Thankful Thursday

Things I'm grateful for this week:

• Thursday -- only one day left until the weekend, yay!!
  


• Pandora -- I know, I'm late to the party. I've actually known about pandora.com for a while, but until a recent upgrade to our computers/network at the office, we couldn't get to or use it. Now that we can, I've had it playing in the background nearly every day. Of course, I've been grooving to lots of old favorites, but the best thing is the new-to-me songs or artists I've discovered when it's given me things that are similar in nature to those songs I told it I like. If you aren't already using it, check it out!!
  


• Spring flowers -- Between the cherry blossoms & the magnolia blooms, DC is pretty much busting at the seams. Add in the daffodils and tulips blooming in my front yard, and it's pretty hard not to smile or not to be in a good mood.
  


• Getting a major vote of confidence from the higher-ups at work. Even better was being able to back up that vote of confidence by taking the ball & running with it/finishing the project within the time frame in which it was needed. Something like that is always nice, but it's especially satisfying given the current economy. Every little bit of extra job security is a good thing as far as I'm concerned!
  


• My foster puppy FINALLY being out of heat. She was scheduled to be spayed so she could move on to her permanent home, but came into heat just before, which meant the surgery had to be postponed. She's now out of heat (and acting/feeling more like herself again), which means that a) we can reschedule the surgery, and b) I can take her out for walks again. Being able to get her adequate exercise will certainly help evenings be calmer around my household until she moves on to her forever home!!!
  


• Good friends who have rallied around me these past couple of weeks as I've had to deal with a difficult person and the resulting drama said person likes to cause. While such things are just a part of life & we all have to deal with them from time to time, it's great to know I've got people who have my back and make such unpleasantness more bearable.

How bout you? What are you thankful for today? (Thanks to Tib for the super-fly, retro-inspired new graphic.)

Playing Tourist in my own backyard

I'm updating our website and my boss suggested using some pics to jazz it up a bit. He was willing to buy some stock photos from a couple of professional websites, but since we're so close to some of the famous landmarks, I suggested just giving me an hour sometime with the good work camera & letting me go play a bit. When I got brain-fried yesterday, I decided that was just what would perk me up, so I grabbed the camera & headed out.

It was a perfect day for it!! It was 60-ish degrees & we had a storm front on its way here, so there were some interesting cloud formations, as you can see. (I *much* prefer shooting on cloudy days to shooting in bright sun -- the results are always much more interesting!) In addition, I decided to do this a little before 4:00 pm & since it gets dark here just before 5:00 pm nowadays, that meant I had the "golden hour" of twilight to play with. I love how the colors change so much, from one shot to the next, in such a short time frame.

The ones I'll use for work are more "standard", but I also took some more artistic shots for myself. The ones on this post are some of my favorites from around the US Capitol and the Supreme Court bldg.

Enjoy!!

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while since I've gotten one of these written and it's long overdue. This week, I'm thankful for:

• Holiday goodies. They are starting to appear around my office & since I haven't gotten around to making any myself, that's a good thing!!
  


• Finally kicking the sinus infection that sidelined me for a bit. Good riddance!
  


• Cyber Monday. I was home sick that day & managed to pick up most of the remaining items on my Christmas list. Got some good deals on 'em too!!
  


• My job. It's rough out there. I know lots of people are out of work or facing potential layoffs. So far, things are stable here & I am profoundly grateful for that!
  


• The holiday specials. I admit it; I'm just a big ol' little kid when it comes to holiday specials. Charlie Brown, the Grinch, Heat Meiser/Cold Meiser, etc. all make me smile.
  


• Getting a break from teaching weekly dance classes. The place we teach isn't heated, so we take the winter off from our classes. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy teaching or I wouldn't do it, and especially with the last group of students we had as they were a lot of fun. However, I do also enjoy getting a break from it sometimes. We've still got events to perform at and other non-weekly-classes to do, but due to the economy, those are also lighter than usual this year, so it's the first real break we've gotten in quite a while and I'm greatly enjoying it.
  

