You Know You're Working Too Much Over Time When...

5. You realize that you ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the office today. I think it might be time to head home now...

4. You accidentally refer to your cubicle as "home." As in you are leaving a meeting one day, and you tell someone you are heading home when you really are just going back to your office. OOPS!

3. You leave work on time for a change and are blinded by the bright light as you make your way through the parking lot to your car. I guess, it's been a long time since you've seen that bright orange orb in the sky.

2. You start drafting personal emails to a friend making sure to have an abstract and at least 1 claim allowing for a useful and inventive subject that must be novel. Maybe this doesn't happen to everyone here, but when you start dreaming of ChemDraw compounds, you know things have gotten serious.

1. You start having your home mail forwarded to your work address so you can keep up. OK, so things are not quite arranged like this yet, but I'm considering it. I already have all packages delivered to the office.

Hmmmm...I think it's nearly time for some vacation, don't you? HA!

I'm Ready...

I’m so ready. In 10 and a half months, I will be in England. WOOHOO!! OK, I’m a bit nervous about that flight over the Atlantic Ocean. I liked the idea of the night flight so that I couldn’t see the water below us, but while my friends are planning to catch some zzzzz’s on the plane, I’m not so sure this wired Chiquita is going to be able to sleep at all. I’m going to be so excited and giddy. I’ll be on a HIGH without the caffeine...maybe I’ll have to give myself some Benadryl. HA!

I’ve already been wondering how Jessica and Becky are going to deal with me for 2 weeks. I’m guessing that I probably won’t sleep for 2 or 3 nights. I’ll just want to be out there in London seeing it all or heading for the countryside of my dreams. [sigh!] And then eventually, we all know that I’m going to need some sleep, and so I’ll probably be out for half a day. Either that or I’ll be revived with a 1 hour nap and then wide eyed and bushy tailed again going a million miles an hour. Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to this adventure my whole life, and I’m not going to want to waste my time resting and sleeping. This could get interesting...

What am I looking forward to the most? Hmmmm…let’s see. Do I have to just pick one thing?

1. I’m ready to see a quaint English village and roam the surrounding countryside with my camera in hand.
2. I’m longing to tour Blenheim Palace and imagine that I can picture Winston Churchill proposing to his beloved Clementine in the Temple of Diana.
3. I’m anxious to walk through Chatsworth and follow in Lizzie Bennett’s steps as she tours the home of Mr. Darcy for the first time.
4. I’m looking forward to a stroll through the walled city of York and the narrow cobbled streets.
5. I’m excited to be able to visit Castle Howard…not only because I love the fact that Howard has a castle named after him, but because it looks architecturally magnificent.
6. I’m eager to roam around Oxford for a bit…snapping photos of the Radcliffe Camera, the Bridge of Sighs, Christ Church, the Martyr’s Memorial, etc.
7. I’m ecstatic about a visit to Hampton Court to see Henry VIII’s riverside palace and gardens, as well as a possible visit to Hatfield House where Queen Elizabeth I first learned of her accession to the throne.
8. I’m delighted at the prospect of seeing buildings that have survived more than 200 years. It’s not quite the Valley of the Kings old here, but it is much older than the buildings in the US. I love buildings with character and a history to boot, and the possibility to walk amidst structures that were began over 700 years ago (like Salisbury Cathedral) just boggles my mind. That’s some awesome structural integrity there.
9. I’m pumped to walk the halls of the British Museum and catch up on thousands of years of civilization’s history.
10. I’m thrilled to be able to see the Roman’s ingenuity and brilliance in Bath and perhaps later catch a glimpse of Hadrian’s Wall in the North country.

And that’s just a bit of our plans. So much more I could say here…

Yeah, there is lots of planning, scheming and scheduling to do in the next 10 months, and I’m already so excited I can hardly stand it! So, if I talk incessantly about England or have that dreamy-eyed faraway look, just smack me and remind me that I have more than 10 months to go. Thanks!

I Have Some News...

I don’t like it, and I’m not really sure I am ready yet for further discussion on the topic. I’m taking deep breaths here: breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. I’m indulging in happy thoughts, thinking of the good times, savoring the memories of by gone delights. I’m trying to laugh and keep my sense of humor to stave off the ensuing depression. I’m agonizing over how to say the words, how to grasp the meaning of life, how to come to terms with the drama unfolding, but I may find it therapeutic in the end to just share this with you, my dear readers, and so here goes.

It now appears that my tenants from last summer spread the word that Mel’s pad is a haven for all crickets. Yes, it’s true. I am sorry to report this devastating news update, but these are the facts. I I had my first run-in with the Gryllus Assimilis last evening. It was a young cricket without wings (see "C" on link above), and the problem was easily resolved with one fatal blow using a tissue.

However, I have a dark forboding sense of gloom sweeping over me that this encounter was only the first of many of its kind to come in the days and months ahead. (See "Crickets" in my blog archive.) I did a thorough sweep of the area, but I didn't find any more or evidence of a cricket family in residence. I then conducted a reconnaissance mission in the dining room, where most of the battles took place one year ago, but again, there were no more sightings.

