Long Week

Ugh! I'm tired. This week has been long and tiring. It's over now though. At least the working for someone else part is. :)

Now, I'll be helping my princesses complete their science fair projects over the course of the weekend. They're due on Monday, I believe and not all the data has been collected and the write-ups have not yet been completed. After that, there are the pics to develop and arrange and the display board to put together.

Luckily, I'm going to help with the science portion of the projects and I'll get the Queen to help them with the display board portion on the projects.

Scientific method for all! :D

This post was brought to you by the letters A, B, C, and the number 26.

Busy, Busy!

I've been really busy, recently.

At work, I'm administering a new product line for my company, but it's so new that a number of processes are still in development. There is a TON of documentation and discussion to do in the development of those processes. Not only that, but I'm cross-training to help out the rest of my team on their workload. This training is a LOT of information to digest and process. Not to mention several applications to get familiar with while also doing my primary job. Needless to say, I've been really tired these last couple of weeks just trying to keep up. It's a good kind of tired, though, so I'm not complaining. :)

At home, we've been dealing with different people being sick at different times. This includes high fevers, racking coughs, extremely runny noses, refusal to eat, and the like. It seems at this point, the one who has it the worst is the Queen, but the Prince and the Purple Dragon have recovered enough to claim they're fine. Luckily, the Pink Princess and I have managed to avoid the critter that has plagued the house. Let's hope it stays that way, eh?

So, now you've been updated and my conscience is clear. :)

This post has been brought to you by the letters T, I, R, E, D, and the number 31.

Of Fun, Illness, and Lack of Sleep

So I took a half day on Thursday and took my family to Lagoon last week. I'd say it was a success overall. I saw nearly everyone laughing hysterically at some point or other over the course of the afternoon and evening.

Suffice it to say I slept really well that night. :)

So, Friday morning, the prince spiked a fever around 102. It resisted being controlled with meds. The queen took him to the doctor that afternoon and it had spiked to 103 which prompted immediate application of meds by the doctor. He was prescribed antibiotics and has been on them since. Here's hoping he begins to respond to the meds quickly!

Last night, the prince and one of the princesses conspired to deprive me of sleep. Needless to say, I'm dragging this morning. :)

The last few days have been chock FULL of interesting and adrenaline.

This post was brought to you by the letters R, S, T, L, N, E, and the number 16.

Weekend? PLEASE?

This week has been filled with what can only be described as an emotional roller coaster. First, I have to admit that I've been feeling real sorrow for my fellow human beings in Haiti. My heart goes out to them.

The Dallas Cowboys have won a playoff game and won in December all within a few weeks each other. I have to be happy about that, right? :) I've gone to one physical therapy treatment for my neck and I have to admit that it feels a bit better. I'm going back for the next treatment tonight and then I get to go hang out with some friends and be geeky. :)

We've decided to finally try D&D 4th edition after it's been out for nearly 2 years. I'm looking forward to it. If it's a spectacular failure, it will still be an escape for me.

I need an escape after this week of work. Wow! I can't tell you any specifics because this is "teh Internets" (and it's always possible that someone from there could read this and then I'd be Dooced), but suffice it to say that it has NOT been a pleasant week. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to be gainfully employed, but this week has been difficult. I can only hope that next week is more pleasant for all parties involved.

This post was brought to you by the letters M, J, H, and the number 9.

Exhaustion

I am really dragging these days. The carpet was installed yesterday and we've begun bringing back furniture.

I still need to install the molding downstairs and complete the door trim (3 pieces remain). The new door hardware needs to be installed downstairs and I need to cut a half inch from the bottom of a door. I had been hoping to avoid cutting the door, but it is inevitable. I also need to paint a window sill I completely forgot about when I was painting trim in the rec room (this needs 2 coats at least).

Once all the above is complete, I can begin assembly on the new furniture. There are at least 4 pieces that need complete assembly. Then I can move some of the heavier items of the existing furniture into place.

The incidentals that remain include installing electrical plates and a bunch of touch-ups as well as temporary installation of a handrail to the basement. I have the materials to create a new one, but I'm not going to have time to build it and stain it before the party tomorrow night.

I think I'll leave the incidentals other than touch-ups to last, possibly tomorrow since it really won't take very long to perform those tasks.

This post was brought to you by the letters T, I, R, E, D, and the number 30 (hours to go).

Paint Fumes!

Last night I painted the ceilings of the Basement buildout and the rec room. This morning, the Queen claims to be a bit high on paint fumes and the Princess has claimed to HATE the smell of paint. The ladies are a little demanding! :)

How am I supposed to paint the space before the carpet is installed if I don't apply paint to the ceiling and walls of the space?! I mean SHEESH! :)

Anyway, I finished up around midnight and I'm dragging at work a bit today as a result. Tomorrow, the marathon really starts. I have to paint the walls of the new bedroom 2 colors (light over dark), the common area and stairs, and the rec room 2 colors (accent wall). All of it needs 2 coats. I also need to install the door hardware and start painting the trim and chair rail that we'll need to get. On Sunday, I get to install chair rail and start installing the trim. (I'm planning on watching my Cowboys win another game and the Nascar race as well - should be some really good crashes). Then Monday and Tuesday nights, I have to try to finish up because the carpet gets installed on Wednesday. Wednesday and Thursday, I have to assemble some furniture and put it into place. Sounds fun, eh? :)

Wish me luck at getting it all done!

