Yay!
First order of business:
Thank you, nienna_weeper!
What a truly special Christmas card! We have it hanging on our refrigerator (in the words of Bobby, "out of reach of all carpet alligators") and adore it! Thank you! *hugs*
Second order of business:
Cards and stuff have been sent, so if you requested one, you should get it in the next couple of days, USPS willing. It's all in their (capable?) hands now, so I hope that all arrives as it should!
Third order of business:
My Ravens are not only in the playoffs but won the division! Woo! This is only the second time in our ten-year history that we have won our division. The other time was not the year that we won the Super Bowl, oddly enough. So now we're aiming for a Week One bye, which means that we have to win both of our upcoming games (Steelers and Bills) and the Colts and the Chargers have to lose at least one of theirs. Not likely but *crosses fingers*.
Life has been good. I love the howlidays when I'm not under stress and tearing out my hair in gobs. This year has actually been really pleasant because I haven't allowed myself to worry too much. Bobby and I spend evenings looking at Christmas lights or watching movies, not running from one commitment to another. Nonetheless, we've had three pretty major holiday trips/events this year, and they've all been wonderful. (I have pictures and stuff but no time to upload them! I'll get to it.)
Tonight, we went to the Symphony of Lights, which is one of those drive-through light displays. It was, incidentally, the rather innocent attraction that caused all of the family drama last year. Alas, we finally went this year, though we played it smart this time and didn't invite anyone but ourselves and Alex. Alex actually really liked it. Well, I assume that he liked it because he usually sits in the car, and he spent the whole time running from window to window, ears pricked and tail wagging. I think that the unfamiliar motion of the lights jumping around might have attracted him. Once we were through, he laid back down again and went to sleep.
Speaking of Alex, my doggie is getting huge. Again, I have pictures and will try to upload them soon. When we got him, I estimated his weight to be around 8 lb/3.6 kg, which was corroborated when we took him to the vet at eleven weeks. He weighed 9 lb/4 kg. Three weeks later, he went back for his next booster shots, and he weighed 15.5 lb/7 kg so he has nearly doubled in weight since we got him. He's still skinny as a rail, and he's all long, rangy legs with bricks for paws.
His training is going great. He sits on command and hand signal. He's making good progress on sit-stay and recall. We're shaping him towards "heel" and "down." As far as good citizen skills go, he's pretty good with "wait," though that wide blue yonder is damned tempting sometimes. He knows "leave it," though Mommy's underwear on the papasan chair is pretty damned tempting too. He's only three months old, so I'm really impressed with his progress. (And he doesn't bite feet anymore. Thank Eru.)
In work-related news, there is mumbling again of Johnny the Boss and me being promoted, given PIN numbers, and moved to work with our boss's boss Vernon down at the Guilford Avenue office. It's the State, so I'll believe it when I see it, but it's interesting nonetheless. I really could care less about a pay raise (though I'm not going to complain, believe me), since I already do pretty well for what I actually do, but having benefits would be nice, mostly because it would give Bobby some flexibility in his own job search to take something with no health insurance or less-than-perfect health insurance. But we'll see. Whatever gets us through school and life until something permanent comes along. Will something permanent come along? Who knows. I waffle far too much. I'm a bit of an intellectual gypsy; I can't see myself staying in a single place for any lengthy stretch of time.
But if I moved, I would miss the idiots, i.e. the warrant officers, terribly. I wouldn't miss running warrants. Reading rap sheets got boring after just a few months, especially when 90% of them are "PWID CDS" (possession with intent to distribute controlled/dangerous substance). Or when you can put the list of charges together to discover really sick things about people. I would miss our little house filled with ladybugs and lots of quiet where I can bring my dawg on Fridays and wear sneakers whenever I want.
But nothing's even been stated formally, so all this angst is really for nothing.
Meanwhile, until today, with the exception of one week, it has been in the 60s and 70s here in Maryland. It's hard to get in the mood for Christmas while walking the dog in a T-shirt. But remember, folks, that global warming does not exist.
Well, it's bedtime, so I'll stop my mindless chatter, take a hint from Alex, and go to sleep. Shtuff is going on at work, so I'm going in early tomorrow and really should hit the hay.
