Happy Halloween and happy monday. I think.

Blowy and rainy and dark here. It feels quite autumnal and I'm working from home today to make sure I finish the presentation I have to give on Wednesday in DC by this morning. I have it all in my head, just not ms. powerpointy today.

I figured I'll work on it for the next 90 minutes and then throw it to DP to look at. I need a few snapshots from a webpage I can't access from here, so hopefully the developer will send me a few.

How was everyone's weekend? I'm hoping that some golf was played, some pumpkins were carved,some kms were run and some fun was had.

lala

lala, thanks for starting the thread.

It's beautiful here--70's, sunny, and breezy. This is when it's great to live in Florida. This weekend, played some golf and had fun. Attended two company picnics (mine and DH's)--too much food. Worked at a 5K for the Arthritis Foundation; DH ran well. I sang the National Anthem. I was supposed to run it also, but I've still got this hamstring problem.

How's everyone else?

Working on a proposal at work--yuk!! The RFP has 144 pages to read just for the instructions and Ts and Cs. We have lots of questions, too.

Hi Ladies,

Beautiful day here temps in the 60's and pure sunshine! Nice trick or treating weather. Had a nice weekend. On Friday DH and I went to see the movie the Weatherman. It was kind of quirky...I like Nicholas Cage, I think he resembles my son Nick! After that we stopped for appetizers and a drink. Saturday was spent doing chores. On Sunday we headed to the Berkshires for some leaf peeping. Also stopped at Barnes and Noble and picked up the newest Patricia Cornwell book "Trace" and the latest Anita Shreve, "A Wedding in December". They should both be good reads. The Halloween candy continues to temp me since I'm PMSing. I am trying to be good... yesterday I had a bite size Mounds and Snicker bar.

Lala we carved a on Saturday night and roasted the seeds. I love to do that! Are you expecting many trick or treaters tonight? Hope your weather gets better. This is the first really nice day we've had in awhile.

Hi to Lisa, Melissa and Susan hope you're all having a good Monday.

Good morning! It was beautiful when I got up this morning--sunny and 61 and now it's raining and down to 50! Yesterday was gorgeous.

My weekend was pretty busy--I went to Cleveland for our convention for the German heritage group and ate/drank way too much, lol. I'm still feeling puffy and to add insult to injury I'm pmsing--TOM is due to arrive next Wednesday.

Work has been stressful--we have had some nasty rumors flying around about the time off policies (which are JUST rumors) and so there's been a lot of speculation. It was amazing how quickly the rumor spread--I like to equate it with a fast moving cancer.

Anyway, I'm plugging along here trying to stay focused. The only good thing out of all this is my eating hasn't been terrible from the stress. I just need to get moving!

Lala: Were you able to get your powerpoint done?

Lisa: Yes, Florida is gorgeous when the storms aren't whipping through the area.

Pam: Sounds like you had a really nice weekend. I need to get some chores done at home.

Hi to Susan, Austingal! Hope you're both doing well.

drive by here tonight. In DC for the week and have a presentation I'm still futzing with tonight. Hotel is quite charming however, quite loud and we're not amused. Every hotel in DC is full for the week, really really full. We tried to move and the cheapest we could get was 299 tomorrow. They promise that they'll move us tomorrow.

Other than that, fun, fun, fun.

Ate okay today, drank too many camparis.

Melissa - I'm sorry work is being difficult.

Pam - We had six groups of trick or treaters for a total of 10 kids. Is that pathetic or what?

Lisa - I am looking forward to my first visit to Fort Lauderdale ever on Friday, i'm in the airport for one hour. Whoo hooo.

Okay, i'm off to bed. must wash face and brush skin, or teeth. I can't remember.

I hope I can wake up in time for gym.

lala

I am sad today. I talked to the husband of one of my high school buddies last night. My girlfriend passed away last Friday from colon cancer--51 years old. I didn't even know she was sick and I feel really bad about that. It is really quite a shock. She was a WW person and had lost 100 lbs. I was so proud of her for that because she had been overweight most of her life. She was one of my bridesmaids in our wedding and made the bridesmaids' dresses.

Melissa, what kinds of rumors are circulating. The problem with rumors is that many times they are true or are close to being true when it comes to changes in workplace policy. The German Heritage convention sounds like fun.

lala, what is going on in DC that hotel rooms are full? They have a lot of hotels there! I stayed at the George once and it was fun--kind of kitschy. Why will you be in Ft. Lauderdale?

Had my performance review yesterday and it was okay. Got the standard raise, but at least it's a raise, right?

Pam, let me know if you like those books.

Hi to Susan and Austin. Austin, where are you???

Good morning ladies! It's a beautiful fall day here--sunny, cool (50) but overall gorgeous. We're supposed to have a "warm" up to 66-68 the next couple of days and it's supposed to stay sunny so that's something to look forward to. The weekend isn't looking promising but that's okay--I'll be inside!

Lala: At least the phone has stopped ringing

Lisa: There were rumors going about about the time off (sick time) being taken away. Every year the Compensation Committee looks at benefits, increases, etc. and this year the time off accrual is supposed to be looked at. Long story short, there's nothing in the works! It's funny how one person can get something going and then keep feeding it. I know where it's coming from, as do the officers of our support staff association. Eventually things should quiet down. Our sick time really needs to be looked at--if you don't have the time "banked" you don't get paid to be off. A new employee would have to work 3 1/2 years in order to get 8 weeks paid leave and that would mean they couldn't go to the doctor, get sick, etc. Currently you get 1 day per month from 1-5 years; 1 1/2 days/month 6-10 years, and 2 days per month 11+ years. It doesn't affect me because I've been here so long but in the instance that I would get sick, have to be off multiple times for any length of time, I'd lose as well. A number of years ago we did a survey to see how we stacked up against other institutions and while some areas we were ahead, there were others that we were behind.

