I Want to Go School Shopping

So, wandering around Target last night for the usual assortment of random toiletry items (soap, toothpaste, TP, etc.)and wandered past the back to school aisles. Something about new notebooks, pencils, and backpacks just make me all tingly. I want to go school shopping.

This Really Would Have Been a Much Better Movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwM3GvaTRM

(I tried to embed this, but it was covering up my sidebar and I couldn't fix it, so you will just have to click on the link)

Found this linked on Facebook. Good stuff.

You know you're a social worker when...

1. You think $40,000 a year is "really making it".
2. You don't really know what it's like to work with men.
3. You know all the latest lingo for drugs, where to get them, and how much they cost.
4. You've started a sentence with 'So what I hear you saying is...'
5. You've had 2 or more jobs at one time just to pay the bills.
6. You tell people what you do and they say "that's so noble".
7. You have had to explain to people that not all social workers take away kids.
8. You use the words 'validate,' 'appropriate' and 'intervention' daily.
9. You spend more than half your day documenting and doing paperwork.
10. You think nothing of discussing child abuse over dinner.
11. People have said to you "I don't know how you do what you do".
12. You've never been on a business trip or had an expense account.
13. You know a lot of other social workers who have left the profession for another.
14. You've very familiar with the concept of entitlement.
15. Staying at a job for 2 years is 'a long time'.
16. Your phone number is unlisted for good reason.
17. Your professional newsletters always have articles about raising salaries...but you still haven't seen it.
18. You've very familiar with the term 'budget cut'.
19. You can't imagine working at a bank or crunching numbers all day.
20. You've had clients who liked you just a little too much.
21. Having lunch is a luxury many days.
22. You've been cursed and or threatened...and it doesn't bother you.
23. Your job orientation has included self defense.
24. You have the best stories at any cocktail party.
25. Your parents don't know half of the stuff that you've dealt with at your job.
26. You know all the excuses clients use for a failed a drug test by heart.

Anniversary

Went and hung out in Santa Barbara a couple weekends ago for the 9 year anniversary. SB is a very pretty place... to bad more studios don't migrate there or to San Diego!

We stayed at the Montecito Inn, a really cute hotel built by Charlie Chaplin. Posters from his movies are all over the place, and you can ask to borrow any of his movies for free at the front desk.

We spent most of the next day at the Santa Barbara mission. I love old buildings, especially churches.

Back of the church had an old graveyard with several mausoleums (is that the right word for the above ground buildings?) Anyway, the door had obviously fallen off of one of the [empty] slots... nice and creepy. Tyler very obligingly tried to act vampirish for me.

And, of course, our customary "hold the camera out and take a picture together since no one else is around to take it for us" shot. Behind us is the beach we could walk to from the hotel. We spent some hours sitting on the sand reading and listening to ocean waves. Very peaceful until an overly excited dog ran over us.

Workouts

So, in keeping with the "post-Avatar recovery plan" we are doing the following:

Couch-to-5K:
http://www.coolrunning.com
except that instead of walking / running, I am running and running faster, because I like to torture myself that way.

100 Push-Ups:
www.hundredpushups.com
am up to week 4 and can do 41 push-ups at last try. and yes, they are girl push-ups, but I am still proud.

200 Sit-Ups:
http://hundredpushups.com/
on week 4, day 2. love how it's nice and easy numbers until the last set, then 70?!!

Peach Cobbler for breakfast

(except get the TJ quick cook steel oats)
AND

AND

= Yummy

Nothing New...

It's kinda just one of those times when nothing is going on and by the time I get home my brain feels like mush. Probably because I pretty much emotionally invest myself in other people for the 8 hours a day while doing therapy. And, because I am chronically behind on notes (go figure) if I am in front the computer at night I am catching up.
On the good side though, Tyler is actually home on the evenings & weekends. I am making it to the gym 5x a week and eating more than really healthy. And I have time to read, plan vacations, and talk to friends / family.
So, that's it... nothing new.

Random Enjoyment

We Survived

Avatar is OVER!! I am SO. HAPPY. I don't know that it has even sunk in all the way yet; every once in a while it will hit either Tyler or myself and there is instant giddiness. There was also something almost poetic about Tyler getting violently ill the last two days of the job, almost as if Avatar was reminding him to remember his lesson: that he NEVER wants to do a project this intense again, no matter how prestigious it looks on paper. Now on to Dreamworks, a mecca of 9-6 working hours, paid holidays, paid vacations, paid sick leave, and medical benefits. Oh the bliss.

Oops.

So, I wished on Monday that James Cameron would get the stomach flu. You know, nothing life threatening or major, just something that would take him out of commission for the week so Tyler could be home at a decent time. So, today, Tyler calls at about 5:00 to say he was home. Apparently, there were 18-20 people who either called in sick or had to leave due to vomiting and they sent everyone else home as a precaution. Hmm... have I found my superpower?

Off to the frozen tundra...

hope my wimpy LA self can handle a week of 30 or below weather!

Holiday Recap Pt 2

The Christmas Nerf gun war... because what better way to celebrate Christmas with friends than shooting nerf darts at each other as rapidly as possible?

First, we had to hunt for our presents using clues....


Then inventory of the arsenal...


Choose your weapon, your team, and your hideout....


That's right, look into those eyes and be scared...


"Your mother is a classy lady."

Holiday Recap Pt 1

Well, the holidays are done. My lights and decorations are down and sitting on the table ready to be boxed up. As usual, the days have seemed to have flown by. It was a good couple of weeks though. Tyler had 5 whole days off for Christmas and 2 days off for New Years, which, considering his schedule is lucky. Here are a few highlights of the days leading up to Christmas:

I started to do the 12 days of Christmas for Tyler. Unfortunately it sizzled out after day 6, mostly due to my not feeling well, but it was fun while it lasted, and it got Tyler through some miserable days at work - which was why I was doing it in the first place!

We had the usual assortment of work parties. Here is me with a couple of gals from work. We went to a cute little Mexican restaurant close to my workplace chosen for it's proximity and low cost.

In sharp contast, we went to Tyler's work party a few days later. It was at the home of John Landau, the producer of Avatar. Here is Tyler next to the trophy case in which there was the Titanic Oscar. I have a pic of him and Jim (a.k.a. James Cameron) but don't know if I am allowed to post that online. :) When we pulled up to the house, a valet was waiting to park our car for us. The swimming pool was covered with a fake floor and there was a tent set up with lights. Waiters were walking around with appetizers, drinks, and cigars. It was as Hollywood as you could imagine. Tyler kept introducing me to celebrities, including Zoey Saldana and Giovanni Ribisi. I totally didn't recognize anyone. Which, I guess it good because I wasn't "star-struck" at all while talking to them. Tyler just thought it was funny.

We made cornish game hens with acorn squash for dinner on Christmas Eve. It was muy yummy.