Kingfisher Cove

Trying to Overcome a Foul Mood

Work has been just ass-kicking.  My head is swimming in anxiety and I am not having a good time being "interim lead marketing coordinator" right now.  We are so overloaded (and short-handed), and the demands on my time for all this other corporate administration crap is really taking its toll and putting me behind on all the proposal deadlines.  I know I need to work more overtime (a lot more).  But I'm so mentally drained at the end of the work day, that continuing on — either at the office or at home — after going a gazillion-miles-per-hour in a gazillion different directions, is just beyond reality.  I'll end up sharing the psych ward with Britney Spears.

I like being home and doing non-worky stuff. (We work to live, not live to work, right?)  This permanent position would have to pay significantly more than my wee little interim stipend for me to see any value in this, especially with unpaid overtime.  At this point I'm thinking:  Let somebody green come in and take this on!  And have fun!  (Not!)

I just finished one hellacious book (and that adjective is quite fitting).  It was so bad that I just had to write an Amazon book review.  I need to make a point that the next really good book I read, that I write a positive review.  

Escher Critters

Where does one start and another one end?

Notice how ragged that pet bed is?  That's all thanks to Mojo who uses it as a scratching post.  He lays on the floor and tears the hell out of it as he spins it with his giant mouse/rat-killing claws!  I guess there are worse things to destroy.

Wow, we have wind.  Sounds like a freight train is coming through the house.

Home (Kitchen) Improvement

Our house is 23 years old.  JDub designed it back in 1985 and had it built as a custom home, albeit on a strict budget as it was just himself and he'd only been with Da Airplane Company about four years at that time.  It's an interesting contemporary design (for the 1980s) situated on a challenging small lot (so built "up", as in tall).  But it has typical "manly bachelor" flaws, such as the laundry room located way down in the dungeon as far from the master bedroom as it could possibly be, and a postage-stamp-sized kitchen.  (With cobalt blue countertops).

Now, I love blue.  It's my favorite color.  In fact, when I met JDub I thought it was pretty cool that his house and my condo both had light blue carpeting throughout.  (Not many people do).  A few years ago he pulled up the downstairs carpeting and installed the hardwood floors and it's a wonderful improvement.  BUT...even though I'm OK with the postage-stamp kitchen, these cobalt blue countertops are a bit much.  I've lived with them for 8 years, and it's time for a change.  For lots of changes!  We already replaced the 23-year-old oven and dishwasher.  We'll be replacing the kitchen cabinet doors, too, but they are lower down on the list.  The next priority will be new countertops and a tile backsplash.

Below is the decorative tile unit of the backsplash which will be in a continuous row part-way up the wall all along the kitchen (yes, that greenish/blue tile is glass!).  It'll be surrounded up to the cupboards with the main tile that matches that brownish rough tile in the decorative unit (plus fill the space above the stove). We haven't ordered the main tile yet:

I nabbed several sample swatches of the countertop that we like because one swatch was too iddy biddy to give us any kind of idea of how it would look.  So I've laid them out here and you can see how well the new countertop will go with this decorative backsplash unit.  It has a tiny bit of that same greenish/bluish color as the glass tile.  You can click these to see bigger photos:  

This countertop material is a new style of laminate by Wilsonart and I've seen a demo kitchen with it and it's really lovely (not our mothers' laminate!) It has matte and gloss variations throughout.   We did seriously consider granite and similar synthetic materials (like Corian), but they made me think of expensive and uber-shiny speckled chickens.  Really!  I wasn't jazzed with the color choices, and that speckled look was off-putting.  Although I have seen granite (and Corian) countertops in homes that really are lovely — and we may consider something like that for our Harstine house, as long as we can find something that isn't overly formal-looking.  And maybe by then they'll tone down the speckle and come up with better color choices.

JDub's planning on installing the tile himself, but he is looking for somebody to install the countertop, since it can be tricky and we don't want any seams to show! 

