Dear Friends and Family,
Help! I've been bitten by the bug and caught the disease. I can't help but be excited by and enamored with the start-up atmosphere here in the Valley. What do I like? The small group atmosphere, the innovation, the humility, the smartness, the scrappiness, the sheer persistence, the openness to new ideas... The list seems endless.
I was telling Mr. mouse about it all. And, maybe, after another couple of years with a large corporation, I might be willing to do the start-up thing. Mentally, I'm trying to balance being a good corporate citizen and being selfishly self-centered. The traditional model, you know, have a steady job, get a smaller but steady paycheck, save for a modest but comfortable retirement. The job is just a job. And, then there's the new model... Job hop, go big, take risks... The job is life enrichment. Not sure where I land on this. Actually, I know exactly where I land on this.
I'm moving in with Mr. mouse. I'm trying out a new job and seeing if I enjoy it or not. I'm going to save some $$$ by going down to a single mortgage and all that it entails. This will buy me LOTS of flexibility... Maybe more flexibility than I really want or need, but, hey, I'm not complaining. I'm going to see how the next 2-3 years go. And, we'll go from there.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Not sure what's going on back at the home front. Got two separate calls from two separate girlfriends. Not enough to create mass panic, but enough to make you go hmm... Since I'm in a vanful of colleagues all day, I'm hoping I can touch base with them somehow today. Feel free to email me. The syntax is myfirstinitialmylastname@yahoo.com. Don't leave me hanging, please. Tonight, I might panic.
More geek speak. Another day, another three blogs. Actually, make that six. Three on tech/the valley in general. Three on new gadgets. Not sure if I'll begin following all of these, but I might. The problem with blogs is few are updated daily. Most of the ones I read are updated 1-2 times a week. More content in the morning while I have my tea is a good thing. But, how to find good blogs? And, what's the format to organize them all? That's what I'm trying to figure out.
Technology news: Gadgets: Happy reading.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Less stressed than yesterday. Thank goodness. In addition to being less stressed, my cold seems like it was a passing thing. So, all in all, feeling much better than yesterday morning. Seven hours sound sleep will do that to you :)
Flew out yesterday to San Francisco for my business trip. The weather is cold and damp as can be expected for this time of year. Had a great conversation over dinner last night with one of my colleagues. He mentioned three blogs to read if you're really into the VC thing which I'm not, but in case you are:
No tea in this hotel. Time for decaf coffee. BTW, OMG, the food here is so good! I don't think I'll be losing my two pounds this week. Staying net neutral will be an accomplishment. Hopefully, today is better than yesterday in that regards.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Sorry to drag you on the roller coaster I call life. It's 3:18 and I've been up for the past hour. You do the math...
We spent the weekend packing the mouse house and it's finally sinking in. There's a LOT of change on the horizon over the next month and I'm not quite sure if I can handle it all. I'm taking the take-a-deep-breath-and-jump approach. I'm sure it'll all be good in the end, but, today, I'm stressed.
How do I know I'm stressed? I'm sick. I'm headed out of town today for work. I'll be back on Friday, and over the weekend we'll complete the final pack. Wow. It's going so quickly!
So what'd we do the rest of the weekend? Friday, we flew out for Mr. mouse's high school reunion. Reunions are like proms, gotta do them, but rarely do they turn out as eventful as you think. Either way, we did it, and it wasn't bad.
Saturday, we flew back to the mouse house and spent all day Saturday and Sunday packing. I think we have all of the non-essentials packed. Mr. mouse is coming this week to pack up the garage. That leaves next weekend for the final pack.
Boy, I sound like a broken record. I'm going to go get some tea. Hopefully, this cold doesn't settle in. Being sick not really on the agenda for the upcoming week. BTW - up two pounds from all the turkey and sides. Hope to get back to normal this week... Stress not going to help in that department.
Happy Monday! May the stress begin!
