Week Wrapup

I absolutely can't believe it's the last week of July! Where has this year gone? In about a month classes will be starting, and I'll be pretty busy to say the least.
This past week has been overwhelming and busy and crazy! I'm so excited about starting this new job! It was funny, I was asked not to say anything about the job for a while. When Will and I went for a walk on Tuesday he noticed that I was acting oddly. He figured out what it was, but I wouldn't tell him. So, forgetting that he knew the blog address, I thought things were safe. Foolish me! He went right here and read the last post indicating that I had gotten the job. I think he's really happy for me, which means more than he'll ever know!

BIG NEWS!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!!

Yep, got the phone call this afternoon after getting home from Preschool Queen's house. Yes, Monday is laundry day...what fun and excitement, no?

Anyway, I got the phone call offering me the job, and of course I accepted it, who wouldn't? So, of course I went right back to Preschool Queen's house and we all had dinner and champagne, naturally. I think I may have drunk a bottle of it by myself...it's all good, though. Another friend who was there walked me home, no there was no driving. So, I'll get my wheels tomorrow!

Just had to share the awesome news!

JK Rowling is the Best Author Ever

Okay there will be spoilers in this post. If you don't want to know what happens, stop reading.

This was the best Harry Potter book ever! From the very first page, the action was off and running, and there was no stopping until the very last word. (Which was NOT scar, btw...)

And to those of you out there who say it's just a children's book, to you I say. Read this one. It is most certainly not for children. People die left and right. From the very beginning, Voldemort is torturing and killing. Mad-eye Moody dies within the first few chapters. And while the actual death did not bother me terribly, the reaction of the members of the Order of the Phoenix did. Hedwig died at the same time. That devistated me. And then George is maimed. In true twins humor, the jokes roll in as they deal with the loss of his ear.

I was furious when Ron left Harry and Hermione. And didn't understand until he came back and talked about wearing the horcrux. Last night, as Will was reading, he called me and wondered if the doe patronus belonged to Snape. This morning I was shocked to learn he was right! Nice going, Will! And his logic was dead on. It was all because of Lily.

Can I say that Neville was brilliant in this one? He had truly come into his own. What a brave young man!

I was thrilled that Snape was good. All along. I am thrilled that she explained why Dumbledore always trusted him. I love that Harry was able to call him the bravest man he ever knew. And that at his end, Snape gave Harry all of his memories of Lily. It broke my heart that he loved her all his life. I can only imagine how much his was broken.

I sobbed when Dobby was killed. But he died saving Harry Potter. What a truly brave little elf. And Kreature! How much he changed! He ROCKED! I'm amazed that he completely changed his tune. And the key was Regulus.

That Lupin and Tonks died so shortly after Teddy was born was simply heartbreaking. I wish JK had told us who he lived with and who raised him once they were gone. I am so glad that they were able to have some happiness together before their murders.

And Percy redeemed himself! That was just fantastic! It is so hard to be able to admit when you are wrong. Percy had a hard time doing that, but when it came down to it, he was there when it mattered.

I'm also glad that Malfoy (Draco) survived as well. I was pleasantly surprised that he protected Harry, Ron and Hermione when they were taken to the Malfoy Manor.

I think the death that was most painful for me was Fred's. I was so sure that the twins would survive the war. I never thought one of them would die. But I suppose that is how war is.

And so, I have to buy Will dinner. Although I was sort of right. Harry did die, sort of. And then he came back and was able to kill Voldemort. So in the end, I owe him dinner.

Finally, Mrs Weasley killing Bellatrix was simply brilliant! Who would have thought? Now all there is to do is re-read!

You Are Paper

Crafty and creative, you are able to adapt freely to almost any situation. People tend to underestimate you, unless they've truly seen what you are capable of. Deep down, you're always scheming and thinking up new plans. Your mind is constantly active. You are quite capable of anything you dream of. You can always figure out a way to get what you want. You can wrap a rock person up in your sheet of trickery. A scissor person can sneak up and cut you to pieces. When you fight: No one can anticipate your next move If someone makes you mad: You'll attack them mercilessly when they're unprepared

Are You Rock, Paper, or Scissors?

The Wait is Over!

