Yo CBS, WTF.  This is the second week you can't stay on schedule?  What gives?  8pm - Amazing Race, not 8:40... cause at 9 Walking Dead starts... and I'm switching away from your channel.

Had a good Easter at mom's.  Man was that ham huge.  I had to move it around for her, she couldn't lift it.  Yea.  That's a big ham.  It was also REALLY good, which is fortunate, as I'll be eating it for the next couple of days.  Looking forward to the batch of pot pie she'll be making with some of the leftovers.

I'm ready for another busy week... I think.

I did it.  I went back.  1 1/2 hours later... I have a reminder of one of the negatives of the Catholic church.  Oy that was a long one.  Could have had 3 more readings if they weren't being nice.  Fortunately, there wasn't any baptisms and only one girl going through confirmation.

I rewarded myself w/ a quick long island and french fries at the Alibi since I had a little smiley moment thinking of going to church on Saturday evenings with my father when I was young.  We'd then often head straight to the Bavarian hall where I'd have french fries or onion rings (well,I'd eat the outside, not the onion) and he'd have a beer.  Mental note, if I ever have a rugrat, I need to remember to do something routine and so seemingly mundane that it might stick with them long after I'm gone.

Apparently the smoke detector does not approve of the blueberry pancakes I just made for dinner.

Well, I TRIED to go to church today... twice even.  I had called to check mass schedules and headed to St Anthony's in Windber for their 4pm.  Pretty dark and empty, then I saw the calendar hanging in the entry way that says 8pm for today.  Uh, the sign out front still says Saturday mass is at 4.  Fine.  So I figured I'd run through a couple stores and head to St Benedict's at 5.  Get there and no mass of cars.  Sign in the front says 8pm as well.  Seriously?  Can you update your voice mail if you're changing the service times for a certain week?

I'm not sitting around dressed for another 3 hours, so I am back into my bumming around the house clothes.  I guess we'll see if I feel like getting redressed in a couple of hours or not.  Boo.

I tried to fast to sunset this evening, but sunset is happening a bit too late for me to make it.  I did at least make it until 5pm with only coffee and two bottles of flavored water today.  The guys in the lab talking about steaks and fire roasted chicken around 3 sure weren't helping me.

Spinning onto another effort come Monday, so there is no mental rest.  However, I'm ready for bed now, so I assure you I'll be taking a coma this evening.

Remembered the Tib's inspection and registration dates are different, so the inspection has been postponed to next week, when they can actually do the June-due inspection.  Good thing too, because we had even more snow, enough to make me not want to go anywhere with the Tib.

I applied to a couple of things this past week... the one gave me a little boost, the other just tore me down.  I really shouldn't be surprised that things were pre-determined on the one.  We'll just chalk it up to "I guessed as much, but tried anyhow."  It just makes me very weary.

I guess my evening is still better than my last two, as I was fighting off a good boomer of a headache.  Gotta find something fun to watch on TV, maybe a movie, and shake it off.  Mum is back home and we'll be having Easter there, so I have that to celebrate... I think I'm going to have lots of leftover ham.

I was a good girl two weeks in a row - up and to church this morning.  This time I went to St Patrick's (Catholic - in Moxham).  As expected, not a single person tried to touch me and the only person who spoke to me was simply asking if I needed palm.  Another small win w/ the Catholic church is the single strand vs the full frond.

From there I ventured out to find the Browntown fire hall, as I won a ham in their raffle!  Fortunately my mother, nor my aunt (whom she was staying with while recovering from foot surgery), has already bought a ham, so at least I have something substantial to contribute to the celebration next weekend.

Sounds like another winter storm is headed our way tonight.  WHEE!  I really need the snow to end, please!

It's not much, but at least I can say I accomplished something useful today.  As I turned off the shower on Thursday morning the hot water handle came off in my hand.  Remember, my bathtub was just redone, including the fixtures in November of 2010.  So, I bought replacement handles and took ye old screw driver into my own hands.  Surprisingly, they fit fine and right now my only complaint is that you can turn the handles either direction and the water turns on.  Doesn't sound like a big issue, but if you don't get them in just the right spot they won't be off.  I can foresee dripping faucets in my future.