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
It's Thanksgiving Day. And, in addition to turkey, parade, Christmas shopping and catching up with family, it's important to take a moment to be thankful for what you have. Ready?
In no particular order...
I'm thankful for the continued health and happiness of my grandparents, parents, Mr. mouse's folks, my sister, my brother-in-law, my brother, Mr. mouse, my friends, and extended family. I'm thankful for the support that everyone provides as I travel on life's journey, Mr. mouse and his companionship. My job and the financial resources to make life not a worry. Selling the mouse house. Finding a new job. The prospect of being together with Mr. mouse in a single household. I'm thankful for all of the learnings I've had this year, my health - the weight loss, the good heart, the clean bill of health, the wart non-mole, the balanced thyroid, the balanced life. Surviving psycho boss. The sunsets in Kauai. Giving blood. My blog and how it's helped me capture my life's small stories. My neighbors and how much I'll miss them once I move. My friend in Jordan who offered me more than a roof, a place I could call home. I'm thankful for my faith and how it's helped me through a tough/long year while keeping my head up. And, how it'll be a continual piece giving me support through the upcoming year.
Oh, and I'm thankful for a Democratic Congress and the balance it'll bring to our government.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
At the mouse pad now. Came over last night with a boxful of kitchen implements for the Thanksgiving Day tradition. My flight was delayed so I was the last one getting in. But, in the end it all worked out okay.
My brother flew in. My sister and brother-in-law drove in. We went out for dinner last night - deep dish pizza, chicken wings, garlic bread and beer. Yummy yummy on the tummy tummy. Actually, I didn't have garlic bread or beer. I had a chicken wing, half a slice of deep dish and diet soda. Still a huge treat for me.
I had a chance to catch up with my brother and sister last night. There's nothing quite like family for laughing until you cry. We had so much fun trading stories about my mom and her church group and the stuff she asks us to do for them.
Well, everyone's waking up, so better get going.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Apologies in advance for the old tech photo. It's the best the website had.
These are my cracker of choice these days. Made from rye, I originally bought them for their wheat-free ingredient list. Now, I they're a staple in my pantry.
The first two crackers are "free" in Weight Watchers. Every two after that are one point a pair. This has to do with the fiber cap Weight Watchers adds to its points system. I love them with my Han's cheese spread. Two crackers + 1 tbs spread makes for a nice one point snack. I'll also have two plain ones for zero points when I'm not hungry but in a nibble/graze mood.
Off to get ready for the long weekend. I'll try to get online to post as usual, but no guarantees.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
42 days left in 2006. Where did the year go?It's that time of year when there's a ton of stuff to do. Add to that all of the house transition, car shopping and other miscellaneous holiday to-do and the weekend disappeared in a flurry of activity.
Saturday, we spent the morning packing boxes. We headed out to shop for Christmas gifts. Then, we went to pick up clothes for me since my current batch is already too loose. We finished off the day with more packing.
Sunday, was basically a repeat of Saturday. We spent the morning packing again. We headed out for more shopping and clothes. And, finished the weekend with, you guessed it, more packing. We're so predictable.
We've finished a lot of the non-essentials. What's left? The garage, which is not that bad. The family room, which will be maybe three boxes. And then the "last minute" stuff, the kitchen essentials, the master bathroom essentials and clothes/shoes essentials.
It's gone quickly. So far, we've invested 6 days to it, but it hasn't been six whole days, it's been partial days, so I guess we've invested three person-days to the packing so far.
This week will be a hectic week. Today, I've got to run an errand over lunch and then a friend is coming over for dinner. Tomorrow, dropping off a box at the airport over lunch and flying out in the evening. Wednesday and Thursday, my sister, brother-in-law and brother are coming over for Thanksgiving. Then, Mr. mouse and I are headed to his 20th high school reunion. Saturday, we're hopping back to the mouse house for more packing and stuff.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
I'm going to try updating my profile to show my yahoo avatar. Let's see if it works.