How bout you? What are you thankful for today? Thanks to Tiburon for the new graphic.

Thankful Thursday Friday

Traveling this week has left me scrambling to catch up, so I'm a little late, but thankful none the less. This week I'm thankful for:

• Being home -- I like traveling, but I'm always glad to come home.
  
  
• Those things Washington DC has to offer like great museums, wonderful theatre & arts, etc. I'm reminded every time I go away how many nice things this city/area offers.
  
  
• My dogs --it's so nice to see how much they've missed me whenever I go away. Makes me feel special. :-)
  
  
• A great cadre of volunteers --without their help, we couldn't run the dances we offer. This is especially noticeable this week since I was gone for much of it and couldn't have managed the details even if I'd wanted to.
  
  
• My dance partner -- who did keep things running while I was gone. Teaching classes or filming a partner-based dance show is not easy to do solo and he had to do both this week. Thanks, darlin', you're a gem!
  
  
• Making 2 new friends at work -- this trip, I was paired up with 2 ppl I'd neither met nor worked with before. Given the nature of the trip, one spends long hours (14-16 hr days, or even longer) as a team, most of the time in one car, so there's no getting away from one another if personalities clash or you just aren't a good fit. I was paired with 2 wonderful people with great senses of humor. Within a very short time, we were laughing and joking with each other as if we were old friends. It made the very long work days a lot nicer than if we hadn't really clicked.
  
  
• Being healthy -- Last time I had to do this type of work assignment was a couple of years ago. I was not well, so those 16-hour days really were trying. This time around was a MUCH better experience.
  
  
• Our veterans. And the troops currently serving our country. They deserve our thanks & more! Take a moment or 2 this upcoming Tuesday to at least honor them, if not doing something to actively thank them.

Props to Tiburon for the great new autumnal graphic & the original idea for the Thankful Thursday posts. Feel free to take the idea and the graphic and play along.

On the Road Again

I'm outta here bright and early tomorrow. Or, actually, dark and early tomorrow since I'll be up and out before sunrise, even with the time change.

I'm supposed to have internet access at the hotel. If it works, I'll hopefully be able to pop in & say hi from Texas, but in case either it doesn't work or the 16-hour days I'm expecting leave me too tired to remind you:

Go vote on Tuesday if you haven't already!!!

Thankful Thursday

This week, I'm thankful for:

• The upcoming time change. It's so hard to get up for work when the sun's not even up yet. I also have a way-too-early flight next week, so I have to be out of here at o-dark-thirty. At least it will seem not quite so unbelievably early thanks to the time change.
  


• A working keyboard. I sorta knocked mine off my desk last week & broke it. It's very hard to check email, surf the web, or even do work-stuff when you don't have a functional keyboard.
  


• Running water. Another one of those things we take for granted. While I get to go to San Antonio (ish) for work next week, a co-worker is being sent to a *really* remote area where he may not have access to running water for part of the day. I'd say I got the better deal on this one!!
  


• French fries. I know they aren't good for me, but they're soooo good!! I think someone should come up with a study showing that French fries are actually good for you, the way they've shown that about chocolate, coffee, red wine, etc. Just sayin'.
  


• Kind & caring neighbors. We had some really fierce winds the other day. I didn't realize it, but they blew the gate open in my yard. One of my dogs discovered it & unbeknownst to me, he decided to go off exploring on a little walkabout. I found out this had occured when I got a call from someone a couple of blocks away telling me they had my dog. They'd gotten my number off the tag on his collar. How wonderful of them to make the effort/take the time!!

So, how bout you? What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

• Having a few minutes before my next meeting where I can actually make this post. It's been rare lately to find those few minutes.
  
  
• A friend's new baby. Megan Rose is currently 2 days old and she and her momma are doing great!
  
  
• My crock pot. Dinner ready when I get home? Yeah, I'm down with that!
  