So are there more crickets living with me that I don't know about yet? OR was this just a random cricket who came in my patio door because he liked the color scheme inside? I am trying to be optimistic here, but I am NOT a rose-colored-glasses-wearing-idealist any more either, i.e., the glass may be half full but I think it's about to get tipped over.

Stay tuned. The management will update you on further story developments as time allows.

Diet Girl to Visit North Carolina

NEWSFLASH: It looks like I will be going to North Carolina for a week in July to help my brother and family get my niece Janet moved into her first apartment. WOOHOO!! Janet is ecstatic, and so am I.

I love the Carolinas. Minus the humidity and heat in the dead of summer, it is beautiful country! North Carolina has the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway mountains, the ocean and the Outer Banks, Asheville with my future home (the Biltmore Estate – I am scheming a way to marry into the family as we speak), and soon NC will be home to my 18-year-old niece ready to embark on her next greatest adventure at the Nascar Institute. I am so proud of her!

Now that the schedule is being planned and I am learning where all we are going and what we will be doing, Diet Girl is contemplating how to vacation and NOT lose control of her diet. I know, for the record, Weight Watchers claims that they are NOT a diet but a way of life. The emphasis of WW is changing your eating habits rather than starving yourself or doing without. So maybe I should say that Diet Girl is now contemplating how to vacation and NOT lose control of her lifestyle. AHEM!

Anyway, it is going to take a super conscious effort to stay on track. I pretty much know what I can eat now and what foods I should avoid, but I'm going to have to be extra careful when eating fast food and eating outside my normal schedule. I am confident it can be done. I've got to stay on the path, you know.

I'm hopeful that we will get to make a stop at Biltmore while we are in the area. I miss the house, the gardens and grounds, the gift shop, etc. [sigh!] It's a favorite place of mine. We also might make a trip to see my Uncle Doug on the other side of the state. He has promised to take us to the Atlantic Ocean if we drop by, and that would be awesome. WOOHOO!! I'm looking forward to this get-away. I know that there will be work involved. I am going along because I offered to help Janet unpack and get her apartment put together. I love doing that. It's just fun putting stuff away in a new place...I'm weird, I know.

Church-Hunting Update

Sunday morning, I visited my co-worker Barb’s church, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. It was a great worship service, and it was cool to see Barb and her husband Lee in the choir.

Amazing how I grew up in an ultra-fundamentalist Baptist church, went to college at an ultra-fundamentalist Christian university, attended a Grace Brethren Church for a few years, and then moved to Indy and went to a former Baptist church for 5 years...and yet somehow, I don’t have a clue where I belong in the body of Christ! Am I Baptist? Am I Grace Brethren? Am I Methodist? I don’t know what I am, but somehow, I don’t think I need a label to tell me where I should be. I think if I just continue seeking HIM on my journey that GOD will direct my steps and lead me where HE wants me to be. I'm hopeful...

Mama Carollas Does Italian Right!

This may seem like an advertisement, but if you haven’t been to Mama Carollas in Broad Ripple, you need to check them out. This place has atmosphere, awesome Italian entrees and scrumptious drinks and desserts. It’s delectably incredible!

We (the 5 girls: Becky, Jessica, Kristen, Sara and I) went to Mama's again for Kristen's birthday celebration last week, and it was another savory delightful evening out on the terrace. If you can get the seats outside, take them. It is wonderful to sit out alfresco and enjoy your meal in the garden's evening ambience. I'm sure it's romantic as well (for all you couples out there), but I can't really speak to my experience on that score. AHEM!

Of course, I created our own birthday girl photo shoot for Kristen. Hee hee! And then I vainly posed with my glasses and then without. I'm still not sure if I want to go back to wearing contacts or not. I don't mind glasses so much, but I wanted to know how the lens saw me with and without. I know...all is vanity! All comments and opinions are welcome...

Diet Girl Goes Shopping

I went consignment shopping on Saturday with Kristen and Sara. I got a couple pair of pants for work (one pair was 2 sizes below my old size...WOOHOO!!), a short-sleeved dress jacket for work, and a Brighton-purse knock off.

I love the purse. It is bright red and rather cute. I don’t usually get into purses all that much. I mean I’m not the type of girl that has 10 purses in her closet and switches her purse out for the season or an evening out. NAH! That’s not me. I am usually seen sporting the same black purse all year round, and I just use it and abuse it until the straps die or something else gives way on my purse, and I have to go to Target for another. However, this purse was brand new, the price was right, and it caught my eye all the way across the store. It was love at first sight, and thus it was meant to be! HA!

I’m not much of a shopper usually, and I especially dread clothes shopping. But on Saturday, we went shopping for over 4 hours, and I survived rather nicely. Sara and Kristen are good co-shoppers and bargain hunters. We had a splendid afternoon!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again…I HAVE AWESOME GIRLFRIENDS!!

Thank You for the Music Part 2

Kristen and I had a blast at the ABBA: The Hits concert at Symphony on the Prairie on Friday night. It was great to know every song like I did and be able to sing along. WOOHOO!! I loved it!

