

This Week's Highlights

1. Finding out that the squirrels have entrances/exits all throughout the huge oak tree in my back yard.
2. Thinking about what happens to my house if the main branch that they live in breaks off (I think my living room will be OK, but oy ve for the cars in the carport).
3. Burning eleventy billion calories continuing the back yard raking.
4. The realization that it's ALMOST CLEAR of major leaves. Two more weekends should do it.
5. GREAT Lost episode.
6. A huge bowl of my new favorite salad: arugula, sliced endive, chicken breast, with home made dressing of red wine vinegar, nice fruity olive oil, garlic, pepper. YUM.
7. The not so great news that Mom's not able to walk due to two pinched nerves (femoral and sciatic). We're all readjusting.
8. But she loved the big floral arrangement + truffles that I sent her!
9. Successful library trip today -- will enjoy reading several great books!
10. Nothing new with work.
11. Choosing between two grad school programs.
12. Realizing that my MIT-Harvard leadership program is just over two months away (yay!).
13. Deciding to celebrate turning 44 in a couple of weeks, rather than my usual denial (also yay!).
14. Continued breakthroughs with my family research, all lines, so far, continue to lead back to Normandy pre-England invasion. Normandy itself was invaded/settled by Vikings, so maybe that explains my height and hair color: throwback from very old genes.
15. Celebrating mother's day tomorrow by giving momma kitty (Fiona) a special tuna treat, a nice long phone call with my momma, and maybe my kitties will treat their momma (me) by being sweet and snuggly!

Happy Momma's Day to All!!

Mini heat wave

92 degrees today (and it was in the low 60's just last week). Low tonight in the 50's, hopefully cool enough to take the edge off from tomorrow. Might not seem that bigga deal to those from the Central Valley, but 92 in the Bay Area is pretty danged hot. My two little puddle cats (puddles of fur) are not very happy!

But, they're just happy that I'm home!!! (me too!!!)

The question I'm struggling with right now (now that my brain is functioning again), is: how do you really know when it's time for a new job? Since I don't know the answer to that, maybe the answer is "not yet."

Migraines are NO fun

So the headache escalated to a massive headache, which I realized was a migraine when I was trying to sleep, no success at 2am, nauseous, but relieved that it was dark and cool.

Woke up with it.

Went to the mall with it.

Brought home several pairs of slacks and shoes (yay, DSW) with it.

Laid down with a cold washcloth over my eyes/head, a little teary from pain/nausea, with it.

Did laundry and roasted a chicken anyway, with it.

Cleaned bits and pieces of the house anyway, dang it.

I read up on "lupus headache" vs. "migraine" with it (interesting that there is such a thing as a lupus headache).

Every time I think it's gone, it creeps back up my neck and over my forehead.

I suspect I'll be working tomorrow with it (can't stay at home, too much to do).

But at least I have a HIGHLY functioning wireless network now!!! (Rich is the Computer King!)

Tech Day

Some new successes in technology today, after months of procrastination.

Replaced the old wireless router (which hasn't worked in months) with an upgrade with MORE POWER. Thanks to Rich for walking me through it -- I was about to throw it out the window after an hour of unsuccessful installation.

I also just installed (on my own, thank you very much) a bluetooth ear piece for my cell phone. And it works! Woo hoo!

I'm not crazy about all of these wireless waves or whatever you call them in such close vicinity (we still don't really know their longterm effects), but I'm also sick of going through ethernet cables, etc. I think I'd prefer a hands free earpiece next to my brain over the cell phone itself.

Serious serious headache today after nearly a week without any head pain. Don't know if it's sinuses or lupus or just stress. Or maybe a little detoxification from very healthy eating this week (vs. previous weeks). Anyway, the noggin is not happy, but I'm still happy that it's the weekend with glorious weather. On the slate tomorrow is a trip to the mall, which I dread on one hand (hate the crowds), but on the other hand, need some warm weather work clothes so am also looking forward to.

I'll probably also pull out the old healthy healing book and see what I need to help cut down on the headaches (probably feverfew and valerian, both remarkably UN-tasty).