On the Brink of a Nutty Day

After noticing that there was nary a snowflake on the ground around our house this morning, I showered and primped for work, and then learned from the local TV news station that the town where I work was a snowy/icy mess and the schools were closed.  So I weighed it:  Risk a 20-mile drive with who-knows-what-peril?  Or telecommute?  Well, duh, no-brainer.  So I came downstairs to my computer (all showered and primped, but quickly changed into jeans) to be greeted by the likes of this:

 

Only, it was laying on the hardwood floor directly in front of Nate's room ("Hey Nate, here's a gift for you!")  And it was damned flat (and big).  And there were tufts of rat-hair all over the dining room floor.  (Thankfully no rat-guts).  I couldn't go near it (I just couldn't) so after I'd been working on my proposal for a couple of hours, I called Nate on his cell phone (yes, from the dining room table to his bedroom, about 20 feet away) to warn him that when he opened his bedroom door, he would be greeted with a present from da kitteh who adores him (he really does).  Later, Nate mentioned that the house smelled like rodent death, but I think that was probably post traumatic stress syndrome from picking it up with a paper towel and tossing it over the hillside.  ("Mom, that thing was heavy!") 

So we were one of the few places that didn't get snow, but it was all around us, and JDub had to go to Bellevue, where I'd heard it was pretty bad.  I was stewing a bit about him throughout the day because he'd opted to take his Bright Yellow Solstice in lieu of the 4WD Durango.  He ended up delaying his trip to Bellevue and went to his Seattle office first (no snow there), and everything worked out OK.  But they are calling for a widespread dumping of the white stuff tonight.  Possibly it'll turn to rain and begin to melt by commuter time, but they aren't so good about pinning down that kind of timing around here.

My work-at-home day was rather frustrating because even though I could connect through the VPN just fine, my InDesign software kept seizing up on me!  So I'd have to EMAIL my documents from my work-laptop to my personal laptop and work on stuff from there!  I had both computers going, and it was not like having dual monitors or anything convenient — in fact, it was very cumbersome.  But I was busy, and the time flew.

Wonder what tomorrow holds?  (I don't like unknowns).    

Kinda Nice

Sitting here at the dining table with sun pouring in through the windows (had to lower the blinds!) with Nate sitting across from me doing his accounting homework.  We keep shooting good-natured insults back and forth at each other.  Man that kid is quick.  Was I ever that way?  No, I really never have been.  I've always had much better hindsight than a quick/witty tongue.  (How many times in my life have I thought, "God, I wish I'd had the wherewithal at the time to come back with this...")  I think that's why I prefer written communication.  It gives me time to THINK.  (Or hit the delete key).

I've defined relaxation this weekend, that's for sure.  (Or else "unproductive", take your pick).  With the weather threatening to be sucky, we opted to not head to Harstine, and this time of year that's fine with me because being cooped up in the camping trailer does get old.  It's ironic that today is quite lovely out there, though.  No snow yet, but there is still a possibility through the middle of the week.  (I'll believe it when if I see it, but I'll probably stew about it until they quit mentioning it).

Relaxation is pretty boring to read about, though.  (Namely, reading books; playing a computer adventure game — until it crashed on me; making some experimental soaps by melting down some previous bars that hadn't turned out to my liking to see what oddities I could come up with; and surfing the net. Oh, and researching/ordering a new microwave oven!  My bad).  Exciting stuff!

Nate keeps talking to himself as he's figuring out all his debit and credit and balance sheet homework.  I keep teasing him about it.  He keeps tossing erasers at me.

It's kinda nice. 

Dragging My Butt

I'm always amazed when I've made it to another Friday night.  God, I feel like I could sleep the entire weekend.  Starting right now.

