When did travel become so bleah?

We have a nearly four hour layover in Chicago. Its really no big deal, but the last time I flew through Chicago was in January.

Its the first time I have flown on American since I self demoted to their mid tier. I am even putting these miles on my Alaska account to save me a flight in vain later this month.

For someone who used to calculate their status mileage to the last mile, things have changed.

With fewer expectations, I am less likely to be disappointed.

It will be the first time in over a year I have seen my aunties and TH's auntie. You don't get these chances all the time so we take them when we can.

We are also travelling in a time when the dollar is stronger. Fear not, I will not be hitting the boutiques on New Bond Street or Avenue Louise, but we are endeavouring to use cash we have on hand instead of paying international fees on our credit cards.

I will post as I can, don't get too excited. I am planning on hitting hamley's for a present for our new arrival and for me that is one of the coolest things that I get to do this year!

Lots of deicing going on here -- cross your fingers


Nm



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Hi bye

Leaving, busy, busy, busy.

See you all from somewhere else if I get packing done.

I need a pedicure.

Long day, emergency meeting with emergency managers, much driving, good conversations, good lecture, good dinner.

I'm pooped.

I cannot fathom that this time next week I'll be in London.

JK -- do some groundwork for me. I'm sorry that we are not there at the same time, pish posh on work travel restrictions.

later,

nm

JK wants me to spend some dosh to keep the economy going and make sure she can retire. While her job is not tied to the manufacturing sector or retail, she wants me to help her retirement account by making the consumer confidence index soar and make you all buy more stocks.

Wow.

Imagine if we had this conversation last year.

I took her up on the challenge. I bought a new tv (first one in 25 years), some cables for the tv, two dvds, some dog food, a few Christmas odds and bobs and groceries. That alone wiped me out...not so much financially, but mentally.

Tonight I plopped my credit card down three times to buy gifts. Really peeps, I should have gone to the cash machine and taken out the cash, it would have made it more real. I don't think I would have spent any more or less, I just would have felt it sooner.

I was emailing a girlfriend today who bemoaned not having any money -- on one level she doesn't have the expendable income she had before, but on the other hand she drives a nice car and lives in a pretty magnificent house and has seen no cut in pay.

How long before her kids realize that things are not so hot out there?

I remember the recession of early 80s. For the first time my parents really cut things back. We turned the heat down in our house and bundled into one room (our rec room) for eating, showering and hanging out. My mom would get up and make dinner with a coat on and honestly, it was pretty pathetic if you think about it. We lived a very affluent lifestyle, but my parents were worried about high heat bills and not spending more than we needed to. To this day, I would rather put on a sweater than turn the heat up past 60 degrees.

While I'm hoping this downturn doesn't last too long and do worry about my friends who small businesses, I am hoping that a few kids out there will not walk past a penny, learn to put on a sweater and squeeze the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube from now on.

heart stopping

Jaw dropping -all in a days work.

The market needs some mood stabilizers. We need to get our heads out of asses, our troops out of Iraq and Bush should just resign right now.

pissed and no where done with it

nm

Sunday

Thank goodness for the end of the month.

Nothing to say.

Nm
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Seven channels of television and nothing to watch.

Just saying.

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To ponder

I thought that a 40 in television would be puny. A 32 inch is ginormous in the space deemed appropiate for its entry into the house with no microwave. So alas back to the local purveyor of such goods to find a suitable substitute for such a luxury.

Just so you all know in the brave new world of consumer durables batteries are included but the 200 dollars worth of cables, gold plated hookup cables are not.

Nm causing citibank early detection fraud office some grief today
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Thankful

The yearly post, skip if you don't like sap.

My mom is healthy and disease free.
My father continues to thrive and drive my mother nuts.
My brother has found his dear soul mate and we cannot be more pleased to add her to the family.
Babies have entered our lives from every angle and are healthy and thriving and bring us hope.
Ernest continues to make us laugh.
My legs have taken me at least a thousand miles this year and that is a feat into itself.
TH remains my anchor and for that I am thankful.
We still have a roof over our heads, money in the bank and the freedom to travel.
The people spoke, voted and listened with their minds and their hearts and picked a new president.
My friends remain true, happy and always there when I need them and I would do the same for them.
I have connected with childhood friends and that makes me very happy.
My parents are nearby and while they do not need me, I am thrilled to have them within the same neighborhood.
I wake up every morning realizing that I am alive, healthy and living a life that I made for myself without a gun to my head or social stricture that narrowly defines my role.

For all this and more I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving eve from nm, th, fifi and ezp.

