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Monday, September 30, 2013

A Lucky Day Off

Massage: Was amazing and totally worth the Groupon.  The lady rubbing my neck and shoulders was the best part because that's where I hold the most stress and tension.  I haven't decided what my next reward should be after this next round of the 30 Day Shred is over (today is Day 9).  I'm thinking some new boots.  Tall brown boots with a flat heel...great for ever day wear.  The massage was great, but it's a one time thing.  At least with the shoes, you can wear them over and over and over...

Car Luck: I went to the Sport Honda near the office to check on the screw in my tire.  The guy at the desk confirmed that I'd need a new tire.  Ok, fine.  That's what I expected since that's what the tire guy said yesterday.  $127 for the tire...plus service charge: $140 total.  Fine, I'll pay whatever price I need to (well, within reason) to get this issue resolved.  They did the paperwork and the car guys started looking over it.  The guy in the garage came in and asked me 30 minutes later, "Wait, why did you want your tired replaced?"  Because there's a screw in it.  He shows me that what popped out of the tire was just a screw head.  There wasn't really a nail part.  It turns out that nothing went into the tire.  He threw liquid on it again just to make sure.  Whew.  Well, that was a relief.  It's not like I would have been able to investigate that myself.  What if it had been a real nail?  I'd really be stuck with a flat tire then!

New Makeup: I was already near my office so I decided to check on the mail even though I was taking the day off.  I also caught up with my friend Jennifer since she was in the office too.  She was on her way to the elevator, as I was talking to the receptionist.  We hung out in the elevator lobby and chatted for about 30 minutes.  She's been doing the Insanity workouts and I told her about the 30 Day Shred and my massage reward.  Her eyes got big, like a light blub just went off.  "I'm totally going to steal that idea!  That'll be my motivation...and also because I'll be trying on bridesmaid dresses in November."  After I said bye to her, I went over to Ulta, armed with a coupon.  I noticed in the Sunday insert that they were having a 40% off sale on Revlon, Neutrogena, NYX, etc.  I had my eye on some NYX lip liners and lipsticks.  The makeup blogosphere said good things about them so I figured it'd be worth a try.  I picked out 3 lip liners and 2 lip sticks.  I love 635- Doll, but I love 569- Snow White even more.  I will have the muster the courage at some point to wear that full on in public.  It's quite bold.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Fall-To Layout #260

Car Troubles: After spin class this morning, I went to Target to buy a tire pressure gauge for my car today and drove to my parents' house to check them.  I suppose I could have driven home to do that but a) Mom's house was on the way and b) what if I had a question?  I'd have to drive to their house anyway.  While I was checking them, I found a screw in my right rear tire!  WAH!  Dad suggested a tire place that I could check to see if they could patch it up.  Nope, no luck.  They suggested that I call the dealer to see if they could give me a new tire.  I'll have to go on my day-off tomorrow (after my reward massage) because the dealer's service desk is closed on Sunday.  Fortunately, with the current work teleworking arrangement, I don't have to drive very much these days.  I'm telling myself that this isn't something to stress over since this'll probably be covered under the warranty.  Still, blah!

Shopping: Being at Target was fun today.  In addition to the tire pressure gauge, I found some comfy capri athletic pants, athletic shorts, and earrings (all on clearance...the earrings had several clearance stickers on top of each other.  It pays to be patient!).  It'll be nice to wear these to work...whenever that'll be, given that renovations could take longer than expected.

Card: Here's my take on Fall-To Layout #260.  Super easy design with minimal supplies (and effort).  This design would be perfect if you had a variety of washi tape available, but since I only have 2 rolls, I had to improvise with strips of paper that I punched out.




Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal
Stamp: Hero Arts- Sending Smiles
Paper: American Crafts- Letterbox, The Goods Ceremony
Punch: EK Success- Lattice Chain border punch, We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
Other: Black Sharpie Ultra Fine Point marker

Song of the day: Man in Motion from St. Elmo's Fire.  I heard this on the radio when I was driving to the gym this morning and it was stuck in my head all day.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Family Dinner

Yard Sale: I didn't really have much luck getting rid of some stuff this morning.  I sold a gently used computer bag for $4 (the guy was trying to go from $5 to $3...no, I can meet you in the middle with $4).  And another person bought a Nintendo DS game that I bought at a yard sale a few weeks ago.  I sold it for $5 which was the price that I bought it for, so no profit there.  But at least it's out of the house.  The rest of the day was spent indoors making food and camping out on my couch.