  
• Halloween candy. Who doesn't like chocolate on sale?!
  
  
• Going out to dinner with a friend tonight just to catch up.
  
  
• Finally figuring out my Halloween costume.
  
  
• Getting to spend time with my nephews this past weekend. Even better was hearing how excited the 4-year old had gotten when they told him that morning that I'd be coming over. I just love having my own personal groupie!
  
  
• Finding out I'll be going to the San Antonio, TX area for work in a couple of weeks. (If anyone has any suggestions of fun things to do or don't-miss-places, please leave the info in the comments. I won't have much free time, but might be able to carve out a dinner somewhere or book my flight back for late enough in the day that I can find an hour or 2.)
  
  
• The Christmas cactus in my office is starting to bud. If it's anything like last year, it'll bloom early, so it'll have flowers from around Veteran's Day to Thanksgiving. It's so pretty when it's in bloom.
  

There's plenty more, but time is up so I'll stop here and run off to my meeting. Feel free to take the banner and the idea and make your own Thankful Thursday post.

Thankful Thursday

Wow, I'm even going to get the chance to get this written & posted on Thursday this week....

In no particular order, I'm thankful for:

• Having session #2 of the training class I set up (and to which my boss came) go off smoothly.
  
  
• Eating lunch at a favorite restaurant in Chinatown before that training session since it was held right around the corner from the restaurant.
  
  
• The first signs of color in the trees.
  
  
• Watching the gentleman who hands out newspapers at my subway stop become more comfortable & confident in his English. When he first started, it was a small, shy nod. The nod became a 'hi'. Hi turned into 'Good morning', said with a smile. Now, it's a smile and a 'Good morning' oftentimes coupled with 'Have a good day' or 'Have a nice weekend' if it's Friday.
  
  
• Good, supportive co-workers.
  
  
• 3-day weekend coming up.
  
  
• Really fun students in the series of dance classes we just started.

What makes you thankful this week?

Thankful Thursday

Yeah, I know it's not Thursday, or even Friday anymore. It's just been that type of week, but as the old saying goes, 'Better Late than Never'. So, in no particular order, this week I'm thankful for:

• Gorgeous weather. It's really been spectacular around here lately.


• NOT being named Employee of the Month....wait a minute, first you were & now you're not? And you're happy about that? Yup! Turns out the award I'm getting is much bigger than that. It's part of the annual awards for my division, so it's a much bigger deal than I originally thought.


• Having a big training class for work that I helped plan, organize, and execute come off without a hitch.


• Acupuncture. I have a great practicioner who helped me delay that surgery for at least a couple of years. I hadn't seen for a little over a year (just before my surgery) but went back this past week. 2 sessions and I already feel better/less run down/feel like things are more balanced or clicking on all cylinders. I have no clue how it works, but it's definitely given me great health benefits and I now swear by it!

So, how bout you? What are you thankful for today?

Woo Hoo Part Two!!

I've mentioned a couple of times in my Thankful Thursday posts that I've got a great boss & a job I really like with some interesting projects I've been working on lately. My boss just pulled me aside & told me I'm being recognized as the "Employee of the Month" for October for the work I've been doing on some of those projects.

This comes as a TOTAL surprise to me. I really hadn't ever even thought about it or thought that what I was doing was that spectacular. I do sometimes have to finesse my way through it all since some of my clients can be a bit "prickly" at times & my boss wanted to recognize the efforts it takes to successfully navigate through the potential minefields and the fact that I successfully do so to make everything happen.

It feels really good to be recognized. I've worked at different jobs where things like this NEVER happened. You hoped NOT to be recognized because it was never a good thing: you could never be right, you could only be wrong & anyone who did anything well was considered a threat to the Powers that Be and had to be beaten down. It's great to work for someone who WANTS his people to shine and who realizes that the more we all do, the better we ALL look.

Doesn't hurt any to know that there's a cash award that comes with it!! Gotta love that!