Vive la republique!

Two things to note -- Banana Republic has marked a crap load of merchandise including coats and denim 40 percent off, how stimulating.

It is astoundingly easy to find seat availability to Paris in early March. Too late for sales, but timed just right with the end of the Brussels chocolate.

Okay, four things. I really will start blogging via the computer soon. I am so freaking tired when I get home the last thing I want to do is stare at a screen.

Fourth -- Friday marks the beginning of march of the Christmas cookie love fest. 15 or so batches lovingly made in the next week. Yikes.

Must dash, fifi requires my attention.

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Monday

Work buy dog walks sunny dahlia lounge joan baez bliss

Night night
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Sunday wrap up

sun, brunch, laugh, nap, visit, dinner, collapse

Really, that was it. Much deserved, much appreciated.

The grocery store the weekend before Thanksgiving is not for sissies.

Just sayin'

Nm
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Wondering

Am I the only person in the world that has not heard of Twilight?

Am I the only person in the world that does not understand the draw of Radiohead?

Am I the only person in the world that believes that one should make gravy the day before Thanksgiving?

Okay, now that is off my chest, I'm bidding you all good night. Tomorrow should be a long day and I'm ready to nod off.

Seriously, the whole week.

Today in my first meeting of the day we were talking about social networking application in relation to projects that my organization uses for public outreach. Not only blogs, but facebook, youtube and twitter. Imagine -- updating your twitter to tell your constituent/data users that there is a new cruise's worth of bottle data available for their viewing or that you have updated the most recent model runs with last year's climatologies reanalyzed the way a MBA massaged the derivative markets in the last five years.

In some cases, I'm seeing amazing uses for some of these outlets. As long as you don't get sucked into them as a vortex that causes you amnesia and makes you forget why you started looking on the tubes of the internets in the first place. My guess is not to search the latest sourceforge.net site for some library or API you might need to make the widget work better. ;)

Sending a text message about an update to a forecast might get more attention than the 100th reply all that is sent to a large newsgroup that should have just been addressed to the original poster. Linking with someone on linkedin.com and then recommending some connection who might have skills you need is also useful. I'm not a big facebook fan, but I'm sure there must be some reason that you would have a facebook page featuring marine protected areas, but I'm not sure quite why.

Hey, these days nothing shocks me.

signing off the tubes, they are filling with smoke as we speak.

nm

Good things

A seven pound box of jules destrooper biscuits and cote d'or goodies from Antwerp via Berkeley arriving on your doorstep.

Waking up at 4 am to pill a sleepy dog and have you TH offer to do it.

A chocolate cake with mocha buttercream frosting and a glass of cold milk.

Finding a dress three months before a wedding that all your friends and your mother agree on.

Having your basset sit on you feet while snoring quietly.

Nm
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I have nothing witty to say today. I'm putting off canning quince preserves, making turkey stock and ironing a bunch of shirts.

It must have been all that sunshine that alluded us yesterday and showed up today to taunt us.

I was more than happy to come home at lunch and take the dog for a walk. I wanted so badly to find a sun patch and lounge for an hour. I did take my sweet time getting back -- running a few errands along the way to postpone the afternoon in front of this infernal machine.

In the fall and winter, I marvel at the kids I see walking to school in their shorts. We take advantage of even the weakest sun here in the 98105 to absorb any vitamin D. Today I did the same --- skirt with bare legs -- it appears that those hours sitting and reading in Lanai revived the little tan I procured this summer. I will milk it and enjoy it while I can because jeans and slacks are soon on the way.

I did draw the line at footwear. I have retired my flip flops until the temperature reaches 70 degrees, I do have my standards.

I am currently plotting another trip to Kauai. I'm not sure when (probably in mid April) and not at a resort, but maybe where there were old Plantation cottages with croquet grounds. All sorts of new and restrictive frequent flyer rules go into effect soon and I want to make sure that I get all my tickets in a row before I lose my favorite award redemptions.

Erm, I have consumer lust.

I am trying to contain it.

I may have to succumb.

Well, only with free shipping and another 300 dollars off and all that other good stuff and after I review my spending plan for the next quarter.

TH and I watched a bunch of movies when we were in Lanai. Really, there is absolutely nothing do there after the sun sets other than go to dinner or play canasta. I fell in love with a tv. I, who rarely watches any tv, but is now impressed with the clarity of Matt Damon's sweaty pecs on a 42" LCD HD tv.

Listen, I didn't even turn the puppy on to see what the regular stations looked like, I just want to watch Flight of the Conchords in living color.