Book:  My sister Julie recommended the book Click, so I finished that while I was outside babysitting my yard sale table.

I made a large salad for lunch, while the yams that I bought last night were in the oven.
This was the spread at my aunt's house when I went over there for dinner.  Lot of veggies, salad, steak and seafood alfredo.  I'm glad I did my workout DVD before I went to dinner because afterwards, I didn't feel like doing anything.  When I sat down to dinner, my aunt told me that she had a dream recently that I showed her a picture of my boyfriend.  Um, what boyfriend?  Clearly this was a dream as I'm not dating one at the moment.  "He looked like Sean Connery."  I looked horrified.  "Akim, he's old!"  Then she explained that it was Sean Connery when he played 007.  Still, that's weird!
My aunt got this Galileo thermometer.  And its reading actually did match the thermostat in the house.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Happy Mail Received

The care package that Meg, Robyn and I put together last weekend for our friend Page was well received.  We even got a group text message with Page with a picture of her trying to match which gifts came from which person (per challenge in the card that we gave her).  With a little help, she was able to separate the gifts into 2 piles that matched the right person.  You'll notice that this card that I made a few weeks ago was included in the box.  My items are the ones on the right: lemon scented lotion from Bath and Body Works, chocolate, Swedish fish, pearl and silver earrings, a cat toy and a lint roller (since she recently got a cat).  Meg's stuff is on the left and if you move the tube of tea to the center, that would make Robyn's contributions complete.
Currently enjoying TheSchuermanShow on YouTube.  What a cute little family!  I wondered why Jay (the father of the family) seemed to be around all the time.  Ah, it's because he doesn't work anymore.  All the family's income is through YouTube.  That's amazing!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

New Nails

I tried out a new nail polish today.  I'm so happy that I found it at TJMaxx not too long ago because it's a dupe for a Revlon nail polish that I had to throw out because it was getting goopy (can't remember the name) and OPI's Don't Toy With Me (which was holiday limited edition).  This is 2 coats of China Glaze in Vertical Rush. 
Yes, I'm very content here.  Thanks for asking.  Oh, you gotta pee?  No, you can't get up.
Today was Day 4 of the 30 Day Shred, Round 2.  I also did 30 minutes on the spin bike as I was watching the season premiere of Law and Order: SVU.  That, paired up with last night's NCIS, I'm so glad that new episodes are back on TV!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Water Weight and the 30 Day Shred (Round 2)

I got on the scale this morning and WTH, 155 lb blinked back at me.  I had that moment of like in cartoons where the "camera" pans in and out really quickly with a "boing" sound effect.  UGH!  Granted, I finished the rest of the avocado chocolate chip cookies yesterday, but that shouldn't have contributed to like a 2-3 weigh gain overnight.  I will chalk it up to water weight.

I did get back on track today by eating apples with peanut butter as a snack and some frozen Greek yogurt.  Sweets are definitely my vice and I really need to get real with myself and get it under control.  Otherwise, it's serious self sabotage.

I finished the 30 Day Shred last Monday, and while I happy with the toned up results that I saw, I figured I'd try the series again.  However, this time, I'm going to really make an effort to eat healthy and less stuff that comes from a box.  I'd like to think of it as stuff that you'd see around the perimeter of the supermarket, rather than what's in the center (which is usually stuff in a box or plastic bag).  I've had a few days break from the DVD,  so whew, here we go again!  Note: Day 1 was yesterday.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Fall-To Layout #259

Card:  Here's my take on Fall-To Layout #259. The top strip was looking a little empty, but I couldn't find any patterned paper that would match that Pool Party color.  My solution (and I've learned this from watching other card makers' YouTube videos) is to take the ink pad and swipe it directly onto some white cardstock.  I trimmed off the strip and instant match!
Card Specs:
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Charcoal, Rose Coral. Stampin' Up in Pool Party
Stamp: Inkadinkado- Wellspring.  Hero Arts- Year Round Sentiments
Punch: Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch
White Gel Pen: Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Gel Pen

Song of the day: "We Were Us"- Keith Urban featuring Miranda Lambert.  Heard this on the way home from Meg's place last night.

