belated everything....
I have been so incredibly busy the last few I missed wishing everyone a happy and a healthy holiday season. I have read up on all your posts, just haven't really had a chance to post one of my own or even comment as often as I would prefer.
To start with, work has been keeping me busy.
The hospital project not only is getting antsy to have the sucker go live, there was talk of taking the project away from our department and outsourcing it and examining the relevancy of our department. Thankfully there was some miscommunication among the doctors and after a developmental progress presentation, not only were they pleased, the emotional weight has been lifted off my shoulders (I did NOT have a good day when my boss filled me in on the threat! I felt that I was the reason for the downfall of our department - not even acknowledging the year's worth of progress put into the sucker).
The archives is on hold until I get a call back from my boss indicating funding approval. There's plenty of work and I'm sure I'll get that call, but one week into the new budget cycle and I'm already getting antsy waiting for her call. My boss wants me to write up a grant proposal (of which I still have to submit to her) for a digitization project to include in the archives database. She also was very good to me in recommending my skills to a potential freelance project for next fall.
The current freelance job.... well, that wasn't a bad project, but when I hit the crossroads of what I knew and what I needed to learn, I was at a stuck. Eventually I got the kinks smoothed out and the client has the database. Now I wait for indication that the client went live and the next list of tasks to add into the current system. Not sure how I'm gonna go about that.
When I'm not sitting in front of the computer doing database work, we've discovered that owning a house comes with all sorts of unexpected repairs requiring time, money, and Sheryl to climb up on the roof to inspect a leak in our coat closet. We still have our kitchen wallpaper removal project on our plate, but that keeps getting pushed aside due to other issues such as a major clog in our master bathroom piping requiring a plumber's visit to unclog (years and years of build up - not something we did) the pipe, but redo the old pipe set-up. The good news - yes, there is such a thing - is that we now have a couch in our den, and almost all of our boxes have a home instead of our two car garage. Hopefully in a week or two we'll actually get to park in the garage.
I even had a few moments to dabble in the extracurricular interests. Very much overdue and very much enjoyable. Hopefully the next time won't be after such a dry spell (justified, of course!)
We've made our presence known at the temple - actually, Natalie did that for us. We attended a family sabbath dinner and service, and a few other events. We are looking forward to getting more involved in the social community.
A few weeks back, Sheryl made me a fabulous birthday/sabbath dinner. It was so good I just have to mention it! Soup: Moroccan Yellow Split Pea, Appetizer: Bastilla (a sweet chicken pastry - got the recipe from Disney's 2007 Food and Wine Festival Cookbook), Entree: Marinated Lamb Chops with a pommegranite reduction (and of course, mint jelly), Side: Tri-color couscous with diced dried cranberries, diced dried apricots, and roasted almond slivers, and Dessert: Baklava (from the Disney 2007 Food and Wine Festival Cookbook). Entire menu was to die for... Talk about a Food-gasm!
As a birthday "treat", Sheryl and I saw Sweeney Todd (the first movie in a theater since Da Vinci Code in May 2006). I'm still mixed about it. I loved it, don't get me wrong. From the color tone to the costumes, the singing and acting to the special effects, the movie was fantastic. It took me a while to separate the show (very much a fan) and appreciate the film as a separate entity without making mental notes of the songs that were cut in the translation. This is a much darker interpretation than the quirky yet comical tale of revenge presented on the stage.
We spent the holidays with Pixie and The Foo and their family/friends. Sheryl and I have concluded that the really close friends we have are really the family we have chosen. We spent plenty of time with our own family (practically an "invasion" every week or so), but its those chosen few that we prefer to spend our time with if given the option.
Now onto Natalie... :) She's getting so big! Almost 8 months and still on the verge of crawling forward. She's gotten the backwards motion down and she rocks back and forth, but forward is still yet to come. Although, if she likes the person's shoes, she'll "inchworm" her way to them. She's pulling herself up as often as possible, and still loves to be held up in the air. We started her on the baby yogurt (she loves it) and Pastina and Cottage Cheese (hates the texture). What else... I melt when she rambles "dadadadada" even though I am not convinced she means me. Anyway, here's some pics for your viewing pleasure:
As a wrap-up for 2007....