I felt crabby all day, and I realize a lot of it is because I had to spend an inordinate amount of time all week long with Annoying Coworker.  She's just so...Dana-Carvey-Church-Lady.  Those skinny rubberband lips that migrate all over her face and eventually park in pinched down-turned disapproval make my eyes follow that irritating odyssey and so I forget to listen to what she's bitching about saying. (She is conscientious, though, and she does a good job, and I do appreciate that, but....gah!)  I know that work being nuts is the true bulk of my crabbiness.  With no vacation (or holidays) in sight.  Nor a third marketing person any time soon to ease the load. 

I'll quit bitching now!

We've had a very cold, but also very beautiful week.  Ice hasn't been an issue since early in the week because it's been so dry, so overall I've been enjoying the weather (although I really haven't noticed it much, in spite of having windows).  I just appreciate the fact that darkness and gloom (and hydroplaning semi-trucks) haven't contributed to my general malaise.  BUT, the forecast is calling for a chance of snow this weekend and into early next week.  I guess I feel OK about that possibility.  If necessary, I can telecommute.  And it doesn't sound like it's going to be a huge "event" or anything, probably turning to rain pretty quickly.  I think some snow right about now would be a welcome diversion. 

And Then Suddenly...It's Thursday Night!

How does this happen?  I mean, I do know because it seems these days I'm either climbing into bed or else crawling out of it just as fast as you can snap your fingers.  Driving to work in the midst of sunrise, and driving home in the midst of sunset.  And then working.  Working, working, working.  Through lunch, at home via VPN, in my sleep!  One day at a time, but day after day.

After day.

We had yet another key marketing person give notice today and I'm once again in utter shock.  This is our database guru in our corporate marketing office, and I honestly don't know what we're going to do without her.  (In fact, ironically, the company we purchased our marketing database from has hired her).  I'm actually now considered one of the senior marketing people, and I've only been there shy of 2 years!  Jeeze.

When I can, I've been reading.  I'm currently into a compelling but quite melodramatic book called "Pieces of My Sister's Life" (on my Kindle, of course).  However, last fall I'd pre-ordered Stephen King's new book, Duma Key, and promptly forgot about it -- but it was finally released and I received the huge volume (real book!) from Amazon this week.  Makes my thumb hurt just looking at it.

My kid wrecked his cute lil' Miata.  Not terrible ($1,400 worth, though), and it'll be in the shop for a while.  He made a deal with JDub to drive the Durango to work and to school (ONLY), and he's planning to work many, many extra shifts to pay the $1,000 deductible.  Ice is not his friend, as that's what also caused him to total his cute lil' red truck a couple of years ago.  That, and the idiocy that comes with being a youthful male.

And yes, I'm very relieved he wasn't hurt.

A Little Out of Sorts Today

Feeling pressure now, and compounded with my icy drive to work this morning, I'm sensing that fight-or-flight mode and I'd quite honestly like to fleeeeeee right about now.  You know, to somewhere warm and lovely with no worries.  Especially the no-worries part.  I'd even be willing to shiver a bit if I had no worries.  (And no ice!)  Our workload increases every day, and we are struggling to stay on top of it all.  And so much of my time is taken up with annoying administrative demands that feel like flies buzzing around my head.  What I'd give to have a swatter!  Or bug spray.  I still have all my deadlines to meet, too.  

Another thing that has me worried is that lately the company has lost a LOT of good people.  (Heh, they're dropping like flies!)  There have been some real shocks, including one today.  Hmm, maybe they weren't paid for nine days or something...

I see overtime on the near-horizon.  (That's unpaid overtime...)

Sunday Cookery and Stuff

I have a pot roast in the oven, which I've always enjoyed making, but the actual outcome has never been one of my favorite meals.  I opted not to cook it in the crockpot because I got sort of a late start and cooking on low (recommended) would have taken too long.  Plus, the recipe that I ran across specified cooking it in the oven and I wanted to follow this as closely as possible.  It's quite different from how I (or JDub) have cooked pot roast in the past, and it sounded quite interesting:

Pot Roast

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 lb. beef chuck roast (God, meat is pricey!  Even chuck roast!)
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika (I used to think paprika was rather useless, kind of like parsley, but smoked paprika is really good!)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 cup red wine OR beef stock (I used red wine)
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Heat olive oil in heavy pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle roast with paprika and brown, about 15 minutes total. Place in Dutch oven and add bell peppers, onions, carrot, and garlic.