Candy Crush update...currently on Level 91. 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Domestic Day In

I did my weekly grocery shopping last night, which was perfect for my domestic day in today.  I baked mushrooms last night and baked avocado chocolate chip cookies to share with my friends Meg and Robyn later and roasted sweet potatoes in the oven with salt, pepper, oregano and cayenne pepper (so delicious, healthy, easy and budget friendly...an excellent combination!). 
For dinner, Meg, Robyn and I went to Piola.  I got the chicken parmasean.  We also enjoyed a carafe of red wine sangria and the waiter gave us a free sampling of "sgroppino al limone" (lemon gelato and Vodka).  Everything was delicious!  When we got back to Meg's place, we looked at all the loot each of us got for a friend that's going through a hard time right now at school.  There's not much we can do from this far away, but at least we can give her some fun stuff that will hopefully cheer her up.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Cuddle Time!

Office cuddle time with RJ.

He's looking at me like, "Excuse me, you stopped."

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Happy 5th Year Anniversary to Me!

I will be celebrating my fifth year anniversary at work in early October.  As a thank you and congratulations for reaching this milestone, my office gives each employee a key chain from Tiffany of their choosing.  I went with a simple star.  I ordered it from Human Resources on Friday and it was at my doorstep on Tuesday when I came back from the office to check the mail.  So cute! :)

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

30 Day Shred: DONE!

I recently got Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred at a yard sale.  I decided to do it as a personal challenge to myself, and I'm happy to report that I did the DVD for 30 consecutive days- August 18 to September 16.  No breaks.  :D

The concept is that there are 3 workouts: 1, 2, 3 (increasing difficulty).  Each workout consists of 3 circuits, and each circuit has 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.  You would do 10 days of Workout 1 and then move on to Workout 2 for another 10 days and then finally Workout 3 for the last 10 days.  Hence, the 30 Day Shred.

I already had a mat and a set of 5 pound weights at home so this was perfect.  I could wobble and wheeze and gasp for breath in the comfort of my own home.  Even though the workouts were short, they were very efficient.  At the end of each workout, I was sweating so badly.  If I was in public, it would have been embarrassing!

I can’t believe it that I was actually able to do it!  I've been wanting to incorporate strength training into my workouts, so this DVD came into my life at the right time.  I tracked my progress through a chart that I found on Pinterest.  It was a satisfying feeling to be able to cross the days off over the course of a month.

Results: My weight didn’t change at all: 152.3 to 152.5 with some fluctuation in the middle. However, the changes that I do notice are that my arms, shoulders and butt look more defined and my poochy isn't as...poochy. I can wear a belt with my jeans now.  Not too bad in a month’s worth of work and some sprinkling of emotional eating. In retrospect, I should have taken measurements during this process, but in all honesty, I didn’t want to in case I wasn’t able to see results. I should have had more faith in myself.  After I finished my last workout last night, I promptly purchased my Groupon for a 60-minute signature massage and detoxifying foot scrub that I've been eyeing for a while.  Tee hee.

This was as much a mental exercise as a physical one and while I don't see dramatic results (who would, in 30 days anyway? That probably wouldn't be healthy.), I'm proud of myself for being committed and proving to myself that I could do it.  Here's to getting fit!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Sad Day

I turned on the radio this morning as I was trying to wake up.  Through the fogginess, I heard something about a shooter in the Navy Yard.  Wait, what?  Are you serious?  I laid in bed with my face still mashed to the pillow, listening to the preliminary details.  Oh, no.  I heard it right.  That wasn't some messed up dream.  I spent most of the day having the television on, trying to keep updated on the news.  It sounded like a scene from NCIS, except this was real life.  Listening to the death toll rise was also disheartening.  :'(  People just wanted to go to work and do their thing this morning!  Why do people do such awful things?!  What a sh*tty way to start the work week.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Mushroom Recipe and New Makeup