I'll post much more when I have time tomorrow night, I promise.
But I have my copy of the book!
I'm a little over half-way through it.
It's actually a lot harder to read than I thought it would be!
I've had to keep putting it down and walking away.
Tomorrow, pictures and stories from the Midnight Madness Party!

Three Days and Counting

It's only 3 days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released. Preschool Queen and I are going to Barnes and Noble for the midnight release of the book. This is the first time either of us have done this, but we thought it would be fun since it's the last of the series.

It has been 10 years since the first Harry Potter book came out, and many readers have grown up with Harry. I didn't start reading the books in '97. In fact, I didn't start reading them until sometime around when Prisoner of Azkaban came out. I was in college at the time, and one of my professor's (in fact, my favorite professor) was talking about the books, and the fact that the third in the series was about to come out. She thought I would like them and encouraged me to read the first two that had already been published. So I did. I read the first two books very quickly; and I borrowed her copy of the third book and read it in one day. I was completely hooked. The writing is exceptional. Now, I realize that this is nothing that hasn't already been said about the books or JK. She has done something that no other writer in recent memory has been able to do. I mean there is no midnight release party for the most recent Danielle Steele books.

As the day comes closer and closer, I wonder more and more how the series will end. Will Harry survive? Who's side is Snape on? And where are all the Horcruxes? As much as I want to get the book and devour it immediately, I know that this is it. Once I'm finished reading, there are no more on the horizon. There will never be another group of readers who have to wait for the next installment (sometimes for an agonizingly long period of time). And so I wonder, will it satisfy all of my expectations? Will all my questions be answered? Only Three more days to wait!

New Carpet Saga Continued...

Remember I mentioned that work was having the carpets replaced? Well, the carpet in our office is the small squares of carpeting rather than one long roll. And the installers are using a spray adhesive to make it stick to the floor. A spray adhesive that has a variety of warnings on the can. Including that the product should not be used indoors and if it must be used indoors, that it should be a well-ventilated room. We have double plate glass windows. This product, highly toxic. Apparently all attempts should be made to not inhale it. We've been sitting in the office for almost 2 weeks now while they use it. Totally explains the painful headaches I've been getting lately that won't go away no matter what I try.

Lead Momma's Funniest Blog Comment Ever

Okay, so this is probably going to be pretty snarky, maybe even bordering on mean; but this is just too funny to not draw attention to.

Let me set up the whole situation. Lead Momma calls me on her way home from work today and it was the first time she and I have chatted since I saw her new haircut. So I commented on it, and she asked me if I had seen the other comment on her blog entry. I said that I hadn't noticed it, and she said that it was from Poopy-head. (This is what we call her loser ex fiance.)
So, of course I ran right to my computer and checked out her blog to see it; and this is what I find:

It's Dan. We were engaged a bunch of years ago. Anyway, I tracked you down
online and see you have a beautiful son. Good for you! My second girl just
turned one. Drop me a line. I'd love to hear from you; sounds like you've become
a wonderful mother. No surprise there. Bye!

I started howling when I read this. THIS is how he identifies himself? We were engaged a bunch of years ago? Is he FREAKING kidding? Oh THAT Dan. I forgot you but boy, once you described yourself that way. Now I remember who you are. She was with him for 6 years. Who the hell forgets someone they spent six years of their lives with and planned to marry? Seriously, WTF? We both laughed so hard. There were tears...true story. Now to continue, one of the things he said didn't work for him was the fact that Lead Momma wanted to have children. Ummm...now he has 2? WTF again, I ask... And finally...'Drop me a line.' NO CONTACT INFORMATION. But please. Drop him a line. Right. She'll be right on that. Because she wants a loser like this guy to be back in her life.

Lead Momma is the closest thing I'll ever have to a sister. She is an amazing woman. She has an absolutely sparkling personality. She is brilliant, funny and loving. She is one of the best people I have ever met. This is all just a lead up to my being able to say how happy I am that she is where she is in her life. She has been blessed. While it certainly didn't feel that way when Poopy-head left just 6 months before the wedding, she rebounded and found a man who truly loves her. And is deserving of her love in return.

We think that he (Poopy-head) must have some unresolved issues since he's contacting her. Whatever. She was thinking about commenting back to him, and I told her to just ignore him; live in the satisfaction of the amazing life she has. They say that living well is truly the best revenge around. And she's truly doing that.

