I meant to come in her yesterday but, it was the littlest sis' 16th birthday.

Thank you very much for your opinions Sojo, Ellis, Virginia, Lidian, Terri, Soozie, Merry, Ruthxxx, and Den. I wanted opinions even if you think you sound like know-it-alls, an old fart, or think you will stick your foot in your mouth (which you didn't ellis ) It gave me a lot to think about. At this time I don't think I am going to meet the chick. She wouldn't be the only one with ulterior motives. I knew if I did, I would spend a lot of the time comparing myself to her, which wouldn't turn out good no matter what.

Plus I think if I did go, one of my dear friends here would try and nail my feet to the floor first. I didn't even finish telling her all of it and I got a very stern "NO!"

And I have noticed that being there for him all of the time, tends to get me over looked and taken for granted. At least until something really bad happens, then I am told I am appreciated.

Enough of that.

Ellis- I LOVE that print. I think it is great. I liked the one that I think was called "The Couch". There were a few other of the other collections that were pretty cool too.

A new computer sounds like fun Ruthxxx. I love mine too much to part with it. (And you are not an old fart )

Sending get better hugs to Den.

Woo Hoo Soozie! You are kickin' butt. And welcome back again.


Thank you all again! I really do appreciate all of you and all of your stories and advice.

It's Friday, Friday, Friiiiidaaaaaay!!!!

Woke up to the sound of rain this morning and did NOT want to get out of bed! I love that sound....
Two things would make this weekend perfect: Freddies finally getting my feather bed in stock and the Oakland Raiders LOSING the Super Bowl...

Soozie - Good ta see ya again!!! Sorry you've been sick, but it sounds like you're doing a maaaahvelous job working out!!

Ellis - I think having money is the secret to most thin celebrities. I know I'd think about food less if I had a bottomless checking account and could do whatever I wanted. There'd be a lot less time sitting on my butt on the couch and a lot more time sprinting around various malls!
Oh, and *love* the print! Wonder what the kids will think once they realise that's going to be what they look at while eating breakfast!....

Squeak - I think you've made a good decision... the most important thing is to take care of yourself.

Toodles for now,

Terri

YAY SQUEAK!!!!!! You know we'd love you no matter WHAT you decided, but I do think you made the right decision. There are certain things that evewn GOOD friends shouldn't ask! Plus, I think a lot of us in here need to LEARN to say "NO" more often!! It is something I'm still working on!!

Ellis-LOVE THAT PRINT!!! I think I'd be pointing to it and telling DH "It's time..." too much if it were here though!!!

Thanks to ALL of you for your good wishes. I'm hoping things here will calm down soon!!!

Ruth-We had to shrink the image so much that I can barely read it either!! Your monitor must be GREAT!!!

Holy Moley re the print! My monitor is really good! Am I wrong or does she still have her panties on?

HEY! That way you don't need a condom!! (snicker)

Gee- I am awol for a few days and so much has happened!

Den- I hope things get better for you

Squeak- I agree with the rest of the Chickies and I think you made the right decision for yourself. If this thing turns out to be long term then you can meet her if you choose.

Soozie- Congratulations girl!

Ellis- "bok choi" ? I knew that was a vegetable, didn't know it was a colour! Your pantry sounds great and that picture would certainly wake you up more than morning coffee!

Sojo- have fun on your trip!

I don't KNOW if she has panties on, Ruth. I wasn't LOOKING down there! snicker.

Den, hope you're doing better, hon!

Terri....RAIN!?!? RAIN!?!? Good lord!! What I wouldn't give to hear rain on my roof! Well, I have something to be grateful for... I don't live in Newfoundland! Those poor dears... what a dump of snow they're getting this year! You'd think it would just blow right off the island...

Squeak, I'm glad you've got a good friend there to tell you to say "NO!". Hang in there, sweetie! Come and get us when you need us...
Yes, I like that painting of the two on the couch, too. It's called "The Lesson". Eliza's stuff (apart from the hilarious paintings she does for the covers of romance novels) has a LOT of underlying tension in it.

We had our dear friend Jim over for whiskey and dessert last night. I walked him home to see his newly aquired foldable kayak!! It is so cool!! I want one! It fits into two bags.
http://www.folbot.com/Aleut.htm

Mauvais, how did you feel about your interview? A friend of mine looks upon interviews as mere learning experiences. He used to go to them regularly to "practice".

Picked up my picture frame yesterday. I hope it's the right size. It's still in the car. I was just too darned cold to carry it in. And I got the two stools for the pantry. That Ikea... my girlfriend and I went to pick up my shelves, and the darned things were so heavy we could barely lift them! Not wanted to cause damage to my friend's back, I decided to leave them for another day with DH.
Why on earth couldn't they put them in TWO boxes to make them more managable?!
No matter... I really should paint the room before putting up shelves.
I've decided that; instead of white for the moldings, I'm going to paint them a dark chili-pepper red. The two colours look great together! (oh geez... another green and red room... I think I need analyzing...)

Hello everyone....

Had an ok weekend - pretty quiet, more rain (yes Ellis, rain!) and confirmed with my Dad when I'm going to Yuma. *sigh* March.... it's just around the corner!!!! Oh well, I'll go, get it outta the way and get home to enjoy the rest of the year without him nagging me on the topic (love Dad, don't like flying, and can think of 50 other things to do with my vacation time).

