Ladybug Studio

Do-Over!

I got a fun pair of shoes this weekend. These Nike Free Mary Janes, in addition to be seriously cute, are amazingly comfortable. The sole is really flexible and the strap is elastic with a velcro tab. They're even more comfortable than the Privos I bought recently. My feet are so happy today! The Nike Free model was originally a running shoe and they're apparently branching out into other styles. There's a Nike Free cross trainer available, which I might have to get. I wonder if they make a court shoe…

Well, the weekend flew by, as usual. I'd like to propose a do-over…

I wasted most of Friday by taking a super long nap. That wasn't the original plan. I started out reading, but began getting droopy eyed and that was that. We got our Friday night pizza from Stone Creek. Not much else to tell you.

Saturday morning I played tennis, since I didn't have to attend rehearsal. Hurray! It was a lot warmer than I was expecting. Also sunnier. I didn't put on an adequate amount of sunscreen (or any at all, truthfully) and my shoulders and face got toasted. Unfortunately, I was wearing sunglasses so I am sporting a slight raccoon look. Nice.

Tennis was fun though. I played for 3.5 hours and I won a can of balls! It's more about bragging rights than the actual prize. Every Saturday, Mary Ann gives away a can of tennis balls to the player with the most points. This is the first time I've ever had that distinction. I actually tied with another player, but we each were given a can.

I treated myself to a Wild Cherry Slurpee after tennis. Oh man. Nothing is as refreshing after hot, sweaty work than a Slurpee. And Wild Cherry is my favorite. Sheer bliss.

Tom and I went to Sports Authority on Saturday evening. He got some baseball odds and ends and I got the cute Nike shoes. We also went to the mall, where I found a perfume at Victoria's Secret that intrigues me called Isle of Pink. I spritzed some on my wrist as a test. It is a soft scent, never overpowering, and Tom didn't hate it. Sounds like a keeper. I don't know why I'm obsessed with perfumes lately, but I am. Generally I go for the light body sprays, so this is a new thing for me.

Sunday was a day of work, unfortunately. I cleaned our bedroom while Tom was at baseball practice and it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. There's too much crap laying around collecting dust. What a mess. And Tom has so many friggin' baseball caps everywhere. He's the one who's allergic to dust, yet he does nothing to prevent it collecting all over the place. Something's got to be done and soon.

Alex and Jeanene are selling us their excess laminate flooring and they're going to help us install it in our bedroom and closet. We are doing this because of Tom's allergies. The carpet we have is fine and still looks great, but people who are allergic to dust shouldn't have carpeting. However, unless Tom is willing to minimize his dust collecting collection and put his clothing away instead of leaving it piled about, there's no sense going through the effort and spending the money.

I also spent many hours of Sunday working on the computer. Darned freelance work. It's got me quite overwhelmed currently. My mantra: This too shall pass…

Alarm Clocks

One of the many fine features included in the iPhone that I am currently enjoying is the alarm clock. It's so convenient and easy to set. I can choose the sound from any of my ringtones and I can set the volume as well. I ended up using it this morning, as a matter of fact. When Tom snored me out of bed last night, I grabbed my pillow, teddy bear and iPhone and moved to the couch in the spare bedroom. The iPhone alarm also has a snooze button, which I adore. I have to hit the snooze at least once. It used to be more like four or five times, but I am learning to cut down. The only thing I need to do is change my wallpaper photo to something a little darker. The iPhone has a really bright display and it's a bit shocking at 5:00 am.

On the subject of alarm clocks, I recently got a new one for the bedroom. The one I had was becoming unreliable. Occasionally, after hitting the snooze button once, it would fail to go off again. Then Tom and I would wake up late and be scurrying around, trying to get to work quickly. The thing I really liked about that clock was that it set itself. Which is great if the power goes out. When the power comes back on, the clock resets itself and is back on program. But what I didn't like about that clock, in addition to the unreliability, was the radio tuner and volume wheel. Both were very touchy and hard to get set just right. The volume was either too low to hear or stunningly loud. Being awoken early in the morning is bad enough, but GET OUT OF BED NOW DO IT! is downright upsetting. And waking to UNBELIEVABLY LOUD STATIC is twice as bad.

Typically of me, I had a ridiculous list of criteria for a new alarm clock. I always seem to want something that is so specific and exact that it doesn't exist. But I think I may have a winner with Timex Auto-Set Clock Radio. I bought it at Circuit City Wednesday night and it's pretty close to what I want. It's not too large, which is important because my night stand is also the top of my dresser. It has a digital tuner, which makes finding radio stations much easier, station presets, battery back-up, dual alarm, nature sounds, sleep timer, is MP3 compatible and has three brightness settings. The last feature is important because Tom is opposed to any sort of light shining even the tiniest bit while he's sleeping.