1. We watched two seasons of Battlestar Galactica - currently trying to get through season 3, Natalie permitting.
2. Disney Vacations with Pixie and The Foo twice this year... Did I mention how great they are?!?
3. Natalie... while Natalie is highlight of my year, being there in the delivery room really is the most amazing experience of my life. Wouldn't trade it for anything....
4. House... we're all groaned up! (see above)
So anyway, here's my list of books for 2007...
1. Heroes, Saving Charlie by Aury Wallington (The Untold Story of Hiro and Charlie)
2. Murder in the Rue Chartes: A Chanse Macleod Mystery by Greg Herren ( scottynola)
3. Burnt House by Faye Kellerman (and the next book in the series, Mercedes Coffin to be published in late 2008)
4. Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (John and Faye's son)
5. Blind Fall by Christopher Rice
6. Christ the Lord: Road to Cana by Anne Rice
7. Duma Key by Stephen King
8. We Disappear by Scott Heim
9. New Benjamin Justice book by John Morgan Wilson (if his website is still accurate)
10. Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis
And 2 comics:
1. Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (my birthday gift from Pixie and The Foo)
2. Heroes: Volume One (what can I say, I'm obsessed with the dang show)
An interesting tidbit I noticed... I began 2007 and ended 2007 with work by beckycochrane. After further investigation, 2006 began (and ended) with her again (Three Fortunes in One Cookie - timothyjlambert coauthored). See a trend? What do you say Becky.... got something in the wings for me to read at the end of the year? ;)
To start with, work has been keeping me busy.
The hospital project not only is getting antsy to have the sucker go live, there was talk of taking the project away from our department and outsourcing it and examining the relevancy of our department. Thankfully there was some miscommunication among the doctors and after a developmental progress presentation, not only were they pleased, the emotional weight has been lifted off my shoulders (I did NOT have a good day when my boss filled me in on the threat! I felt that I was the reason for the downfall of our department - not even acknowledging the year's worth of progress put into the sucker).
The archives is on hold until I get a call back from my boss indicating funding approval. There's plenty of work and I'm sure I'll get that call, but one week into the new budget cycle and I'm already getting antsy waiting for her call. My boss wants me to write up a grant proposal (of which I still have to submit to her) for a digitization project to include in the archives database. She also was very good to me in recommending my skills to a potential freelance project for next fall.
The current freelance job.... well, that wasn't a bad project, but when I hit the crossroads of what I knew and what I needed to learn, I was at a stuck. Eventually I got the kinks smoothed out and the client has the database. Now I wait for indication that the client went live and the next list of tasks to add into the current system. Not sure how I'm gonna go about that.
When I'm not sitting in front of the computer doing database work, we've discovered that owning a house comes with all sorts of unexpected repairs requiring time, money, and Sheryl to climb up on the roof to inspect a leak in our coat closet. We still have our kitchen wallpaper removal project on our plate, but that keeps getting pushed aside due to other issues such as a major clog in our master bathroom piping requiring a plumber's visit to unclog (years and years of build up - not something we did) the pipe, but redo the old pipe set-up. The good news - yes, there is such a thing - is that we now have a couch in our den, and almost all of our boxes have a home instead of our two car garage. Hopefully in a week or two we'll actually get to park in the garage.
I even had a few moments to dabble in the extracurricular interests. Very much overdue and very much enjoyable. Hopefully the next time won't be after such a dry spell (justified, of course!)
We've made our presence known at the temple - actually, Natalie did that for us. We attended a family sabbath dinner and service, and a few other events. We are looking forward to getting more involved in the social community.
A few weeks back, Sheryl made me a fabulous birthday/sabbath dinner. It was so good I just have to mention it! Soup: Moroccan Yellow Split Pea, Appetizer: Bastilla (a sweet chicken pastry - got the recipe from Disney's 2007 Food and Wine Festival Cookbook), Entree: Marinated Lamb Chops with a pommegranite reduction (and of course, mint jelly), Side: Tri-color couscous with diced dried cranberries, diced dried apricots, and roasted almond slivers, and Dessert: Baklava (from the Disney 2007 Food and Wine Festival Cookbook). Entire menu was to die for... Talk about a Food-gasm!