In the same skillet used to brown roast, add wine, vinegar, sugar, and tomato sauce, scraping to loosen any brown bits. Pour over the meat and vegetables, add pepper, and cover. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 4-5 hours.

When the meat is tender, remove and cover it with foil to keep warm. Remove vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and puree in a food processor. Place in a saucepan, add the meat juices and drippings left in the pan and cook over medium heat until thickened, adding salt as needed until the flavor comes alive, about 10-15 minutes.

Slice the roast and spoon the gravy over it. Serves 8-10

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I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do that last part (puree the vegetables and make a gravy out of it, but we'll see).  I'm going to cook mini-potatoes separately, and add some sliced mushrooms to the meat pot once there's about an hour left to go.  

It's a beautiful day (cold out there in the shade), but the sun shining through all our big windows has really heated up this house -- to the point where the A/C kicked on!  Says it's 76 deg. in here!  And running around the kitchen and up & down stairs with laundry, I'm definitely feeling it.  It's supposed to get butt-cold tonight, though (teens-20s). 

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Update:  OK, the pot roast was very good -- and I did go through with the vegetable puree and I'm glad I did (it was easy, although rather messy).  That sauce/gravy was very flavorful.  But, when it's all said and done, it's still pot roast.

Hey!  We have a good 1/2-inch of sleety snow stuck to the ground and deck outside!  I was so shocked, after a day of intense sunshine!  It's let up, but the temperature is diving like mad and so it'll probably be icy tomorrow...

Made it Through Another Week

It's been a busy/crazy one.  Lunch-hour meetings, regular-hour meetings, and cranking on two proposals.  Plus all the gazillions of reactionary tasks interruptions and overseeing the full workload and....well, it's been busy/crazy.  Feels good to be home on a Friday night and vedge (no Harstine this weekend -- we have some catching up to do around the house).  I'm rather peeved, however.  I learned today that my boost in pay for taking on all these extra duties didn't go into effect until nine days after I started doing them.  I had all kinds of pointed questions about that for HR, and the answers were incredibly unsatisfactory.  Basically:  "These things take time."  First, I doubt very much that in similar situations, such as when our new office Principal was made interim Principal immediately after the previous one was fired, that he was denied nine days.  Nor would I imagine that the company itself would accept a client to arbitrarily decide that they weren't going to pay nine days worth of billed hours on an engineering project.  It's just one more thing about Corporate America that leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth. 

I guess I have to let go of it.  At least I asked those pointed questions, and by doing so I'm pretty sure that I made it clear that I wasn't "meek."  Heh.  Lot of good that did.  (Truth be known, the "old me" would have just swallowed it and NOT asked those pointed questions for fear of irritating somebody).

So!  We have a new oven (works great, and I'm so tickled to have the temperature accurate, an oven light, the self-cleaning component working, and also a working timer -- all of which the old oven didn't have!)  It's also a convection oven, but I haven't experimented with that feature.  Any tips or tricks about that from anyone?  Our new dishwasher is sitting in the garage waiting for JDub to install this weekend.  W00t!  We also have backsplash decorative tile on order.  Next will be the regular backsplash tile, and the countertops.  Don't think we'll go for granite here in this house, but maybe in our eventual Harstine house.  Maybe. 

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A couple of side notes:  We watched the movie "Cars" the other night, and it was absolutely wonderful!  Oh, Pixar has the exceptional-part-of-being-human totally nailed!  (It was about cars, of course, but boy were they human cars!)  My God, it was the best thing I've seen since....well, "Finding Nemo". 

Also?  It's lighter later, have you noticed?  It's no longer pitch dark might-as-well-be-midnight when I leave the office to head home.  Ahhhh.