Plushie, the Wandering Moose

Bald Eagle No Longer Endangered

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:27:40 GMT

Just in time for July 4...the Bald Eagle is no longer on the Endangered Species list! Sam the Eagle would be proud!

Immigration and Cleaning Services

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:06:27 GMT

I never thought that living in Washington, DC would be so different. Here there seem to be more immigrants filling the low level wage jobs in the area. I am making these observations from what I have seen since I got here. Like for instance, I now have a maid that comes and cleans my apartment. A maid!!! Everyone who makes a decent salary around here has one. They are fantastic, but are all immigrants who, for the most part, do not speak much English. The strange thing is that the maid was dropped off and picked up by a guy who really looked like a "coyote" (guy who runs people across the border). (Don't worry, the guy passed the Athena test...) He made me wonder about the legal status of the maid. It really is perplexing, since so many people here are concerned with immigration that this working class is comprised of immigrants.

In case you are wondering, the Athena test is one I do with my dog Athena. If she likes a person, he/she is ok to come into my house. If she gets all snarly and mean, then the person is not allowed into my house. So far, she does not like: Saddam Hussein, some registered sex offender in Fl, the apartment maintenance guy for our old place in FL, and some man in the new VA apartment community.

Allied 3, Stacy 1

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 23:51:01 GMT

So it appears that Allied Movers have three points on me. First, the dresser is scratched up. Second, the dining room table is beat up. Third, my Simple Human trash can is so dented that it can no longer be used.

However, I have repaired my Kitchen Aid mixer, so go me!

Cookies are in the oven, and I am just waiting for my world to fall apart...but until then, all is well.

Moving and Netflix

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:44:14 GMT

Ok, so I have really fallen in love with NetFlix's "Watch It Now" feature. I watched some 80s movies on it a couple of weekends ago and I have now found that Jeremiah Season 2 is available on "Watch It Now" but has not yet been released on DVD. I really liked that show, but missed most of that season, so I am really excited to finally see how it turned out.

The movers showed up yesterday. They really banged up our furniture. I am going to go room by room unpacking and taking notes/pictures of the damage. And even though I threw out all sorts of stuff in Texas, I am wondering why I have so much stuff. So I called Bert on the phone and was like, "We have to throw some more stuff out!" and "Why do we have so many chairs?" I have been living without my stuff since the end of February. I really do not mind not having stuff. But I am happy it arrived and that the movers assembled my furniture. Sleeping on a fluffy mattress was heaven...

Heffeweisen

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 01:43:20 GMT

How cool is wheat beer? It has really grown on me. I finally got home at a decent hour and got to watch some TV. What fun.

Rainy Day

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 21:57:28 GMT

Why is it that rainy days are the perfect days to watch horror movies? Maybe it is because during the day you are not so scared, or perhaps because there is nowhere else to go.

I am just hanging out today watching a Stephen King flick, Salem's Lot. It is really good and it was a made for TV movie.

So, just me and the pups...I get my furniture next week. Yay...

Sun, 13 May 2007 00:35:52 GMT

Finally, I have an apartment in Virginia with internet!!!! So after a long hiatus, I am updating my LJ. My new job is going well. I am now a manager on the program so all is not too bad. My apartment is huge (1300 sq ft) and it has cable and high speed internet. Bert drop shipped the TV last week; it should arrive on Monday. So for right now, I am just happy to be able to check my e-mail from the comfort of a bare apartment. Ok, so it is not totally bare, I bought some beanbag furniture (a MovieSac and PillowSac) from LoveSac. The company is based in Utah, and I found the pics of 1 guy with 2 girls on a sac hilarious, plus they describe one of their sacs as a polygamist's dream come true! Maybe that will make you click the link, huh?

Anyway, I will post some pics of my new furniture tomorrow!

In Response to Everyone Else's Nerd Test

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:28:37 GMT

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Science/Math Nerd (Absolute Insane Laughter as you pour toxic chemicals into a foaming tub of death!) Well, maybe you aren't this extreme, but you're in league with the crazy scientists/mathmeticians of today. Very few people have the talent of math and science is something takes a lot of brains as well. Thank whosever God you worship, or don't worship, so thank no deity whatsoever in your case, for you people! Most of us would have died off without your help.
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Literature Nerd
Drama Nerd
Anime Nerd
Social Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Ready to head back to DC

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 23:34:21 GMT

Was in Texas this weekend. First, my flight was cancelled in DC on Thursday so I made it in on Friday about a hour before my haircut appointment. Saturday we received an offer on the house and just before albertgross took me to the airport, the prospective buyers accepted our counter offer.

What does this mean? (1) I have to step up the looking for a new place in Virginia. So I have already e-mailed the nice realtor I met about a week and a half ago. Hopefully I will be looking at townhouses as soon as Tuesday. (2) I have to start planning the logistics of the move. I told Bert not to worry about it. I will be so happy when I have my whole family living under one roof again! :o) And finally, (3) I have to plan my next plane trip to Texas to help with the massive yard sale and closing on the house.