So between my two good alarm clocks, I should have no excuses for not getting up on time. Other than pure laziness. That's an excuse I will always be able to use.

Woe is Me

Tennis has been really disappointing lately. Last Thursday totally sucked, as I mentioned (ad nauseam) and last night wasn't much better. Unfortunately, I'm improving. That should be a good thing, right? But I end up playing on a higher level court and the players are way above me in skill. I just get smacked around and sent back down again. For which I am grateful.

Last night we only had three people on our court, because one guy couldn't be there. This meant we had to play Australian. In a nutshell, the three players rotate around the court clockwise, with one person serving and the other two receiving as a pair. So every third game I ended up playing singles. Against two very good, very aggressive players. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

And to add insult to injury, I will be on the same court next week. Even though I had the lowest of the three scores, the guy who didn't get a sub has to move down. I'd really rather be the one to move down. I like it on the lower courts. It's more friendly there and I'm perhaps even respected and revered! Right now I just feel like a pesky gnat, getting in everyone's way and hanging around where I'm not wanted.

Tom's Birthday Weekend

Tom's birthday weekend was nice, if a bit low key. But he seemed perfectly okay with that, so who am I to complain? On Friday night we got pizza as usual. I let him choose which pizza maker and he wanted Valentino's. We combined the outing with a trip to Target and a cruise through a car wash, as the Kia was getting embarrassingly dirty. We usually go with the Soft Touch but tried out the Touchless instead. We won't make that mistake again. It would be cheaper and easier to just drive past someone's sprinkler instead.

Saturday morning I had to go to rehearsal. But it will be my last one for a while as I withdrew myself from the upcoming spring concert. I looked back at this month's posts are realized that I hadn't gone on and on about this so now I have something new to whine about. (don't worry, I can always find something!)

Back in the fall, when the Central Florida Winds conductor announced the spring concert date and rehearsal schedule, I was feeling enthusiastic and committed myself to playing. It seemed like a perfectly fine idea at the time. But once we were in the midst of it, I had regrets. Here are my reservations, in no particular order:

1) I don't like the music. This is a biggie because it's hard to get excited about playing when I don't have even the slightest interest in what we're playing.

2) I don't like missing so many Saturday tennis days. This is kind of lame, considering the amount of tennis I play every week. But still, I do look forward to seeing my tennis friends and burning an amazing number of calories while having fun.

3) I don't have time to practice. This is fairly important because the pieces chosen for the spring program are pretty difficult. I'm hardly honoring my commitment if I am unable to play the music, right?

4) I don't like the music. Have I mentioned this point yet?

5) I don't want to spend the entire day of the concert doing a concert. That sounds strange, but it's true that the concert would pretty much take up the whole day. Between getting ready, driving to the venue, warming up, performing and driving back home. Ann will be here that weekend and the following week for the massive cleaning out of my Dad's house. We can get a ton of work done that day, if there's no concert mucking it all up.

6) I don't like the music.

Despite all of those reasons and probably some little ones that I will think of later, I would never just ditch the group without knowing they would have a competent replacement for me. As luck would have it, this is the first concert I've done with the group in which we have had five horn players. A wind ensemble only needs four, so I figured this was definitely a sign. So I went to rehearsal, just to make sure that the extra horn player was still planning to play and dropped off my music folder. Adios!

It was a great relief to be free from this concert and I know I have made the right decision.

Once I got home from rehearsal, I drove out to Fox Lake to join the Annual Easter Picnic, which was already in progress. Our usual cast of characters were there, and a few new people I had never met before. Most everyone had already eaten, but Tom had waited for me and cooked burgers for the two of us. There were plenty of good fixings, including Stacey's mother's Cowboy Beans. I had brought brownies and I have to say, they turned out to be some of the best I've ever made. I always use a box mix, so they aren't really special, but this time I used my Baker's Edge Brownie Pan that Stacey gave me for Christmas. Every piece is an edge piece, perfectly cooked, perfectly chewy. I'll never use a regular pan for brownies again. Also, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix is the bomb.

It wasn't the most exciting picnic in the history of the Annual Easter Picnic however. There was no volleyball, football or any other organized sport. Just a few people playing catch, a frisbee or two and a wiffle ball. Tom and I threw the wiffle ball to each other for a while and man! My arm is still sore! What I liked about it though is that it doesn't come too hard or too fast. So I wasn't worried about being injured, due to my lack of coordination. (I just didn't count on being sore for days)

Because of the large late lunch, Tom didn't care to go out for a birthday dinner. So we went home and lounged around, took a long nap and basically did nothing for the rest of the evening.