People started gathering around the stage towards the end of the first half, and believe it or not, Kristen and I went down there to the front and moved and grooved ourselves with the rest of the crowd. OK, this is a pretty big deal for 2 girls who don’t know how to dance! Ro, you would have been proud! Our moves will no doubt NOT land us a gig as backup dancers, but it was still fun! And I went back up to the stage area again for the last few songs during the second half, too.

All weekend, I had the ABBA songs running through my head again and again. NO, I don't need therapy, It was awesome!

Thank You for the Music

I know some people think I am obsessed with the 70's and 80's music. That is simply not true. I'm very selective about my addictions. I don't like the whole era. I might have been born back in that day, but I certainly wasn't allowed to listen to that music way back when. In truth, I'm actually quite uninformed about the era. My parents' tastes were more into Patch the Pirate and other music that had the stamp of approval from Bob Jones University, and that certainly didn't include ABBA, which is a shame really.

Tonight, I am going to the Symphony on the Prairie's performance of ABBA: The Hits, which includes a group that sings the ABBA songs. The evening is being marketed as follows:

"This Swedish cover band not only sounds like ABBA, but they look like them, too! Spiced up with the accompaniment of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, hear your favorites...."

Now, doesn't that sound like a lot of fun to be had? COME ON!!!

I just found out yesterday that this performance was happening this weekend. I nearly missed it, and believe you me, there would have been such major drama hitting the fan if fate had not intervened. HA! I would have been really disappointed to miss it. Usually I keep an eye out for stuff like this, but somehow I hadn't heard the word. My friend Kristen said she saw a blip about it on the IBJ, and she knew at once that she needed to alert me. I have the best friends! Once I found out about it, it was a must-do event, and the 2 of us are going together. We'll have lots of laughs and conversation The Way Old Friends Do.

Topher is the one that got me hooked on ABBA. I blame him entirely. Thank You For the Music! Some time after college, Topher told me that I'd probably like their music, I checked it out, and I loved it. I've been a fan of the classic sounds ever since. Songs like Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Honey Honey, Waterloo, Take a Chance on Me, Head Over Heels...are just some of my favorites. But nothing compares to The Day Before You Came. It's a simple song, but I like the message...the romantic sap in me that wants to find a love of her own adores this song! [sigh!] I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do. Maybe that's a bit pathetic, but People Need Love. And it's hard when I've Been Waiting For You [whoever you are] for So Long. I Am Just a Girl wondering Should I Laugh or Cry...

OOPS! I totally got caught up in getting as many song titles in here as I could. OK, so maybe I'm a little obsessed, but That's Me. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this concert, and since I never saw the actual group perform live, I can fake myself out and pretend it's the real thing. I think it's OK to be in a Dream World once in a while When All is Said and Done.

Happy Weekending!

It All Started with Carrot Cake...

Today, there is a LARGE carrot cake in the fridge here at work. It is obviously for an office get-together in another department or something, but being Diet Girl I had to comment to my co-horts.

Me: OK, who brought in that beautiful yet evil carrot cake?

Linda V: Yeah, I saw that in there. It looks great. Hey, my husband and I had carrot cake at our wedding because it’s our favorite, too.

Me: That sounds like a good idea. Maybe I’ll have carrot cake at my wedding.

Down the hall, Craig hollers: When’s the wedding? I’m going to be invited, right?

Me: Craig, I still need to find the groom before I make too many promises.

Craig: But you’ll invite me, right?

Me: Maybe. I’d like to, but what if we decide to go off and get married somewhere else?

Craig: That’s OK. Just pick a wealthy guy to love so that he can ship your guests out to your location.

Me: I can’t promise that either.

Down the other end of the hall, Dena adds: Yeah. I’m not sure that a cable guy can afford that on his salary.

Me [rolling my eyes and venting]: THERE IS NO CABLE GUY!

Dena: Well, maybe you’ll find the guy on your trip to England next May.

Me: Don’t hold your breath.

Allow me to reflect on three comical musings:

1. I love how thin cubicle walls allow for private conversation, don’t you!! It’s rather hilarious actually. This scenario happens daily at least – not my co-workers talking about my wedding, but people piping in on conversations they are not in. I’ll be talking to one person, and someone else down the hall or across the cubicle wall will fire back a question or comment about what was just said. You got to love cubicles!

2. My co-workers are all still intrigued with my single state of affairs. Sometimes they are imagining a rendezvous with the cable guy for me. See, I had the same cable guy show up at my place two Fridays in a row. Dena now thinks it is fate, karma, destiny, etc., but I have serious doubts. Other times, they are convinced that I am going to England looking for the perfect Brit. Now, sure, it would be great to meet a single man with a lovely British accent, while my friends and I are meandering about the idyllic English countryside in a downpour. [sigh!] BUT, I’m not going to England in search of a mate. I’m going to England to see the country I’ve longed to visit since I was 8. HONEST!!

3. I love how an innocent comment about carrot cake led to a discussion about me marrying for money. After all, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife. [Please note: that’s not me talking here -- that’s Jane Austen!] NAH! Personally, I think money is a necessary evil in life, but I don’t want to marry for it. Finding someone employed would be a good start, and one can hope that he likes carrot cake as well... [sigh!]