So How Exactly...

...do you hit the lightpost this hard coming away from the house?

"Luuuuuuuuuuuuucyyyyy!!! You have some 'splaining to do!"

10...9...no, wait...okay, 10...9...uh-oh, wait again...

Well, poop.

The shuttle launch was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday because lightning had struck the launch pad on Friday & they had to check for damage.
Now it's delayed further, because of a hurricane headed this way:

(from CNN:)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- NASA will not launch the space shuttle Atlantis on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Ernesto threatens Florida, the space agency said Monday.

Atlantis will be rolled back from the launch pad and into its shelter Tuesday morning "unless something really extraordinary happens" with Ernesto's path and intensity, the space agency said.

Ernesto weakened to a tropical storm Sunday, but forecasters warned the storm could regain hurricane status as it moves over Cuba and north toward Florida. (Full story)

If the shuttle leaves its launch pad Tuesday, liftoff would be pushed beyond a September 7 deadline imposed so that the Atlantis mission would not interfere with a Russian Soyuz flight to the international space station in mid-September, said LeRoy Cain, NASA's launch integration manager.

Discussions are under way with Russian officials that could change that deadline and allow the shuttle to begin a mission before its launch window closes on September 13.

Atlantis' next launch window would not open up until October 20, Cain said.

Imagine what this must be like for the crew, who waited four years for this mission, and now they're on lockdown, waiting to see if it's a go or if they'll just fly some planes & go home.

We had fun at the Space Center, anyway. Had lunch with an astronaut, who talked about some of the missions, and what it's like, and he answered questions. I recorded a little of his talk, and I'll post the video once I figure out how to compress it.

The visit with our family was wonderful - it's always great to spend time with them! :-)

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Blastoff!

Okay, I don't think they really say "blastoff", but at any rate, we're going to Cape Canaveral this weekend, to watch the shuttle Atlantis launch, and to have breakfast with an astronaut. I don't know which one yet (and wouldn't know who it was even if I did know the name), but it should be fun and interesting. :-)

We're going to meet up with my birth family there, which is the best part - we love being around them! Aside from the fact that they spoil us rotten, I mean. They are just such truly nice, fun people! It's a pleasure to be around such a warm & loving family, and even better to be part of it!

If we're allowed to take pictures at the launch, I will, and I'll post 'em after we get back. I hope you all have a wonderful, fun weekend, too!

Just When You Think It's Safe...

BAM! They hit you with something else!

Every time I think I'm finally done with the big stuff and I'll be able to start working on the details and the everyday part of my job, there's another big scheduling shift that needs to be done.
SO, it's going to be an insane couple of days while I scramble to meet the deadline set for that, and then maybe, maybe, I can get back to normal. Well, as close as I get, anyway. ;-p

There is one good point in all of this - my boss said this is it - no more big changes. After this week, it is what it is, and people will just have to suck it up, buckle down, and deal. Yay!

And just so you know, as much as I complain here, I really do love my job!
There are occasional rough patches, but the job itself suits me, and I love the place, and most of the people, so it's all good. :-)

........................Woo Hoo!

(caption says "The Flameseeker Prophecies are now complete.")

My elementalist/monk Guild Wars: Prophecies character has finished the last of the storyline missions, and now has the last 4 major quests for the end of the story. But NOT the end of the game! There are still three major areas to play in, as well as all the cross-quests involved with Factions, special armor to buy/craft, and I can go back & do any bonus missons I missed. (Each storyline mission has a main mission plus a bonus objective - you don't have to get the bonus to go to the next area). AND I will be getting my mini pet/"birthday gift" next month! (When a character turns one year old, you get the minipet as a gift in your inventory). Yippee!!!
Have I mentioned how much I love this game? :-D

O Backpack, We Hardly Knew Ye

After a rather uneventful - and very short - life, a backpack died today, in what can only be described as a tragic accident.