This post was grought to you by the letters H, O, M, E, and the number 5.

1st Day Back

Today was the 1st day back from vacation and I have to say, it was the most relaxing day in the last week. :)

There was less than 30 minutes of driving total, and there weren't any hills to traverse. I'd say that was a pretty relaxing day, how about you? :)

I'm sure the Queen will have a boatload of pictures to post at some point, but for now just know that I missed each and every 3 of you who read this on a regular basis. :)

Thank you for your patronage. :)

This post was brought to you by the letters D, O, N, E, and the number 11.

Not Enough Time...

... in a week to complete all the things I need to do, which is why I haven't updated you all in an age. Basically, our little Prince threw a monkey wrench into our plans of getting things done in time for his arrival by joining us 4 weeks prior to his due date and 2-3 weeks prior to when the doctor wanted to deliver him.

As a result of the turmoil, the projects have been thrown into disarray. The renovation to the basement has ground to a halt and I'm focused on completing the Prince's quarters of the castle and getting the carpets cleaned in that wing. The last of the painting in the his room was completed last night at 1:30am. The carpets are scheduled to be cleaned tomorrow afternoon. :)

I have to clear all the items from our upstairs bedrooms tonight by myself which is only an issue for 2 or 3 pieces of furniture. The rest of it is either small or can be disassembled so it is more a matter of just doing it. It's still a lot of work though. I'll post pics of his room once I've reinstalled all the outlet covers, blinds, curtain rods, door hardware and put in all the furniture. You'll get to see the completed room soon enough. :)

I'll try to be better about keeping you all updated even if I happen to be exhausted at the time. :) Keep checking his blog or the Queen's blog for other updates.

This post has been brought to you by the letters T, I, R, E, D, and the number 3.

Yet Another Update...

...on the remodel project. The North and West walls in the room are done and I have the closet and window walls remaining as well as the walls of the landing outside the bedroom. After that, is mudding and taping. YUM!!! :)

It's beginning to resemble a room a bit now. I'm happy about that though really tired when I go to bed each night.

This post was brought to you by the letters S,W,E,A,T, and the number 4.

Here's an Update...

...on the remodel project. The insulation has been completed and I've started on the drywall. The ceiling of the bedroom is complete and I plan to work on the walls this week. :) Then, I'll switch over and do the greenboard and hardy backer in the bathroom. After that, it's time to add the doors.

There is still a bit of framing left to do in the landing area, but I should be able to knock that out after work tomorrow.

I still don't have the pictures rescued from the Queen's camera, but once I do, I'll add them on here for you.

So far, it looks like we're still on time to have the bedroom done by the time the Prince arrives. The bathroom is another matter altogether. Since we're now going to tile the bathroom, we've decided it's OK to complete that AFTER the Prince arrives.

This post was brought to you by the letters T, I, R, E, D, and the number 5.

April...

Wow, it's April already! Time flies these days. Things have been busy and both the Queen and I have been slacking on posting regularly. We have our reasons, of course, but the Queen is much better with words than I am so I'll let her tell you all about it.

Meanwhile, I'm preparing to put in the first crop of our garden (if the snow will ever stop that is). At least as a result of the very wet winter, we are officially out of the drought! Yay! Water! :)

The pager went off twice last night. :( I was up from 2am until 4am with about 10 minutes of sleep in the middle when I fixed one issue before the second one hit. I'm pretty tired at this point.

I'm going to get back to work now. Later!

This post was brought to you by the letters, O, D, L, F, O, E, and the number 1.

Feelin' Old

I'm feeling really old these days. It's really sad when you're falling asleep at 7pm. I took the Princesses to a movie at the planetarium tonight and part of the way through the movie, I found myself falling asleep to my horror! What's wrong with me?

I'm OLD! That's what's wrong. Perhaps I'll look into getting a new sporty car or something to help deal with this crisis.

This post was brought to you by the letters O, L, D, and the number 35+. :)

Exhausted...

Hello all. I'm exhausted.

Whether or not you want to know about it, I'm going to tell you why. :) In an effort to spend less money (and as a result put more money in his own pocket), the owner of the company where I work rented out half of our space. Chowderhead!

As a result, we've had to uproot all our equipment and put it into half the space. Also, we have a really important meeting with some potential partners tomorrow. So the entire week, we've been killing ourselves to get the place clean and presentable.

So, I'm tired and I'm tempted to play hooky tomorrow and stay home. I WISH!

This post was brought to you by the letters R, E, E, K, and the number 5.

Violation!

Yesterday was P-Day! Yes, I got to go into the doctor's office, get bare, and get poked and prodded until the doctor declared me fit to live. After that not-so-pleasant experience, I'm told that my cholesterol and blood pressures are both better than they were 1 month ago. :) That's encouraging, right?