Thank you, nienna_weeper!
What a truly special Christmas card! We have it hanging on our refrigerator (in the words of Bobby, "out of reach of all carpet alligators") and adore it! Thank you! *hugs*
Second order of business:
Cards and stuff have been sent, so if you requested one, you should get it in the next couple of days, USPS willing. It's all in their (capable?) hands now, so I hope that all arrives as it should!
Third order of business:
My Ravens are not only in the playoffs but won the division! Woo! This is only the second time in our ten-year history that we have won our division. The other time was not the year that we won the Super Bowl, oddly enough. So now we're aiming for a Week One bye, which means that we have to win both of our upcoming games (Steelers and Bills) and the Colts and the Chargers have to lose at least one of theirs. Not likely but *crosses fingers*.
Life has been good. I love the howlidays when I'm not under stress and tearing out my hair in gobs. This year has actually been really pleasant because I haven't allowed myself to worry too much. Bobby and I spend evenings looking at Christmas lights or watching movies, not running from one commitment to another. Nonetheless, we've had three pretty major holiday trips/events this year, and they've all been wonderful. (I have pictures and stuff but no time to upload them! I'll get to it.)
Tonight, we went to the Symphony of Lights, which is one of those drive-through light displays. It was, incidentally, the rather innocent attraction that caused all of the family drama last year. Alas, we finally went this year, though we played it smart this time and didn't invite anyone but ourselves and Alex. Alex actually really liked it. Well, I assume that he liked it because he usually sits in the car, and he spent the whole time running from window to window, ears pricked and tail wagging. I think that the unfamiliar motion of the lights jumping around might have attracted him. Once we were through, he laid back down again and went to sleep.
Speaking of Alex, my doggie is getting huge. Again, I have pictures and will try to upload them soon. When we got him, I estimated his weight to be around 8 lb/3.6 kg, which was corroborated when we took him to the vet at eleven weeks. He weighed 9 lb/4 kg. Three weeks later, he went back for his next booster shots, and he weighed 15.5 lb/7 kg so he has nearly doubled in weight since we got him. He's still skinny as a rail, and he's all long, rangy legs with bricks for paws.
His training is going great. He sits on command and hand signal. He's making good progress on sit-stay and recall. We're shaping him towards "heel" and "down." As far as good citizen skills go, he's pretty good with "wait," though that wide blue yonder is damned tempting sometimes. He knows "leave it," though Mommy's underwear on the papasan chair is pretty damned tempting too. He's only three months old, so I'm really impressed with his progress. (And he doesn't bite feet anymore. Thank Eru.)
In work-related news, there is mumbling again of Johnny the Boss and me being promoted, given PIN numbers, and moved to work with our boss's boss Vernon down at the Guilford Avenue office. It's the State, so I'll believe it when I see it, but it's interesting nonetheless. I really could care less about a pay raise (though I'm not going to complain, believe me), since I already do pretty well for what I actually do, but having benefits would be nice, mostly because it would give Bobby some flexibility in his own job search to take something with no health insurance or less-than-perfect health insurance. But we'll see. Whatever gets us through school and life until something permanent comes along. Will something permanent come along? Who knows. I waffle far too much. I'm a bit of an intellectual gypsy; I can't see myself staying in a single place for any lengthy stretch of time.
But if I moved, I would miss the idiots, i.e. the warrant officers, terribly. I wouldn't miss running warrants. Reading rap sheets got boring after just a few months, especially when 90% of them are "PWID CDS" (possession with intent to distribute controlled/dangerous substance). Or when you can put the list of charges together to discover really sick things about people. I would miss our little house filled with ladybugs and lots of quiet where I can bring my dawg on Fridays and wear sneakers whenever I want.
But nothing's even been stated formally, so all this angst is really for nothing.
Meanwhile, until today, with the exception of one week, it has been in the 60s and 70s here in Maryland. It's hard to get in the mood for Christmas while walking the dog in a T-shirt. But remember, folks, that global warming does not exist.
Well, it's bedtime, so I'll stop my mindless chatter, take a hint from Alex, and go to sleep. Shtuff is going on at work, so I'm going in early tomorrow and really should hit the hay.