First the Redskins beat Dallas & now this -- I haven't smiled this much on a Monday in a long time!!

Beware the Ides of September

I swear today was trying to kill me!!

Late Friday afternoon, my boss told me that he, his boss and I would be meeting early on Wed morning. This meeting is about something that my boss & I proposed a couple of months ago, after working on developing a new process for 6-9 months. Unfortunately, at that time, his boss shot it down -- not because he didn't agree with what we wanted to do or even with the need to do it; he just didn't want to fight the people who wouldn't have been too happy about the changes our proposed new way of doing things would create....Fast forward to last week & apparently my boss's boss has realized that there is good reason to implement our plan, or at least make some of the changes we recommended. Thus, the meeting on Wednesday.

My boss asked me to redo the presentation from before, simplifying it compared to the old presentation we'd given, incorporating the changes that had been suggested/discussed when we pitched it to his boss a couple of months ago, etc. Usually, I would have a couple of days to do this, but since I'm off work tomorrow because of the big dance gig, I only had today to get it done. Ack!!

The only thing I had on my schedule when I got into work today was something that should only take an hour or so, so I had hopes that I'd have plenty of time to get the presentation done. Ha! Best laid plans and all that good stuff...like a huge percentage of ppl here in DC, my job is connected to the US Govt. The ppl I work for/with hold a periodic training that they like to make a big deal out of, including taking pictures of the participants selected for the class. Because I've done some photography before/know my way around a camera, I've been named the backup to the person who's usually responsible for taking these photos. (That's why I had a camera with me when I took the photos for this post.)

A couple of weeks ago they let me know that they'd need me to help them out at this training by taking photos this time around. Ok, no problem; I could spare an hour to go do so. My section's camera was already spoken for, so I arranged to borrow one from another group, guessing I'd be able to figure out how to use it enough to make do for what is needed for these events. For the record, I'm a Nikon person & the camera we were borrowing was a Canon, but a camera's a camera, right & they can't be that different, right? Well, luckily, I gave myself some extra time & got there early because someone had turned the timer feature on & the camera was waiting 8 seconds between when I'd press the button and the shutter would release. Ack!! After frantically pushing buttons & going thru every menu I could find, I finally got that to turn off & got the camera working correctly. Because of that, I didn't have much time to play with the various settings or the external flash unit or otherwise learn the camera's bells & whistles, so I turned the setting to "auto" and prayed the camera was decent enough to handle it...oh yeah, it helps to know that the 2nd bombshell they dropped on me when I got there was to tell me that the head of our govt agency was coming to this event today. As in a member of the President's cabinet/one of those people you see on the national news. Oh great! Now they tell me!! So, with only approximately 10 mins to get comfortable/familiar with the camera, I'm taking photos not only of the group like I was expecting, but also individual photos of each participant meeting/shaking hands with the Cabinet Member -- you know, those photos that you see framed & hanging on people's office walls. No, no pressure there!!

Of course, that also meant more work once I got back to my office because those photos will all need to be printed & put into presentation folders. The group photos will get signed by all & distributed and of course, they want them ready to hand out at the end of the training on Friday. So, I had to get them downloaded, sorted, touched up, burned to CD & off to the people who will handle such things as soon as I got back from the office; again, with my being out tomorrow, it couldn't wait til Wednesday or there wouldn't be enough time to make it happen. What I planned on taking about an hour ended up eating a LOT more out of my day. I didn't even get STARTED on that presentation until about 3:00 pm, so I had to stay late to get it done & sent to my boss before I left. He'll look it over tomorrow & let me know how many changes he wants with it. Once he's had a chance to review it, he's going to email me at home to let me know if I need to come in early on Wed (lots of changes) or if there are just some minor tweaks so I can come in at my regular time. I'll find out when I get home from the dance event & check my email.