Better get going, my flight is boarding...

Gorgeous Day!

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:07:20 GMT

Today is turning out to be a gorgeous day! My first week at the new job is over and I have booked my first trip home to see my pups! Unfortunately, attempt number one of accessing my PVR remotely is not going very well. I have to get a hold of the hub and see what the problem is.

Currently, I am sitting at a Starbucks on the T-mobile wifi...and as I occasionally people watch, I have been noticing the number of pups in the city! They are soooo cute and very well behaved. I just saw a Schnauzer walking along leash less! she was following her man, always looking up to make sure she was still with the same human...it was very cute. So, in two weeks, I will be back with my pups...

The Great Escape 2007, Part III - Stacy Goes to Washington

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 02:53:03 GMT

So the rest of the trip was uneventful. Driving through the mountains in Virginia was just beautiful. It snowed that day, about 4 inches in DC itself, so it was a little slow going. I passed many accidents that I attribute to people tailgating or going too fast in the snow. There were also a few lanes on the interstate that really needed to be plowed (impassible), and the plows were out in full force!

Mountains of Virginia

Once I made it to DC, crashingwave took me in and things are going well. I got some internet access today and am happy to report that I am safe and sound in the big city. (Although, some birdie told me it was 75 degrees in Fort Worth today, so I am a little jealous of the weather.)

The Great Escape 2007, Part II - Revenge of the Cougar

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:26:05 GMT

Is it really a cliche that cars break down in the middle of nowhere? Add female driving alone, pouring rain and a trunk full of belongings that will get wet while the tire is changed, and you have my day today. Only an hour outside of Memphis, something punctured the sidewall of my rear tire.

Stupid Storm

It was really storming and something must have been kicked up by one of the many tractor trailers on I-40. And if you think the damage looks bad in the picture, you should have seen the other side. The tire was completely split. So, being the independent woman I am, in the pouring rain, I unload the trunk of my car, pull out the spare and set to work trying to get the tire off. The engineers at Ford must have been drinking the day they picked out the tire iron for this vehicle, for it is only six inches long. Seriously, how am I supposed to get any leverage off of a six inch tire iron????? I tried every way to get the lug nuts off, but I could not get any leverage and the tire iron was also slippery (did I mention that it was pouring rain?). So, I put everything back into the car and limped along at five miles per hour to the next exit, still in the middle of nowhere, but I was hoping for a gas station. And there is was, a beacon of light, Moe's Truck Stop. The clerk felt sorry for me and helped get the lug nuts off and put on the spare tire. He then offered one of the trucker showers for me to use so I could change into some dry clothes. Which I did.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I managed to get a new tire at a Super Wal-Mart, the modern interstate oasis. I even managed to try a Krystal burger (and in my opinion, yuck). And I passed this dude again. His name is Craig and he is from Hot Springs, Arkansas. How do I know, you ask? It is spray painted on the truck. I passed him yesterday just north of Hot Springs, but his vehicle is distinctive enough, so I was surprised when I saw it again. Where is he going with all those kayaks?

Craig, with his Kayaks from Arkansas

The Great Escape 2007, Part I - Stacy and the Bandit

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:42:40 GMT

Day One of the trip from Fort Worth, TX to Washington, DC is complete, and I am resting in a Hampton Inn in Memphis. Yes, Memphis, home of Elvis, the blues and my personal favorite, Memphis style barbecue.

But I get ahead of myself. As you can see from Mapquest, I drove through Texarkana, the city where Bandit drove on his noble quest to retrieve a shipment of Coors and haul it across the Mississippi (which was illegal in the 1970s for some bizarre reason).

From Trip to DC 2007

So, what did I do? I bought a six-pack of Coors Light (I couldn't seem to find any plain Coors) and hauled it with me across the Mississippi today.

From Trip to DC 2007

Of course, then I celebrated after crossing the Mississippi River into Memphis by eating some lovely barbecue ribs at Rendezvous with a bottle of Coors Light. This place is in a little alley, nestled between two hotels, on the corner of Maggie H Isabel Street and General Washburn's Escape Alley. I really should have taken a picture of the "Escape Alley" because it was a dead end with a dumpster in it, which amused me greatly. I can only imagine what General Washburn said when he tried to escape down it...

From Trip to DC 2007

Transitions

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:06:43 GMT

Today is my last day at my job in Fort Worth. Tomorrow, I hop into my clean car (thanks albertgross!) and drive off to Washington DC. I am nervous, excited, and have a slight eye twitch from stress.