Recipe #8 of 2013: I found a new recipe for mushrooms.  I bought a container of them on sale thinking that I'd be using them for my salads, but when I found this baked and breaded mushroom recipe on tumblr, I had to try it.  I used Italian breadcrumbs instead of panko ones, one egg, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and 12 minutes later, I had some mushroom goodness.  They were quite tasty with some thousand island dressing and would make a great party appetizer (and healthy too since mushrooms are low calorie).
New Makeup: The new Jordana balm stains, eyeshadow pencils and eyeliners are getting quite the buzz on YouTube lately.  I wanted to see what all the fuss was about without spending too much money.  I was able to use my credit card points to get a Walgreens gift card, and after I went to spin class this morning (I told myself that I couldn't go to Walgreens unless I went to class), I bought some new makeup to try.
  • Jordana Twist and Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Honey Love and Rock 'n Rouge
  • Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Liquid Eyeliner Pencil in Jade Jewel, Black Point, and Aqua Stone
  • Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Eternal White and Endless Emerald
  • Jordana Easyliner for Lips in Tawny
I also went to Goodwill, but didn't find anything.  There were several Disney DVDs (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White) there and my heart jumped for joy for a second  until I opened the cases and realized that the discs were gone.  Ugh!  What a tease!

New Nails: Time to break out the fall colors!  I painted my nails yesterday with a very dark purple polish.  This is two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Plum Luck. I really like this color over lighter shades of purple.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Participating in Coworker's Yard Sale

Yard sale: Whew, early morning today!  I told my coworker that I'd be at her place at 7:30 AM to start setting up for the yard sale.  Fortunately, she only lives 5 minutes away, basically one neighborhood over.  When I got there, she had her tarps out and was putting stuff on them already.  We had a few customers but it wasn't like a rush of people like she said she got last weekend (I couldn't attend because of a funeral).  Many of her neighbors stopped by, many of them moms.  All in all, I made $28.50 from the yard sale.  The following items found new homes: 5 bottles of nail polish (I even told the lady that I used them maybe once or twice.  She took them anyway, but I couldn't tell if it was because she didn't understand what I said or didn't care), 4 tops, 1 skirt, 1 jacket, 1 box old stamps and ink pads, and a cupcake decorating set with wrappers and toothpicks.  Not too bad for a morning's worth of "work."  It was such a beautiful day outside (a little chilly in the morning), and it was nice to hang out with my friend outside of work.  My current teleworking arrangement doesn't really allow for that these days as much.

Movie: One of Susie's neighbors came by at the last minute to drop off some movies that he wanted to get rid of.  It didn't matter if he got money from them.  He also had some PlayStation 2 games.  I would have taken them, but since I don't have a console to test them on, I left them behind. I was curious about the Stitch movie so I took that home with me.  Julie and I watched it earlier tonight, and it was pretty awful.  I was so disappointed because I loved Lilo and Stitch (it's one of my favorite movies of all time...not just Disney), but this sequel stunk.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Ebay Refund

Ebay refund: The lady that bought the Estee Lauder trial mascaras sent me an email (almost 2 weeks later) to let me know that she was disappointed because she thought that the mascaras were used.  She claimed that there wasn't a vacuum seal pop when she opened them.  Alright, well, I've never heard of mascara tubes popping when opening (this isn't like a jar of pasta sauce), but I'm not going to fight her.  I promptly refunded all of her money via PayPal within 30 minutes.  I'm hoping that my speedy customer service will make her happy and she won't leave mean feedback on my page. 
Just relaxin'.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

A Card for a Friend

The weather was nuts today.  Lots of loud storms.  I was on the phone with my boss and she could hear the thunder through the phone!  RJ was sleeping in the bay window area...until he heard the thunder and decided that it wasn't a good idea anymore.  He then decided to investigate the uneaten portion of my sandwich.  My boss also hear me scold him on the phone.

Sigh.

One of my friends is kinda going through a rough time, so my friends and I have decided to put together a care package.  No care package would be complete without a card, so this is what I came up with tonight.

Card Specs:
Embossing powder: Personal Stamp Exchange- Black
Embossing ink: VersaMark 
Ink: Colorbox chalk ink in Prussian Blue, Blackbird.  Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Fired Brick, Tattered Rose, Broken China, Mustard Seed. Stampin' Up in Rich Razzleberry. 
Stamps: Hero Arts- Thank You For Being My Friend, Inkadinkado- Flower Bouquet
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circles Large, Lifestyle Crafts- Nesting Lace Circles