Made a major decision this weekend too. I'm trading in my car. It's only a 2000, but at 16,000 they had to put in a new tranny, which is still not quite right and now I'm smelling burning oil (it has 28k on it) and they're telling me it's my imagination . I'm also tired of the stick shift. So, before my warranty is up, it's going bu-bye. Thank God I put $5k down on it and my payoff is a load less than the trade in value....
Looking forward to new wheels!!!

Well, that's the "excitement" of my weekend....

Terri

Terri - A new car. That is exciting. Where is Yuma though?

Ellis - A foldable boat seems very cool, but somehow I would be terrified it would leak. Not that I would ever voluntarily get into a kayak no matter what. I am just a big chicken. And your house sounds lovely.

Mauvais - How did the interview go? When do you hear any news? I always found the prospect of a new job is exciting and scary.

Den - You are right, saying "No" is so difficult. It seems much easier to say "Yes", even if it puts me in a worse situation. But I feel so gulity and awful if I am not there or let down someone.

But I need to put me first once and awhile. About the only good thing is the hurt, and other assorted emotions that have resurfaced I am trying to funnel into constructive things, like cleaning and excercise. Thank you all for all of the support. I do appreciate it and you girls, when I am in need of support and otherwise.


Hello to the rest of the chickes!

- Yuma is in Arizona. Affectionately called the armpit of the U.S. (as in hot n' sweaty beyond belief). My Dad, for whatEVER reason possessed him, moved there 5 years ago.

...lucky me. Well, at least I may finally get to go to Mexico - he lives about 20 minutes from the border.

Terri

Terri, a new car!! How exciting!! Ummm, where the heck is Yuma? oh.... I see your post. Hmmm, sounds a little hot to me. NOT that I'm in any position to complete about WARMTH right now!! But you'll see your Dad... that'll be nice. Won't it?

Squeak... you're EXERCISING?! You're kidding?!!? I'm impressed!
And listen, it's important also not to let YOURSELF down!! Remember that! hugs sweetie...

Going to Ikea with my sister tonight to hopefully pick up the shelves. Poor girl thinks we're just going for fun, heh heh.

love to all!

Hello everyone!

The interview went really well although there was a typing test before it that was nerve wracking. If you didn't pass the test you didn't get an interview - no pressure there!

I think I did well and they asked for my references -but I won't know for 2-3 weeks -the wait is killing me! but I hope to get some good news

Terri-I envy you going somewhere warm - it was -38c with the wind chill today-Brrrr! I took the bus to work instead of walking!

Squeak-yay! You've started exercising-good on you! Now if only I could motivate myself-my excuse for not going swimming today at the gym was the weather-I didn't want to have to walk home with wet hair...(not a good excuse )

Hi All!


Good luck on the job Mauvais!


Terri - a new car - good for you! one thing though - can I ask you what kind yours is now? I try to steer (ok, yes a pun! LOL) away from the poor quality makers.

Have fun in Yuma! I've never been there - but anyplace warm sounds good right now! My boss's parents retired there, I gather the cost of living there is reasonable.


I like the new print Ellis....... I love Ikea - don't ask me why I just do! many of the houses we've been looking at have hardwood floors- some Ikea throw rugs maybe in order.

I hope all you Canadian chiquitas are staying warm, I've been worrying about you and Squeak and Den too........we're cold here in the mid-Atlantic, but I know it's not the same as up north.

Tomorrow we're supposed to get a break! hey~

I'm glad to see y'all are doing well. I've been busy since the new year - work is nuts and I've had to work on taxes and finances and house hunting and oh yeah! dieting!

I am cheerful despite the weather and all the bad news on TV day after day after day.

Love and Hugs to All - Terri

Mauvais, I'm glad the interview went well! Don't stress about the wait... remember, if you don't get THIS job, there's another one waiting just around the corner for you.

Terrigrrrl, I'm sorry you've got so much on the go right now. Hopefully things will settle down for you soon.
I like Ikea because it's cheap and fairly funky. We have hardwood floors... I love them. In fact, we got rid of our living room rug and just have the bare floors in the living and dining rooms. We got some good sisal rugs for our bedroom at Ikea, and they still look brand new after four years.

Listen, it's going up to -3 on Saturday. Bikini weather.

Hey guys,

Talked to my Dad last night - I'm not even there yet and I wanna go hide in my room. He and his wife were questioning why my ticket is so much more ($80) than her sons when he visits (same airports) and after explaining 3x that it was because of the 6 hour layover in L.A. for my business meeting - I gave up. I also couldn't get out of him how much he plans on helping with the cost of this $300 ticket (he said he would help). I'm getting peeved - since it's not just the ticket price for me, but also $100 in gas to get to the airport. Grrrrrr..... can't wait for this to be over.

Ellis - Sure, can't wait to see my Dad. Love him to death, but I think I'm happy with just talking on the phone every week.... (ask me again when I don't want to rip off his mustache)

Mauvais - Good luck on the job interview. It does sound like it went well. If anything, I'd think all the posting we do helps with typing skills!

Terrrrrri - Right now I have a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara. LOVE my car, but it's had some problems - first model years tend to not be the best. They're built by the same people, in the same factory, as the Chevy Trackers. From others that I've talked to with the same car, and the research I've done, it appears that I'm the "lucky" one and my problems have been very, very rare. I always joke that the Friday night crew built my car.

My Mom and stepfather both bought cars last weekend - a 2003 Ford Expedition and a 2003 Ford 150 pickup (gives the illusion that we've got money doesn't it? ) and they're trying to get me to get a Ford too - but the SUV I want is a bit outta my price range. We'll see....

Off to de-stress,
Terri