More travel

Gotta find time to get back to blogging! Back from Vegas and Minneapolis. Both were interesting but I really want to get outside Vegas into the desert and mountains to explore. Minneapolis was nice this time of year but I kinda dread going back in the winter!

Headed to Baltimore next.

I <3 NY!!!

Well, I knew I would...I love New York! I cannot believe I didn't even have time to take 1 picture!!!! Incredible but true! I MUST go back! And I will one day when I will have a few days to explore and take pictures. What a wonderful city.

I'm off to Las Vegas in a week...should be fun but I'm mourning the fact I didn't get a chance to really explore NYC! I'm definitely going to explore a bit while in Las Vegas though. We only go through this life once and I intend to make the most of it. Want to experience it all!

On My Way Again

I'm off the San Diego today and then McAllen, Tx on Tuesday. It's going to be a busy week but I'm looking forward to it. I've only been home 2 weeks...not enough time to finish spring cleaning but at least I started!

I need to work in the garden...the beds need to be cleaned up a bit more but will have to wait...gotta get the inside finished first, then move to the garden...maybe week after next...I just hope it's not too hot by then. We've had some great temps so far and I'm loving it.

More later...

Crochet as Environmental Activism

Click on the title to this post for the link.

Pulled this from the comments/the about section of the TED clip: Margaret Wertheim leads a project to re-create the creatures of the coral reefs using a crochet technique invented by a mathematician -- celebrating the amazements of the reef, and deep-diving into the hyperbolic geometry underlying coral creation.

As a needle crafter and a lover of math (mind you I say lover of math but definitely no expert, just love great writings or talks on math and find it facinating), this clip is wonderful. I'm also very interested in environmental activism when it drives to positive change and enlightening solutions or awareness.

One week home

I've been back a week from the Philippines...seems unreal now almost. I was there 3 weeks but they flew by. I'm so glad I wasn't in class...just don't think I can handle going to school when I'm overseas and working nights...there never seemed to be enough time for the things I needed to do much less if I'd had class. I start back May 5...both excited and wondering about all the travel, work, new projects and school, plus a relationship...how I'm going to find time for it all!!!

Ok, I've not mentioned the relationship before...well, kinda wanted to keep it private and still do but suffice to say, there is one.

Back from India

Well, I'm back. There was little time for anything extra so didn't get to blog except once on my travel blog. I'm not taking a class during my next trip so hopefully I'll have a bit of time to add tidbits as I'm traveling.

India was amazing. The people are so nice, the traffic is a nightmare, the food is delicious and the place just fascinated me. I only got to do sightseeing about 5 hours in Hyderabad and 4 hours in Delhi so I didn't get to see much. Next time I'm planning extra days to take in the sights and hopefully 5 - 7 days at the end to take in Goa and the Himalayans. Goa is considered the Cancun of India but I hear it's quieter than Cancun.

The trip was extremely stressful as I had not planned enough time there and was in class so I didn't get much sleep. The sleep depravation added to the stress and my not feeling very well. It appears I suffered from jet lag the whole trip. Yesterday I slept until noon and still didn't feel like I'd caught up on my sleep. Last night I was up late doing homework and catching up with everyone so only got around 7 1/2 hrs sleep but I'm beginning to feel human again!
Next trip is to the Philippines. I'm not sure what to expect but hopefully it will be as much fun as the India trip, plus I'm not in class so I hope to get sleep this time! I'm adding a few days to the trip so I will have enough time for the audits and maybe a few hours here and there to do a bit of sightseeing.

That's all for now...check out my travel blog for pics from the trip.

PS, It snowed here just before I left...I'm posting the pictures I took on my way to the airport.

Butterflies

Only 3 days until I fly to India...I've got butterflies in my stomach! I'm looking forward to the adventure. Lori is meeting me at the airport so at least I won't be searching for a ride. Gotta remember to take pictures and will post them here. Won't be getting much sleep but oh well, I won't be back until next year so I've got to enjoy the trip.

Still need to get some insect repellent and stockings but other than that I'm set. Working to get ahead with my studies so I won't have that hanging over my head for the trip. Since I have a direct flight going and a split flight coming back I'll be able to judge which is better. That trip over is one long flight, almost 16 hours. Definitely gotta get some sleep on the plan so I'll be ready for work Monday night..well, it'll be Monday day for my timezone but night in India. I'm sure my body and mind will be totally confused!