Monday, September 9, 2013

Laziest Supervisor Ever

'Nough said.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Goodwill Find

A run-down of my productive morning...
  • 1 hour spin class
  • Home Depot to return the ceiling fan blades that I realized I didn't need anymore
  • Goodwill to hunt for a GameCube A/V cable.  The GameCube that I bought on Friday only had a power supply and I didn't think to check for an A/V cable.  Fortunately, after some digging, I found one for $1.95.  I was then able to test the GameCube and it works!  
  • Target for some pumpkin spice M&Ms (sale and coupon), Health Pieces (sale and coupon), hair product (clearance and coupon), a set of EKSuccess tweezers (clearance) and a t-shirt (clearance).
Ebay: Sold 3 Nintendo Entertainment System games. Bought for $2.85 ($0.95 each), sold for $18.50.  I have 4 more to sell before I've completely sold out of the games that I bought from that Goodwill trip.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Saying Good-bye to a Friend

Saying good-bye to a friend: I was sitting on my couch last night and my sister sent me an IM.  A former neighbor left a voicemail for Dad saying that the neighbor's mother-in-law had passed away last week and the family was coming down to Maryland to bury her with her husband.  We have known this family for a very long time.  Both the mother-in-law and father-in-law had lived in the house across the street from my parents in the 1980s.  I remember going across the street to hang out with them after dinner.  French Papa sat outside in front of his house in his chair. The house was eventually passed down to the daughter and her family and they were super nice.  Dad had been a pallbearer at the father-in-law's funeral when he passed away in 1990.   The family (French Mama, her daughter, and the rest of the daughter's family) moved to New York around 15 years ago, but they still kept in touch via Christmas cards.  It was sad that we had to see them again under these circumstances, but if there's one thing about being friends, it's that you show up.  The urn that the put French Mama's ashes in was very pretty.  It was a dusty rose color with flowers on it.  The attendees were given pink roses to surround her with at the end.  :'(

I ended up telling my co-worker that I had to bail on her yard sale and I got an email later saying that she totally understood.  She'll be holding one next weekend, so I'm planning to jump in on that.

Yard sale finds: I went to a yard sale not too far away from my parents' house and found a few Nintendo DS games for reselling.  3 games at $5 each= $15.  I was kinda surprised that the owner wasn't going to give me a deal since I bought more than one.  They also had some Nintendo DSs for sale, but they were $20 and $25.  Nope, sorry.  In retrospect, I probably should have walked away with nothing, but we'll see how these games do on Ebay.

Some lady at this yard sale was trying to get a better deal on some purses that were available.  You could tell that the husband was getting a little annoyed.  Hey, I like to get a good deal, but if you're not careful, you could cross a line and become rude.
Family/food: On my way home from my parents' house after the burial ceremony, I went to Starbucks and got an iced pumpkin spiced latte, yum!  Later on, Julie came over for Indian food.  Double yum!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Day Off Redo

Because of my mental funk last weekend, I wasn't able to enjoy my days off.  Time for a redo since it got kinda resolved this week

First off, I sent my boss and big boss an email this morning, thanking them for the raise.  I also mentioned in the email that Dad suggested that I put the extra money towards my retirement fund.  So boringgg.  I got a reply email from the big boss.
We Dads take a class in boringggg. Just ask my daughter and son. It is what we do, who we are. Once upon a time we were footloose and fancy free, but then we got married to women who made honest, responsible citizens out of us. So here we are. But as your big boss with no fatherly responsibilities in your case, I say reward yourself with something you like. Then put aside the extra into your retirement fund. Have a good weekend. Eric
 Bah ha. :)