I'm heading to my meeting at noon but am toying the idea of not weighing in. I know I'll probably just bite the bullet to see where I'm at so I know where I need to go. Decisions, decisions...

Just wanted to let you all know I weighed and was pleasantly surprised...I was down 1.6#!!

Now to work on the rest of the weight I've managed to accumulate over the summer months.

Hi Ladies,

Another beauty of a day, should reach almost 70!!! If only it could last Work is hectic once again since we've changed from a fiscal to calendar year...so now we're budgeting . Yuck. Counting the days till the 11th when we head to Florida.

Lisa I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. How awful. My friend who passed away in September from cancer was the same age. That is just too young. I began reading the Patricia Cornwell book yesterday. I believe I said it was Trace but it is actually Predator. I don't know if you've ever read this author before but I think she is very good.

Melissa workplace "rumors" can drive you nuts. Seems like benefits are chattered about a lot where I work also. I've been with my company for 20 years...hard to believe even as I'm typing that! I get 3 weeks of sick time and 5 weeks of vacation time as well as 5 holidays. The weather here is looking pretty good for the weekend.

Lala Enjoy your brief stay in Fort Lauderdale. I'll be in FL a week from Friday. One of the the places I would like to go to for lunch is Joe's Stone Crab...I've heard it is quite the experience.

Hi Susan hope you're doing OK.

Ok back to the budgets...talk to you tomorrow.

Melissa, congrats on the loss.

Pam, Yes, it's too young. I'm still reeling from it. Yes, I've read Patricia Cornwell and she is good. In general, I like mysteries, especially crime type ones. Where will you be in Florida?

Melissa woohoo on the loss. That is terrific. I'm with you on trying to lose a few pounds put on this summer. The weather here has been absolutely beautiful all week with temps in the high 60's. I hope it stays nice through the weekend, I'm scheduled to have my car waxed and detailed on Sunday.

Lisa I'll be in Miami next Friday through Tuesday. I've never really spent any time there before other than in the airport. We're going to see the Patriots play the Dolphins on the 13th.

I'll be back later......

Hi everyone,

Sunny and beautiful in DC. Sitting here in dark and depressing quaint hotel room with a view of a brick wall trying to get my courage up to run to Filene's basement. Meeting is over and was quite depressing, low turn out and malaise. Funny how there were 40 presentations and many stressed the same ideas about IT architecture, data dissemination and anti-stovepiping and we're still doing everything wrong.

Oh well.

Tonight I'm moving hotels. DP can stay here, but I"m moving to a chain hotel near the airport where I can be assured my wake up call will happen and I'll get a decent night's sleep.

Fort Lauderdale is about my 100K quest. 150 bucks for 5300 base miles can't be beat. I'm upgraded the whole way and I have a paper to write, so I should be able to work.

Now..........

Lisa - I'm sorry to hear about your friend. What a shock and so hard to hear after the fact. I'm glad you got to share part of your lives and history together. Please take care of yourself.

Melissa - Ack. I can only think that an inane policy like this is because one or three morons may have abused the system. That just seems very draconian. Congrats on the loss and for going to your meeting.

Pam -- I'm glad to see your weather is improving. We have the same problem, univerisity is on a July1 calendar and gov't is the fiscal year. We have quite a fun time with salary shovelling during this time.

Miami was an option for me, but I wanted small airport. I may have a Miami meeting this winter. That I can handle.

Well, today ended on a better note with three awards at this meeting received by my lab and group including one that DP and I worked on. Poor thing is still sitting in a conference room rating proposals while I sit here deciding whether or not to go spend money on a skirt.

I'll chat at you all from DCA tomorrow am.

lala

lala, ooo Filene's, I love that store. Thanks for the condolences about my friend. Sorry to hear your meetings were blah. You probably did a lot of work to prep, too. Good luck on your 100K miles quest.

Pam, the game sounds like fun. I think the Pats will probably easily handle the Fish, but stranger things have happened like my Redskins getting shut out last week!

Lisa: How sad that your friend passed away. It's sad how many lives have been taken away by cancer. A friend here at work just lost her husband. She is 38 and has 2 kids (7th & 9th grade) and they just moved. Life just doesn't seem fair at times.

Lala: I love Filene's! We don't have one here but I usually get to the one in Chicago when I'm there in December Our sick time policy was in place before I started here in 1983 so that tells you how old it is, lol.

It's cloudy here this morning but temps are supposed to get up to 70! I'm not complaining. I managed to get out for a walk at lunch time yesterday and it felt good. The bad side is that I ate far more than I should have last evening. Work has been pretty quiet.

I have a busy weekend ahead--Saturday I'm going to a baby shower and Sunday I'll be in PIttsburgh for our annual WW meeting. Anyone else have plans?

Melissa, I know--there are too many people, especially women dying of breast cancer. 38 is too young!! Pittsburgh is a great city--I hope you have fun.

It is quite warm here--mid 80's and through the weekend. A friend and I are going to an annual arts and crafts show on Saturday and probably more shopping. I'm trying to get a jump start on Christmas presents. I don't know what it is, but as we get older it seems to get more difficult to come up with ideas. I asked my mother yesterday for suggestions and she said she had none.

On Sunday, my group has a concert and then we will meet to plan our Christmas shows--we have 6 bookings so far; we'll be busy in December.

On the food front, I was horrible yesterday. Someone brought in Halloween candy and I ate so much of it, I couldn't eat dinner. Well, today's another day.