Cheers!
mouse
PS: Eh. It's okay. It's not in the box. But, more importantly, the resolution on it isn't too impressive. I'll probably remove it on Monday, but it was a fun attempt for the day.
Dear Friends and Family,
Not a lot new today...
Contemplating having a toss session today. This is where I throw out things that really have no place, in my opinion, in our home. I feel so much better afterwards, like a physical weight has been lifted. Mr. mouse is a pack rat, so I don't think he understands how much better I feel after one of these sessions. I know this because he's gone dumpster diving to retrieve items. It drives me crazy! This is going to be the toughest part about living together once we do.
What should I throw out?
- my pillow, doesn't give me a good night's sleep anymore
- some old button down shirts, they don't fit anymore
- my alarm clock, I've been using my cell phone lately
- muesli, a failed test, I don't care for it
- ???, there's tons more once I get started
I feel better already.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
I haven't had the time to write about this is awhile. In October, the NY Times ran an article titled What Do Women Want? Just Ask. Like I said, I'm behind.
There is a blog (bostongalsopenwallet.blogspot.com) where a woman tracks all of her financial information online.
Her first blog entry?
Speaking publicly about your personal finances has always been a no-no in my family. The result of this is that I often felt unprepared and uneducated about financial matters. I am now in my mid-30's, single, with a fairly well established professional career. Because I live alone, I make all the financial decisions in my life -- good or bad. If your parents and peers can't or won't show you the way, hopefully sites like this on the Web will.
I read it every couple of days and find it fascinating that someone else is struggling with the same questions I struggle with. Women need to get their heads smart about money. For the same job, we get paid less than men. Frequently, we opt for a "less than same" job to balance work and life or because that's where our passions are. We compound all that by generally living longer. And, it's a recipe for disaster if we're not smart about our money.
I'm excited about planning out our windfall from the house sale. Need to do more research before we make a decision.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
I miss cheese. At three points an ounce, it's an expensive treat to be had once in a rare while. Mozzarella cheese, I can squeeze in. A quarter cup of the generic bagged shredded kind is two points. I refuse to even try the Laughing Cow light that comes up all the time in the Weight Watchers message boards.
Recently, I've found a cheese treat I can fit into my new lifestyle. Han's All Natural Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread:
I found it at the local Whole Foods in the produce section, oddly enough. It's all natural, but not organic. And, at two points for two tablespoons, it's something I can have every day if I want. I usually have one tablespoon on two rye crackers for a nice one point treat. I'll write about the crackers next week.
Ahh... time to enjoy my tea as I bask in the warmth of the mouse house this morning.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
I'm home and I'm prepared for the worst.
This morning, we woke to a cold house. Mr. mouse looked at it briefly and decided it would take more time than he had this morning. So, he was going to come over tonight to look at it. It was 64 degrees inside when I left for work. Keep in mind, I keep the house at a balmy 78 degrees, so we're talking COLD by my standards. Yes, 78 degrees year round.
Well, they cancelled the flight Mr. mouse was planning on taking back. So, we called our utility people with whom we have a service plan, and much to our surprise, they're going to be here tonight between 4 and 10 pm. I guess there's something about leaving people without heat that's a bad thing. So, I'm home, waiting for them to show up.
I have on two pairs of socks, my thermals, my sweat pants and two extra long-sleeved t-shirts. It's currently 68 degrees in the house. If it gets colder, I'll put on more clothes and grab a blanket. It'll be an adventure.
Keep your fingers crossed that it's a simple repair.
Cheers!
mouse
PS: (5:15 pm) 64 degrees: added another pair of socks
PPS: (7:20 pm) repairman just finished - he replaced the igniter... the service plan is the best deal ever
Dear Friends and Family,
I've got a song stuck in my head:
There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too.
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say cook-coo cook-coo, cook-coo
Regretfully they tell us cook-coo
But firmly they compel us cook-coo
To say goodbye cook-coo...
To you...