As a birthday "treat", Sheryl and I saw Sweeney Todd (the first movie in a theater since Da Vinci Code in May 2006). I'm still mixed about it. I loved it, don't get me wrong. From the color tone to the costumes, the singing and acting to the special effects, the movie was fantastic. It took me a while to separate the show (very much a fan) and appreciate the film as a separate entity without making mental notes of the songs that were cut in the translation. This is a much darker interpretation than the quirky yet comical tale of revenge presented on the stage.
We spent the holidays with Pixie and The Foo and their family/friends. Sheryl and I have concluded that the really close friends we have are really the family we have chosen. We spent plenty of time with our own family (practically an "invasion" every week or so), but its those chosen few that we prefer to spend our time with if given the option.
Now onto Natalie... :) She's getting so big! Almost 8 months and still on the verge of crawling forward. She's gotten the backwards motion down and she rocks back and forth, but forward is still yet to come. Although, if she likes the person's shoes, she'll "inchworm" her way to them. She's pulling herself up as often as possible, and still loves to be held up in the air. We started her on the baby yogurt (she loves it) and Pastina and Cottage Cheese (hates the texture). What else... I melt when she rambles "dadadadada" even though I am not convinced she means me. Anyway, here's some pics for your viewing pleasure:
As a wrap-up for 2007....
1. We watched two seasons of Battlestar Galactica - currently trying to get through season 3, Natalie permitting.
2. Disney Vacations with Pixie and The Foo twice this year... Did I mention how great they are?!?
3. Natalie... while Natalie is highlight of my year, being there in the delivery room really is the most amazing experience of my life. Wouldn't trade it for anything....
4. House... we're all groaned up! (see above)
So anyway, here's my list of books for 2007...
- A Coventry Christmas by Becky Cochrane
- The Year of Endless Sorrows by Adam Rapp
- alternaDad by Neal Pollack
- The Burning by Bentley Little
- Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
- Walt Disney by Neal Gabler (didn’t finish)
- The Machiavelli Covenant by Allan Folsom
- Spring’s Awakening: A Tragedy of Childhood by Frank Wedekind - trans. Eric Bentley
- Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
- The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
- The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks
- Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
- Last Breath: A Sherry Moore Novel by George D. Shuman (didn’t finish)
- It Had to Be You by Timothy James Beck
- He’s the One by Timothy James Beck
- I’m Your Man by Timothy James Beck
- The Garden Of Eden And Other Criminal Delights by Faye Kellerman (“The Garden of Eden”, “Open House”, “Bull’s Eye”)
- Twilight by William Gay (didn’t finish)
- When You Don’t See Me by Timothy James Beck (in progress)
1. Heroes, Saving Charlie by Aury Wallington (The Untold Story of Hiro and Charlie)
2. Murder in the Rue Chartes: A Chanse Macleod Mystery by Greg Herren ( scottynola)
3. Burnt House by Faye Kellerman (and the next book in the series, Mercedes Coffin to be published in late 2008)
4. Trouble by Jesse Kellerman (John and Faye's son)
5. Blind Fall by Christopher Rice
6. Christ the Lord: Road to Cana by Anne Rice
7. Duma Key by Stephen King
8. We Disappear by Scott Heim
9. New Benjamin Justice book by John Morgan Wilson (if his website is still accurate)
10. Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography by David Michaelis
And 2 comics:
1. Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (my birthday gift from Pixie and The Foo)
2. Heroes: Volume One (what can I say, I'm obsessed with the dang show)
An interesting tidbit I noticed... I began 2007 and ended 2007 with work by beckycochrane. After further investigation, 2006 began (and ended) with her again (Three Fortunes in One Cookie - timothyjlambert coauthored). See a trend? What do you say Becky.... got something in the wings for me to read at the end of the year? ;)