So, anyway, in closing...to say that this was truly my laugh for the day would be an understatement.

Master's Bound...

I GOT IN!!!!!

It's funny how life works sometimes. As I was sitting here feeling really rotten about a variety of things and getting frustrated with just about everything, I decided in my randomness to take out the trash. (yes, the completely unglamorous side of living alone...) So while I was down there, I grabbed the mail.

Crammed into my mailbox was a big envelope from the University. I knew then that if it had been a letter turning down my application, it would have just been a legal sized envelope. I ran back upstairs and was already crying when I read the first line of the letter that said 'Congratulations.' And then I couldn't stop crying.

So, in just two short years, I'll have my degree and will be done with my thesis! I'm so very excited!

To Call or Not to Call continued...

So, the overwhelming advice I got (I mean from EVERYBODY except Marsh--sorry honey) was to drop an email thanking him for a nice evening and suggesting a second date. So, that's what I've done. I did that this morning; and so now, more of the waiting game. I really just wish I knew one way or the other.

Of course, self-doubt has started creeping in and I've started wondering if he didn't have such a good time with me. Which leads me to wonder how on earth I ever could have mis-read the entire evening like that. I really thought we hit it off. This whole dating thing, so not fun. Well, let me rephrase that. The date was great, wonderful, a lot of fun. This part sucks. This waiting, this insecurity, this not knowing.

Communications Center...

Work always has it's moments, doesn't it? A very good friend of mine there works in the communications center. Remember I was writing about it before? Anyway, she just got a job offer in Florence, AZ; and she's taking it. It'll be a pay increase and way more opportunities for her. I'm completely and totally excited for her to say the least. Now I have a reason to visit AZ.

But this means that there is a vacancy in the communications center. And my old supervisor is now the supervisor there. He called me into his office tonight and said that while he wasn't going to force me, he'd really like me to join the unit again. Since my friend had already told me about her job, I knew that this was coming. So, I said yes. What else could I have done? I mean really. What was I going to do? Stomp my feet and act like a 3 year old? I did make two requests, first: that my friend re-train me before she leaves; and second: that I keep my current schedule. He was agreeable to those demands. I'm taking it as a chance to have a change of pace and new opportunities for my resume. So as of mid-August, I'll be answering phones again. I think the job will be fine, it'll be the attitudes of everyone else in the unit that will drive me absolutely insane to say the least.

This is of course, totally dependent on whether or not I get the supervisor position. That would negate all of the previous ramblings. So, it's the waiting now.

To Call or Not to Call

So, I went on a date Monday night. And we had a great time. We talked and laughed for hours. It was amazing. At the end of the night he said that he had a great time and would call (or email). I asked if he wanted to get together again, and he said definitely, soon. Now he hasn't called. It's been two days. I know there's the 'three day rule' but did I completely read the whole night wrong?

We met for coffee and talked for well over an hour and decided to go for a walk. We started walking and it started raining. While that wasn't such a big deal, it continued to rain harder and harder, so he asked if I wanted to go to get a drink somewhere. We ended up at a bar that I love, a nice place where you can actually talk; and we were there for several beers and food. He's cute, he's funny, outgoing and very nice. He's dynamic and well read. He made me smile and laugh, a lot. He was a true gentleman. He opened doors for me, he complimented me, paid for the whole evening and then at the end, walked me to my car even though it was completely out of his way. He even hugged me goodnight.

Homer tells me that things must have been going well, because if He wasn't having a good time, he could have bailed at a variety of times throughout the night. And he didn't. I really want to see this guy again. So, what do I do? Preschool Queen thinks the 'three day rule' is a total bunch of crap and says that I should just drop him a line. My only concern there, if he does believe in the '3 day' thing, then he'll think I'm nuts for contacting him. I am so very impatient, and waiting until Thursday is just driving me nuts.

I know he's got a bunch going on, one of his very good friends is in town one last time before she moves to San Francisco; she actually got to his apartment the day we were going out. I offered to cut the night short so he could hang out with her, and he said he'd see plenty of her later, but was having a good time with me. I know I'm probably freaking over nothing...I guess what makes the most sense is waiting until tomorrow and sending a message thanking him for a nice time on Monday. Or do I wait for him to make the next move? I'm so confused!