So long farewell, auf weidersehen good-bye
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight
So long farewell, auf weidersehen adieu
Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you
So long farewell, au revior auf weidersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne
So long farewell, auf weidersehen goodnight
I leave and heave a sigh and say good bye - goodbyyyyyyeeeee!
I'm glad... to go.... I cannot tell a lie
I fleet, I float, I fleetly flee I fly...
The sun... has gone... to bed and so must I...
So long...farewell...auf weidersehen goodbye...
Goodbye...Goodbye....Goodbye....
We spent the weekend packing. We also took some video footage of the place and our commemorative photo in front of the mouse house. The two spare bedrooms, the dining room and half of the basement are done, 23 boxes so far. It's both exciting and sad to be packing up. I had so many grand hopes and ambitions when we moved here and bought the place.
This morning we woke to a very cold house. Mr. mouse played with the mechanicals for a little bit but had to run. He's coming back tonight for a closer look. Fun and games... Things like this make me glad we're consolidating into a single household. Fewer things to go wrong, and when they do there's two of us around to take care of it.
Hope you're week is starting smoother than ours.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Okay, we all need a good laugh now and again. Now, if you haven't figured it out yet, Mr. mouse is somewhat of an appliance freak. He just bought a new dishwasher for the mouse pad to go with the new double wall oven and new cooktop. So far, so good.
The dishwasher rack, however, is not quite the same as the current dishwasher rack at the mouse house. I jokingly tell him to switch it out with the one at the mouse house if he likes that one more. Okay, you might be able to see where this is headed... He wants to see if the dishwasher rack in the new dishwasher is interchangeable with the one at the mouse house that he likes more... So, he takes the rack with him to work, in the trunk of his car... He takes it into his office... He takes it onto the shuttle bus to the airport... OK, if you're not laughing yet you'll be laughing soon...
He takes it through security to his gate! Flight's delayed. He takes it with him through the other terminal to the other flight to see if he can get on another flight. No dice. He takes the dishwasher rack back with him to the original gate. A dishwasher rack, boys and girls... Flight's really delayed. He takes the rack, which almost deserves a name at this point, with him on the train to go eat dinner. Mr. mouse and the dishwasher rack have a nice dinner, get back on the train, head back to the airport. Back through security and they are waiting at the gate together for their flight.
So, if you're at the airport tonight and you saw a person with a dishwasher rack keeping him company, odds are you saw Mr. mouse... or some other appliance freak.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
I ordered a special treat for myself yesterday.
The Special Edition (Product)Red ipod was originally available only in the 4GB model. Now, it's available in the 8GB model. Mr. mouse and I have learned, with Apple, if you really want something, get it. They change their line up too frequently to give you the luxury of waiting.
So, I ordered one last night and it should get here in the next couple of weeks. I am SO excited! I can't wait!
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Mr. mouse and I discovered a new communication tool last night. I can't say it's the most time efficient, but it gets the job done. We were discussing the job offer, again, and we were getting lost in the discussion. We both had the feeling - do you understand me? do you hear the words coming out of my mouth? what is so difficult about this?
Now, this isn't going to be the easiest to follow...
- mouse: statement A
- Mr. mouse: What I heard was...
- mouse: What I meant was...
- Mr. mouse: What I heard was...
- mouse: What I meant was...
- Mr. mouse: What I heard was...
- mouse: Yep. You got it.
- Mr. mouse: reply to statement A
- mouse: What I heard was...
- Mr. mouse: What I meant was...
- mouse: What I heard was...
Repeat as needed.
For example. When are you finishing work today? What I heard was you want me done now since it's late. What I meant was there's something I want to talk to you about and I want to plan time for it this evening. What I heard was there's something important you want to discuss, why don't we do it now, work can wait.
Get the idea? Like I said, it's time consuming, but eventually you're both crystal clear. Last night, it was a life saver.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
It seems, for the moment, the stars are aligned for me to give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. I've always wanted to attempt it, but have never had any success with it.