I also pulled the Tiburon out - Drake is awake!  He started straight away, so major yay there.  We ran around a good bit to give him a bit of a charge, added air to the tires, and he's ready for inspection on Tuesday.

Another bites the dust.  I really don't have enough friends to have so many move out of town within a span of a year.

A full two weeks later than last year, but I finally saw ... not one, not two, but THREE robins today.  Hurry warm weather, hurry!

I met with a financial advisor from TIAA-CREF today.  After listening to my concerns, questions, and looking at my information she asked if I ever considered moving out of the country.  That's prb a bad sign.

Another day... another dollar.  So I had a doctor's appointment today that had me heading down to Franklin Street, so I had called to get the Durango in to be looked at.  I've been seeing a bit of oil out on the gravel and I (foolishly) assumed it was just something loose, maybe a bad seal.  Yeah, no.  I don't remember what he told me it was (I'm so freaking attentive, aren't I).  Maybe it was because all I could hear was the sound of a cash register.  After spending a large chunk last year I was hoping not to have major issues again soon.  Either way, back in Thursday and a little over $500 for the work.  Yay.  The Tib has to go next week for inspection, please let him be healthy!

Anyhow, it was probably good I was forced to get away from the office for a little while today, because heaven knows I'll be on for a little while tonight.  Boo.  Tired.  Stressy and moody feeling.  Need chocolate.

I realized this morning in church that I will forever not feel comfortable there.  I'll always be more comfortable in a Catholic church for this one reason, and this isn't necessarily a complement to the Catholic atmosphere.  You see, I don't want to touch a bunch of strangers.  Let's NOT shake 3 people's hands just to get into the building and then have 5 minutes of everyone just mingling about saying hello and wanting to shake hands.  At least in the Catholic church I can walk in, straight to my seat without needing to speak to anyone.  I'll still loathe the greeting time, but even they have backed off on the whole touchy-aspect, requiring only a quick nod and smile or a quick extension of 'peace' verbally.

I know I'm suppose to WANT to fellowship, but I just don't.  Just allow me to come and go quietly in my own world, and I'm more likely to be there every week.

Back from returning the girl to the airport *sigh*  I always hate it when she leaves, the house feels so empty.  I can't even imagine what empty-nest syndrome is like after having a rugrat around for 18 years.  While it was short, it was a good visit.  I did get to leave work early yesterday to spend some quality time.  I feel like we got a full weekend in within just a half a day.  There were massages for us both, a trip to the range (my first shot w/ a rifle whooped the snot out of that gallon container for the record), seeing Oz the Great and Powerful, and some grub w/ Eggs and Beff at Quaker Steak.

Spoiler Alert:
I really enjoyed the flick... but I was not a fan of Mila Kunis' role.  Couple that with the fact that her make up (after becoming green) or perhaps it was some of the camera angles was not good.  Her face looked swollen and too big for the body.  I know it is not one in the same but the book Wicked has definitely altered my overall 'view' of this world... as a result, "Theodora" and "Evanora" are not the right names in my mind - it's Elphaba and Nessarose.  I did appreciate the intro black and white and narrow screen and then opening up as you begin to see Oz, much like in the original. 

I did catch the play on color as well in the jewelry - the green necklace on Evanora and the green of her 'electrical' powers vs the red ring on Theodora and her red 'fire' powers.  Honestly, it threw me off when Theodora then was the one to turn green.  We pondered then if that ties to the ruby red shoes going to Evanora (which she should have had from childhood [Wicked again]). There was also discussion of Glinda being from the South or North - which seems to differ from book (original, not Wicked) to movie.

Either way, I enjoyed it.  I find it insane that the rugrat has not seen the Wizard of Oz the whole way through.  How messed up is that?  Leave it to Disney though (rolls eyes) as it appears they're remaking it for next year.  I enjoyed the thought of a prequel... but you can't possibly do anything to achieve a worthy remake of the original.