Sunday was more active. We slept in and took our time in the morning, then around noon headed out to run a couple of errands. When we got home, before I had time to succumb to my lazier inclinations, I backed my car into the driveway and gave it a good washing. It was pretty filthy in general, but the tar I had run across earlier in the week really made for a mess. I probably went through half a can of tar and bug remover and ruined a good sponge. When that chore was finally finished, I helped Tom paint the sidewalk leading to our front door. We used the same stuff we used on our back porch, Quikrete Multi-Surface Epoxy Coating. We chose a nice tan color and it came with a bottle of colored flecks to sprinkle about. Originally, it was Tom's project. But after I saw the job he was doing with the sprinkles, I fired him and hired myself as chief sprinkler. It turned out really nice, subtle and classy.

Finally it was time for Tom's birthday dinner. We went to his favorite steak restaurant, Longhorn, where he ordered his usual Renegade. I chose the Flo's Filet and crab cake combo. Eh. The crab cake wasn't all that so I don't recommend it. But, it wasn't my birthday and Tom was happy. That's all that matters.

Frustrating

Well, I broke my own number one tennis rule yesterday. I was a poor sport and not much fun to play with. But he started it!

Okay, let me preface my story with some pertinent info. To start with, I wasn't feeling well. I had a sore throat, a touch of a headache and just general blah-ness. I would really rather have rescheduled the match, but my opponent couldn't/wouldn't. Well, I didn't feel bad enough to forfeit to him, so I played.

Second, it was a terribly windy day. Absolutely ridiculous. Becky and I got out there nice and early to warm up, but it was a waste of time. It was anybody's guess where the ball was going to go and we had to allow about 30 degrees of adjustment. Completely frustrating.

Third, my opponent is miserable to play. He's a nice enough person, but only has one skill (and I use that term lightly) and that's back spin. He slices his shots so that they land short and instead of bouncing and continuing on like most shots, they just stop… I would scramble toward the ball and still not make it. After doing that a bunch, I started giving up and just watched the ball instead. It wasn't worth possibly injuring myself. The most frustrating part is that I know I'm a better player overall, but I still can't beat him. Bah!

Oh! One time, he was close to the net and put so much spin on the ball, it hit on my side and then bounced back to his side. That's just wrong.

Creepiness

Tennis last night was kind of creepy. There were mole crickets on the courts. Though I can't understand what they were doing there. These are hard courts, not grass courts. Such awful looking creatures, they really gave me the willies. Especially after I found out that they can fly. I was really on edge, worrying about them, and I'm sure it had an effect on my game.

I've been plagued lately by creepy-crawlies. Last week I nearly couldn't drive myself home from work because of a spider in my car. Granted it was one of the scariest, freakiest spiders I've ever seen. It wasn't very large, but it was black and gray, furry looking and had big green glowing eyes. I swear!

It was on the inside of the door, along the ledge by the window. I had sat down in the driver's seat and was reaching for the door to close it when I spied the beast. I shot out of the car in a flash. For the next 20 minutes I stood by the open door, towel in hand, watching it meander about while I waited for a prime opportunity to swat at it. I didn't want to risk swatting it into the car, which would have made matters much worse. Finally it moved to the front of the door near the hinges. Gathering every bit of inner strength I could muster, I swung… and I don't know what happened. The spider was gone. Not on the towel, not squished on the door, not curled up in a ball on the ground. Just gone.

I was fairly certain that it hadn't ended up inside my car, but not having an actual corpse, I couldn't be sure what happened to the spider. It certainly left a lot to the imagination.

I called Tom to tell him my tale of woe. He was sympathetic, but told me I'd be fine, to just drive on home. I said that I wanted to tell him I loved him, in case I wrecked the car and killed myself on the way home. "Don't wreck the car!" was his response. Nice.

So I managed to drive home, but it was tricky driving from the passenger side. Well, maybe not quite from that far over, but I was as far away from the door as I could possibly get. My left foot was practically underneath my right foot. It was most uncomfortable and my body was cramping up by the time I got home.

Overcast Miscast

Yesterday was supposed to be a beautiful day. The forecast was for clear skies, sunshine and highs around 75. But the forecasters got it wrong and it was overcast, windy and on the cool side. Not the best conditions for an afternoon of tennis.

Well, actually it wasn't that bad. It wasn't too warm and the wind wasn't strong enough to have much effect. The cloudy skies kept the sun out of our eyes, so I don't know now why I'm complaining.

But I will grumble about this… I ended up with the highest score after three sets and while that's technically a good thing, it means that I will be moving up a court next week. And I don't want to. I was just there last week and it wasn't much fun. The players are nice and I know playing those with better tennis skills is good for my game, I still felt like an anchor around my partner's neck. Plus, they were gunning for me! As far as a strategy goes, it was a good and effective one, but it's still no fun being picked on.

We still don't have a resolution to the software issue of yesterday. My suggestion was that someone in the office should send the software CDs to me so that I could get through the immediate crisis quickly, then we can address upgrading to Illustrator CS3. But I am pretty sure I won't have usable software today so I made plans to play tennis with the Singleton Gang this evening.