Today's accomplishments:
  • Got cash from the ATM
  • Gassed up my car
  • Got eyebrows waxed (yes, very important...)
  • Went to a yard sale because they had video games listed.  Came back with nothing because their prices were too expensive.
  • Went to Goodwill and found a Nintendo GameCube with 4 controllers for reselling on Ebay ($17.06 total).  I was in luck because they had 25% off electronics today.  Unfortunately, the girl only gave me the discount on one item.  The good news is that I checked the receipt before I left the store.  They had to call in the manager.  "Well, we can give you store credit." o_0 What?  Oh, hailllno.  You're misunderstanding.  I'm not returning anything.  Your girl messed up.  I just paid for this stuff!  You owe me cash...whatever the difference was.  I was prepared to put out a big stink, but the guy was able to figure it out and give me my money back.
  • Went to Home Depot to pick up the ceiling fan blades that I bought to replace the blade that broke off.  I'm excited to see how much the controllers go for.  From the research that I did online, they are more valuable than the console.  I can't even test the console since I don't have an A/V cord.  I guess I can sell it "as is." 
  • Got lunch at Five Guys.  Mmm...burger.  The one that I got had a double patty.  Whoops, I think I should have ordered the little burger.  I forgot how big these portions are.  The cashier was probably thinking, "Wow, this girl can eat."
  • Tackled the ceiling fan.  Upon closer inspection, I realized I screwed the screws upside down when I tried to fix it last weekend!!!  UGH.  SIGH.  I could have been able to fix this problem if only I looked at the attachments more closely.  Oh well.  I was able to reattach the original ceiling fan blade using a new ceiling fan blade arm.  Fortunately, Home Depot has a forgiving return policy for (silly) instances like this.
So sad, but at least it's all better now!
My coworker is doing a yard sale tomorrow. She wanted to know if I wanted to partake in it and I said yes. Fingers crossed that I can make some money tomorrow and find homes for my unwanted things.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Teleworking, Day 6

At the office: Today is Day 6 of teleworking.  I don't count last Friday or this Monday because those were days that I didn't work.  I dunno.  It's been weird being at home.  A few days, I haven't really left the house unless to check the mail.  Everything I need is at home: food, computer and spin bike.  I know, that sounds terrible and isolating...and it kinda is.  I went to the office on Tuesday to check the mail, but even then, most of the people that were at the office were in a meeting so I didn't really get to "hang" with anyone.  With that said, it has been nice to spend the extra time with RJ and having laundry and the dishes done all the time.  Chores are what I do when taking breaks.  How sad.  :P
Ebay Updates: I sold a lot of 3 Wii games that I didn't want anymore for $9.99.  Over the weekend I sold 4 new tubes of Estee Lauder trial size mascaras that my aunt gave me but didn't use for $16.49.  People are looking for all kinds of stuff on Ebay apparently...

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Sigh of Relief

The rest of my long weekend was spent in a mental funk.  The work issue has yet to be resolved and today, I had had enough.  I spent part of last night drafting an email to the data director, asking to reconsider checking the data again and specifying reasons why.  The response I got was (or at least how I read it), "If you want to check the data, go ahead and do it.  Let me know what you find.  I'm really swamped right now." o_0 What? Ok, not cool.  So much for being a team effort.  I sat at the kitchen table debating on what to do.  I had to tell my boss about this.  I couldn't wait any longer.  I might explode or implode.  Where do I even begin?  Julie suggested, "Just start somewhere."  I called my boss up and told her everything.  I kept a mental note to keep my voice even and quiet, but as my explanation went on, it got louder and louder and I couldn't hide my frustration anymore.  If I was at the office having this conversation, it might have been different. But while teleworking, I can have my (unprofessional?) emotional outburst without feeling embarrassed.  I need a resolution.  "I am pissed off!" My boss offered some suggestions and said her phrase, "That's all we can do."

Whew, ok, I feel better now.  I just had to let that out.  I'm not sure how the data director is going to react to my boss talking to her about this, but I guess I can't really worry about that.  I did the best that I could to get to the bottom of this and I'm not getting any answers.

"Here's something that might cheer you up."

o_0 Oh, really?  If I knew this conversation would go the way it's going, I would have told her about this problem a long time ago instead of holding it in.

"I was going to tell you on our 1-1 tomorrow, but I figured this would be a better time to tell you since it sounds like you need some positive news.  I wanted to let you know that you got a raise.  We appreciate your work ethic and your attention to detail."

Aw, that's nice.  Yes, this did cheer me up.  I was worried I'd hear the disappointment in her voice about the whole work issue, but she was a lot more calm than I was about it.

I saw a thing on Pinterest last night...something to the effect of "Things will be alright."  Yeah, so true.  I wish I had thought of that sooner.  A lot of M&Ms and a pint of Ben and Jerry's would have been spared.

In other news, I went to the dentist this morning and came back with a clean bill of health.  The dental receptionist is leaving for FL in a few weeks and I dropped off a card and a bag of chocolates to express our appreciation on behalf of my family.  She always takes such good care of us in terms of appointments and insurance and billing, so I figured that was the least we could do.  She gave me a big hug.  We will miss her!