Oh yeah, then there was the dance gig to manage. Most peple never know the amount of time it takes "behind the scenes" to make something like this come off without a hitch. I have 3 different groups of dancers coming tomorrow. Each group arrives at different times, has their own instructions about what to wear & what their assigned jobs are. Add on to that that the event is being held on a military installation, so there are security protocols to deal with. For example, people arriving before 5:00 pm need to go through a specific gate to get on the base. Anyone arriving after 5:00 pm need to go through a different gate....Given all the different permutations & combinations, I couldn't send a blanket email or other communication out to people and had to make sure everyone got the correct information, answer the inevitable last minute questions, deal with wardrobe issues from 3 different people, etc. Not a big deal/typical of these type of events, but not something I had time to deal with today of all days.

I don't think I need to tell you that I didn't make it to the 2 dance classes I was supposed to help teach tonight or to the final rehearsal for tomorrow's gig. It's about 11:00 pm now & sometime between now & when I leave tomorrow at about 10:00 am, I'll need to do hair & makeup (1940s style), polish my nails, sew 6 buttons on the outfit for the performance, possibly hem the pants I'll be wearing for the team performance, organize a bunch of stuff & be sure I've got not only my own outfits, but also shirts for 3 other dancers. There's probably more things on that list too, but I'm too tired to even think of them at the moment.

As I said, Beware the Ides of September!!

Thankful Thursday

It's late, but I'm actually going to get this in on Thursday this week. (Yay!) This week, I'm thankful for:

• Being healthy/able -- I may be sore & tired from a pretty heavy dance rehearsal schedule as we hit the final stretch before this next big performance, but isn't it nice that I *can* dance, not to mention walk. How much harder (and different) life would be if I didn't have the physical ability to do so.
  
• A mild August -- I had to break down and turn on the AC this evening for the first time in nearly a month. (It's getting humid here as the precursor to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hannah rolls in.) It's been wonderful to have the windows open and get the fresh air, not to mention it's been very helpful on the budget to not have to run the AC!!
  
• A good public transportation system -- Last time I filled my car's gas tank was in late July. I just now dropped to slightly below 1/4 tank and will have to think about filling it again soon.
  
• The political conventions being over -- yes, they are important, and yes, I've been paying attention, but enough already!!! No matter which party one might be supporting, there's really a limit to the partisan speechifying and rhetoric that one can take!!
  
• Puzzles -- sudokus, cricklers, mah jong, crosswords, etc. All of them. I love having a small diversion when things get crazy-busy or I get stressed. By using different parts of my brain, it helps me blow off steam & clear my mind so I'm better able to focus.

So, how about you? What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

Yeah, I know. It's already Friday. Things have been crazy busy at work, followed by dance rehearsals to get a group performance ready that's less than a month away, so sometimes, things just slip a little on the schedule....Without further ado, things I'm thankful for this week include:

• Friday!! Every week needs one. And boy am I glad we've reached the one associated with this week!
  
  
• Reaching the point on this particular group routine where everyone has the actual choreography & can now practice it on their own. We will still need to get the group together to work on the "big picture", but we don't have to all get together every time in order to make progress from here on out! Yay!
  
  
• Finding easy costumes for this group routine. Better yet, the hardest part to find (usually) is on clearance & dirt cheap!! Woo Hoo!!
  
  
• Working in a fun place/with good people. Yeah, work has been crazy & probably will be even crazier for the next few months, but we still manage to have a good time & keep the atmosphere jovial, even while all heck is breaking out.
  
  
• Chocolate.....I can always find a good reason to be happy for chocolate!!
  
  
• Meeting a couple of good friends for dinner tonight. We haven't seen them in a while (much too long), so it'll be nice to catch up.

So how about you? What's made your week nice or a little more pleasant this week?

Thankful Thursday

I never got the chance to stop long enough last Thursday to make a "Thankful Thursday" post. It really is nice to spend a few minutes focusing on the good things around me, so I'm not going to let another week slip by without making it happen. This week, I'm thankful for:

1. The Olympics. I love the pagentry, the excitement, etc. I was completely enthralled by the opening ceremonies; I only wish I could get my dancers to be 1/2 as precise as the 2008 drummers or the people inside the boxes that created the "Great Wall" or the tai chi masters who made perfect circles, etc.
   