Not long after committing myself to the activity, I remembered that I had planned to practice my horn tonight. Doh! I have the most difficult time with practicing. I sincerely intend to practice, I just keep forgetting to. We have a rehearsal this Saturday morning and I would like to be prepared for once.

Overwhelming

My freelance job has gotten a wee bit complicated. The full-time graphic artist who always organized and sent my work to me has left the company. Apparently, she had some personal issues and felt it was best to give notice. All well and good, but her personal problems interfered with her ability to get her work done. There are eight 2008 calendar ad layouts that still need designing. Nearly three months late and the customers aren't pleased.

This is incredible because I have only received one ad grid to work on since the beginning of the year. If she was falling behind, why didn't she send work my way? I've always wanted the steady work, just not the crazy slam that generally happens in November and December.

In addition to doing the ad layouts, the company owner, Frank, is asking me to create the top of the calendars too. Which I'm sure I'm capable of doing, but it sure would have been nice if someone could train me and explain just what the heck is going on. Gah! Frank brought me the main backup drive which contains the last 4-5 years worth of work. So I have tons of completed files to look at, but I am having difficulty making sense of it still. As far as what the other artist sent to the printer, I haven't a clue. To make matters worse, she was using a newer version of the layout software, so I can't even open the files and begin working on these last eight very urgent layouts. Bah!

I discussed the software issue with Frank this morning and we're working on a solution. He might be able to get someone at the office (he's traveling) to find the latest greatest version of Freehand and ship it to me. Or, I might have to buy the software and let him pay me back (I totally trust him). Or, we might purchase Illustrator CS3 because while Adobe will still sell Freehand MX, there are no plans for future updates. Might as well get with the industry standard. I know Illustrator well enough, especially for the basic layout needed for the ad grids. But at the same time, there will be a learning curve. I can do these layouts with one eye on the computer and one eye on the television. For a while, at least, I will have to keep both eyes on the computer, dagnabbit.

SDK - Hurray!

I am so excited about the latest news from Apple! A software development kit has been released for the iPhone. That means that third-party software companies will be able to create and develop games and other software for the iPhone. Currently, there are tons of web apps available, but you have to be online to use them. Which, if you aren't in a wifi area, run slowly and are extremely tedious. Starting at some point in June, downloads will be available for purchase on the new App Store. It has also been suggested that there will be plenty of free applications as well.

The reason this news makes me so happy is because I am hoping that my iPhone will be able to replace my PDA permanently. I don't want to have to carry both devices with me (the PDA is heavy!), but haven't been able to completely do that yet. Though I no longer haul the PDA along in my purse (it stays in my work bag), there have been times that I wish I had it with me.

I love having games to play because there are times that they really alleviated boredom. Hanging out in the doctor's office is a good example. There are other applications on my PDA that are very handy too. One of my favorites stores lots of personal information including credit card numbers, web log-ins, vehicle information and anything else one could think of. It's password protected so no one else would be able to access the program if they got hold of my PDA.

I don't usually want to hurry through spring to get to summer, but between this news and the Burn Notice DVDs, there's a lot to look forward to in June!

Missed It By That Much

Endeavour launched in the middle of the night and I completely missed it. But not for lack of trying. I set the alarm on my iphone for 2:30, as launch was set for 2:38. It went off right on time, with a happy Marimba trill. Leaving Tom snoozing, I went to the living room and powered up the TV, tuning in to a local news channel. There I was greeted with a live action shot of an empty launch pad and a countdown clock counting up. What? Turns out launch time was actually 2:28. I missed seeing the launch by two minutes. Though I've heard today that due to heavy cloud coverage, the launch was only visible immediately after lift-off, but not much after that. That doesn't make me feel better however. I still feel more connected to the space program when I witness every launch and KSC landing.

I went back to bed, but was too irritated with myself to fall asleep. And Tom wasn't helping at all. I don't know what he was dreaming about, but it had him twitching up a storm. Just as I'd start falling asleep, he'd shuffle around and shake the bed. Let me tell you, it isn't easy to shake a Tempur-Pedic bed, but he somehow managed. I gently nudged him several times while softly asking him to  stop. (he doesn't remember that) Finally, I had to go all crazy on him, shoving his shoulder and yelling at him to stop. (he remembers that). I don't feel that I had a restful night at all.

* * * * *

So the writer's strike strikes again. After going for months with no new episodes of many of my favorite shows, the strike is having another effect on my personal entertainment. The My Boys Season 1 DVDs release is going to be delayed. Originally planned for today, they may not be available until September. The network wants to release them right before the new season starts, but there's no telling when that might be at this time.

But I found out, while I was doing research on this incredibly important matter, that Season 1 of Burn Notice is scheduled for release on DVD June 17. That's one really great show and I will certainly be buying those DVDs.