Another two weeks with the current effort (with a possibility of continuing past the end of March)... another paycheck.  Yay!  Surely one of the two things I'm waiting on will pop relatively soon, right?

Go outside fellow Johnstowners... right now... breathe deep.  I'll wait.  Smell that?  It's that earthy, slightly ozone-y smelling rain that screams spring.  I still haven't spotted my first robin for the year, but it has to happen in the next few days.

Took kid to mum's tonight after work.  I'm a bit bushed thanks to the time change.  There is just something about waking up and it being dark that makes it seem so wrong to get out of bed.  Time for bed... gotta bust out some extra hours early this week to free up my Friday afternoon for quality time.

Daylight savings time... you stink.  Not only do you steal an hour from me every year, which leaves me like a zombie (I don't care if you try to give it back later in the year it's cruel) but you then make me need to wake up in the dark (again), which sucks.  The insult to injury is the timespan where the sun is in my eyes the whole way to work was past, and now I'll need to go through it again in a week or two.
 
At least I was seeing daffodils trying to pop up at UPJ last night.  I fetched the niecy-poo in the burgh and we took the beasts for a stroll around campus.  The extension of the engineering and science building pretty much has the folks at LLC cut off from the rest of the campus, that would suck right now.  I still miss that place like crazy and can only really stand to 'visit' when the kids are away.  Happy spring break all.
 
Time to get started on the last 5 days countdown - again.

Today reminded me of laughing at the neighbors from Florida (living in NC).  When it got semi-decent out we were out walking in shorts and tees just sighing and acting like we were in the caribbean, while they still walked along bundled up like Kenny from Southpark.  Yeah, that was kind of me today... temps only hit the low 50's but my car windows were down and I kicked off the light jacket I had taken along with me.  Can we keep it, please?

I've been fighting away the winter's end by making a few summery type foods... on Friday I spotted something that looked incredibly yummy on the back of a Tastefully Simple catalog at work.  Lo and behold, Aldi's had imitation crab meat in a pack, so I grabbed some thinking - watch, I won't have the other ingredients I need for what I saw.  Well, the gods smiled on me and I got lucky, so I whipped up a batch of crab salad (using their spinach and herb seasoning).  True to many "summer salads" it was okay when first made, and spectacular after sitting for a day or two.

So while consuming this at work early this week the discussion turned to broccoli salad.  Guess what else I had bought at Aldi's - broccoli!  So tonight I had the hankering, knowing full well I still had half a pack of bacon in the fridge and came home and got moving.  I just had my second helping and I know what's for lunch tomorrow, so win!

What should I make next?

First trip out with my new toy ... I did it!  It was chilly, but dealable... now, here comes the snow (again).

As it stands right now I have 2 more weeks in front of me thanks to the small task coming through.  I need to do a little reading here this afternoon to get myself spun up a bit so I can hit the ground running tomorrow.  Perhaps that will be enough time for other things to hit, perhaps it won't.  I guess only time will tell... I think this is yet another opportunity for me to work on patience.  I admit, I do wish I had had the nerve a while ago to seek out a centralized place nearer my sister to purchase and have 'ready' for when the time comes.  But everything is a matter of risks and mitigation.  Which risk is worse than the other?  Ask me tomorrow, I'll have a different answer.

I think all of this is draining me.  I found myself in bed before 9pm on Friday and by 10pm last night.  As a result, I was up pretty early on Saturday.  A quick check of the weather had me confident enough to head to visit mom for a few hours before dinner w/ Eggs at Westwood where we saw Warm Bodies.  This movie is pretty much what you expect it to be from the previews, nothing great, but good enough with a few humorous lines despite the lack of depth.  It was relaxing and a nice distraction.

We did get a bit of snow last night, but the roads look cleared off, so barring any major changes associated with the weather I should be getting my chinese craving dealt with this evening w/ Kath and Mark, perhaps seeing Mikey too. In the mean time I am trying to get a little done around here... after all, before I know it Niecey-Poo will be visiting... and busting my butt for the overfilled freezer (again)