   


2. Great weather -- usually August is pretty unbearable around these parts. This year, however, we've had GORGEOUS weather. Thanks to low humidity, I've had the AC off and the windows open for the last week. It's been delightful!
   
   


3. My foster dog did get adopted and is doing really well in his new home. In fact, he's blossoming; ya see, around others, Harley is a submissive dog. If he were a human, he would have been the kid that always had the "kick me" sign on his back. In his new home, the only other dog in residence is a 12-yr-old blind Bichon Frise who follows him around like a lost puppy dog, so for the first time in his life, he gets to be top dog. As a result, he's really coming out of his shell & gaining confidence......People often ask me why I do rescue. Now ya know. His time was up at the shelter & if we hadn't taken him, he would have been euthanized. Instead, he's got a great new life, is finally becoming the dog he always had the potential to be, and his new family has filled the void that was left when their previous dog passed away. It's a win-win all around!!
   
   


4. No staff meeting today. 3rd (or is it 4th now?) week in a row! Gotta love a boss who doesn't hold meetings just to hold meetings!
   
   


5. Getting assigned to a really interesting new project at work. When I had my performance evaluation with my boss last week, we spent a lot of time talking about what type of things I enjoy doing/find interesting/would like to work on. This new one is definitely a good fit & a nice affirmation that he was listening to what I had to say & wants to make that happen for me.
   
   


6. A clean PET scan....I've mentioned before that my SO battled lymphoma last year. At his last PET scan, there were a couple of "spots" found. The good news was they weren't showing hypermetabolic (i.e. cancerous) activity, but they were definitely there. The docs didn't know what they were -- best guess was damaged tissue that resulted from the chemo or radiation, but it was possible that they could be the start of the tumor coming back. The decision that was made was to "wait and see". If they either showed cancerous activity or had grown by the next PET scan, then they'd go in and do a biopsy. (Since that would involve cracking the chest wall, not something one would really want to do.)
   
   The good news is that the PET scan was clear!! Not only had the spots not grown/weren't showing hypermetabolic activity, they had actually SHRUNK!! Most likely, they are evidence of collateral damage from the cancer treatment, but unlike what was first thought, the damage may not be permanent as it appears that his body is doing its best to heal itself!!
   

So, how 'bout you? What things are you thankful for today?

Missing In Action

I know I've been MIA lately. Sorry bout that. Work got crazy-busy between a server that went kablooey last week & an impending audit happening this week. The kaput server messed up everything my coworkers use on a daily basis, so there was much scrambling about to recover from that. That was further compounded by the scrambling about that always comes with an internal audit. So, even tho neither thing directly affected me, I ended up jumping in on some stuff that had to get done ASAP. (On the plus side, nothing like showing yourself to be a "team player" just before your boss conducts your annual performance review!)

As for the weekend, it was pretty busy since we ran a dance this weekend. Luckily, the weather was GORGEOUS, so it was very pleasant!! We took last night off & enjoyed the weather. Afterall, we don't get many low-80's, low-humidity days in August & my sweetie's convertible was just begging to be taken for a spin!! A "progressive dinner" (dinner in one place, dessert in another) plus a couple of errands made for a pleasant evening on a beautiful late-September-like evening.

Now, time to tackle the work that got pushed aside by all that scrambling...

Thankful Thursday

It's been a somewhat difficult week, so it's nice to take a moment and focus on the more-pleasant side of things. In no particular order, I'm thankful for/that:

• No one was harmed when the theft happened. As Teddy Bear said, things can be replaced.
  
  
• 3-day weekends. I've taken tomorrow off so today is my Friday for this work week! Being able to get some things on my "need or want to get done" list taken care of on my day off will be nice. Even better is that I've got a massage scheduled in the afternoon followed by dinner with friends.
  