I've been a light drinker since starting Weight Watchers since the points add up pretty quickly:
- wine: 2 points per glass
- hard liquor: 2 points per shot + mixer liquids
- beer: 3 points per bottle
I had scaled back on the consumption, opting for club soda at social gatherings. Eight months and forty pounds later, it's become a somewhat amusing conundrum. I've attempted on two evenings to add a glass of wine back into my daily routine. It's one of the options in attempting to raise the HDL. But, neither attempt has been successful. I've tried it after dinner where it feels like a chore after drinking my milk. I've tried it before dinner where it gets me light-headed. So, for now, I'm thinking no more trying. If the occasion comes up, I'll have a drink, but for now, I think I'm pretty much done.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
So, what'd we do this weekend? We spent some time seeing what it'd be like to be a traditional extended (multi-generational) family with a relatively simple life.
Mr. mouse's best friend: married, 2 kids, parents close by. It could be us, except, no kids, no parents near by, two houses... Wait, okay, so not really. But, it was fun playing house for the weekend.
We got in Saturday lunchtime, picked up some lunch, and hung out the rest of the day at home. Parents/grandparents came over for dinner and then chatted the night away. Sunday found us at the Science Museum then at home for some Vietnamese sandwiches. We went to the Pet Shop Boys concert Sunday night and took our respective red eyes home.
We brought our friend, Babo, with us. And, TL couldn't get over asking, "Where's Babo?." It was SO funny. They really bonded. We picked up some blocks at Target for them. So cute, I almost want them for myself too. Unfortunately, no pictures online of them. And, for the second time, SD card and computer don't want to play nice. WTF?!?! Will need to spend some time, some time in the future, figuring this out. When I have time. Sorry so technology challenged.
Set list to come.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
We headed out to Seattle for Mr. mouse's birthday. His best friend and former college roommate shares the same birthday so we get together each year to celebrate. Still figuring out up from down from the red eye. Will write the weekend update this evening.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
After lots of weighing the pros and cons of the job offer, I've decided not to take it. On the positive, it got me together with Mr. mouse, it paid for relocation and it was a 25% increase in compensation. On the negative, it didn't move my career in the direction I want it to go, it was a lateral move and I had doubts about career development/advancement since they seem to be recruiting pretty heavily from a particular management consulting firm.
So, all in all, I wasn't jazzed about it and I was leaning towards not taking it. That was on Monday. Now that we have the house offer, I feel I have even more flexibility in figuring this out and even less inclination to take it. I don't think I can give it my "all." If I feel that way, now, before I'm at the job, that's not a good sign.
I got some good advice from good friends. They all support me on my decision. Mr. mouse does as well. Most importantly, my gut tells me it's the right decision. So, my answer today will be thanks, but no thanks.
Onto the next adventure.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Well...
I can't deny I am excited, sad, but nonetheless excited.
We have an offer on the mouse house.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will be transferring ownership of it in late December. This gives us about two months to pack, move and party extra hard with our neighbors. The time will go so quickly.
It's a load off my mental psyche. I felt tied to my job because of my mortgage. I also felt tied to my job because we were still paying off the dibs and dabs we invested in fixing the house to put it onto the market. And, I felt tied to staying local to do all of the "maintenance" associated with the mouse house. Now, I can evaluate where I really am. Well, not now, now, I'm too busy laying out the next eight weeks, but soon.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it's getting brighter. Just hope it all goes smoothly. For me, there's always anxiety associated with the time in between offer and close. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed just in case.
Cheers!
mouse
Dear Friends and Family,
Mr. mouse forwarded me this link. He's not a big ooh-aah-look-what's-on-the-internet kind of guy. That's more me. But we both had so much fun with the Name Voyager, it was strangely addicting. It lets you enter in a name and see how its popularity has risen and fallen with the times. You can find it at http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html. You can see how fashion forward (or not) your parents were.
Enjoy!
Cheers!
mouse
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