Apparently, the backpack had been placed on the ground behind the car, waiting to be lifted into the trunk. However, the owner of said trunk was unaware of this, and the owner of said backpack didn't realize it hadn't been moved, so when the car was backed up to leave the driveway, there was a very strange scraping sort of sound. Uh-oh. There was obvious severe damage to the backpack, but miraculously, the books and even the lunch were unharmed.

After a little emergency triage, the backpack was temporarily patched up, M*A*S*H style, and managed to make it through the day, after which it was given a proper burial, and replaced.
We can only hope that the new backpack stays out of harm's way...

No Liquid, No Gel to Fly

So, IF carryon luggage is allowed on a flight, but you cannot have any sort of liquid or gel, does that include:
drinks of any kind (including baby bottles or juice boxes?)
hairspray
non-solid deoderant
perfume
foundation makeup
sunscreen
moisturizer
shampoo
conditioner
body wash
contact lens care kit
any liquid meds
gel shoe inserts
WonderBra (aren't they filled with water or gel?)

And if that last one is included, I'd like to know two things.
A: How do they find out
B: Exactly how to they tell a woman it's an issue

That could be an interesting conversation...

It's Been HOW Long?!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but this past summer saw my 20th high school reunion.
Holy cow! Twenty years since I finished high school. Am I really that old? Most days I still feel like the same kid I've always been. 'Course, there are days I feel like the kid's grandma... Heh.

Honestly, I don't actually feel like I'm old. I'm 38. I'm grown-up enough to raise my kids well, but not so grown-up that we can't have fun. I'm right where I want to be in my life, for the most part. There have been some twists & turns along the way, but I've always believed that you end up where you're supposed to be eventually. Things are a little different from my high school plans. Not entirely different - I always knew I'd be a mom; that was a given.

My original plan, back when it was college application time, was a dual-enrollment double-major at Wheelock and Simmons. (They're right across the street from each other in Boston). Early Childhood Education and Spanish. Then I'd be off to Spain (my preference) or Mexico to be a live-in Nanny. BUT.

When I had the applications filled out, in my hand ready to mail, I realized that commuting to school for the next 4 years meant that it would be that much longer that I'd be under my mother's thumb. Oh hell no. Decision made then and there. No college for me unless I could live on my own and pay for it on my own. So, I'd take a year off and then go from there.

Well, during that year off, I got married. Moved to Florida, got divorced, got married again, had kids, and eventually got divorced again. Whew! Still no college, but I do have a job I love - in a school, surrounded by kids. :-) So there I am.

In case anyone's wondering, no, I didn't actually attend the high school reunion. There are very few people in my class that I spent any time with, and the ones who were important to me, I have kept in touch with anyway. Most of my other friends were either older or younger than I was, so I wouldn't see them at a reunion of my own class anyway. And I'm just not that curious.
I don't really care who got fat, who got bald, who made a train wreck of their lives, or who is still just as beautiful as they were then.

None of that is worth flying to Massachusetts for. Or driving. I should visit my family up there anyway, so if I feel like it when the 25th reunion comes around, maybe I'll head on up for that. But I doubt it.

Back From Epcot

The girls and I are back from our visit at Epcot with their aunt (my sister) and their cousin.

It was nice to see them both - it's been a while. We spent all of yesterday wandering through the countries at Epcot, enjoying the food in some of the places, and going on some of the rides.
We did some shopping, of course, and watched some of the entertainment around the showcase.

We spent the night at Disney's Pop Century resort - it's really cute - it has themed buildings for each decade from the 50's to the 90's. There are huge toys in the courtyards, and even the pools are themed.

The drives there and back were fine - we cranked up the volume and played music we all like. Had our very own highway sing-along. ;-)

Back to reality tomorrow, but this week should see things calming down to semi-normal, which will be nice, and then I should be back to blogging more regularly. (Who groaned?! - Wisenheimer!)
Have a great week!

Fried.

Man, I don't know how CP did that 24 hour thing!

I worked about 12 hours today, most of it sitting, and I am exhausted!

I will be so relieved when things get back to "normal" at work.

I like being busy, but being busy for 10-12 hours? Not so much.

Oh well. I hope everyone has a good weekend. :-)