Eee Gads, I'm freaking out!

Ok, maybe that's a tad bit on the dramatic side but in one week I'll be flying off to India! Yikes, am I ready for this? I hope so. I went to the store and spend gobs of money on the first aid s$#t that I hope I don't need. I'll stick to bottled water...unopened by the way...and hot, cooked food and should be ok. Oh, darn, I forgot bug spray! Crap, I'll need to go back to the store again tomorrow to pick some up. Going to get my hair dyed and cut sometime this week, gotta get the reports run and sent out, the other reports completed and ready for the audits...goodness gracious, it's going to be a stessful week.

I follow a bunch of blogs and have slowly been checking them out...the Daily Blonde is great and love her on Twitter. Another favorite is The Bloggess, who I also follow on Twitter. The Bloggess is hilarious. Wish I was half as funny as she is.

UPDATE 1: Ok, found another great blog...Barb Jacobucci's Nice Shoes and other life observations. I'm digging it. Wish I had more time to check out the others...slowly but surely making my way through.

UPDATE 2: I have one lonely follower! I'm sure I'm boring him to death, if he even reads my rambling nonsense. If you do read this dear follower, hello and I hope you aren't too bored.

UPDATE 3: I know, I know I'm obsessing...don't forget the brick...he must go to India! And must have pictures!!! Don't forget camera....AAAAAAHHHH!!! Gotta finish my paper and go to sleep now. No more blogging for tonight.

My skin is attacking me again!

Dang psoriasis is back with a vengence. I was told the vaccines would not be affective if I continued to take Enbrel so I stopped taking it and it took exactly 1 week for the attack to begin. Crap, my skin looks horrible and it itches and hurts...yuck! Ok, so I'm wondering if I need to start taking it again and have the doctor run a titer to check my immunity levels. I'll make the decision tonight after a day of thought and prayer. I sure don't want to get Hepatitus, Polio or Typhoid but then again, with my skin all inflamed and cracked, other nasty bugs can get in. Arrrgh!

I'm off to run errands and get out in the sunshine. Also need to get out and walk. Will workout later after I get back. I'll also add more then...hard to find time to keep up with the blog with everything going on...work, school, twitter, facebook, life. :-)

Sore Arms

Between the sore arms (from shots) and feeling very tired from very little sleep in 3 nights, I'm not in much of a blogging mood. This will be short and sweet. Got Hep A/B, typhoid and polio shots today and script for antibiotics and malaria pills for trip to India. Will need another couple of Hep A/B shots...one next week and one in a month, then one in a year and I'll bet set for life supposedly.

Still haven't booked the Philippines flight yet but will do that before I leave for India.

Have to go to sleep now, can barely keep my eyes open and fingers typing. Hope to have more to say tomorrow.

Tired Tuesday

No time to blog yesterday with assignments due for class. Received email confirmation the Visa request arrived at the company handling the request...that means yesterday was day 1 of 5 needed to process the request. Passport due back in my hands by next Tuesday, Feb 24!

I'm off to the travel doctor this morning for meds and shots in preparation for the trip to India. I hate shots! Bad enough I have to take one daily and another one twice a week...at least those don't leave me sore like vaccinations usually do. Oh well, better sore from a shot than sick or dead from some disease, right? Right.

The Philippines trip will be later in March so I need to see about booking travel this week. That one will be a bit longer than the India trip but not sure exactly how long.

Oh, did I mention I got an A in my Business Law class? Well I did...not sure I deserved it though. That team paper sucked. I needed another 4 - 6 hrs of editing to make it an A paper. We got a B on the paper, which I thought extremely generous considering it didn't really flow and there were parts that should have been either re-written or in direct quotes. We did cite everything but it's sometimes difficult not to use some of the same words as the original author. Given enough time I can put things in my own words and occassionally write it in a way that actually sounds better than the original...not often but sometimes. Probably deserved a C on the paper and a B in the class since 57% of the total grade was from work in that last week of class.

I started Finance this week and so far most of it seems to be a rehash of the things we learned in Accounting. I sure hope we build and not just rehash the information since my concentration is management and finance. The team I'm on seems to be great. There are several very pro-active members and from their participation posts, they seem to be able to write pretty well also. Refreshing change from previous classes where I'd be lucky if there was even one other person who could write on the team. Not that I'm a snob or anything but really, I don't understand how you can get into your Junior year in college without being about to write, especially since you're writing several papers in each class. Can anyone tell me how that happens?

