Where Have all the Cowboys Gone?

I've been MIA. Lots of things going on. Nothing worthy of a mention here.

I revisited my New Years Resolutions to see how I'm doing. So far I have failed EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. Seriously. At least I'm consistent.

Tonight my employer is going to be featured on Modern Marvels. I'm definitely excited, but I'll only be taping it to watch later. LOST is on.

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

I've been running around like a crazed woman for days. Trying to find time to exercise, trying to find time for 4-H, trying to find time to breathe. I suddenly find that all of a sudden there are about 3.5 million people who need me, and so I don't have time to need myself.

I had my review at work. Went as well as expected, maybe better. I suddenly find myself wanting to work harder -- which I'm sure is a psychological response. I don't have time for that either.

My conclusion? God is definitely a man. A woman would have made days 35 hours long -- at least.

The Way it Works

I've never understood why women who work with other women think they can gossip about each other and it not get around.

I think that says it all.

Karma is Evident

I've been working hard at work. I've been taking chances and that thing called initiative. It paid off. I was promoted. Which means more money, more responsibility, and I'm getting paid for the extras I was doing anyways. Which means my horoscopes for the last two months have been exactly right. Reviews are in two weeks. I seriously can not wait. It's almost like conference time was for me in school -- only better.

I wish I could invite my parents.

Tis the Season

I don't think I've done a positive post in a while. I was born a complainer so whining just comes easier. Let's be thankful for some things.

My kids - They are doing well in school (finally! for the boy) and seem happy and well adjusted.. despite certain obstacles in their lives. The littlest one (who has yet to encounter an obstacle) is darn near genius. At 2, I'm fairly sure she's more advanced than any ten year old I've met. And that is only partially her mother talking.

The hubby - Although he is a constant source of frustration and - well - the urge to break things... he is so good to me. I'm proud of him. He is truly the most considerate person I've ever met. And I'm extremely hard to please.

The job - Not what I saw myself doing. Not even a job I thought I'd last 6 months at, but here I am with well over a year in and starting to think I'm a lifer. The monetary rewards are great, but the personal satisfaction and praise is so much better.

Our health - For the first time in a month no one is up all night coughing. I can breathe through my nose again. It won't last long, but I'm glad for the time I have.

My animals - Winter months are not fun for having outdoor animals. Mine are being very patient in waiting out the cold and the fact that it must be at least 45 to keep me outdoors longer than it takes to throw food. They all are staying pleasantly healthy.

and last, but not least,

My friends - My IRL peeps that get me through the work day (Hey gang #53!) and all of my digital friends (couldn't bring myself to say 'cyber'). Those of you who leave comments and make me smile because someone is thinking of me and those of you who are just reading. I know you are here, I check ;) Thank you all for making me feel loved.

I hope that 2007 brings everyone as much joy as 2006 brought me. Life is good.

Balancing Act

A new girl started at work today. That makes us a 'four' when we just got used to being 'three'. If you've ever worked with women, you know how very little it takes to upset the scales of justice. Things went ok today. It will be interesting to see the week play out.

Where Have you Been all my Life?

It's been a little hectic here the last week. Updates have been a long time coming, but I promise I haven't run out of life, just time. Here's the short list, more details on them later.. I hope.

1 . We had our end of year award banquet for the horses. We came home with trophies, plaques, and best of all.... my boy won his first belt buckle. That's a big deal! Hopefully I'll get a pic up soon.

2. My mom and I are not speaking. She blew us on off award night so she could watch my sister ride her horse... as if she couldn't do that any other time. I'm extremely disappointed in her. I'm used to her blowing me off, but these are her only grandkids. It'll be a while before I get over it. She doesn't think she did anything wrong. Both of my biological parents are a disappointment and I don't even expect much from them.

3. Went to Chicago on Tuesday for the SES Conference. In a word - awesome! We got Wednesday off to recover. I slept most of the day.

4. That brings us to today. Here is what you come for. Hick Christmas tales... I saw a yard today that was smaller than my porch. It had three giant Christmas inflatables in it. Two of them were laying over into the street because the people were too lazy to anchor them right - or perhaps they ran out of grass. Classic.

Social Experiment

A month or so ago I was approached by a woman with a horse website. She was frustrated because her site was not searching well - actually at all. She asked advice and I gave it up for *free*. She didn't believe me. A few easy fixes would have landed her exactly where she wanted to be. That irritated me. I took the time to research her site, the competition and solve the problem. Something I am paid very well for at work. She acted like I had never seen a computer before.

So.. to prove a point I bought a domain name similar and threw up a random site. I spent about 20 minutes on it. Maybe 15. In two weeks I turned up #1 on Google for her site name. I'm near the top for some others as well. I don't know how long I'll leave it up. I didn't sign my name to it at all. I don't even have an email. However, if she's clever enough, she'll be in contact. I'll most likely take it down then, it's only to prove a point. In the meantime, I'm going after the keywords Horse Auctions and Tack Auctions. I'll let you know how I do.

There's No Place Like Home

I'm going to Chicago! There is a work-related conference in December and my department at work is going. We're flying there and back the same day, so I won't get to 'see' anything, but it'll be fun going on a work-sponsored trip! We're going to SES Conference and Expo, which means a whole day with geeks.. I.can't.wait!

Days of Our Lives

I'm a pretty busy person. I have three kids, three jobs, and three horses. Add some random other animals to the mix, freelance work, and my tech-life..well I have very little in the way of down-time. I like my life. I have always thrived being busy. I used to stay home with the kids. It drove me nuts.

My days run from 4:30 pm to 4:30 pm. That means when I pick up the kids after work, it's already the new day. I don't know why my mind reasons this normal, but it does. Most people don't like Mondays. It's one of my favorite days. It's my Recover-From-the-Weekend day. I enjoy going back to work and having a schedule. Wednesday is a decent day too. It's the Week-is-More-than-Half-Over day. Thursday is One-More-Day-Left day. Friday is Meeting day. The weekend, well those are laundry and barn days. That leaves Tuesday. I wasn't sure what to do with it for the longest time. It's in a bad spot. Too far from the start of the tunnel, too far from the end. Then it hit me! Tuesday is VENDING-MACHINE day! It's the day the vending machines get filled at work. Usually it is with crappy snacks that I don't like, but there is some excitement to it. Every once in a while the vending girl goes back on her meds and there is good stuff in there. So, for me it is 3 hours into Tuesday and thank God it is Vending-Machine day, I'm craving some Oreos.