  
• No staff meeting today. (And by extension for a cool boss who doesn't hold a meeting just to have a meeting. If there's no need to meet, we don't meet.)
  
  
• My foster dog being adopted. He met his soon-to-be-owners last weekend and they fell completely in love (as did he!). Assuming Harley and their current dog get along ok, he'll be heading off to his new forever home on Saturday morning.
  
  
• So You Think You Can Dance -- I'm not a big tv watcher in general, but I do like this show. After the stressful week, it was great to be able to chill out & watch this week's episode. The dancing last night was FANTASTIC and all 6 of them deserve to move on, IMHO. As a dancer myself, it's great to not only see dancing get such wonderful primetime exposure, but to see it reach this level on a reality show is pretty encouraging.

Ok. Your turn. What are you thankful for? Feel free to swipe the idea and the header & make your own post.

Thankful Thursday

Things I'm thankful for this week include:

• Noxious fumes -- I can hear you now, "Girl, what have you been sniffin'?" Hold on & let me 'splain. My office bldg had some bad fumes when we got there this morning. Apparently, they were painting the garage or something like that. (Why they didn't do that on a weekend escapes me, but they didn't ask for my opinion....) Instead of getting better, it kept getting worse. Finally, at about 11:15 am, the bldg management decided to close the bldg. My organization doesn't own the bldg; we just rent a couple of floors, so we had to wait outside on our "fire drill assembly spot" while the higher ups & powers that be were contacted. After about 45 minutes of waiting, they released my section to head off where we could "work at home". *wink* (My boss used air quotes as he said those words.) The storm front that blew through here last night had dropped the heat and humidity, so it was a gorgeous day for this to happen. I gave my sweetie a call and met him for a picnic lunch before heading off to catch a museum exhibit I've been hoping to see before heading home to actually do some work....So, yeah, I'm thankful for noxious fumes!! Best.workday.EVAH!
  
  
• Muppets!! -- The exhibit I went to see this afternoon before heading home is all about Jim Henson and the creative process that brought about the Muppets & various other of his creations. It was interesting to see his development & evolution from his early work on Sam and Friends or for Wilkins Coffee, through Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and the Dark Crystal. The most amazing thing was to see his initial sketches -- doodles, almost -- for some of the characters we now know and love. It was easy to see the personality he intended for that character and to identify the character it would become, even from a simple line sketch that he probably produced in only a few minutes. He was an incredible visionary!
  
  
• Good neighbors -- Next to me & across the street from me live 2 widows. Since we all live alone, we keep an eye out on each other. I hadn't seen the neighbor across the street in a while, but she was outside as I stepped off the bus the other day. Not only did we catch up, she insisted on sending me home with some homemade spinach lasagne. :-)
  
  
• Tiburon -- she gave me the 411 on the $1.50 cheesecake special coming up this next week. Yum!! In addition, I shared this information with one of my co-workers who is young/just out of school/realizing that it costs more than he thought to live in the real world. A few weeks ago, I clued him in to the free Slurpees at 7-11 that day (also news I got from Tiburon). When I told him about the cheesecake, he stopped, looked at me w/ his mouth slightly agape and said, "How do you know this stuff?". I smiled slyly and told him, "I know people" and left it at that. Tiburon, thanks for sharing that information and making me look good!
  
  
• Good friends -- I've had some serious crap going on in my life for the past year and a half or so. Most of the time, I deal with it pretty well, but occasionally it gets to me. This week was one of those times. A really good friend was there for me & made me feel a lot better. Thanks, Mel!
  
  
• A gladiolus in bloom -- I almost missed it as it's slightly obscured by the lilies that are pretty much finished blooming & the hostas that are in full bloom. It's a beautiful, elegant creamy yellow color. It's early yet for glads here, so it caught me unaware.
  
  
• A night off -- my DDP (Dear Dance Partner) handled our classes without me this week, so I could have a night off, get to sleep early, etc. I love teaching, but sometimes it's nice to play hookey.