Going to school online has the advantage of not having a set time to be in a classroom and I think the teachers are maybe not as hard on you as in a brick and mortar classroom. That being said, it's much harder in that they require a lot more participation and the reading and workload seems to be more than in a traditional classroom. I've done it both ways but with my traveling there'd be no way to attend a traditional college. I'm just praying that this experience will truly prepare me for the workload in the MBA program I want to attend. Still have to figure a way to get some Spanish classes in before grad school so I have a second language.

Ok, if you happened on this blog and this post, you're probably wondering about the photo above...that's my dad. He is going to be 90 in August and still going strong. He got this Harley a few years ago...he had a couple others back in his youth and wanted another one ever since. I love that he still enjoys getting out on the open road with his pals. He's probably the oldest one but no one has more fun than he does.

Well, better finish getting ready and hit the road. Later.

Busy Life

Wow, I feel as though I'm in the edges of some wild storm it's been so insanely busy. My trip to India is booked, I've lost another pound but still not very consistent with working out, the visa for India is in progress, I made an A in my last class (Business Law) and I've started Business Finance this past week.

I've yet to get my taxes done but did pick up TurboTax and will get them finished by next weekend so I don't have that looming over me while I'm out of the country.

Business Law was ok, not as much case information as I thought but the teacher was great...best I've had at UoP for sure and rates in the top 3 of all my college teachers. His passion for teaching was evident and he was very engaged in the class, which I appreciate.

I'm in Business Finance this time and lots of the info we covered in Accounting...sure hope we will learn something new.

Off to the doctor for more tests this week...just praying I won't feel bad this week like I did last week.

Exploring my inner geekiness!

I've been searching for ways to improve the look of both my blogs and my twitter page and have uncovered a whole geek world out there. So much of the info is Greek, not geek, to me though since I'm just a novice at this. I'm adding a beginners Twitter guide blog to my list and will add others as I find them so I can learn and if other newbies hit my blog they will have the resourses as well.

I considered starting a new blog but then decided to just add it here...can't start a new blog everytime a new subject pops in my head.

Well, more on this later...gotta get out the door and start the day.

Great News!

Got two pieces of great news today. First, I've got the ball rolling for my trip to India and will mail the Visa request off tomorrow. I'll have the passport (you have to send them your passport) and visa back in 7 business days...plenty of time before the trip.

Tomorrow I'll book the trip. I'm very excited to embark on my first overseas trip. I've been to the Dominican Republic and Mexico but India is on the other side of the planet! This year should be great, with all the travel and new cultures, people, places to see.

Second, mother and I are going to see the Chinese Terra Cotta Army again at the High...for FREE. Nothing better than FREE! We also get free parking included. I'm so excited...about the exhibit, not necessarily about the parking. That exhibit is awesome and we did not get to spend enough time there the last time we went. We can plan on dinner out that night after seeing the exhibit.

Really, am I blessed or what?

Night all. I'm beat. More tomorrow.

Dragging

Wish this was me!

Two nights without very much sleep and I'm totally exhausted. Getting old is not fun and definitely not for wimps. I'm thankful now that I did not go in for the testing but really dread doing it next week since I'll probably feel as bad or worse by Wednesday of next week. Everything hurts...well, almost everything.

I'm cursing myself for not getting the paper finished before I did because I had to turn it in without fully editing and it was for s#*t. I needed at least another 4 hours of editing time to get it to the point of readability. Arrgh! I hate it when I only have myself to blame. The two guys on my team are not in my Finance class so I'll be on a different team. I only see a few folks from previous classes in this one and none with whom I've worked on a team. Hopefully that's a good thing...I'll let you know.

Ok boys and girls, it's the beginning of a new week. I'm off to the doctor for the first part of my testing to ensure all the nasty C stuff is still GONE. An injection today, then one tomorrow, then the battery of tests on Friday. They said I'd be feeling kidda bad for about a week but supposedly that's all. I'm trying to stick by my rule of no more than 1 hr/day of Internet play so I'll let you know how that goes. :-)

I've added a number of blogs to my list of those I'm following, not sure I'll have time to read all of them but they seem interesting. I'll be widdling down the list as I read through them to see exactly which ones I really want to continue following. I'm also trying to learn how to edit the look of my blog and so far I'm not very successful. I've got some additions I like but want the blog background to improve and to allow the blog text to expand beyond the narrow section. I've see other blogs that are more like what I want but need to learn how to write the code or find someone to help me with it...gonna work on that, later.