I will miss Texas. It is a large state, and the saying is true, everything is bigger in Texas. But I learned a few more things about life out here. I learned what a real man is. The Texas men seem to take family life seriously; they are always there for their wives and children. Texas men always hold the doors open (even car ones) for women. And my husband has really transformed from the time we spent here. He is a better man for our time spent here.

Of course, there are the downsides to Texas life. Pickup trucks cause the massive litter problems in the state. And there are whole towns that are dry. I had to drive out of my little town to get liqueur (beer and wine were apparently acceptable, but rum and tequila were not).

So, Texas, I will miss you.

I plan on heading out to DC by driving through Tennessee. Apparently, there is a barbecue joint in Memphis that I have to stop at called Rendezvous. They have a slogan on their website "Not Since Adam has a rib been this famous." So naturally after that hype, I will have to stop and have some ribs!

Sustainable Fishing and PuppyBowl Recap

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 03:14:22 GMT

In case you missed the Kitty Half-Time show, there is a recap at the Discovery Channel website, so cough...crashingwave, cough.

Also, here is an article that caught my eye on sustainable fishing.

Kitty Half-Time Show

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 04:14:08 GMT

So, after watching the Colts beat the Bears, I flipped on over to the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl III just in time for the Kitty Half-Time Show. It was very entertaining...for, oh, fifteen minutes. Teh ref even came out with a vaccuum cleaner to clean the field for the kitties (Basically it was a Bissel ad, but the ref was not too bad on the eyes.)

Definition of Snow, Sleet

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:49:03 GMT

What is snow versus sleet? Out here in Texas, I have seen some crazy winter weather. On Tuesday, it was raining tiny ice pellets. They made a clinking sound similar to a dog walking on laminate flooring or salt granules hitting a glass plate. But what to call it? Is it freezing rain or sleet?

I have searched on-line and found conflicting definitions. However, our quality guy at work has the following definitions that I seem to like, so I am posting them here:
snow = any precipitation that flutters to the ground (it can be wet and squishy)
sleet = rain drops that turn into tiny ice pellets (not to be confused with hail)
freezing rain = rain hitting frozen earth (causing icy roadways)

albertgross says that the wet snow is just gross. It is like snow but feels like rain...without the getting soaking wet part. He just wishes he had an umbrella right now...

Common Cold Soap Dispenser

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:18:21 GMT

It sooooo cute, I have to have one....

Rules of the Elevator

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:05:11 GMT

Every morning, evening and sometimes at lunch, I hop into an elevator. Mainly because my office is on the sixth floor, and for some reason I stop walking up after four floors. How did four floors become my maximum? Why the Science building at Florida Tech. There was a main staircase across from the elevators which only went up to the fourth floor. It was faster to walk up and down than wait for an elevator. So I walked.

Having to take the elevator every day now, I have noticed several unspoken rules one must follow on the elevator:

1. Everyone must face the door.
2. There is no talking while the elevator doors are closed.
3. Whoever has to get off the elevator first stands in the back of the elevator.
4. If you have something totally inappropriate to say, you can violate rule #2. (Actual quote heard: "Now is your husband your baby's daddy?")
5. The FedEx/UPS/DHL guy can never enter the elevator with a cart if there is someone going else occupying the elevator.

Sorry hunny, but I love Tony Blair

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:36:30 GMT

“Life finds a way to break most of us long before death arrives.” – Tony Blair

New Cell phones!

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:43:12 GMT

I am so psyched about having a cell phone again. Of course, I did not pay too much attention and got us Maryland area codes instead of Virginia ones, but oh well. I am currently trying to not think about the state of the union, as I am so fed up with war and hearing people whine, that I have decided to temporarily put my head in the sand. After all, I am moving soon and my eyes starting twitching (stress thing). February 26, I start my new job in Herndon, VA. I am hoping to make a trip to Houston to see granite26 before I leave Texas for good.

Opposible Thumbs Caused Civilization

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:34:33 GMT

So, I was walking through the mall with my hubby, albertgross, and we were watching the enormous women with tons of kids. I was wondering why the women let themselves go after having kids. And why are their husbands were still doing them, making more? Bert's reaction was that some guys just didn't know how to use their God-given opposable thumbs. He then noted that civilization did not start until after we evolved to having opposable thumbs. Mere coincidence? You decide...

On the road again...

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:54:13 GMT

So, I am on the road again. I head to DC this weekend, and will make a permanent move there sometime in February. Sorry if I have been silent as of late.

The Lightning II has landed...

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:25:21 GMT

Well, the F-35 has now landed (safely) on the runway after a 35 minute flight, and is going to post-flight check. Go Lightning!

F-35 Airborne!

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:54:43 GMT

I just watched the F-35 take off via in company intranet webcast, and saw it with my own eyes in the skies of Fort Worth! The first Lightning II, airforce variant, is now doing all sorts of system checks and heading to its reserved airspace! It is currently flying with 2 F-16s and an F/A-18 for safety.