So, how bout you? What things are you grateful for this week? Take the logo and make a post in your own blog if you are so inclined. I'll bet ya feel better if you do.

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again, so time for another Thankful Thursday post. (For those of you who are new to the blog, it's a weekly post about things for which I'm grateful. The idea and the pretty banner came from Tiburon at SharkBait. She's given permission for anyone to take the banner & play along....)

So, in no particular order, this week I'm thankful for:

• A 3-day weekend!! Yay!!
  
• Friends
  
• Creativity and inspiration
  
• Cool nights where I can turn off the A/C and open the windows. (Very rare for DC in June/July!)
  
• Finishing a big project at work. It's great to get it off my desk. Even better to have it done early -- no scrambling to get it finished and it reflects well on me/my boss/my whole department. One can never have to many "way to go!" moments at work, y'know.
  
• Looking for some items for the living room, even tho I didn't know what I wanted, and finding some things that are just perfect!

So, how 'bout you? What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

It's been a quiet week, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to be thankful for. In no particular order:

• Live theatre! -- Opening night is tonight for the Lion King and then I get to see Julius Ceasar at the Shakespeare Theatre over the weekend.
  
  
• Friends who can hook me up with tickets to live theatre -- See above.
  
  
• Finding a REALLY GORGEOUS vintage bracelet at an expo over the weekend that was very affordable. Even better, it goes perfectly with a dress I got a couple of months ago. Best of all, it's over-sized, but my wrists are small, so I can have matching earrings made from the links I'll have to have removed so it'll fit me.
  
  
• Getting assigned to a new project at work that is not only high-visibility, it should be a lot of fun to do. I also get to hone new skills/expand existing ones, and it allows me to engage my more-creative side (something that I don't get to do too often at work).
  
  
• Local fruits are starting to come in season. The berries are here & it won't be long before roadside stands have peaches, tomatoes, and locally-grown corn available. Nothing says "Summer!" like fresh, vine or tree ripe produce!!
  
  
• Getting inspired to do some redecorating at home. When I got my home phone/internet fixed, I also went ahead and got cable tv. Up until then, I'd only had what was available on broadcast tv. HGTV has become a favorite station already and while I haven't hit on a "vision" yet, I'm now starting to mull over possibilities for my family room. I've also gotten motivated to work on my bedroom too. (Of course, actually finding the time & energy to execute any plans I come up with will be another matter altogether, but at least something is starting to happen.)

So, that's my list. Your turn. Feel free to take the banner & make your own post -- I stole both from Tiburon's SharkBait blog.

Thankful Thursday

Wow, another week has come & gone, which means it's time for Thankful Thursday again. In no particular order, these are some of the things I'm thankful for this week:

• Sunshine -- we've had LOTS of rain. As in, LOTS AND LOTS!! (4+ inches since this Saturday). With more expected by this weekend. But for now, it's sunny and warm and just a glorious day.
  
  
• Finding time to plant 50+ tulips. It would have been a shame to let such a great score go to waste. And while I was at it, I relocated some lilies and started thinning the daffodils...Keep your fingers crossed that the rain was enough to help everything set in their new locations, but not enough to drown them, so that they'll all be quite productive next Spring.
  
  
• Today is lawn service day -- It's great to come home to a lawn that is freshly cut and looks nice. I'm thankful that I don't have to find the time to make it so.
  
  
• The lack of red tape in my day to day life -- since I work at a gubbermint agency, one would expect a certain amount of red tape. This week I dealt with a fair amount, which made me realize that on the whole, I usually deal with very little of it.
  
  
• My SO -- who handled/dealt with some idiocy that was getting me frustrated earlier this week. How nice it was to be told, "Don't worry about it; I got it covered. You just take the night off and relax." Thanks, sweetie!

So how bout you? What's happening in your world that's made you thankful? The idea and the banner both come from Tiburon at SharkBait; feel free to take them and play along on your own blog.