Setting Limits

Ok, I blew it, got so caught up on Facebook, Blogging and Twitter last night I forgot to participate in class....it's going to cost me points, crap. So, note to self, limit this stuff (FB, Blog, Twitter, etc.) to 1 hr per day and NO MORE!!!! I cannot afford to blow it in school, I have a goal and that goal requires commitment.

Ok, now back to work...I've got a final to finish and my part of the team paper to write, then edit the whole thing. I've written 3 participation posts so far but need to write about 3 more today, then 2 tomorrow.

This class is Business Law and although I've had the best instructor yet, I've just not gotten into the class that much. I've learned a few things but really, most the information is stuff I already was aware of. I'm disappointed because I thought we would be learning more about the law. Finance class begins Tuesday and I do hope I like that one better than this one.

Frustrated

I've tried changing the code for the template on a new blog since I wanted something more unique but I keep getting error messages. I've searched the blog help threads but can't find where the problem is solved. Obviously someone knows how to do it because there are blogs out there with backgrounds that are personalized. Arrgh!!!! Wish I knew what the heck I was doing!!! I'm stopping now, it's just too frustrating...will try it again later.

Just thoughts

I'm about to go out to eat...out searching on the web, which I've done almost all day...geeze, wasted this gorgeous day...anyway, it's overwhelming the amount of info, things to do, things to see, just stuff out there. Definitely need to set limits on myself for how much time I'm willing to blog, social network, read interesting stuff, etc. It's not helping that I have a streak of ADD in me...oh well, nobody's perfect, right?

Trying to update this blog with a few things to make it more mine. It's hard to make a boring person interesting but I'm trying. :-)

I'm beginning to think I'm following way too many folks on Twitter. Fun though it is, it's overwhelming with all the postings...or I guess I should say Tweets. I'm usually so reserved when it comes to writing my thoughts but I want to be able to join in the fun from time to time. :-)

I started a new blog to track and write about my workout experience. I'll save this one for personal notes and what not. Nothing much to blog about today so will sign off.

This week has been a difficult one, partly because of my own mistakes. Hopefully I'm learning though. Seems some of the lessons are ones I should already know though. It's disheartening to continue making some of the same mistakes over and over again.

Another discouragement has been that I've not been able to workout as many days as I planned but next week is looking much better so I'm starting over with my new workout program, ChaLean Exteme. I loved her Turbo Jam program and this one is also another good one. I got Cathe Fredrich's new STS series also but I'm not nearly ready for that one. I'm going to finish the 90 days with Chalene, then move to P90X. After those I should be ready for Cathe!

One piece of good news, I begin traveling at the end of the month so I hope I can keep up with my workouts on the road. The DVDs are packaged such that traveling with them should be easy and I'll take bands and tubes with me for resistance. This will be my first experience with traveling overseas and I'm looking forward to the experience.

I'm enjoying my Facebook experience, combined with the community I'm in on My Family, it's lots of fun.

School is going okay this time. I like the class but I think I'm a bit burned out. My next class is Finance and it will give me an idea of the additional consentration I've added. I'll be finished May 2010 so won't begin the MBA until July 2011.

Well, that's it for this time. See ya.

Chalene Johnson's ChaLean Extreme is coming this week and I can't wait. She has such great energy and I'm excited to see the workouts she has in store for me.

I've always had weight problems and have yo-yo dieted resulting in up and down weight loss and gain over the years. About 4 years ago I experienced some health problems that caused me to gain weight. After surgery the doctor found a few more issues that contributed to my weight gain and my lack of energy. I've been on medicine for about 3 years and started slowly to get the weight off. I added exercise to a cleaner diet and now the weight is coming off a little faster. Unfortunately I still don't have a lot of stamina. I am improving but it’s frustrating since I know my body could take more but my heart can’t take it. Learning to be patient with myself is hard, especially since I’m not the most patient person in the world anyway, but I know if I keep a consistent workout schedule the stamina will improve over time.