Anyway, I went to work after that and there was a bunch of drama with a member of the sales team getting absolutely fed up with their supervisor and quitting on the spot. I can't say that I blame her as her supervisor is an unmitigated ass, but it's not my department.

That evening, the Pink Princess had baseball clinic and first practice on her new season of coach-pitch baseball. That went pretty well though I'm going to need to work with her a bit on throwing, catching and batting. :) She has enthusiasm, so that makes up for a lot, but I think she can be one of the better players on the team is I work with her a bit.

That night, our stupid neighbors decided to play basketball until after 1am so I called the cops on them. I guess their cop-radar was on and they stopped just after I put the phone down. Then the Purple Dragon had a couple of nightmares and I had to deal with that.

Suffice it to say that I was draggin' when I arrived at work this morning. :)

This post was brought to you by the letters T, I, R, E, D, and the number 1.

Find a Scape Goat

So now they're trying to fabricate a reason to blame computer games for the actions of a troubled individual. Get real folks! If a person has trouble separating reality from fiction, it's NOT the fault of the game!

I can't believe the media is going along with this nonsense! C'mon, folks! a person is responsible for his/her own decisions even if that person has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. It's like blaming cars for auto accidents.

OK, enough of my ranting. We have a DVR now! :) Yay! That means we aren't held at the mercy of the networks anymore! We can play with the girls without missing our most favorite television shows. Yeah, that means we're really boring, but that tends to happen once you've had kids and they aren't in their teens yet. :) Once they get to their teens, I hear things get really interesting...

I think I've been working too much. I have a touch of the illness that has been going around for the last few weeks and haven't been getting the rest I need in order to fight it. I think I'm losing the fight though. Each morning finds me feeling worse than the previous. I need a day off in the middle of the week. I think that would help. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight as well so I can get an extra hour or so of sleep. It might make a difference. :) Please send me "Get Well Soon!" vibes so I can get back to normal. Thanks! :)

This post was brought to you be the letters T, I, R, E, D, and the number 6.

A Rock and a Hard Place...

So... my company's developer accepted a position elsewhere and will be leaving at the end of the month. Unfortunately, there are all these big plans from management to do all these different things that involve developers. They haven't allowed me to increase my staff which would have helped this problem before it became a problem, but that's life, right? Wrong! I know they expect that we'll continue where we left off without any break and without any interruption. They are so short-sighted. We need at least 2 people capable of covering each position. I know that may seem a little obvious to some of you, but we're talking some real rocket scientists here. The entire situation puts me squarely between the aforementioned extremely dense objects.

Now... on to other things. I'm enjoying the book Wicked. Many thanks to Admiral Bob for turning me on to the book. It's quite entertaining. Once I'm done with it, I think I'll go on to the next Harry Potter book that's lying on the floor of the Rec Room. I haven't read it yet and it's been around here for quite some time. I've been pretty good at controlling myself... :)

GEEK WARNING!!! GEEK WARNING!!!
My gaming group has completed my Sidewinder campaign and we've moved on to a v3.5 D&D campaign. I'm having a great deal of fun with this one. Of course, I'm playing a H. Elf Ranger/Sorcerer (pretty standard for me) and it's a she. About 50-60% of the time I play a female character. Go figure! :)
GEEKINESS COMPLETE!

I guess I'll go read some Wicked since I'm too tired to play WoW. It's also a bit too cold in the basement to play WoW at the moment. The basement is unfinished and there are no heating ducts in the basement. We get a little residual heat when the furnace starts and from the computers down here, but that's it. We borrowed my Mother-In-Law's space heater, but it pretty much has to be within 10 inches to be effective so the Queen uses it most of the time. She gets cold easily... :)

By the way, the temps around here have ranged from 0° F to about 20° F. That's cool enough to make me agree that it's cold. :) I'm sure the Queen will be happy to read that I admitted to that.

This post was brought to you by the letters F, R, I, G, I, D, and the number 0.

Whipped!

Whew! I'm whipped (whupped if you're from the south like me :) and it ass because of all the stuff I have to complete before I go on vacation. Basically, tomorrow is the last day I work until Jan 3. :) Happy!

I'm finally taking a vacation! The queen and I are taking to two princesses to Disney Land in Southern California, though the 2 princesses do not know this yet. It's their big Christmas gift from our royal selves. Anyway, if you know us and see the princesses, please keep the secret! :) We have all the arrangements handled and are renting a royal carriage to transport us all overland through the glittering city of Las Vegas (I've never been there by the way) and on to Southern California. There, we'll visit with the royal Mouse and all his associates for the better part of a week. We'll also visit a couple of friends from our previous lives in VA while we're there. We might also visit a couple of friends in Las Vegas on the way back, though that's still unplanned. It won't be that much rest and relaxation, but it'll be a vacation from the norm.

I just hope the princesses appreciate the effort the queen and I had to go through to accomplish this task. I need to go and help one of the princesses retrieve a game from her closet. Talk to you all later! :)

This post was brought to you by the letters M, I, C, K, E, Y, and the number 5.